WITH Pattaya being so easily accessible from Bangkok it attracts hordes of both Thai and foreign tourists, and to meet the high demand for seafood, lots of restaurants have been opened but prices, driven by this same demand, are also high, a columnist at the Thai-language daily Matichon wrote last Sunday (Feb. 18).
The columnist, Pin Toh Kao, suggested a restaurant named Chai Sung Ma where lots of tasty dishes are available at reasonable prices suitable for the wage earner.
However, the catch is that it is located deep in a soi, almost a kilometer, but this is the restaurant which is popular with Pattaya locals.
Opened around 20 years ago, it was previously a small outlet called Man Yu Thi Chai. The owner, Aunty Noi, had to move many times because the various landlords would not extend the lease, so in the end borrowed money to open out here, and will not now have to move again.
To reach it, one has to head to Sattahip from Pattaya on Sukhumvit road, and after 20 kilometers turn into Sattahip soi 45 on the left. This soi is easily noticeable because Thamsiri Suksa School is at the entrance, and there is a 7-Eleven outlet nearby. There are other ways to reach it too but this is the easiest.
Once in, one has to follow the road (turn left, turn right and go straight), around 1.1 kilometer, and then turn left at the intersection (the second intersection which has more traffic going through), go another 800 kilometers you will see the restaurant on the left.
Within there is a small garden with tables in various nooks and two open halls, one big and one medium size. A hundred people come to eat here everyday, and when the columnist got there at 3 pm last Saturday there were still some customers around.
Aunty Noi, who is still active at 63 years of age and is helped by her son, said the seafood here is from small fishing boats so people can be sure it is very fresh everyday,
The columnist went into the kitchen and saw there were many chefs there busy cooking.
Aunty Noi suggests trying Kai Baan Phad Kra Wan (chicken fried with cardamom, 150 baht a serving) and Hor Mok Talay (fish steamed with curry paste, 150 baht for a dish of 3 servings).
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Top, in-text and below: Aunty Noi and her successful Chai Sung Ma restaurant which is located deep in a soi. Photos: Matichon
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