Hat Yai Restaurant Listings Page 2

For a general overview of the food scene in Hat Yai see Hat Yai Food and Restaurant Listings Page 1. The following restaurants are some of the places I've eaten at in Hat Yai.

Comments: One of Hat Yai's many vegetarian restaurants, this little place is one of the best. It has a selection of pre-prepared food (kaaw gairng) but will also cook food to order (ahaan dtaam sung). There is also a lot of non-perishable vegetarian health food for sale inside.

A little reminder that if you come to a place like this you are not in tourist Thailand; you are in real Thailand. If you try to find it, don't expect a sign outside in English that says 'Ching Sing'. There isn't one.

Don't expect an English menu and don't expect any of the staff to speak more than about three words of English. If you don't speak or read any Thai you can still get by. Pointing is universal. However, if you can speak and/or read a little Thai it makes life a lot easier.

Comments: With around 50% of the local Thai population being ethnic Chinese, and most tourists being Malaysian or Singaporean Chinese, there is no shortage of dim-sum restaurants in Hat Yai. They can be found in most places.

However, I have it on good authority that Chok Dee is the best and the most well-known. I am told that when Bangkokians are in Hat Yai for whatever reason, they make a beeline for Chok Dee, such is its reputation.

I've eaten there and it didn't seem much different to other dim-sum restaurants in Hat Yai but perhaps that's because I'm not a real dim-sum connoisseur?

Because of the predominantly Thai and Chinese customer base, nothing is in English - including the sign outside - so don't go expecting to see a 'Chok Dee' sign in English. The business card I picked up had Thai on one side and Chinese on the other.

If you can find the place, the lack of English won't be a problem. The normal procedure is just to select what you want and they will then put the dishes in the steamer.

The opening times are from 6am to noon, and then from 17:00 to 23:30. On the map, it's quite near Tai See Hee restaurant but a bit further down and on the other side of the road.

Comments: In general, when I eat at a restaurant I like cooked food brought to me. Over the years I have experienced eating at different places that don't quite follow this format. In the UK I have eaten at 'Mongolian Barbecue' restaurants where customers select their own raw ingredients and spices which are then cooked by a chef. Not being overly skilled at preparing food myself, my choice of ingredients didn't always taste that good.

A 'Korean Barbecue' restaurant I ate at in Singapore was a lot better. Raw meat was provided and cooked on a small barbecue unit that sat on the table. The meat was such good quality it could be eaten raw and only needed the smallest amount of cooking.

Choladah is a Thai version of the Cook-It-Yourself theme restaurant. Charcoal burning ovens are placed on the tables by men wearing asbestos gloves. (These things look dangerous and you wouldn't want one falling in your lap but the tables seem quite sturdy. )On the top sits a cooking plate. It is shaped so that there is a reservoir around the edge and this is filled with water.

Customers help themselves to meat, fish, seafood and vegetables. These can be cooked directly on the hot-plate or boiled in the water around the edge. The selection of meat varies from decent looking cuts of chicken and fish to disgusting pig offal but obviously some folks like pig innards. There are huge pots of rice and also desserts.

The entertainment is a guy playing traditional Thai music very loudly and Karaoke singing. Thais love singing along to Karaoke machines and can't resist the urge to participate. It's OK if they can actually sing but many can't and the sound is reminiscent of a cat being strangled.

The charge for all this is a measly Bt85 and you can eat as much as you like. There is a charge however for those whose eyes are bigger than their bellies (as my Mum used to say) and who take more food than they can eat. If you make this mistake you could always try feeding your leftovers to the cats who wander around the restaurant scavenging for scraps.

I'm not sure of the exact address. The easiest way to get there is to catch a Songkhla bound sawng-thaew from the clock tower on Phetkasem. As you go along Phetkasem it is a big place on the left, the same side as Carrefour but before you reach Carrefour.

Comments: There are quite a few large seafood restaurants in Hat Yai, especially a little way from the centre of town.

This one is located on the way to Tesco Lotus (opposite one of the branches of Daychaa Fried Chicken). It has a fairly large garden area so you can sit outside if you want to.

Prices are reasonable and it is always busy which is a good sign.

Comments: Bpoonagun Road runs alongside the Prince of Songkla university and - as might be expected - is a big student area. There are lots of typically Thai cheap rice and noodle shops, but also a few more upmarket places.

Cup and Rest is a very comfortable and relaxing place. Housed in a most pleasant building; the interior is tastefully decorated in pastel shades with soft lighting - as opposed to cheap plastic furniture, a concrete floor and a couple of fluorescent strip lights as you might find in a Bt30 noodle shop.

There is an open area on the upper floor which is also very pleasant. It is, "Sabai," as the Thais would say.

On the menu is a good selection of Thai food and they also do Western food. Their steaks aren't at all bad and they serve the softest and most tender chicken steak I have ever eaten in Thailand. The promotional flyer also says they serve Japanese food but I haven't tried any yet.

Ice cream, cakes, coffee and other soft drinks are also served. Prices are reasonable. If you want to save money you had better get used to cheap plastic furniture, concrete floors and fluorescent strip lights.

Getting there isn't all that convenient if you don't have your own transport. As this area continues to develop it can't be long until there is a sawng-thaew service but as far as I know there isn't yet.

From Phetkasem Road in Hat Yai you can take a sawng-thaew going to the bus station, get off at the top of Bpoonagun and walk. Alternatively, you can take a tuk-tuk or motorbike taxi. Tell the driver to take you to Gate 109 (bpruh-dtoo-roi-gao). From there, continue walking for a little way and the restaurant is in a Soi on the right opposite the Prince of Songkla University International Convention Center.

Comments: This could be the answer for farangs in town looking for a Western-style breakfast instead of rice and gaeng som. They serve Thai food but also do toast, eggs, bacon and sausages, etc. The Thai versions are never the same as you would get at a greasy spoon in London but they are OK.

The restaurant is located on Thamanoonvitee Road opposite Odean department, near The Pubb.

Comments: It is normal while living abroad to get food cravings and, being a Brit, I naturally crave Indian food from time to time. Lots of Malaysians visit Hat Yai and quite a few are Indian so Indian food should be easy to get, right? Wrong.

Thais love food but most screw their faces up when you mention Indian food. They say it smells bad. Considering some of the things they eat, this, in my opinion, is rather a case of the pot calling the kettle black. I introduced Iss to Indian food in Singapore and Malaysia, and she loves it - especially popadoms.

At least two Indian restaurants have closed down since I have been living in Hat Yai, while Whisker Hat Yai did Indian food for a very brief period until their chef left. A couple of other restaurants claim to do Indian food but the single Indian curry they do is not good.

I was therefore very pleased when I stumbled across this place. The proprietor, Mr Butt, is standing in the middle of the photo in the red shirt. He's actually Pakistani but has lived in Thailand for a long time and has a Thai wife. Being Pakistani, the food is actually Muslim. The food here is the only Indian food I have eaten in Hat Yai that actually resembles Indian food as I know it.

The chef is from Nepal but I haven't met him yet. I prefer eating Indian food in the evening but Darbar does most of its business early in the morning and at lunchtime. It is very quiet in the evenings and every time I have been, the chef has already gone home. However, there is normally food left over from earlier in the day and there is another woman who can cook certain dishes to order.

What is a little disappointing is that when I have eaten there, very few items on the menu have actually been available. I have still not been able to order Naan bread despite the fact it is shown on the menu. Sometimes I dream of big pieces of Naan bread, burnt on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Indian style chapatis, however, are available.

Another little issue is to do with how they price the food. As menu items are rarely available, it is a case of having whatever is available. When the bill comes, however, they just seem to think of the first number that comes into their head.

On my first visit, the bill was Bt100. A couple of visits later, I had exactly the same meal and was told Bt140. I questioned this and was told, "OK, 100 Baht."

I imagined that English would be spoken at Darbar but the dialect of English spoken by Mr Butt and his Indian friends is very different to my own. I therefore communicate with him in Thai; his Thai being better than mine, but he has lived in Thailand a lot longer than me.

The closest reference on the map is Lovely Tour. Heading away from town on Niphat Uthit 3, Darbar is on the left. If you get as far as the Hat Yai Central hotel on your right, then you have gone too far.

Is the Indian food at Darbar as good as that available in Bangkok and Penang? No. Is it the best Indian food in Hat Yai? Yes. If you are in Hat Yai, is it convenient to go to Bangkok or Penang every time you fancy a curry? I rest my case.

If you decide to eat here, however, I do need to add a few more caveats. The level of professionalism with which the restaurant is run is a joke. When the owner isn't around - which is fairly often - there are a bunch of clowns who sit around trying to run it for him.

Most of them can't speak English or Thai. Nothing you want on the menu is ever available and they don't really have a clue what they are doing. Eating at Darbar is thus a very hit-and-miss affair. If you happen to go at the right time when the right people are around it can be good, but if not it can be a disaster.

I've been on a few bad days and have ended up just walking out and eating elsewhere, hoping that things might have improved the next time I visit.

Comments: There are a couple of branches of KFC in Hat Yai but you will be much better off getting an MFC (Muslim Fried Chicken). It tastes better, it's cheaper, and it's probably healthier - although I have no evidence of that.

There are many individual Muslim vendors selling fried chicken in Hat Yai but Daychaa is quite famous in the local area. There are three branches: this one in Chee Uthit Road, one near Tesco Lotus, and one in Kate 8. Ask any taxi driver to take you to raan ahaan daychaa and he will know the location of the nearest branch.

I've eaten at all of them and the quality is consistent although I have a preference for the one in Chee Uthit road - which also conveniently happens to be the branch nearest to downtown Hat Yai.

When ordering chicken and rice in Southeast Asia, the chicken can be boiled or fried. The boiled stuff is very white and anaemic-looking so I always choose the deep fried version. The Thai word for deep fried is tort and so 'fried chicken' is gai tort using the noun/adjective structure of Thai grammar.

A quick word about rice.

Sticky rice is kaaw niaow. If you want this you ask for kaaw niaow gai tort but Isaan style sticky rice is more often eaten with grilled chicken kaaw niaow gai yaang.

In southern Thailand, fried chicken is normally eaten with yellow rice (kaaw mok gai tort) but if you prefer standard white steamed rice ask for kaaw mun gai tort.

Daychaa does other food (including seafood) besides fried chicken. Another advantage for Muslim diners is that as the restaurant is Muslim-run, everything is automatically Halal.

Comments: Palm Court Restaurant at the JB Hotel is one of my favourite places to eat in Hat Yai but just a few yards away in the same hotel is Dynasty which offers another fabulous dining experience.

It is described as a venue for 'Chinese fine dining' and I wouldn't disagree. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated. On my first visit when I breezed in wearing shorts and sandals I actually felt quite embarrassed. There are a number of separate dining rooms within the restaurant suitable for groups of around six people.

The staff, as in the rest of JB Hotel and at other similar standard hotels, are beautifully dressed in traditional style costumes and are perfectly mannered. The food doesn't disappoint either, it's expertly prepared and quite delicious.

The restaurant is open in the evenings and for lunch between 11am and 2pm when they serve dim-sum. The dim-sum here is Bt25 to Bt28 per portion compared to Bt10 per portion at most other places but I would imagine the experience is far more enjoyable.

Regarding prices, everything is relative. For Hat Yai it is expensive considering I can fill myself with a rice dish for Bt30. Compared to England though it is cheap. A similar dining experience in London would cost upwards of £70. At Dynasty I can have a very special Chinese dining experience for the price of a takeaway in England.

Something else they offer, in addition to the a la carte menu is a Chinese feast option for groups of around 10 for a set price. I think it's around Bt2,000 or something which is actually very good value.

Comments: There are a number of small cafés in Hat Yai that sell coffee and cakes, and they are very good. The drinks are tasty and the cakes are as good as any sold in European countries.

Ome Bake is probably the cheapest but there is no air-conditioning and it is quite a long way out of town. Ep's is similar but a little more upmarket. It is air-conditioned and fully up to European standards making for a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere.

Most of the cakes are chocolate but there are fruit cheesecakes and sometimes even lemon meringues.

It is located on Niphat Uthit 1 very close to the original Lee Gardens hotel - not Lee Gardens Plaza. Coming out of Lee Gardens hotel, turn left then right and you are there.

Comments: One of life's universal laws is that Japanese food is expensive - even in Japan, I am reliably informed. Fortunately, that law was never passed in Thailand or (as is more likely the case) it just gets ignored, the same as all other laws in Thailand. Fuji offers a fabulous dining experience. The food is authentically prepared and delicious. There is an army of waitresses who are very efficient and polite. I have a loyalty card but it hardly gets stamped as it is necessary to spend at least Bt300 to get a stamp. If I dine alone I don't usually spend more than Bt300.

The cleanliness in Fuji is of hospital operating theatre standards. The dining area is spotless. In the kitchen the chefs all wear surgical masks while preparing food. I met one of the chefs who told me that every month the kitchen is sprayed to eliminate any pests. This is one restaurant in Hat Yai where you won't find ants in the salad or see rats running around as you eat.

October 2004. Another branch of Fuji has opened inside the new Carrefour superstore on Phetkasem Road. The food and service is the same high quality as the Lee Gardens branch but the ambience isn't quite as nice. The new one is very open and has a bit of a 'goldfish bowl' effect. It was packed when I went the first time although the reason may have been the 10% discount being offered just after it opened. The Thais love a bargain.

As well as serving great food, Fuji should also be congratulated on having the world's most confusing loyalty card scheme which was introduced early in 2005. I first heard of it while dining with two PhD students and they couldn't understand how it worked. The next visit was with my girlfriend and trying to understand the scheme gave her a headache. If you are interested in how it works expect about four different members of staff to stop by your table to explain.

It used to be simple with stamped cards. You got a stamp for every Bt300 you spent and when you got ten stamps you got a Bt300 discount. The new scheme uses electronic smart cards so no more stamps. Not only do they give points now but they also give 'miles'. Do they think they are an airline or something?

Comments: Thais, the same as everyone else, get bored with eating one type of food and they have quite an appetite for Western style food. A number of small steak houses have sprung up as a result, and I have listed some in these pages.

This one is a bit out of the way but it's very clean and the food isn't too bad at all. The only problem is that it's a way out of town and if you aren't familiar with Hat Yai it might be difficult to find.

However, all tuk-tuk drivers should be able to find Klong Rien 2 Road easily enough.

Comments: I can offer no address or phone number but this place is easy to find. Just head out of central Hat Yai on Thamnoonvithee Road until you see the High Society nightclub on your left and it's just behind.

The 'coffee shop with a garden' concept is similar to Chill Chill except that the garden is more open and there are no bonsai trees. The opening hours are 4pm until midnight. I don't think the staff speak English and the menu is in Thai so it helps if you can read, or at least speak, a little Thai.

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It's just coffee and cakes so don't go there looking to eat anything more substantial.

One minor annoyance (obvious really in a garden setting that opens just before dusk) is that mosquitoes are abundant. Cover up or wear some repellent to ward them off. Other than that, it's a nice place.

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