Travel is much about food as anything else. I knew before even stepping out of the house that I was going to eat my bodyweight in food. OK, a bit less but still a lot. I decided that I should take note of all the food I try on my epic Thailand road trip across 4 provinces.
Here is the entire food story.
Nakhon Sawan
Our northern road trip food escapade started at a popular restaurant in the outskirts of Nakhon Sawan. We had an early lunch on the way at Krua Tha Num Oi, a riverside restaurant located about 35 km south of the city.
The order included Chicken Laab, fried rice, and a seafood curry with local vegetables. The restaurant is known for its river-caught seafood, especially different variations of fish. As it was quite early still, we were not in the mood for fish yet.
We were off to a good start though. One delicious meal down and plenty more to come.
After exploring temples and the town, it was time for dinner, which included a spicy seafood spread and a crab-filled omelet. This was at a cute little restaurant called เรือวันจันทร์ ร้านอาหารไทย ซีฟู๊ด นครสวรรค์ by the river.
Absolutely, finger-licking good!
Related article: Nakhon Sawan mini travel guide
Phayao
Our first lunch in Phayao was at So Good, a restaurant by the lake and close to our hotel.
My mom and dad ordered their staple dishes – fried rice and chicken with basil. I asked the waiter to bring their signature dish and he recommended the fish with spicy sauce.
Dinner was at ร้านแสงจันทร์, which is also right in front of Phayao lake. The meal was quite average as the dishes we ordered are typically what we would eat in Bangkok or a touristy restaurant. We had fish, crab rolls, and shrimp tom yum.
On our second day, I decided to eat something different. I was in a mood to try something more northern, so after a quick Google search, Khao soi seemed like a great idea.
There was one restaurant nearby and just as I hoped, a small local shop – Khao Soi Sang Pean.
The Khao Soi here was quite different than the ones I have tried before in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. It was less sweet and creamy. I guess they don’t use coconut milk. I’m not sure but it had an earthy taste to it. Suffice it to say, quite delicious and cheap. We got the big bowl and they cost only 60 THB each.
Sukhothai
I have to say the best meal of our entire Thailand road trip was at Na KoThai. The food here is just out of this world and so unique. We had Laab Sukhothai, which is minced chicken (or pork) mixed with Sukhothai herbs and spices. If you have ever tried laab in Bangkok, the Sukhothai version is completely different than any of them.
We also had lotus stems with prawns (very delicious) and a plate of special fried rice with chicken, local herbs, and spices. Oh my god, what fantastic fried rice it was.
It was so good that the next day, before leaving for Uthai Thani, we packed the same dishes to take with us on our road trip. We stopped at a gas station to eat them.
Uthai Thani
We reached Uthai Thani a bit late so after a bit of exploring and rest, we had a basic dinner at Sponge café and bistro. A simple green curry and fried chicken with chilies.
Before heading back to Bangkok, I asked our hotel concierge to recommend a good restaurant in town. She suggested Pa Samran Restaurant, which turned out to be less than 10 minutes away.
Situated between the banks of the Chao Phraya River and marshes, the restaurant was definitely a hidden gem. It turned out to be an amazing recommendation.
The food was excellent too! We ordered their signature dishes, which were mostly local river fish.
Their chu-chee fried fish was surprisingly good. It’s not something I would normally eat but at this restaurant, I was in love with it. Basically, it is a plate of small fish, fried to crunchiness where you can even eat the bones. The flavor is a spicy and tangy dried curry.
We also ordered a prawn dish complete with spices and herbs.
And that’s all the memorable dishes we had on our 4 province Thailand road trip. Of course there were many snacks and other things we tried but unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of them. Mostly it was very basic street food and snacks from 7/11. Nothing worth mentioning, really.
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