After a disappointing lunch at Ao Nang Cuisine, I was determined to make my dinner along Ao Nang Beach memorable.
So before we head back to the hotel to find solace from the blazing afternoon sun, we made our way to the right most (on your right when you are facing the beach) part of the main Ao Nang Beach. There is a little enclave of restaurants that offers beachfront dining.
We saw La Luna – a recommendation from my colleague Joyce. The restaurant has a Mediterranean theme and serves Italian food. But I am not too keen to have Italian cuisine in Thailand.
Baan Lay Thai Kitchen slightly further down the lane offers alfresco dining in a rustic setting with an unblock view of the gorgeous beach. Perfect! We reserved our tables for dinner at 6.30pm – just the right time to take in the sunset.
As the sun commence its slow descent into the horizon, we set off for dinner.
We were able to enjoy the gentle sea breeze and soak up the entire sunset view from our table.
Quickly snapped a shot against the beautiful Ao Nang Beach backdrop before it gets too dark.
Orders were taken as we sipped our fruit juices. The prices here are steeper than the usual restaurants along the main road. Guess we need to pay a premium for the view.
Remember the photo of the restaurant setting earlier on? Now you can stroll up and see the difference. The restaurant ambience became a lot more romantic under the orange glow of the setting sun and comfortable lightings.
Our Pineapple Baked Rice was presented in the hollow of a halved pineapple. Other than being visually appealing, I wasn’t too impressed with the taste. There were some portions of the rice that are a little mushy. I would have preferred fried rice over baked rice but too bad they do not have the option.
The Stir Fried Vegetables With Cashew Nuts seem more like a traditional Chinese home cook dish than a Thai cuisine. The vegetables are fresh and goes well with the crunchy cashew nuts.
Our Steamed Fish With Chilli & Lime came lukewarm. Apparently the solid fuel was used up as it was being served. After we alerted the waiter, the solid fuel was replaced right at our table. But we ended up with another problem – the fire was so strong that the delicious spicy & sour soup base was evaporating at a really fast rate. It ended up becoming a race against time!
Our final dish was Tom Kha Chicken in Hot Pot. The soup base for the Tom Kha Chicken and Steamed Fish tasted suspiciously similar. The hot pot contains tomatoes, mushrooms, prawns and pieces of slightly tough chicken chunks.
As we dine, the skies above saw a change of shift. Before the sun could retreat completely into the horizon, a young crescent moon was sighted hovering above the clouds. I will never forget this breathtaking sight.
After taking in the gorgeous sunset & relatively decent dinner, we ended the day with a sweet treat at an ice cream parlour located just a short distance away from our hotel – Ao Nang Princeville Resort.
After dining at 2 restaurants, I gave up hopes on finding exceptionally delicious Thai food at Ao Nang Beach. There is nothing fantastic about the dishes served at Baan Lay Thai Kitchen but it’s worth a dinner session for the stunning sunset. The details of the restaurant are as follow:
Baan Lay Thai Kitchen Restaurant
Opening Hours: 2pm to 11pm Daily
Tel: 075 – 637838 or 075 – 637108
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