Would you be bold enough to try a soup that’s been simmering for 48 years? That’s exactly what travel blogger Daniel Pinto dared to do as he explored Bangkok’s culinary scene.
On a trip to Thailandm he set his sights on the renowned Wattana Panich restaurant, famed for a soup that began bubbling away almost half a century ago. Capturing footage for his TikTok followers, Daniel shared his unique dining experience: “This soup has been cooking for almost 50 years – Wattana Panich has been selling the same noodle soup since 1976.”
He continued: “Not just the same recipe, but the same soup. Basically, since starting they’ve never stopped cooking it. They just add ingredients as they go so it never runs out.”
Daniel showed off the inside of the restaurant, including a wall filled with awards – most notably, coveted recommendations from the Michelin guide in 2018 and 2019. However, he noted: “Considering they’ve won so many awards, it’s actually a pretty low-key spot. I was here an hour and didn’t see a single tourist.”
Tucking into Wattana Panich’s famed beef broth, Daniel added: “It’s locally known as Nua Toon and made from super fresh ingredients, delicious slow-cooked beef, many other parts of beef I’m not a huge fan of, and fish balls. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous about how it would make me feel – but it did no damage.”
Daniel couldn’t contain his enthusiasm for its “intense taste”, stating that you can clearly taste the history in each bite. “For just $3 [£2.38] it’s my favourite place to eat in Bangkok, a city renowned for its exquisite cuisine,” he exclaimed, labelling the soup as ‘absolutely delicious’ in his video’s caption.
Despite Wattana Panich being “quite far” from the central areas of Bangkok, he ended the video suggesting viewers could make the most of their journey by also checking out Mark Wiens’ Phed Mark restaurant, known for its signature Pad Kaprao – a meal labelled by some as Thailand’s national dish. “Be careful though – it is hot,” Daniel cautioned.
Several of his followers admitted they weren’t keen on the hygienic measures taken by the restaurant. One TikTok user expressed shocked curiosity: “The pot never gets washed?” Another sceptic noted: “No-one is talking about the two plastic bags sitting in the middle of the pot.”
A third person appeared less than eager to sample the culinary treat, declaring: “My stomach is just bubbling looking at it.” Yet, some defended the traditional cooking practice; as an advocate pointed out: “It’s continually cooking, so is probably the safest soup known to mankind.”
And a second added historical context: “This is what families used to do years ago, back in like Victorian times they’d have never ending stew [known as perpetual stew], which was just kept bubbling and new ingredients added as it got eaten.”