phed mark review intensely flavorful krapow by mark wiens — *Phed Mark serves up a unique plate of intensely flavorful pad kaprao*

Located in the heart of Bangkok’s Metropolitan District, Phed Mark is a small restaurant owned by Mark Wiens that serves up the spiciest Pad Kaprao you can find in Thailand. Easily the most popular and recognizable dish in Thailand (and also my comfort food), Pad Kaprao is a mouth watering stir-fry of chilies, spices, protein and of course the main ingredient, Thai holy basil, also known as “Bai Kaprao”.

I know you’re thinking “Wait I thought the most popular Thai dish is Pad Thai”, Sorry to shatter your world but that is absolutely not true. Us Thai’s love a good plate of Pad Kaprao, it is the nation’s comfort food. Remember in 2018 when a group of boys and their soccer coach got stuck in Tham Luang Cave for 18 days? The first thing they wanted to eat when they got out was a plate of Pad Kaprao. If that doesn’t speak for our love of this dish then I don’t know what will.

This dish holds a special place in my heart as it’s the most common dish that my mom would make for me when I was young. She would use chicken thighs and the dish would be a little more saucy than your typical Kaprao, that way the rice can soak up all of the wonderfully aromatic and spicy flavors.

If you are unsure as to what Pad Kaprao is then don’t worry, I wrote this nifty article just for you. :)

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Firstly, who is Mark Wiens?

mark wiens phed mark owner food travel blogger — *The legend himself, Mark Wiens, the largest food & travel content creator in the world*

Phed Mark’s owner is Mark Wiens. If you are a foodie or at all interested in foods from around the world then no doubt you will have heard of Mark Wiens.

If you do not know who the man is… Then umm… Please do.

Based in Bangkok, Thailand, Mark Wiens is a US born food and travel blogger who roams the world to document delicious and exotic cuisines and the culture behind it. He humbly started off as a blogger with his website Migrationology.com and then later incorporated videos and vlogs. As of today Mark Wiens has grown to become the world’s most beloved food blogger with a YouTube channel of over 9.8 million subscribers!

He is most well known for 2 things:

His iconic “OH WOW” face and the slight (or rather very noticeable) head tilt whenever he takes a bite of something delicious.
His insane love for spicy food which gave birth to his catch phrase “mai phed mai kin” (Thai for “not spicy, not eating”).

All of this full time eating has led him to open up a restaurant along with a couple of his buddies in the heart of Thailand.

In a way, Phed Mark is a culmination of years of culinary experience Mark Wiens has accumulated while living and travelling in Thailand.

The Restaurant, Phed Mark

front of phed mark restaurant — *A small and vibrant restaurant with only a few seating options*

Phed Mark is located just under the Ekkamai BTS station and next to the Bangkok Planetarium and Science Center.

The restaurant is quite small, actually very small, and not only that it is often packed full of patrons and delivery drivers especially during lunch hours. So expect to wait a bit before you your order is actually served. When I went I had to wait 30 minutes or so before I got my plate of food. But I was determined to wait because I believe the food is worth it.

You probably noticed as well that there is a lot of windows, that actually creates an illusion that there is quite a bit of openness and space. In all honesty, I feel like the seating and general floor plan needs to be improved to accommodate for more diners. The locations is great though, easy to get to.

Another fun thing to note is that the name “Phed Mark” is a play on words. The name comes from the Thai words “เผ็ดมาก” which means “very spicy”, however since the owner’s name is Mark… Yeah. So Phed Mark translates to “spicy Mark” In Thai, which is a bit questionable but I can totally understand because Mark Wiens does seem pretty spicy.

What Kinds of Pad Krapao is on the Menu?

phed mark menu — **There are a lot of things to try**

Phed Mark’s menu includes conventional meats such as pork and chicken while also having vegetarian and wagyu options.

Phed Mark’s menu is limited but well thought out. The only dish you’ll find is of course… The Pad Kaprao. However, there is a certain level of customization that goes a long way to make the kaprao to how you like it.

Your plate starts with what type of protein you want. There is:

Pork - 129 THB (or 3.5 USD)
Sour Pork (fermented pork in Thai Isaan Sausage) - 159 THB (or 4.3 USD)
Squid - 169 THB (or 4.5 USD)
Beef - 159 THB (or 4.3 USD)
Wagyu - 249 THB (or 6.6 USD)
Wagyu Shank - 259 THB (or 6.9)
Vegetarian (Tofu) - 109 THB (or 2.9 USD)

*Note: All orders comes with a complimentary fried duck egg

You also have the option of adding an additional fried duck egg for 15 THB (or 0.5 USD) per egg. Personally I love that runny yolk and crispy egg white so I would always order 2 fried eggs.

Lastly you will need to choose your spice level. There are 5 levels to choose from, all of them nicely indicated by the number of chilies next to them:

Level 1 - Non Spicy
Level 2 - Very Less Spicy
Level 3 - Less Spicy
Level 4 - Medium Spicy (Recommended)
Level 5 - VERY SPICY (Phed Mark)

Let me tell you, I have a Very high spice tolerance, more so than the average Thai person. One time, I tried level 5, and at first it was ok, the spice slowly builds up. But by the end, my mouth and tongue can feel pain from dimensions beyond ours. Even level 4 is extremely spicy.

Remember the spicy Korean ramen challenge? You know they have a x2 version? Well yeah… level 5 is way more spicy than that.

Pricing

Here is where things get a little iffy for me, the pricing is way too high, more than double of what you can get at a regular street food stall or casual restaurant. But I would say that it is understandable as Phed Mark serves up what I would say is a fancier version of this dish, with more quality ingredients and spices.

How is Phed Mark’s Pad Kaprao?

pad krapow pork fried egg chilies — *Every plate is decorated with whole red chilies to indicate your spice level*

I ordered the pork Pad kaprao with level 4 spiciness. In my first bite, I was hit with the strong aroma of all the herbs and spices, at first the spice was alright, it tingled my taste buds a bit but it was fine.

You can see little bits of chili seeds scattered across the minced pork, not only that the smell and taste of minced garlic was also pronounced. I love myself some (not some, actually a lot) garlic so that was a big win for me.

The Thai holy basil was not overpowering and provided a nice warming peppery taste that rounds out the whole dish. In a way it also tastes kind of smoke-y, not so much from the wok, but from all the chilies and spices.

The pork itself doesn’t have much of a porky flavor to be honest, it acted more as a carrier for the spices. Don’t get me wrong, you can still clearly taste the meat, but it’s not a dominant flavor profile.

Oh and we can’t forget about the rice. It’s normal Thai jasmine rice. Tastes good.

The Spice Blend

All this talk about chilies, spices, garlic, etc… So what exactly goes into a plate of Phed Mark’s Pad Kaprao? Well Mark has taken some liberties as to what constitutes the ingredients in a traditional plate of Pad Kaprao.

The ingredients used in the spice blend are:

Minced garlic
Chili oil
Green chili peppers
Black pepper corns
A bunch of other ingredients that I cannot figure out

This version is on the dry side meaning that you will be able to taste more of the spices and herbs. Some people enjoy a drier Pad Kaprao but personally for me I like some sauce so that my rice can be soaked in that deliciousness.

Real Talk, this is not the best Pad Kaprao

regular plate of chicken pad krapao — A regular plate of chicken Pad Kaprao, notice the sauciness and the lack of extreme spices

To be honest, I would say that this plate of Pad Kaprao doesn’t taste as good as your regular 50 baht street food version. That’s because Phed Mark is serving an adaptation, the goal here seems to be to make the spiciest version of this dish, and Mark definitely nailed that. I think he nailed it way too much because whole dish was too spicy for it’s own good and overly salty.

I wouldn’t say this is the best Pad Kaprao in Thailand, because it isn’t, but it is definitely the most spiciest. And if you look at it from that perspective, then you’ll enjoy this dish much more.

If you are in Bangkok, another notorious eatery is the Michelin Bib Gourmand Jeh O Chula at Siam, this restaurant is located Chulalongkorn University and is famed for serving the absolute best and largest bowl of Tom Yum mama (instant) noodles around. While Pad Kaprao is Thailand’s comfort food, Tom Yum and Mama noodles come in at a close second. Book an order at the link above to enjoy a set menu for a discounted price!

The Glorious Crispy Fried Duck Egg

oozy runny fried duck egg yolk — *At Phed Mark they use duck eggs which are more rich and creamy*

Duck eggs are used instead of normal chicken eggs. These are a bit bigger in size and also boast a higher fat content which creates a more rich egg yolk. The flavor is also more pronounced than a regular chicken egg.

But I really have to tell you about the fried egg’s cooking process, the way Phed Mark prepares their fried egg is nothing short of genius.

To keep the yolk nice and runny, they first separate the whites from the yolk. Then the whites are fried to a nice crispy golden perfection, once the whites crispy then they add the yolk back into the center of the fried egg.

This means that every single time, without fail, you will always have a nice oozing egg yolk coating your rice and Pad Krapao. It may sound a bit gross to some unfamiliar with raw egg, but trust me, the creamy and velvet-y texture will win your taste-buds.

I will say however, that as I continue eating, the dish was becoming a bit too rich and I needed to add some salty fish sauce with chilies (a free condiment you can add) in order to cut the richness.

Conclusion

Pros

Strong and intense, very spicy
Different types of protein and spice levels to customize your plate to your liking
A vegetarian option (not many places have this) + a non spicy option
The fried duck egg is a major plus that no other place does.
Mark Wiens is the founder (this is not included in the rating calculations but come on, you can’t deny that is pretty cool).

Cons

Small and cramped atmosphere, little seating means wait times can be long.
The dish is overly spicy so much so that it masks the flavors of the other ingredients.
Pricing is a bit too expensive for this dish.

Overall I would recommend you check Phed Mark, not only because I am a huge fan of Mark Wiens but also because they serve a solid plate of Pad Kaprao that will be sure to please even the most hardcore spice lovers. With different meats to choose from as well as a vegetarian option, there’s bound to be a plate that’s right for you. The only thing that is holding the ratings back is the lack of seating and small space as well as the price being too high for this dish. This is not a dish that you would normally eat every day, it’s more like a place to treat yourself to something special once or twice a month.

Phed Mark | 7/10

Location: 300 Sukhumvit Rd, Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110

Phone: +66 83 893 8989

Opening Hours: 10:00AM - 7:15PM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: 100 - 250 THB (or 2.6 - 6.5 USD)

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