Unfortunately, I don’t know the name of this splendid restaurant, and I’m not sure that it has a name at all. Anyway, the restaurant can be easily found at the beginning of the main [and the only] street of Thong Nai Pan Noi. The owner, operator and cook are the same man, and there are only two tables at the restaurant. You can come anytime and enjoy his delicious food – but you can’t choose from the menu. This man cooks and serves only what he caught in the morning of your arrival. If he caught fish – you can have a fish, if he caught shrimps – you can have shrimps and so on. But you are free to ask him to make things less spicy. To be honest, I’m jealous of this man, for his high professionalism and for his deep connection to what he does.

Take my word for it: Thai cuisine is superior. But if you are satiated with it and prefer to take an advantage of something different – try the Om Ganesh Indian restaurant in Haad Rin Nai, Koh Phangan. It’s suitable for Indian food enthusiasts, and… actually to anybody. The variety of dishes is impressive, including all Indian dishes you can think of: curry, tandoori, naan bred and much more. The restaurant also features an art gallery and a gift shop.

The Little Home restaurant is one of the main discoveries of my Koh Phangan research project (the private unorganized initiative to discover the best restaurants on the island. All the research’s funds were raised using a modest credit card). Go straight to the Chicken Corner, turn left to the pier, pass the 7 eleven market, and on your right side you will be able to recognize the ridiculously neglected interior design of the Little Home restaurant, with plastic maps and no walls. The food is unbelievably cheap and tasty. It’s a kind of Westernized “Thai Style” food (don’t insist on having the real “Thai Style” meal. It makes you feel like hosting a campfire party in your mouth). You should try their yellow curry and red curry dishes, but everything else will be of the same superior quality.

Saras Kitchen is no doubt one of the best restaurants in Koh Phangan. Saying “the best” I don’t mean, “fancy”; from this point of view, Saras Kitchen is probably the worst. If you are looking for a restaurant with tasteful interior – you may consider skipping “Saras Kitchen”, but if you know how to recognize and appreciate a high quality food and cooking - “Saras Kitchen” is just the right place to visit.

I became aware of this restaurant from the leaflet, put in my hand by a young boy at the “Chicken Corner” in Haad Rin. The leaflet’s text was as follows:

We don’t have Western food,
We don’t have Israeli food,
We have only Thai authentic food.

Despite of being surprised from the fact, that having “Thai authentic” meal could have been an issue in Thailand, I followed the leaflet’s instructions and found this restaurant, placed behind the Outback bar.

The building carrying the sign “Saras Kitchen” featured the dining area (with characteristic plastic tables, chair and maps), the kitchen and… sewing workshop (which can also be useful). The interior decoration was apparently not their strongest point. But the food… oh my… “Saras Kitchen’s” shrimp was so delicious that after my first lunch I came back for dinner at the same day, and the next day I’ve have even brought 5 friends with me straight from the Cocohut Village resort…

None of us remembers the exact moment of discovering the Haad Yuan beach. This is a small, picturesque beach accessed from Haad Rin by the longtail (taxi boat). Experienced walkers should also try the 5th km mountain path. Despite its proximity to Haad Rin, this beach looks much less crowdie. In spite of the fact that our permanent residence in Koh Phangan was in Leela Beach – my sister chose to spend couple of days on Haad Yuan, trying to properly allocate the huge amount of time between reading, swimming and staring at the sea from the terrace of the bamboo resort restaurant.

Although I’m definitely not the “laying-on-the-beach-till-the-crane-will-pick-me” tourist kind, I decided to join her for one-day. I had no regrets whatsoever! In Haad Yuan I took the best pictures of the trip (taking nice authentic pictures of pure solid beauty is a thing that stands on its own) and had a meal in one of the best restaurants on the island.

The bamboo resort restaurant offers an unbelievable variety of Thai, Burmese (the two chefs are from Myanmar) and Western dishes. As for me, the best choice was the grilled and spicy red shaper fish, (my sister still dreams of their Tom Yum Kung soup). The restaurant is relatively expensive comparing to Koh Phangan standards (for example, my red shaper cost 250 baht), but it’s worth every bath. After the meal, you can savor the beauty of the beach, sea and mountains surrounding them, or … take a nap on a mattress inside the restaurant.

Thai tom yum soup is one of my favorite meals among Thai Cuisine. During my stay in Koh Phangan it was my daily meal. If one had squeezed me– pure tom yum would have drip out my ears. As soon as I got back home, I’ve made my own version of the Thai tom yum recipe, and it was definitely not bad. However, it did not reach the delicate authentic flavor of the dish served in Mam’s small restaurant- my friend from Koh Phangan.

The first time I had a meal at her restaurant was quite coincidental. Mam is a great cook with a unique charming personality. Unfortunately, she is also the worst marketer on the island. Her small restaurant, placed in a hidden passage not far from the “Chicken corner”, can be seen neither from the beach nor from the main street; there are no signs; and she never distributes any leaflets. Since the restaurant is inexpensive, most of her clients are locals. Nonetheless, Mam is extremely professional as a restaurant manager, cook and waitress for the tourists: each meal in her restaurant had its own unique blend of vegetables, fruit and sea food and it is never too spicy, too hot, too cold or too fancy. On top of it all, Mam is always ready to prepare that special meal just for you.

Speaking about Mam, I’ve almost forgotten to publicize the promised Thai tom yum soup recipe…

Ingredients:
4 cups of cold water;
2 cups of coconut milk;
1 tbs. of tamarind of lemon juice;
1 tbs. of lemon grass;
1 tbsp Kaffir Lime;
1 chili pepper;
1 tbsp soy sauce;
2 tbs. Brown sugar;
Fresh cilantro;
Peeled shrimp.

Instructions: Boil the water and the coconut milk; gradually add all the ingredients except from the shrimp. Mix the soup. Simmer 5 – 10 minutes. Add the shrimp. Simmer 5 – 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.