Tom Yum With A Twist

So you’ve driven by tons of local Thai restaurants and you’ve always wanted to try one, but you don’t know how to sort the good from the bad?  This post is for you (and so is this blog!).  When it comes to local cheap food on Samui, the good is great but the bad is terrible so this blog will, over time, point you to nothing but the greatest Thai meals you can find on Samui for under 50 Baht.  

On today’s menu…..Tom Yum Soup.  When you think Tom Yum, you think of the delicious blend of spicy and sour soup that is normally served as Tom Yum Gung (‘Gung’ is the Thai word for Shrimp).  It’s one of Thailand’s most famous soups and you’d normally eat it as just one of several dishes that you’re sharing with your friends.    

But it can be a meal unto itself.  And there’s a little place tucked away in the North-East of the island that makes a version of Tom Yum that is not only a great meal but one that you’ll be remembering a month later when you’re back home heating up another frozen lasagna for dinner.  You may actually shed a tear that night as you remember this bowl of warm Thai goodness. 

First off, the location.  It’s located on the road that runs from Chaweng to Choeng Mon. One of my favorite things about the North-East of Samui is that you can get from Chaweng to Fisherman’s Village and everything in between without touching the ring road, with so much to see and do as you lazily drive around the area.  So just a few minutes before you enter Choeng Mon (driving from Chaweng) keep your eyes peeled for this little ramshackle place with a blue roof on the right side of the road.  It’s just past the money exchange place and…..oh screw it…..I’ll post a quick video and Google Map Pin cuz this place would be impossible to find otherwise! Here ya go:

When you’ve finally found the place say a quick prayer and hope that they are open.  I’ve been several times and had my heart broken by finding out they’re closed. Hell, I’ve even been once where the lady who runs it was napping on the floor and just didn’t feel like cooking that day.  In her defense, it was hot out.  But, once you get the craving for this soup in your brain there’s no shaking it, so I came back the next day and got my fix.

Once inside, grab a table and order the Tom Yum Pork Noodle Soup (Guay Tiao Tom Yum Moo).  They’ll get up off their makeshift sofa and whip together a magic concoction in their silver cauldron and have it on your table mere minutes later.  It has the classic Tom Yum taste that makes your taste buds instantly begin to sign with delight.  But it has a bit of a peanut tinge to it as well.  And the pork makes the broth just a bit more savoury than a Shrimp-based Tom Yam.

• 

• 

• 

After you lap it all up you’ll feel super satisfied and ready to move on with your busy schedule!  There’s not much else in the area so once finished maybe head up the road for some afternoon beers on Choneg Mon Beach at Honey Seafood.  Honey Seafood is…..wait…..there’s a whole other blog post on Honey Seafood.  Check it out here!

I wish I could give you the name of the place with this glorious Tom Yum Noodle Soup With Pork but I don’t even know what it is. What I can tell you is that my food friend Wut recommended this place and as you’ll find out over time in this blog, when I say Wut recommended a place, you’ll want to go….immediately. As for finding it, here’s the google map pin I promised you earlier.  Cheers for now…..