RuenMai Restaurant — Restaurant in Krabi Province

This place is a MUST if your are in Krabi! Rent a moto, grab a taxi or tuk tuk. Do anything to get to this restaurant. You will kick your self if you miss the opportunity. Food is the best thai I had in Thailand so far. I went to the Local restaurant in Bangkok and has one M-star, but Ruanmai is better! If they fix some small details regarding the table settings and providing linen napkins etc. I'm sure that they will be the first restaurant in Krabi that is awarded a star. Perhaps people think it's expensive but it's not. We ordered 4 dishes and had a small beer and ended up paying 870 baht! It's outrageously cheep for the quality of the food they are serving. I asked the manager why don't you open a Ruanmai in Bangkok and he said "it's hard to control the quality so far away". Fantastic! If you look at the picture closely with an boiled, you will see that the center of the egg is not firm. It's actually only coagulated a bit and when you taste it it's pure yoke cream! It proves that the kitchen know their technique and food is not prepared by some any thai aunts! We tried some local dishes and they were great. Ask for local dishes since they taste a bit different from regular thai dishes you can have every where. And for the last, the ambience of the place is gorgeous. It's built on pillar with wooden floors and have dispersed bungalows on the property. The main bungalow is large and in the roof they are lamps decorated as a fish. As it gets darker the lights are turned on and it gets so beautiful and the ambience is so just right to have THE romantic tropical dinner with your love as you have fantasized about in Thailand. The pictures don't do justice to the setting and ambience of the restaurant. This place offers whole package! Go there around 7pm after sunset and you will see entire restaurant in full blaze and aura. It's advisable to make a reservation. We were there at 5pm and at 6pm people were coming in. There is a big sign Ruanmai but it can be missed if your driving fast. It's on the left side of the road, in direction towards Krabi town. We hired a moto for 4 days and we are kicking our selves that we didn't have all our meals at Ruanmai. We stayed in Ao Nang and tried Jungle Kitchen, and we liked it. But Ruanmai is a different level and dimension.

An update: we went for lunch day after and the food was excellent! I also took picture if the entire menu. During lunch you need to make reservation. Ruenmai means bamboo hut. If you look up in the ceiling of the main building, you will see fish lamps made out of straws. The symbolic meaning is that it's a fish trap and once you have entered you can't escape. And they made all the lamps by them selves! I got the information from the owner who had time to talk to us...

It was a 20 minutes ride to the place but it was definitely worth the trip. Upon walking towards the restaurant, we could see the quirky design of the restaurant, which all seem to surround fishes, one dish which they’ve done particularly well. The place had tourist and locals alike and we were lucky to escape the crowd as we had reached just moments after they were open for lunch. The food was decently priced as well as compared to the eateries in Aonang (even cheaper actually) and we had a full 4 dishes meal. one of the ordered dish green chicken curry was recommended by the staff. the spice of the curry was just enough to bring out the flavour and the serving was huge. the staff recommended another vegetable dish that is apparently available in the region. they stir fry it with egg. the third dish we ordered was the deep fried chicken with tumeric and garlic. the chicken was crispy and it comes with the sweet and sour thai sauce that you can dip in. the last dish we had is a fried sea bass with fish sauce. it was fried to perfection with the skin and the meat a deep golden brown. they used very fresh fish that melts in your mouth. The drinks were refreshing as well and they had a unique dessert which we ordered, a variety of banana mixed with glutinous rice served with coconut milk, which was very pleasant to the tongue. Would definitely recommend this place...

This place is simply heaven. I drove my family at night to try this place and they complained how far and dark it is to commute there and if it is worth going (well we are in the countryside of Thailand). When we arrived, no one except me appreciate the beauty of this restaurant. The bamboo and trees beautified this place. But when food arrived, my whole family went crazy. The food looked amazing and we could not stopping praising how good it is. The flavors are bold and well rounded at the same time. Yes it is hot and spicy, be prepared, embraced with sweats and tears. And enjoy!! The highlight of this place is the stir fried beef with curry paste and stingy beans. After having a bite, we all agree that this is the best. I asked one of the staffs how they make this incredible dish. Oh and dessert! After we eat the food and bowls after bowls of rice, we couldn't eat dessert so we order to poached banana in syrup and coconut water as to-go. My mom asked why didn't we eat it right away. Eating it warm would be the best. Still the next day, we eat it right off the fridge, it is still phenomenal! So, in conclusion, one of our family most favorite restaurants, if not, the single most favorite! I never seen all of us have that level of appetite concurrently in...