When we first started talking about honeymoons, I only had two criteria that I wanted filled from our trip. I wanted to eat a green curry for breakfast and I wanted to chill out on the beach almost everyday. So even though we toyed around with considering other locations, Thailand was really the only choice in our (well, definitely my) hearts.
I’ve long been a fan of Thai cuisine, and I’m also a spice fiend – the spicier the better. Whenever we would order a dish and I was asked what level of spice I wanted, my confident answer of “hot” was greeted with dubious looks almost every time. It must also be noted that not all Thai cuisine is spicy – that’s just one flavour profile!
We ate at a variety of places; beautiful restaurants, market stalls, pop-up places driven off on mopeds – and I can safely say that we never had a bad meal. And I learned something that truly exposed my ignorance. In Thailand it’s not traditional to eat rice with chopsticks. Whenever I’d been given them at a Western Thai place in America or England, I always made an effort to use them to try to be cultural respectful, though I’m truly dreadful at chopstick dexterity – and nope! Not really a traditional thing. It’s just what Western people expect out of any Asian restaurant and that’s mostly why they come with every plate of food. (However, we were told that you do use chopsticks when eating Thai noodle dishes – but rice – never.)
I fell in love with Thai coffee which was very similar to Vietnamese coffee in its mixture of cold coffee and condensed milk (so sweet, but so tasty!). And Thai pancakes which I could only describe to my taste buds as a cross between Indian roti, Mexican sopapillas and French crepes. Basically, they were the best things ever and I insisted on eating them wherever we went.
So let’s start reviewing some of the food in Thailand!
Restaurant: The Gold Elephant
Pictured: Green curry, sticky rice and then massaman curry.
Food here was extraordinarily delicious and the staff was super attentive. It was the most expensive meal that we ate, but it felt a bit more like a special occasion.
Restaurant: Phu Khao Lak Thai Restaurant
Pictured: Pad thai, chicken satay and various cocktails.
This was our first full day in Thailand, so our heads were all over the place from jet lag, but I do remember our Pad Thai being delicious, and this restaurant having the best outside patio area.
Restaurant: Lucky Seafood ***
Pictured: Cashew chicken and chicken and basil curry
Super tasty, and very filling! *** I actually am not positive that the restaurant was Lucky Seafood. I didn’t write down the name of that night’s venue, so I’ve been staring at pictures on google maps and *I think* this was it.
Restaurant: Sand & Sea
Khao Lak Main Street
Pictured: Green curry and panang curry
Sand & Sea was probably the restaurant that catered most towards the tourist foot traffic – though – to be honest in such a heavily tourist area, all restaurants catered towards the tourist traffic. It was actually my least favourite meal that we had in Thailand, and if you were in Khao Lak, I’d give Sand & Sea a miss.
Restaurant: Qcumber
13 Khao lak street, Khao Lak, Thailand
Pictured: Qcumber signature salad, red curry, mango chicken sandwich, pad kra pao
Qcumber was my favourite place in Khao Lak, and we even went back there three times during the course of our two weeks in Thailand. It’s small and family owned and they focus on local, seasonal and fresh ingredients. It was to die for. They also made the most incredible freshly squeezed juices. The space is super tiny and it fills up really quickly so get there early in the evening than you might usually eat! It was also some of the cheapest sit down food we ate.
Pancakes: various markets. Pictured nutella, lemon and sugar and lime
I loved trying all the various new foods that I was exposed to in Thailand (and it reaffirmed my love of some old favourites!)
What’s your favourite travel / eating memory?
