In Thailand, isn't it just called 'pad'?

Pad Thai (Thai-style stir-fried noodles) is a classic for a reason. It's the perfect crave-able dish for days that are too hot for a spicy curry or pork dish. You can find the meal at tons of street stalls around the city. Good clues that a vendor serves pad Thai are a basket of bean sprouts and a wok.

I bought my inaugural pad Thai in Thailand for 25 baht/83 cents from a vendor with little plastic tables outside Chatuchak Weekend Market. Every table has condiments so you can have yours just the way you like it: salty, spicy, fishy, nutty, etc.

Clockwise from top left: Fish sauce, dried chilies, chili sauce with vinegar, crushed peanuts

The stand next door had set up tables of lovely fresh veggies.

If I had a complaint about the dish, it would be that no one puts enough egg in pad Thai. Fried egg soaks up the sauce and adds a little saltiness without extra fish sauce--which is delicious, but can overwhelm the other flavors. 

I found the solution at Tang-O, a kitschy roadside cafe a few doors down from my apartment.

Not enough egg? Just wrap the whole thing in a warm, fluffy egg blanket. That's right, I found a pad Thai omelet.

A bonus of this dish is that you feel a little bit like you're opening a present when you eat it. It's the same type of joy I get at slicing into a molten-chocolate cake or biting into a Poptart. There's a little gooey goodness inside.

Apparently you can find this at street stalls too, but Tang-O's version was expertly crafted (65 baht/$2.16). The omelet was light and surprisingly not greasy, and the noodles had extra sauce to balance the spongy egg.