Rabieng Rimnam — Restaurant in Phetchaburi Province

Well, there we were in Phetchaburi, quite the out-of-the-way town, 2 vegetarians who hadn't managed to find the night market the night before (totally lost on first day in a new place!) and now hungry for dinner. Both our hostess at the lovely 2N Guesthouse and one of the German guests there suggested we try Rabieng Rimnum, and even gave us good directions for finding the elusive entrance :) Wow. Totally worth finding! Not only did we eat very tasty vegetarian dishes, we sat literally over the river, while old rock n'roll played in the background. The service was good, the bill was reasonable, the place is both comfortable and attractive in a special way. Indeed, so pleasant we ate there the next night as well! It's true that there are not that many options for vegetarians in Phetchaburi, but we could have eaten in the night market, since we actually found it on our way home the...

I checked in at 5pm; the room was very basic but ok, cheap. The young guy who checked me in was very friendly. He said I could pay later. At 9pm I came back and asked for the wifi password and wanted to go to my room. There was an old woman there; seemingly the owner. She was pretty rude: said I should pay now. Suddenly the room was more expensive; her colleague had made a mistake and there had been a 'misunderstanding'. But he had been very clear about the price. So I protested. Now I know in Thailand it can get out of hand pretty fast and you need to be careful. But the young guy sided with me in the end. It seems the old woman who runs the place is only after your money. I never had experienced a situation like that in all those years of travelling. I had planned to stay a few nights but thought I'd better leave the next day. The old woman wished me...

OUR FAVOURITE RESTAURANT FROM OUR HONEYMOON TRIP. It was so good that we went there 4 times in 3 days!

STAFF - super sweet and friendly. Helped us choose dishes from the menu AND drove us to our hotel when we couldn't get find a taxi!

FOOD - the best! We enjoyed the tempura veg and shrimp with a dipping sauce, the morning glory, the curries (oh the curries!), fermented shrimp paste (we were informed that it is a spicy, acquired taste that most foreigners dislike...and I can see why, but I am so pleased I tried it), palm cake wrapped in banana leaf and my favourite - the spicy mango salad. It was AMAZING!!! Not expensive.

SETTING - on the river, option of a rooftop terrace. Wooden , traditional interior. So many people we saw here were repeat customers.

This place truly is a hidden gem. On my next trip to Thailand I will visit this city just...