The Best Food in Surat Thani- My Picks!

The south of Thailand is renowned for it's delicious and spicy cuisine.  Surat Thani, where I've called home for the past two years, is no exception.  The following is a quick video I put together of what I think are the best dishes from some of my favorite local restaurants in Surat.

The total video is about 8 minutes in length so if you want to skip around, the featured foods and restaurants are below.  *In Surat Thani, many of these restaurant names are written in Thai.  Since most of my friends and I cannot read Thai, we've made up these nicknames for the restaurants based on their location or what is served there (i.e. "Corner Guy" is a small hole-in-the-wall eatery run by one guy on the corner of an intersection).  Enjoy.

pic from wiki

Place: “Corner Guy”

Dishes:

1. pad see euw- stir fried noodles with vegetables, chicken, and brown sauce
2. yam yawd ma praew- fried coconut tips with a spicy salad (more like a dip) of lime, seafood, and vegetables

Place: “Earth Zone”      

Dishes:

1. 

   pic from joyfulabode

   kao rad pad ka praew gung- Fried Thai basil and spices with spicy shrimp over rice with fish sauce, chili, and garlic. I add a kai dao (fried egg) on top.
2. kaew muu sap- Chinese style, crispy fried dumpling stuff with minced pork and spices.

Place: “Rice Soup Place”    

Dishes:

1. 

   pic from oomame

   kao tam- breakfast soup of boiled rice and spices (I add egg and pork and lots of crushed chili)
2. batong go- fresh donuts served with condensed milk

Place: “Kampan”

Dishes:

1. massaman curry- Muslim curry dish ranked # 1 by CNNgo's 50 Most Delicious Foods in 2011. It's delicious flavor comes from coconut milk, brown sugar, peanuts, potatoes, cinnamon, fish sauce, palm sugar, and Thai chili, cooked with giant chunks of chicken breast.

2. 

   pic from wiki

   kao saway- white rice (served aside the massaman)

Place: “Good Health”   

Dishes:

1. 

   pic from satay

   geng keaw won gai- Thai green curry with chicken. This spicy curry is blend of onions, chili, cumin, lemongrass, minced garlic, brown sugar, cilantro, basil, and lime juice, with plenty of vegetables and chicken tossed in the mix. Served with white kao saway (white rice).
2. red curry with tofu- I don't support tofu nor this dish so I don't know what's in it.

pic from flickr

Place: “Shack By The River”     

Dish:

1. pad ka praew (gai, sai kai dao)- Thai fried basil and spices with minced chicken over white rice. I add a fried egg on top. Chicken broth soup comes on the side.

*Not mentioned:  "Rice Lady",  "Muslim Fried Chicken Stand",  "Chain-link Fence Place"