Plaeng Nam Shark Fin-Bird’s Nest @ Bangkok

One of the delicacies to have in Bangkok is shark fin and bird’s nest. OK, two of the delicacies to have. And where else to have it other than the Bangkok Chinatown in this establishment that is almost a century old.

Plaeng Nam Shark Fin-Bird’s Nest is one of those shops that either you love to hate or hate to love. The front of the shop looks like it has seen better time. The hygiene needs upgrade. However, it’s the food that we are here for.

There are several things that everyone will order here. The first being the oyster omelette.

Hotplate oyster omelette

It is a Teochew-style oyster omelette with crispy bits from the potato starch, and lots of oysters. It is very greasy so putting it on a bed of beansprouts is needed. I don’t see the fuss, I have eaten better oyster omelette elsewhere in Bangkok.

Superior shark fin soup with abalone

The other must-order is their shark fin soup. The price range from THB 300 for scrappy bits to THB 1000 for whole pieces. This is THB 500 version for one person. There’s a lot of stock for three pieces of whole fins. Though not the best part, it is still value-for-money. There’s the bean sprouts and Chinese parsley that you can add as much as you want or none. Good eat, but I am not sure if the fins are sustainable seafood though.

And finally the dessert that everyone would order – bird’s nest soup.

Bird’s nest

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We ordered two different version – the deluxe version in coconut and just straight-up. The pure bird’s nest is pretty eggy in terms of taste and not too sweet. The coconut version is overwhelmed by the coconut taste. I would prefer the straight-up version.

Crab meat with salted fish fried rice

And if you are still hungry, this is a really good fried rice. Bits of savoury salted fish and umami from the flower crab meat with lots of wok hei from the fried rice. Yummilicious.

Note that the waitress or owner of this place do not speak English but the menu has English below the photos so you can still point to what you want. And if you look past the mess, it is a nice place to have an authentic shark fin and bird nest meal without frills.

Plaeng Nam Shark Fin-Bird’s Nest 義福巷燕窩
45 Plaeng Nam Rd, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100, Thailand
Tel :  +66 2 222 8716

Date Visited : Apr 2017