Tree House Cafe — Restaurant in Surat Thani Province

Very good restaurant and great vibe in a great setting. My Thai friend said it was quite authentic, and was pleased with the kitchen's ability to tailor the food for her palate - especially since they certainly serve mostly foreigners on such a touristy island. For example, she ordered a papaya salad in a distinct way - with fish sauce and tiny little crabs for flavor. It was an entirely different style and taste from the normal one you get - much more savory and strongly flavored. I ordered a noodle dish that I'd never seen before and it was an authentic preparation and taste. The larb meatballs and Thai chicken wings were delicious, as were the banana fritters with coconut ice cream - possibly the highlight of the meal. I also had a delicious passion fruit mojito, and we both had a good Laotian IPA - the first IPA I've seen in Thailand. The vibe and location are great - perched on a hill with a nice view of the sea and sunset. The cushioned floor seating and low tables are fun. I think I actually took a few micro-naps between courses. The meal stretched on for a few hours, with no apparent rush from the house. When we arrived, without reservations, they said "No problem. We aren't that busy tonight". That may have been part of the reason we were able to stretch the meal out so long - really a pleasurable experience. If there are any negatives to report they would be that it took a very long time to get the main course after finishing our starters (hence the nap), and although it was reportedly one of the most authentic meals I've had in Thailand, it wasn't the most delicious. That could be because of my tastes being accustomed to my favorite crowd-pleasing dishes. In any case - 5 stars across the board. If you go with a big enough group, order the things you always like, and try some new...

Like the other reviews say... Wonderful atmosphere, super friendly and welcoming staff, and the food is simply superb! They ask you how spicy you want it, and cook your dish with fresh chilis so the flavor is much better than just dumping dried chili flakes over your finished meal, like most of the other restaurants in this area offer.

My fiancée and I have been on Koh Tao for a bit over a week, and finally went to this place yesterday... I wish we’d gone sooner. We’ve been twice so far, and will be going back tomorrow and probably again until we leave on Friday. It’s that good!

So far we’ve tried:

Pad See You (like Pad Thai but with big noodles and a soy-based sauce)

Pad Kra Prow (stir fried spicy basil and veggies with rice) - my favorite Thai dish, and they do it the best here.

Pad Kee Mao - this blew me away. Like Pad Thai but somehow... different. Better. Thin stir fried noodles with lots of veggies, and their flavors all come out perfectly balanced.

Banana in coconut milk - fabulous dessert. Warm coconut milk with fresh banana, tastefully garnished with black sesame...

Em anos fazendo reviews para o Google eu nunca fui tratado tão mal em um restaurante. Eu e minha esposa chegamos às 10:50 da manhã para tomar um café. A funcionária estava na recepção e nos informou que abririam as 11, então eu disse que voltaria em outra hora, quando a funcionária nos falou, vocês podem entrar e esperar aqui dentro, e ela perguntou se eu queria tomar alguma coisa e então pedi 2 cafés até esperar a os 8 minutos que faltavam para abrir o restaurante. Então veio o dono do restaurante com a maior arrogância do mundo dizendo que tínhamos invadido o negócio dele! Como assim? A funcionária nos abriu a porta, deixou a gente entrar e ainda trouxe um café e nós tínhamos invadido o espaço o negócio dele? Tenho tudo gravado em vídeo para quem quiser ver a arrogância do mesmo! Talvez o tratamento seja diferente com brancos europeus, mas com a gente foi como se fôssemos lixo! Já fui em centenas de países e nunca na minha vida passei por isso. É um sentimento de impotência saber que existem donos de negócios como ele. Ficou uma sensação de que talvez não fôssemos bem vindo naquele local por nossa cor pq não é possível uma pessoa fazer questão de 8 minutos e ainda com sua funcionária deixando-nos entrar e ainda nos trazendo um café. Tenho vídeos para comprovar caso ele venha tentar se justificar. Evite esse lugar!

In years of reviewing for Google I have never been treated so poorly at a restaurant. My wife and I arrived at 10:50am for coffee. The employee was at reception and informed us that they would open at 11, so I said I would come back at another time, when the employee told us, you can go in and wait inside, and she asked if I wanted something to drink, so I asked for 2 coffees until waiting the remaining 8 minutes for the restaurant to open. Then came the owner of the restaurant with the greatest arrogance in the world saying that we had invaded his business! Like this? The employee opened the door for us, let us in and even brought a coffee and we had invaded his space, his business? I have everything recorded on video for anyone who wants to see the arrogance of it! Maybe the treatment is different with European whites, but with us it was like we were trash! I've been to hundreds of countries and never in my life have I been through this. It's a feeling of helplessness to know that there are business owners like him. There was a feeling that maybe we weren't welcome in that place because of our color because it's not possible for a person to make a point of 8 minutes and still with their employee letting us in and still bringing us a coffee. I have videos to prove it in case he tries to justify himself....