Krua Luang Ten — Restaurant in Phang-nga Province

Luang Ten – My All-Time Favorite Southern Thai Restaurant in Khao Lak

Every time I visit Khao Lak, one place I always come back to is Luang Ten. It’s been my favorite since my very first trip here, and over the years, it has never once disappointed me. No surprise that it’s been awarded the Michelin Guide for 5 consecutive years – the flavors are still as authentic and delicious as ever.

Just thinking about the food makes my mouth water. My all-time favorite dishes include: • Fermented Shrimp Paste in Southern-style Fish Kidney Curry (Nam Keuy Gaeng Tai Pla) – Rich, salty, and packed with flavor. The aroma of real fermented shrimp paste is unforgettable, and the dish is loaded with ingredients and local veggies. • Southern-style Curry with Hed Krang Mushrooms (Gaeng Kua Hed Krang) – Bold, aromatic curry with a spicy kick. The wild mushrooms add a nice chewy texture, making it truly addictive. • Sour Curry with Seabass (Gaeng Som Pla Krapong) – Spicy, tangy, and refreshing with super fresh fish. A classic southern curry done perfectly.

The atmosphere is warm and welcoming – no frills, just real home-style cooking made with love. It feels like a meal cooked by someone who truly wants to feed you well.

Luang Ten is not just a restaurant – it’s a taste of home. Missing it already and can’t wait to...

ENGLISH

The Luang Then (Then, who was already in the monastery) is an authentic Thai restaurant near the Kantary Beach Hotel Villas & Suite. Then, is the hearty owner and cook of this restaurant - he is supported by his wife and usually two waitresses.

Then is a real chef and would never issue a meal, which does not meet his high quality standards. You can always rely on the freshness of the ingredients - for Then this is a matter of honour. The restaurant is very simple, which is no barrier for a uniqe culinary experience. The Luang Then is mostly frequented by locals - the choice here is cash payment.

The menue is written purely in Thai and quite small, so we had the choice to order food either from what we saw at the tables around us or the recommendations of the Thens wife.

Everything what was served was well presented and extraordinarily delicious. Worth mentioning here are the excellent Yam Wun Sen Talee (glass noodle salad with seafood) and the Muh Tood Katiem (pork fried with garlic) which was garnished with deep-fried leaves of Kafir lime. A classic, the Kaitiu Muhsaab (omelette with minced pork) has also shown us the quality of food at this place.

The prices are more than OK and you are pleasantly surprised when the bill comes. The only drawback from my point of view was the service-here the Burmese serving staff clearly lacked the Thai warmth and sophistication.

I can tell you - should you be in the area - this restaurant on the basis of the culinary uniqueness of pure conscience recommend - with the service they will certainly become better someday.

Feel free to follow my Google Maps profile, check out my other reviews and be sure to visit foodadvisorblog!

DEUTSCH

Das Luang Then (Then, der schon im Kloster war) ist ein authentisch thailändisches Restaurant in der Nähe des Kantary Beach Hotel Villas & Suite. Then ist der herzliche Besitzer und auch Koch dieses Restaurants – unterstützt wird er von seiner Frau und meist zwei Bedienungen.

Then versteht sein Handwerk mehr als gut und würde nie ein Essen herausgeben, was nicht seinen hohen Qualitätsansprüchen genügt. Man kann sich auf die Frische der Zutaten stets verlassen – für Then ist dies Ehrensache. Das Restaurant ist zwar sehr einfach gehalten, was dem kulinarischen Erlebnis jedoch nicht im Wege steht. Das Luang Then wird überwiegend von Einheimischen frequentiert – Barzahlung ist hier das Mittel der Wahl.

Die Karte ist rein in Thai verfasst und recht übersichtlich, daher haben wir uns bei der Auswahl der Speisen entweder an die Tische um uns herum oder die Empfehlungen der Chefin gehalten.

Alles was uns aufgetischt wurde war ansehnlich angerichtet und außerordentlich lecker. Besonders zu erwähnen sind hierbei der hervorragende Yam Wun Sen Talee (Glasnudelsalat mit Meeresfrüchten) sowie das Muh Tood Katiem (Schweinefleisch gebraten mit Knoblauch) welches mit frittierten Blättern der Kafir Limette garniert war. Ein Klassiker, das Kaitiu Muhsaab (Omelett mit Hackfleisch vom Schwein) hat uns ebenfalls gezeigt das wir hier richtig sind.

Die Preise sind mehr als OK und man ist positiv überrascht, wenn die Rechnung kommt. Einziges Manko aus meiner Sicht war der Service – hier fehlte den burmesischen Servierkräften ganz deutlich die thailändische Herzlichkeit und Anspruch.

Ich kann euch – solltet ihr in der Gegend sein -dieses Restaurant auf Grund der kulinarischen Einmaligkeit reinen Gewissens empfehlen – das mit dem Service kriegen sie sicher auch noch irgendwann hin.

Folgt gerne meinem Google Maps Profil, schaut Euch auch meine weiteren Rezessionen an und besucht auf jeden Fall...

Food is amazing! Service is very kind - i had to ask them to change my Tom Yum for non-spicy as the one i got had around 10 fried chilli 🌶️🌶️🌶️. For english speakers - the English menu does not have a full menu - lots of specialities are on the whiteboard. Ask for the recommendation and show pictures from here. I am a spicy lower, usually have no problems with spicy food here, but as Michelin guide describes this place - "there is no compromise". So as for "non spicy" or you will have an issue as i had ( or maybe it was a mistake with my explanation of "medium" :) ). We had - Tom Yum Seafood (not on the menu), amazing fried squid which is then mixed with shallots, lemon grass and fresh chilli (not on the menu, you should ask. Don't be afraid of chilli - it was not fried with squid, so the dish is not hot at all), coconut yellow curry with shrimps and coconut milkshake. Everything was...