Just ask a visitor to Thailand what they most love about this beautiful country. Most likely, the friendly people, the warm weather, and the unique Thai food are going to make the top entries.

We are not overrating Hua Hin’s wonderful weather and its utterly hospitable people in the following statements. But, do trust us that even the most articulate explanations in words would do no justice to those two elements above. They deserve to be left untouched by the art of depicting. And, that’s exactly what we are doing: we are not recounting them. We’d rather let you experience them first-handedly and find out for yourself.

So, we’re exploring the aforementioned other element, which leaves room for us to justifiably guide you through. Join us and find out about Thai food and the eating scene in Hua Hin in this session.

“Ah…a whole LOT of chilies.”?
“I don’t think my taste buds can handle those extremely spicy dishes.”??
“Don’t sweat it. McDonald’s rules.”

Sadly, it emerges pretty often that the reality of Thai food is distorted by the imageries of a fully mustached middle-aged man spitting fire from the mouth after taking a cautious sip of reddish Tom Yum Goong soup from a stainless spoon. The funny thing is some are not even sure how and why the impression they have of Thai food is limited solely to the tiny red hot chilly.

Let’s take this opportunity to discover the truths of Thai food and cast away your Asian- cuisine-spiciness phobia.

…Hmm? Come on, you are still daunted? Alright, we’ll first of all equip you with a magic then. This is how to cast it: gently look into the eyes of the cook/ the waiter/ the waitress, and say “Kor mai ped na”. Don’t worry about your accent or making the wrong intonation. Seeing that you’re a foreign visitor, they’ll make sense that you’re trying to say: “I’ll have my food not spicy, please.”.

Now that you are shielded with the essential magic, it’s the time to explore the charming real world of Thai food behind that long-locked door. Come clean, you have been intrigued by the magnificent aromas that have been leaking from its behind.

Whenever you have a Thai dish, it’s a show time. A sip of curry reveals the subtle blend of local spices, herbs and seasonings. Garlic, chilly, sugar and Nam Pla (salty sauce extracted from marinated fish) make the stars of the show, creating the basic tastes and flavors of the most dishes labeled “Thai”. The troupe goes well with almost every ensemble of other herbs and spices to conjure up a variety of enchanting flavors and aromas.

Meats used in the standard Thai food do not stray from the familiar tradition that consists of chicken, pork and seafood. Beef, goat, lamb, mutton and horse is not widely consumed in Thailand.

The realm of everyday Thai cuisine is built on rice and embellished with a dazzling array of stir-fries, noodles and spicy salads. But, for newcomers, we recommend such Thai favorites as Tom Yum Goong (spicy clear prawn soup flavored with leech lime leaves, lemongrass and galingale), Pad Ga Prao Gai (chicken stir-fried with holy basil), Gaeng Keaw Wan Kai (Chicken pieces in green paste curry), Pad Thai Goong Sod (authentic Thai-style stir-fried noodles with prawns and egg) and Som Tam (Spicy papaya salad). From there, you may refer to your menus and check out items beyond our basic list.

Food places in Hua Hin can be roughly broken into 8 main categories:

Boutique restaurants

These elaborately decorated restaurants come in various cuisines such as Thai, Italian, Continental, Japanese and Chinese. Prices start from 100 baht. Most of them are located on Naresdamri Road, and in five-star hotels. Some are on Naebkayhart Road and have direct access to the beach.

Seafood

Restaurants the places specializing in preparing seafood dishes are found on Naresdamri Road, Dechanuchit Road and the “Farang Night Bazaar” Satukarn Square. A few of them have balconies leaning out to the sea, providing guests with picturesque scenic views. Prices range from 100 to 500 baht.

Chain restaurants

These chain food places, mostly internationally owned, take the entire Outdoor Market section of shopping mall Market Village, and Sailom Pavillion in Hua Hin 61 Road.

Cafés and bistros

Targeting Western visitors, these places prepare both European and Thai dishes at price ranging from 70-500 baht. Many of the cafes and bistros, decorated in a relaxing atmosphere, are located on Naresdamri Road, or tucked away in Soi Kanjanomai alley, 10-20 meters deep into Damnoenkasem Road.

Pizzerias

The Italian hangouts dot Hua Hin 61 Road and its whereabouts. Some also have Italian ice cream places nearby. An average pizza costs higher than 140 baht.

Shophouses

Many families, both with decent cooking skills and inherited recipes, turn the ground floor of their homes into a down-home kind of restaurants. Among major choices of food are duck noodles, Som Tam (spicy papaya salad) and seafood dishes. A dish averagely costs 20-30 baht, but some could go as high as 100 baht or above.

Streetside trolleys

Kiosks making a living in Thailand could be so simple as loading food on a trolleys and wheel them to the street. Customers are just under way. Meanwhile, some small entrepreneurs take the alternative of getting themselves firmly stationed to kiosks and sell food on sidewalks. Food sold by trolleys and kiosks vary, ranging from seafood noodles, meatball noodles, Pad Thai, grilled chicken, Som Tam, milk-based beverages, and Thai desserts. An item is priced about 20-30 baht. The nightly market fills up Dechanuchit Road with about 100 trolleys and kiosks selling a great variety of food, snacks and desserts every night.

The majority of Tam Sungs do not have hardcopy menus for customers to leaf through in the search of their picks. Customers are expected to come up with the orders on their own. The extensive Tam Sung menu features Kao Pad (stir-fried rice), Kai Jeaw (omelet fried in wok), Kai Dao (fried egg), Rad Na (stir-fried noodles in thick gravy), Pad Ga Prao Gai (chicken stir-fried with holy basil), Pad Thai Goong Sod (authentic Thai-style stir-fried noodles with prawns and egg), among others.

Dishes cannot feel complete without drinks by their sides. Soft drinks and beers are available in a fair range in Thailand. Non-alcohol drinkers can choose from the usual items like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta Orange, Fanta Strawberry, and Fanta Cream Soda.

Beer lovers can as well sigh with relief. Aside from such local favorites as Singha, Chang, Leo, Tiger, and Heineken, beer lists in food places here also carry imported brands like Franziskaner, Weiss, Kloster, Erdinger Wheat, Erdinger Dunkel, Birra Morretti, Warsteiner and Pilsner.

Oh, this following special warning goes out specifically to health watchers who swear the allegiance to drinking water. You may come from countries where tap water is safe enough to be consumed. But, once you are in Thailand, bear in mind the level of hygiene does not apply here. If drinking water is your regular beverage, always get your thirst quenched with properly sealed bottled water.

This water-wise talk needs to extend to the cleanliness of ice. Ice served in food places mostly is purveyed by ice factories, and the process of making it, in general, does not appear so hygienic. Plus, you have completely no clue how the water is treated before the freezing. By far we have learned that very few people got sickened by consuming ice. We’re not drawing a conclusion on this subject, though. Iced or not, that’d rather be on your own consideration.

The common array of beverages mentioned above, as well as off-the-list items such as premixed alcoholic beverages, milk, energy drinks, are also sold at cheaper prices than they are in eateries by small household retailers, outlets of retail chain 7-Eleven, hypermarket Tesco Lotus, and supermarket Tesco Lotus Express.

So far you probably have noticed the price differences between menus carried by different sorts of eateries. That could prompt you to question whether the quality of the food is actually different. Basically, out of question, decoration and rents makes the main factor of cost-doublers in upscale restaurants. Looking deep into the surface and underneath the image, food in Hua Hin generally is clean and safe to be consumed with no worries.

After all, though, be sure to check the cleanliness of the food-preparing area if you want to give a try to a sidewalk food kiosk. Or take an overall look of the dining space before making a decision to seat yourself and your companion in a proper restaurant.

Bon appetit! Gin Kao Hai Aroy Na!