Note : Aptly named as After Tsunami in English, it reminded us of the devastation a deadly tsunami caused in the year 2004. Thousands lives were lost and many others are still suffering from the effects of it. Nothing much has changed since then as we could still see the after effects caused by the tsunami.
Whenever I’m traveling abroad, I’d always make a point to ask the locals what stall they would recommend for good local food. Or what the locals usually eat and what the local delicacies are. And I’ll make an effort to try at least one (or more) of their recommendations. By doing this, I guess, it is a good initiative to truly get to know more about the locals lifestyle (especially the food) of the place you are visiting. And maybe you’ll score some hidden gems along the way at some unpretentious place.
This restaurant; Kruathara, was introduced to me by the ever friendly staff at the hotel during my holidays in Krabi. It is located off a beach and it is pretty quiet at night. It is well known for its affordable yet good seafood. Unfortunately, I do not have the address but with given GPS coordinates below, it is easy to locate this restaurant; somewhere the end of Nopparat Thara beach. The locals like them as much as the tourists and I can concur that as I personally witnessed both (groups) during my visit. It wasn’t packed to the brim but there were handful of empty tables left. Majority of the customers were tourist (like yours truly) while the rest were the locals.
The menu book was straightforward one. There were no photos for reference. Only English and Thai words. Half of it consisted of seafood while the rest took the remaining spots such as Thai delicacies, western food and drinks. Surprisingly, the hard liquors were pretty cheap.
Orange Shake (65 Baht) and Papaya Shake (55 Baht)
We opted for Orange Shake (65 Baht) and Papaya Shake (55 Baht) for drinks. Oddly, you can find all types of fruit shakes in Krabi; let it be in restaurants or small hawker stalls. The ones by Kruathara were pretty good. Thick, smooth and rich as they were blended with real fruits. They are great as thirst quenching drinks.
Papaya Salad (60 Baht)
For appetiser, we opted for Papaya Salad. It’s a classic Thai dish consists of raw papaya, cashew nuts, chilli (for spicy), lime juice and many others. Sourish, simple and light, it was perfect dish to whet our appetite. Extra bird eye chillis were added to spice up the dish.
Tiger Prawns Baked with Butter (600 Baht)
Butterflied in the middle to remove the veins and then cooked (baked) with butter, they were succulent and tasty with faint buttery aftertaste. Albeit a little pricey (600 Baht for 4 pieces), they were worth paying for as the tiger prawns were bigger than average and fresh; succulent and sweet.
Tom Yum Goong (120 Baht)
Tom Yum Goong. Yet another enticing dish. Upon arriving our table, the piercing yet fragrant scent of the soup was enough to make us drool.
Slightly murky, the soup was sourish spicy with decent amount of fresh prawns and abalone mushrooms in it. The usage of lemongrass was well handled as it added depth to the characteristic of the soup. We liked it so much that we finished it till the last drop.
Pad Thai (80 Baht)
Instead of flat noodles, they used some kind of semi-transparent rice vermicelli in their version of Pad Thai. We were given the option to pick either pork, beef or seafood. We opted for pork meat as the protein of the dish. It was sweet and slightly salty. Sadly, I didn’t really like this dish. Somehow, it was lacked of something or maybe it was a little too sweet to my liking as a main dish.
Fried Vegetables with Salted Fish (80 Baht)
A simple dish that can’t go wrong. Stir fried with garlics and pieces of salted fish, the vegetables (kai lan) were cooked nicely; retaining its crunch texture.
Black Crab with Yellow Curry (110 Baht)
Although the crab was kinda small, it was still meaty. This dish was done perfectly as the yellow curry was mild; a subtle hint of curry powder that didn’t overpower / spoil the natural sweetness of the crab meat. The meat was fresh, firm and easy to peel off from its shell. The gravy that came along somehow looked a little like egg-based type.
Fried Long Clams with Dried Chili Paste (120 Baht)
Thick and juicy with slight chewy texture, these long clams were as though they were on steroids (in a good way). The dried chilli paste used was spicy enough to give a kick. Best of all, this dish only cost 120 Baht.
Overall, we enjoyed the meal thoroughly. The bill came to 1340 Baht including one plate of steamed rice. And in all honesty, it’s worth every penny as the dishes were done nicely and not overly complex with spices. Besides, the ingredients they used especially the prawns and crabs were really fresh. The staff were attentive and friendly. I know I’d go back again if I’m in Krabi again.
GPS Coordinates : 8.047162, 98.800628
