Sampaonava, opened in 2021 is a hidden gem an hour by car from Bangkok, located in the historical city of Ayutthaya.

We had the opportunity to drop by for lunch and meet with the owner Khun June, who introduced 5 dishes for the 2 of us.

The food was fabulous! We had :

1. Stir fried Star gooseberry (Sweet leaves) with egg, the best dish of the afternoon. Crunchy, not overcooked. Egg complemented the dish well.
2. Thai stew pork belly & medium boiled egg in brown sauce. Generous portions incl. hard boiled eggs with a soft yolk center, the unique selling point, and the quail eggs were a nice touch.
3. Mango salad and sweet Pork/crispy catfish, I found too tart for my taste. Would have been a good appetizer, but was served together with the mains.
4. Ranjuan curry with catfish. Consistency perfectly similar to that of a fish tom yam kung. The dish was nicely favored with shrimp paste, lemongrass and thai basil.
5. Signature - grilled river prawns. Fresh and delicious.
6. Red ruby of watermelon with Coconut ice cream. The rose water made the dessert more aromatic.

The interior is tastefully decorated. There is also outdoor seating available along the Chao Phraya River, facing Wat Phutthaisawan (beautiful white Prang). Khun June mentioned that the sunset/night view is breathtaking, best enjoyed with a few jugs of beer.

Sampaonava has a good collection of beers including Leffe, Stella, Hoegaarden and both Singha and Chang. They also have whiskey and wine collection but the selection is nothing to shout about. Would recommend to bring your own wines.

BYO corkage is at 300 Baht per bottle.