Why should you go there and how do you do it right?

Pad Kra Pao is the dish that keeps guests coming back for – and they do, often on consecutive days of the same holiday. The restaurant is run by a Thai family in Bo Put, a little inland on Laan Tong Road. The food is more like being at a friend's house than prepared specifically for foreign palates. The soups are also praised by guests, especially Tom Yum and Panang, although one guest wished the Panang had a bit more sauce. Mango sticky rice is sometimes served unprompted.

Don't expect luxury here. It's a simple, no-frills, family-run restaurant – and that's precisely its charm. You'll pay a fraction of what the beach restaurants two streets away charge, and the food, according to most reports, is even better. If you're expecting tablecloths and ocean views, this isn't the place for you. But if you want to feel like a grandmother cooking for you, then this is the place to be.