Brian Kennett
Amateur Chef and Foodie Extraordinaire
Thailand Trip 2016 Day 4
Ok folks here comes Thailand Trip 2016 Day 4 – and this is a boomer of a day. So very busy. What did we do? Well we decided as a gang to rent a tuk tuk all day and go explore. The guys allowed yours truly to be the tour guide for the day and boy did we have fun, a superb day out exploring and eating – this is a true review of some great things to do, see and eat in Phuket. The tuk tuk is the best way to do so as it is cheap, you can rent all day, and get access to all areas. I totally recommend this – just be confident when negotiating your price Baht 2000 a day is about right.
The video is just one great experience of us whizzing along by the beach of Rawai. You have to love tuk tuks. We had 6 adults, Amy and Baby Jude in one and we all loved it. You drive slow, you see the sights, you chat, you laugh and you stop off wherever you want caused by a wee smack on the roof. Do it – it is the best way to get around.
Our itinerary was;
Karon – Phromthep Viewpoint – Rawai Beach – Kata Noi – Karon.
Thailand Trip 2016 Day 4- some Buddhist religion clearly kicking in here in celebration of the elephant. This clearly goes back to just how important the elephant is to the Thai people, bull dozer, crane, people carrier, tank etc. But here we have two monkeys with an elephant, almost like a scene from The Jungle Book.
We now depart the beautiful view point to go eat. Where do we go? Well to Rawai. To one of my all time favourite restaurants, Nikita’s. If you hit Karon, Kata, Rawai, in fact anywhere in Phuket you really need to come here. Check them out here – Nikita’s Beach Restaurant, Rawai, Phuket. I guarantee you will not be disappointed, I bring everyone here when we travel to Phuket. It’s one of if not the very best Thai food places to come to. Great views, lovely staff and the very best, I’ll say it again, the very best Thai food. I LOVE it here. Nothing airy fairy, amazing cooks in the kitchen as you will see from the photos below and above, churning out cover after cover of just the best – I think I love the lady in the yellow shirt for she is the food master. If you want a go back in time moment have a look at my previous Thailand posts which includes this wonderful restaurant – have a look here.
Now I did even eat some of this at Andy’s request, sort of a “you have to try this” request. Sorry Baby Jude. It was delicious – intense soupy flavour, but so so clear look at the photo. Pork mince stewed, a perfect broth, noodles – oh my this was lovely – and poor old Baby Jude got the leftovers when we realised it was actually his – naughty Uncle Andy!!!
Now if you look at the previous laab gai I had at Papaya’s and now look at this photo. Spot the difference. Maybe the red sauce, maybe the countless red flecks of chili? This is the one I wanted, not some Westernised, toned down version. This would strip paint. It was so chili hot. But I love that. Still though you taste the mint, coriander, lime, roasted rice, crunchy onion. Oh man I am in heaven. If you like spicy – THIS – is what you want and need. THE BEST, thank you Nikita’s – absolutely incredible dish that I was burning from a day or so later ha ha. Toilet rolls on ice please.
So lunch over, back in the tuk tuk off to Kata Noi now – and on the way lets have a quick hour stop to see elephants woo hoo. Amy was desparate. Jude has never seen a real one, but loves them. I love them too. In fact everyone loves these gentle giants – well gentle most of the times giants. 800 Baht each adult and kids free, for 30 minute ride through the jungle. Make sure you put on suntan lotion, and spray with mosquito spray, you are in the open and in the jungle truly. There are loads of these along the coastal road from Rawai to Kata Noi, so take your pick. Please though don’t do things like monkey shows, as that is pretty much animal abuse, but do buy some food to feed the elephants.
After the elephants it was definitely time for a drink – so I ordered our driver to head along the coastal road to Kata. I was looking for this uber cool restaurant called SmallView Point. A Regge Bar/Restaurant perched high in the hills, overlooking the beautiful Andaman Sea. Sadly it was gone, literally. Bull-dozed completely but leaving the floor perched on its bamboo stilts. Luckily next door we found AfterBeach Bar/Restaurant. Equally as good. Equally good view. Equally good Reggae sounds blasting out. Equally good icy cold beer. This will do. Seriously check those views.
Sadly we didn’t stay until sunset. That is an amazing thing to watch from here. You can literally see the sun moving down the sky, so fact in fact that you expect to hit the sea and start hissing and pouring steam out. If you copy this trip, I’d suggest stopping until sunset and having some food as well. Also at night all the squid boats set to sea and switch on loads of lights to attract the squid to the surface. So you end up with a beautiful twinkly light show on the sea – absolutely stunning! It’s a must do.
Sadly I slipped up here and didn’t take any photos of the food. Mama’s Seafood Restaurant was a real nice place. Downside was the service, well slow, hit and miss, no cutlery, no plates, no food, no drinks – but when the food did finally arrive and we had eating irons to consume it, it was bloody good. Seriously good in fact. Me and the boys went tapas style and consumed dish after dish of truly quality food. The one stand out and hence the photos was the lobster. Fresh from the ice counter at the front, cut in half, slathered with butter, wrapped in foil and blitzed on a coal BBQ. Literally steaming it til pink and puffed – cooked to perfection. But wait there is more…
Yep out of the foil and straight on those coals to get chargrilled, releasing those flavours even more. Guys only complaint, give it a whack of salt and pepper and this would have been exceptional. Freshest ever. Melt in mouth sweet and succulent and non fishy tasting – boy this was good!!!
Look at that char – exactly what you want from the BBQ – a hint of smoky, oh my gawd this was damn good. Shared between 6 of us, plenty to go round as a little aperitif. Awesome job Mama’s. Loved it.
So there you have it folks our Thailand Trip 2016 Day 4. This was a busy one. Seriously the best way to explore is to wander to the local tuk tuk rank and rent for the day. Fill it with people and it becomes so so cost effective. Baht 2000 for us all day for 8 people – so flipping cheap. If you are in Phuket you can’t go wrong if you do our trip – may be add in the Big Buddha and a Wat (temple) of two as well. But just such a great day. We enjoyed it immensely, I hope you ENJOY!!!
Check out all the blogs on our Trip top Thailand
Thailand Trip 2016 Day 1 https://islifearecipe.net/thailand-trip-2016-day-1/
Thailand Trip 2016 Day 2 https://islifearecipe.net/thailand-trip-2016-day-2/
Thailand Trip 2016 Day 3 https://islifearecipe.net/thailand-trip-2016-day-3/
Thailand Trip 2016 Day 4 https://islifearecipe.net/thailand-trip-2016-day-4/
Thailand Trip 2016 Day 5 https://islifearecipe.net/thailand-trip-2016-day-5/
