Crispiest Siew Yoke Ever + Krabi's Street Food

Dinner on our 3rd evening was a disaster, so I won't talk about it at all... plus the fact that we went snorkelling in the afternoon itself, the below average dinner didn't help to satisfy our hunger. Oh well, better luck next time I guess. On our 4th day, it was time for us to go to Krabi's outskirts (out of Ao Nang)... Khlong Thom Hot Spring + Emerald Pool + Tiger Cave Temple to be exact! Initially we were planning to go with the tour group but knowing that the itinerary is limited, we deviced a brilliant plan by engaging the service of one hotel worker (where we stayed) who was on leave on Saturday. He sacrificed his off day just to drive us to where we wanted to go.

It was 2pm by the time we came out from the hot spring and all of us were feeling hungry. We asked So (the guide) to look for one restaurant in Khlong Thom town. As it was only a small town, it didn't take long before we spotted this particular restaurant by the side of the main road. It was definitely what was displayed at the main entrance that attracted us like a bee to the honey.

Crunchy siew yoke (roasted pork) got the most of my attention.

Also the fried fish fillet and pork sausage.

Now knowing which dish to be ordered, we let So to make the decision for us.. started with Tom Yam Goong. Spicy, slightly sourish.. it opened up our appetites immediately.

Also the clear soup with seafood

Curry fish fillet - for those who love basil, you will love this dish. It was so aromatic and full of flavour that we couldn't stop eating it.

Khao pad - this was something that I learned before coming to Krabi. Being a fan of fried rice, we ordered this dish and it didn't disappoint. Full of wok hei with distinctive spicy sauce, we ordered another plate to share among us.

Highlight of our lunch - stir fried kai lan with the siew yoke. The meat still retained its crispy-ness despite being soaked in the gravy for some time. Kailan on the other hand was very fresh too!!!

Fried egg - as simple as it gets! Crispy on the outside while soft and moist on the inside, an addictive dish. They threw in dried tomatoes as well.

Leo's verdict - Sorry as I don't have the address nor contact for this restaurant. But you can look at the red & green roof as a pointer. Most of the time, you won't be taken to this place if you follow tour as they would bring you to eat outside the hot spring itself where the choices are limited too. We paid only 700 baht for the meal and went to Tiger Cave Temple full and satisfied!

At night it was time to visit Krabi town! We went to the Walking Street at Sukhon Soi 10 which had converted into our version of pasar malam during the weekends. Needless to say, expect cheap street food here. Not going to elaborate much but these pictures will mark the end of my Krabi post here. Enjoy!!!

Fabulous som tam + BBQ chicken & Aree Ba Ba Seafood

After having one of the best meals in Ao Nang on our first day, we were looking forward to our second day. We had breakfast most of our times in Aree Tara Hotel (where we stayed) and to tell the truth, the selection was not that extensive and just mediocre. Even though my favourite BACON was practically unlimited, other things just simply failed to excite my taste bud.

So what we did is to rent a bike which only cost 200 baht for the whole day. And I can assure you that it will be the best mode of transportation while you are in Ao Nang, unless you are planning to drive far. Of course, you can always choose to walk a few kilometres on feet, under the scorching sun. But I think that I had enough of the sun back here in Malaysia so thanks, but no thanks.

On our way back to Ao Nang after 2 hours in Susan Hoi, we saw this stall selling papaya salad or commonly known as som tam plus tasty-looking BBQ chicken & fish. There is no signage so I don't know its name.. there is absolutely no need to locate this stall as there are many stalls along Ao Nang main road up to Noppharat Thara Bay that sell this traditional Thai fare. The trick is to see which stall that has the most local swarm at... and this is exactly what we did! Most of you should know that som tam is Thai salad comprising mainly shredded young papaya, with peanut, tomato, bird eye chilly and local spices. As usual, my order of som tam must be "ped ped" :) coupled with a pair of BBQ chicken thigh, our lunch couldn't be better.

We spent the rest of the afternoon going around Ao Nang, went to Noppharat Thara Bay and also Thai massage. We waited for this before going out to search for dinner. Initially we planned to go to the famous Ao Nang Seafood Street which is facing the beach of Ao Nang for dinner but the high price tag for their selections changed everything.

All of us were very hungry and therefore I took out my Krabi food guide which I pulled from the internet and found this rather funny name.. Aree Baba. It didn't take us a long time to locate this place, as it's located opposite McDonald. Their selection of seafood was not bad, although not as impressive as Ao Nang Seafood Street. You can choose your own seafood in front of the restaurant and they will prepare it right away.

Everything looked fresh

The tiger prawns were huge and cost only 150 baht/100g.

They had a few hut-like dining area in front of the restaurants.

Barbequed squid @ 125 baht - simply delicious! Squeeze the lime onto the squid and dip into the spicy sauce... a great way to start our dinner

Pork satay @ 110 baht for 10 pcs - forget this dish. Tasted mediocre and the meat was not-so-tender. The accompanying peanut sauce was bland as well.

Tom Yam Goong @ 140 baht - the prawns were fresh. However, the soup was a tad salty (which was fine for me by the way). Not as good as Lae Lay's version

Fried pakachad @ 140 baht - this veggie had a crunchy texture but Jenn said it was quite tough to chew.

Fried rice with shrimp paste @ 120 baht - is this what you called fried rice?? LOL.. more like economy rice :P

Steamed mussel in a pot @ 120 baht -as original as it gets for its flavour. Its clear soup was very sweet too

Oyster @ 50 baht per piece - fresh! Squeeze the lime, add some shallots and chilly sauce... good to go!

Deep fried red snapper in Thai chilly sauce @ 200 baht - crunchy skin, firm + flaky meat and sweet Thai chilly sauce... appetising!

Highlight of the evening - barbequed tiger prawns with garlic pepper sauce @ 700 baht. I'll let the picture to do the talking

Leo's verdict - total bill came at 1800 baht (no service + VAT here) to our delight. No great view of the beach but our stomachs felt pampered. Burppppp!!!!

The most memorable meal in Krabi

What??? How can I put an ending to my Krabi trip without posts on food??? I don't come here just for the view! As soon as I made booking through goholiday.com 2 months before my departure, both of us agreed on not to eat any Thai food until then. And even though Ao Nang is nothing short of international food such as Italian, French, Irish, Swedish, Indian... we saved our stomach for one and only one food... THAI!!! I'm so determined to find good Thai food in Krabi to the extent that I googled the internet to look for recommendations from fellow travellers.

After Chinese, I think that my next favourite is Thai :) and I don't mind having Thai food everyday but the same cannot be said for Japanese, Korean, Italian, French, German, etc. I also love eating spicy stuff which means that a trip to Thailand is definitely not complete without their signature tomyam or anything spicy. I have learned a few Thai words recently and one word is "ped" or spicy. There is not one meal in Krabi without tom yam, and everytime I order this dish, I'd say "ped ped" and the waiter/waitress would just smile at me and nodded his/her head. Never mind that my stomach can't stand the spicy-ness, as everytime I had something spicy... I would have a case of stomachache. My motto when come to eating... EAT FIRST, THINK LATER!!! No wonder my waist is getting bigger and bigger as time goes by :P

Lae Lay Grill Spices Seafood

This is the first place that we went to as we arrived in Krabi. Frankly, this place is not in my list of place to try but it came highly recommended by the staff in the hotel. We were also told that the restaurant provided transport to pick us up from the hotel. Feeling lazy to be adventurous on our first day, we decided to settle for the restaurant. It turned out to a wise decision. Nestled on a hill overlooking Ao Nang area (Noppharat Thara Bay to be exact), the view was nice from up there.

The restaurant had just opened for business and we were their first customer of the day! Everything in the menu seemed enticing as out stomachs were literally growling (We only had breakfast but not lunch). So after placing our orders, I took some time to take pictures around. They adopted an open kitchen concept with tanks of live seafood placed nearby. Feel free to pick your very own seafood if you have a deep pocket and they will be more than happy to grill or do whatever you want with your selections - be it lobster, mantis prawns or even crabs.


If you come here during sunset, you can choose to sit at the wooden tables and chairs next to the panaromic terrace where you can enjoy the view of Noppharat Thara Bay.

How could we come to Thailand without having their fresh coconut??? My choice of pure blended coconut drink was equally refreshing :)

Initially we were given their bird eye chilly sauce for dipping (3rd from the front)... however we wanted more. So we asked, and being served with (from the front) tom yam sauce, tamarind sauce and spicy seafood sauce. All sauces were very good but the highlight was the tomyam sauce so don't forget to order it should you have the opportunity to visit this restaurant.

Tom yam goong @ 250 baht was served first and it immediately opened up our appetites. Perhaps the best tom yam that we had here during our 5D4N stay in Krabi.

Crispy soft shell crab with chilly & salt @ 250 baht - not oily and the chilly & salt alone went well with the rice

Roasted duck in red curry sauce @ 180 baht - there was occasion that the curry duck that we had in Ao Nang (not here) was tough and hard to chew but Lae Lay had nailed it right. The duck meat was very tender and the curry was done perfectly.

Steamed seabass with chilly & lime @ 400 baht - our favourites for the evening. I wonder how they actually de-boned the fish. Plenty of crushed garlic, lime and bird eye chilly were laid on top of the fish before it was steamed. We didn't even spare its head :)

Steamed tiger prawns in soya & garlic sauce @ 420 baht - Another winner for us. Fresh medium sized prawns steamed perfectly with sweet soya sauce. The meat was succulent and bouncy with each and every bite.

Fried rice with salted fish @ 180 baht - decent dish.

Pineapple fried rice with curry powder & crab meat @ 220 baht - look at the amount of crab meat on top of the rice. I like the fact that they gave cashew nut too (sucker for this stuff)
Their famous Thai fragrant rice also doesn't come cheap, costing 20 baht per bowl

Leo's verdict - Price is slightly on the high side but it's worth the money paid, given the beautiful scenery and delicious food. Do bear in mind that 10% service charge and 7% VAT is applicable while dining here. We paid 2700++ baht for all of the above. Bear in mind that some other places in Ao Nang do not charge those tax. It's best to come when the sun is about to set. Otherwise, the sun will shine directly at where you dine and it can get pretty hot too. This is what you get when you dine here.

Our very first sunset in Ao Nang
Address: 89 Moo 3, Ao Nang
Website: http://www.laelaygrill.com

Places of Interest in Krabi and it's surrounding area

Before I started to write this post, I pondered if I should write on the places or the food first. I opt for the former, as I want to save the best for last. However I'm not going to elaborate much on the places itself (well, maybe some brief info) as picture tells a thousand words.

I like to plan ahead of time. Jenn would call me a freak for preparing so many things in advance. Well, I'm not much of an adhoc kind of guy. Whenever both of us went for vacation, tripadvisor.com and google.com will be fully utilised - attractions, food, etc. However, there were times when I planned too much activities in a day which caused us to be completely exhausted by the end of the day :P but in our trip to Krabi, the solution is by paying for traditional Thai Massage which Jenn loves sooooooo much!

1. Ao Nang - almost all (if not all) tourists that come to Krabi would stay in Ao Nang. Even the taxi driver promptly informed us that there's nothing to see in Krabi town (but I beg to differ this time, given the info that I managed to pull from google). This once a quiet and isolated beach town gained its popularity among expatriates after Phuket started to get overcrowded and too commercialised. God knows when Ao Nang will turn into 2nd Phuket, as I started to notice those girlie bars mushrooming in this area just like Patong Beach in Phuket. This area has a lot of international eateries (indian, italian, irish, french, german, swedish, etc) as well as the local ones. For souvenirs, pls bargain hard ok??? The price of products can be as high as 200-300%... price for food in Ao Nang is generally higher compared to elsewhere but always lookout for roadside stalls along Ao Nang road, particularly those with a lot of locals... delicacies such as BBQ chicken/fish, som tam, noodles, yellow rice, etc are abundant.

2) Shell Fossil Cemetery (or simply known as Susan Hoi in Thai) - the only one of 3 sites in the world (the other two in the US and Japan). It took about 15 minutes drive from Ao Nang by motorcycle to this place. Be prepared to pay 100 baht per person as entrance fee. Look out for Fossil Gastropod sign as you try to search for this place ok? Also ask the local if you are not sure on the direction (I did). You can take pictures while standing on the platform of fossil. Souvenir shops are located nearby so if you are interested to buy shell related gifts, this is the place to do so. There is also a shop selling pearl products which is rather big near the parking area.

3) Hat Noppharat Thara - a 3km long beach situated 6km fro Ao Nang, but it's damn near from where I stay (Aree Tara) as the hotel is located somewhere in between the 2 beaches. During low tide, you can actually walk all the way to nearby small islands. You will also encounter small crabs along the way. From far, they look just like an army of ants but don't worry as they are harmless and will avoid rather than attacking you.

4) Phi Phi Island tour - normally you will have to book with tour agent in order to visit this famous island. We booked through the hotel at a competitive rate (save the time and hassle of going outside). Pick up from the hotel in the morning and transfer to the islands using speed boat from Noppharat Thara beach, this usually take one whole day. Starting from sight seeing at nearby small islands, they will stop you at Bamboo Island where you can spend time either swimming in the turqoise sea or just take photos of the surrounding area. Maya Bay is way too crowded with people and boats ever since this island is popularised by movie The Beach. The view is still magnificient though. Snorkelling is also in the itinerary :)

5) Khlong Thom Hot Spring Waterfall and Emerald Pool - we rented a car and engaged a hotel staff to drive us there (he was on leave that day) in the morning. A word of advise.. please arrive here early before the crowd started to come, as it will be overcrowded. The nature's own hot tub jacuzzi simply cannot be missed... located about an hour drive from Ao Nang, start your journey early. Emerald Pool is located within driving distance from The Hot Spring itself. However, you have to walk about 800m to 1400m (depending on which trail that you use) in order to reach the ever popular emerald coloured pool. Be prepared to pay 100 baht per person as entrance fee... but we paid only 20 baht as our guide managed to get us the local rate :P

6) Wat Tham Suea (Tiger Cave Temple) - a visit to Thailand is not complete without visiting its most famous temple. In the case of Krabi, it will be the Tiger Cave Temple. the 99m Chadi is still under construction, and there are a lot of monkeys loitering in the area. Please do not bring any food or drinks, as the monkeys will definitely steal from you. They stole my coconut drink!!! The highlight will be the 1237 steps journey up to the summit of the limestone hill, where a golden statue of Buddha is overseeing the province of Krabi. Breathtaking view of Ao Nang, Krabi town and it's surrounding area from up there as well. For the fainthearted, you can pray at the Guan Yin statue located at the bottom of the hill. My legs ached for a few days after that, but the hard work up definitely worthwhile!

7) Krabi town - it's best to come during the weekend where the Maharat Soi 8 is closed to traffic to make way for the night market. A lot of local delicacies and produce can be found here. Don't forget to take pictures of the Neanderthal traffic light located at the intersection of Maharat Road and Maharat Soi 10. Chao Fa pier is also where you can see the Khao Khanab Nam, the famous twin rocks which can be seen from the pier.
Next post will be about FOOD!!!