If C+M had an editor, I’d have been told long ago to ease up on Pata Paplean and its wonderful Thai noodles, but since it doesn’t I’m happy to tell you about what I like to call pork liver chow fun. In Thai it would be something like nam tok moo haeng, or dry pork blood noodles, but given my strong emotional attachment to Cantonese noodles I’m calling it pork liver chow fun.

It had been weeks since I enjoyed my good friend Cherry’s boat noodles. So the other day when I stopped by Pata I had a pretty good noodle jones going. Nevertheless was I feeling a bit jaded about this wonderful Thai street food and sat pondering whether to get a single pork blood noodle soup or a double when my musing was interrupted.

“What you want Joe?!” she mock screamed. “Kuay tiew nam tok moo,” came my response.

After finishing the bowl of rich pork blood soup with creamy liver and rice noodles, I knew I wanted something else, but wasn’t quite sure what.  If I’m feeling especially hungry my standard order is a pork blood noodle, followed by a tom yum and then a dry tom yum noodle.

“I make you nam tok haeng,” Cherry said offering a dry version of the pork blood and liver soup. “With flat noodles.” I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but the result was one of the best noodle dishes I’ve had in recent memory. A tangle of broad sen yai sat in a shallow pool of sweet soy sauce topped with creamy pork liver, bits of pork, fish balls, and crunchy bits of chicharron. I’m not quite sure what happened to the pork blood, but I can’t say I missed it.

Cherry says she’s offered the dish all along, but I’m convinced she made it up on the spot just for me. Can you blame me for clinging to the dream of a Thai boat noodle omakase?

Pata Paplean, 76-21 Woodside Ave., Elmhurst, 718-651-2076