Five-Star Thai
Krua Samui Local & Thai Kitchen offers refined Thai cuisine at great prices.
Combine a chic dining room with the pick of Thai delicacies, put a group of seasoned experts in charge and what do you get? The answer is - stellar results across the board. Opened little under a year ago, Krua Samui Local & Thai Kitchen sets the bar high, and is a culinary paradise for anyone who loves Thai food or wants to try it out for the first time. Delighting its guests with a menu of authentic fare, this is one of the places to come if you’re looking for a complete range of Thai classics, as well as some of the rarer dishes.
The success of Krua Samui is no surprise to anyone who knows the culinary scene on Samui. The restaurant is the sibling of the very popular Krua Bophut, in Fisherman’s Village. Both are run by Bo Phut Resort & Spa, which has a serious reputation for professionalism. You might now think that prices will be on the high side, but this is not the case. Everything at both restaurants is very reasonably priced. You can go ahead and splurge. And you’ll want to, as this is Thai food at its very best.
When your food arrives, you’ll probably notice that it has quite a few more herbs and spices than it would at most establishments. You’ll certainly be able to taste the difference. It’s an integral part of Krua Samui’s recipe for success. A mouthful of practically anything on the menu will yield a complex array of tastes, thanks to all those ingredients. Then there are the textures. Thai cooking is very particular not just about the tastes but also whether food is soft, hard or crunchy and so on. Krua Samui adheres to all of these rules very faithfully. Everything is completely fresh too, and feels like it’s come from a kitchen garden, plucked to order. Given that all the food here is made from scratch as well, you have the basis for highly tasty food; a meal at Krua Samui lights up even the most jaded palate.
Krua Samui is located on the ring-road, a few hundred metres west of Big C supermarket. It’s open daily from 2:00 pm – 11:00 pm, so come for a late lunch or dinner. There’s plenty of parking at the back, and it’s close to everything. You can eat outside on either of the two terraces here or indoors in a dining room that’s spacious yet cosy. Everything is immaculately clean and tables are beautifully set. As soon as you walk in, you know that you’re in a restaurant where quality comes first.
Staff are extremely helpful and can make recommendations and give advice on just about any aspect of the food and drink here. It goes without saying that they’ll also be happy to tone down the spices in any of the fiery dishes, if needed. The menu is a long one, and worth browsing in depth – there’s so much here that’ll delight, and that’s whether you’re looking for fish, meats or a vegetarian dish.
There’s an inspired range of seafood, both from local waters and further afield, but always with an accent on freshness. Fish are served whole or as main ingredients in other fare, notably the local Samui dishes, and staff prepare them in a pleasing variety of ways. For meats, choose between some amazingly good chicken, duck, pork and beef – think top quality.
To accompany your meal, you may want to choose one of the excellent wines. They match the food for value for money and quality. An inspired collection awaits, with offerings from Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand and also from South America. Not in the mood for wine? No worries, as Krua Samui also stocks local beers, soft drinks and a medley of inspired cocktails, too.
Don’t forget that desserts are an integral part of Thai cuisine, and as you’d expect Krua Samui offers the best. You can enjoy a tasty combination of mango and sticky rice and, since we’re on Samui, so famed for its coconuts, a house speciality is an excellent home-made coconut ice-cream. You’ll also find a moreish selection of western desserts.
Whether you’re curious to try out Thai cuisine for the first time, or you’re completely devoted to it, Krua Samui is highly recommended for its all-round excellence and sheer good value for money.
Dimitri Waring