Another Michelin, Thai breakfast and finally trying khao soi...
We finally managed to try the nearest Michelin-recommended restaurant to us, Krua Lawng Khao. The first time, it was closed for holidays. This time, it took ages to get a taxi that didn’t cancel on us, even though it was just round the corner (or perhaps because?!)
It is very unassuming. It looks like someone’s home. The best table left was on the 2nd floor with cushions to sit on the floor. Baba is not a fan of sitting on the floor, but he gave in at the prospect of dining authentically overlooking rice paddies (he was also probably really hungry at this point anyway…!)
Great price! And tasted very northern style, though a bit too spicy for me sadly. Although not mentioned in the guide, my favourite was Pu Ong (Grilled crab fat).. those mini crabs in the picture, which is a local dish, according to the guide!
We decided to try out different hotels nearby. The one nearest to us is not worth mentioning, except that it had a view of the rice paddies (unfortunately the standard was too close to that of a backpacker place, despite it being a hotel). The next one we tried, I originally booked the cheapest room, which turned out to be a hut (too backpacker again!) We found that the mountain villa was a few times the price but WAY nicer. When R saw it, he immediately said, let’s get this one! When he had to leave, he had a tantrum when he realised he wouldn’t be staying with us there overnight (it was supposed to be a romantic getaway sans kids…) The breakfast service is a bit sporadic, touch and go whether they serve it (I think the chef was sick for the week at some point), but we managed to get some and it was really rather good! Look at those big prawns! I haven’t had congee with such fresh big prawns before, shell on too! (and I’m a real snob about whether prawns are fresh! We were having dinner the other night with a friend and she commented “You guys are quite snobbish then!”.. Yes, yes.. We’re not fake enough to hide it haha). Also Baba insisted that the first hotel had MSG in the congee, though I don’t necessarily agree (more snobbery!)
I decided to check out a restaurant near the hotel, which turned out to be a home kitchen. I finally had khao soi. It was peaceful as I was the only one in the restaurant and had a nice dinner overlooking rice paddies. The khao soi was nice. It started to pour when I finished and the owner gave me a ride home on her motorcycle when the rain stopped!
