Best Restaurant of 2008 contender
Telephone: 081 3965314
Open: 11am-8pm
Address: Amid trees at the Nai Harn beachfront.
Style: Thai holiday
Price range: Reasonable. American breakfast (120 baht) ''bergers'' 100 baht) ''steam vagatable'' (80 baht) spicy prawn gudshaba castle (250 baht) fried fish (300-500 baht) steamed fish with ''lamon'' (300-500 baht) ''mushaman'' with chicken (80 baht) bbq chicken with ''french fried'' (150 baht) laab gai (80 baht) somtam (50 baht) bbq squid (150 baht) banana milkshake (40 baht) cocktails 150 baht) Singha large (100 baht) glass of wine, red or ''write'' (150 baht)
Specialty: Young coconuts from the family plantation. A succulent young coconut is priced at just 40 baht here, a fraction of what is charged at most tourist-oriented restaurants on Phuket. And as Phuketwan consistently points out, any restaurant that does not have a young coconut available should lose its holiday licence.
What the manager says: We have been at Nai Harn for more than 20 years and business is good. We stay open all year. Local authorities help by providing electricity and water to our group of restaurants. We pass on the savings to customers.
What Phuketwan says: We are in luck. A few beachside locations around the island stay open all year long. To sit and eat among the trees at Nai Harn, one of the island's southernmost beaches, is to enjoy a real island experience. During the high season you will have plenty of company. In the low season, it's quieter and perhaps even more enjoyable. Roundabouts, locals walk their dogs, and surfers defy the red flags as usual to catch waves that are mostly too slow to be of much use. Years of relaxed living have made this part of the island a slightly bohemian seaside enclave. The menu is huge. Although English spelling is not a strong point, there are hundreds of items from which to choose. Seafood is, of course, the most popular category, but chicken, beef, soup, noodles, sandwiches and spaghetti also figure in the Big Book. The toilet is a stroll away and will cost you five baht. Atmosphere at twilight is especially delightful and eating out here on the right evening can have the relaxing effect of a good massage. There's an after dinner surprise: a complimentary plate of fresh fruit, watermelon, banana and mango. Heaven, here we are.
How to find it: Head down south and roll through Rawai or Kata to Nai Harn.
Parking: A large car park sits in front of the local Buddhist temple. From there, take a stroll through the trees to the left.
Phuketwan restaurant reviewers pay for their meals. If someone else does, we tell you so
Telephone: 081 3965314
Open: 11am-8pm
Address: Amid trees at the Nai Harn beachfront.
Style: Thai holiday
Price range: Reasonable. American breakfast (120 baht) ''bergers'' 100 baht) ''steam vagatable'' (80 baht) spicy prawn gudshaba castle (250 baht) fried fish (300-500 baht) steamed fish with ''lamon'' (300-500 baht) ''mushaman'' with chicken (80 baht) bbq chicken with ''french fried'' (150 baht) laab gai (80 baht) somtam (50 baht) bbq squid (150 baht) banana milkshake (40 baht) cocktails 150 baht) Singha large (100 baht) glass of wine, red or ''write'' (150 baht)
Specialty: Young coconuts from the family plantation. A succulent young coconut is priced at just 40 baht here, a fraction of what is charged at most tourist-oriented restaurants on Phuket. And as Phuketwan consistently points out, any restaurant that does not have a young coconut available should lose its holiday licence.
What the manager says: We have been at Nai Harn for more than 20 years and business is good. We stay open all year. Local authorities help by providing electricity and water to our group of restaurants. We pass on the savings to customers.
What Phuketwan says: We are in luck. A few beachside locations around the island stay open all year long. To sit and eat among the trees at Nai Harn, one of the island's southernmost beaches, is to enjoy a real island experience. During the high season you will have plenty of company. In the low season, it's quieter and perhaps even more enjoyable. Roundabouts, locals walk their dogs, and surfers defy the red flags as usual to catch waves that are mostly too slow to be of much use. Years of relaxed living have made this part of the island a slightly bohemian seaside enclave. The menu is huge. Although English spelling is not a strong point, there are hundreds of items from which to choose. Seafood is, of course, the most popular category, but chicken, beef, soup, noodles, sandwiches and spaghetti also figure in the Big Book. The toilet is a stroll away and will cost you five baht. Atmosphere at twilight is especially delightful and eating out here on the right evening can have the relaxing effect of a good massage. There's an after dinner surprise: a complimentary plate of fresh fruit, watermelon, banana and mango. Heaven, here we are.
How to find it: Head down south and roll through Rawai or Kata to Nai Harn.
Parking: A large car park sits in front of the local Buddhist temple. From there, take a stroll through the trees to the left.
Phuketwan restaurant reviewers pay for their meals. If someone else does, we tell you so
