Bargain bites: Eating out in Hua Hin

[PeteC]

Bargain bites: Eating out in Hua Hin
SIRIN P WONGPANIT
SPECIAL TO THE NATION December 14, 2011 1:00 am

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/travel/ ... 71752.html

Budget travellers can also feast to their heart’s content in Thailand's A-list resort

The historic resort town of Hua Hin has much to offer the traveller quite aside from sun, sea and sand. There are plenty of hotels at prices that suit every pocket, a theatre that serves up regular dramatic fare and lots of terrific dining options including a vibrant street food scene.

The town's fishing pier, where not so many years ago, Thai families feasted on seasonal blue crabs that were steamed the moment they were offloaded from the fishing boats, is where local restaurateurs head at dawn eager to stock up on the day's catch.

Not everyone can afford to dine out at the pricey beachside seafood restaurants though and for those who can't, street food is the answer.

Hua Hin's night market has plenty of delicious nibbles but for a break from the crowds, venture down Dechanuchit street off the beach. Here you'll find Je Maew, which for decades has been serving steaming hot khao tom pla (rice soup with fish slices) along with a few other favourites like Thai-style omelettes and pickle soup with pork ribs and seafood spicy salad.

Once housed in a 1950s-era wooden shophouse with folding doors, Je Maew's home is now a small brick house but the famous dishes still taste as good. The classic fish rice soup with hearty clear broth is served with a tiny ramekin of home-made spiced and tangy tao-jiew (preserved soya beans) dip for only Bt35. Order a plain, pork or crab meat omelette to go with it for Bt25-Bt55. If you like tom yam, Je Maew's clarified, fragrant and spicy version with the heat from both fresh chilli and holy basil leaves is guaranteed to blow your socks off.

Head back across Petchakasem Highway to Hua Hin's famous night market, and you will be amazed by the selection of food and desserts on offer. Thanks to the abundance of coconut and palm sugar plantations in the area, Hua Hin is second only to neighbouring Phetchaburi when it comes to traditional desserts, most of them subtly sweetened by the distinct regional palm sugars. After a main dish of phad Thai, crispy-fried mussels, noodles, and fresh seafood BBQ, kick back with a yolk-based dessert of thong tip, thong yod and foi thong, or allow yourself to be serenaded by a street band at Je Ni Ice Cream while savouring Thai-style ice creams and sherbets. Je Ni uses only fresh seasonal ingredients and offers a variety of traditional toppings, from sweet sticky rice and sweetened palm seeds to pineapple, dates, banana and seasonal fruits in syrup and even the now-rare fragrant Thai cantaloupe (tang thai) and boiled taro. Three scoops with two toppings cost just Bt25 and there's no seating charge.

There's also plenty to sample in Hua Hin by day. Noodles alone come in countless variations and include guay-chap (rolled rice noodles with pork) and guay-tiew reur (boat noodles). At the nondescript Namchai on Naebkehad Street, locals will be found enjoying home-made fish balls and fish wontons. Namchai is also a dog-friendly restaurant. You can bring your four-legged friends to dine here with you as long as you keep them under control.

For noodles served in a tasty clear broth with pork and beef, check out Gaew Fa off the Petchakasem Highway where you can choose from different cuts of meats. Other specialities include Hakka noodles with home-made tofu-based fish balls and mackerel fish balls.

At the turn-of-the-century Sailom Hotel, you can enjoy Hua Hin's past glories, a live string band and delicious Thai dishes, seafood and western favourites at a restaurant overlooking the beach and at prices that won't break the bank.

Before you leave the hotel, drop by the lobby and take in the rare pictures of His Majesty the King sailing here back in the 1980s. Apparently, the beach in front of Sailom Hotel was where he took a casual break while enjoying his favourite sport..........