Bangkok's Wattana Panich Simmers Same Broth for 52 Years

Wattana Panich, a Bangkok restaurant on Ekkamai Road, has been serving beef noodle soup from the same continuously simmering broth since 1974. Third-generation owner Nattapong Kaweenuntawong has tended the broth for two decades, adding fresh ingredients daily. The broth is kept in a giant stainless-steel pot, strained nightly, and boiled each day. The restaurant owns its building, allowing it to avoid rent hikes in the gentrifying area. The practice is a modern example of perpetual stew, a method where broth simmers for years. The Wall Street Journal recently featured the establishment.