SunMa - Thai Food — Restaurant in Ko Lanta Yai

Came here to have dinner 3 times out of the 4 nights we stayed in Koh Lanta.

Kate (owner) was an amazing cook on top of being funny and friendly. She treats you like you are a friend, and will remember your preferences for next time (e.g. we asked for no sugar in everything). Everything was cooked well.

Our recommendations: Som Tum Thai (papaya salad) Tom Ka Gai (coconut chicken curry) Laab nuer (minced beef salad with herbs) Banana roti Mango sticky rice (made fresh per order - sticky rice comes out warm!)

Ask for adjustments based on what you want. More egg? Chicken and shrimp pad Thai? Anything! Thai kitchens are super flexible.

You can even order off menu if you ask in advance (see pic - fresh sea shrimp caught the day of). Additionally, she can also help do laundry (charged by the standard 40 baht/kg) and help you with motorbike rentals (not her own, but ~250 baht/day in Dec 2022).

TL;DR: Kate was a hard-working lady who left us with full bellies and big smiles every time....

we ate there everyday (both lunch and dinner) during our short stay at anda lanta resort. there aren’t many restaurants in the area, especially during low season. nevertheless we are not complaining - the food at sunma is really good and the prices are also great. meals are made to order, everything is fresh and tastes simply amazing. at first, our meals were not spicy at all, even when we asked for spice, after a few visits though, the staff got to know us a bit i think, and we got the spice level we wanted 😅 i definitely recommend steamed fish with lemon and tom yam with chicken - these were my favourites. meals i also enjoyed were stir fried basil chicken, stir fried chicken with cashews and pad thai. their curries are also spectacular. all in all, i highly recommended...

Although the food was not bad, we were not entirely convince: In the chicken cashew nuts (a classic dish in Thailand), they put too much sugar (and pineapple!) and fresh chili (instead of dried chili). That's not the recipe at all (check in the recipe book of your choice). And the green curry didn't taste the usual flavor and was missing some ingredients (such as the thai aubergines, among others). The fruit shakes were good. In the end, while it was affordable and certainly not bad, it wasn't the authentic thai dishes that we know (and that we learnt to cook from thai people). The food is prepared for tourists who don't know Thai food and don't question what they eat. Better to eat where...