Ruen Mai – A Great Thai Restaurant in Krabi

Michael Babcock (text) & Kasma Loha-unchit (photos)

(This page added in April 2009; updated in February 2011.)

Don't miss: Thumbnails of food dishes at bottom of page.
Click any image to see a larger version.

Ruen Mai Sign

315/5 Maharaj Road
Muang Krabi, 81000 Thailand.
Tel : 075-63179

Ruen Mai Restaurant in the southern town of Krabi is one of Kasma's favorite restaurants in Thailand. We've been eating there since 1992. Kasma discovered it when she asked a number of locals to name the best place to eat and most of them named Ruen Mai. Although it's apparently considered "high-end," we find it reasonably priced. It serves impeccably delicious food in a beautiful setting.

Discovery

Entry from Maharaj Road

I happened to be along the very first time Kasma ate there. The name means wooden (mai) house (ruen) and it was, in fact, located in a graceful older wooden house. We were charmed by the decor, which was understated and consisted of beautiful Thai objects. It was on one of Kasma's small group tours on a free day and only 3 or 4 trip members elected to accompany us. I remember being completely wowed by everything.

Tables & Garden

A few years later when we rolled up for a meal we were dismayed to see that the restaurant was no longer there. Luckily, it had just moved. When we reached the new location, we discovered that the new location was even nicer than the older one, with tables nestled in amongst a lovely garden setting. And it had the same spectacular food.

We've enjoyed virtually every dish we've ever ordered at Ruen Mai. The flavor are vibrant and balanced in every instance. During two of Kasma's trips, she takes the groups there to eat on 4 or 5 occasions and orders 5 or 6 dishes each meal. She seldom orders a dish more than once per trip: there are so many delicious ones that she likes people to sample the full variety on offer here.

The Food

Three Delicious Dishes

Rather than wax poetic about individual dishes, I'm going to include (below) photos of some 25 dishes and let them speak for themselves. They are cross-linked to the menu, unfortunately taken on my digital camera and not the best of pictures; I think it's worth including so you can get a sense of some of the variety of dishes here and, also, start to plan for what you'll eat when you go there.

Ganesh Statue in Garden

Use the pictures to start planning what you'll order when you go. The title of each page as well as the text in bold directly below each picture, is the name as it appears on the menu. I also give the descriptive text from the menu with a link to the correct menu page. Also included are Kasma's name for the dish (she teaches most of them in her advanced cooking classes) as well as her version of the Thai transliteration, which is usually closer to how it should sound in Thai. (See A Note on Thai Pronunciation and Spelling).

Restaurant at Night

I'd encourage you to be adventurous. In particular, try some of the southern Thailand specialties offered here such as Pla Tod Kamin (Turmeric Fried Sandfish), Kaeng Som Pla (Sour Curry with Fish), Kua Kling (Dried Fried Chopped Beef) or Tom Kati Pak Wan Ban (Pak Wan (a local vegetable) Cooked in Coconut Milk with Shrimp). If you want to try a hard-core southern dish, try Kaeng Tai Pla (Fish Innards Curry): be warned it is an acquired taste and is unusually incendiary in spiciness. They have a number of delectable yum-style salads (sour & hot with some sweet and saltiness) of which my favorite is Yum Saded (Spicy Salad of Crisped Dried Cuttlefish, Shrimp and Cashews). Two other favorites are the Chu Chi Pla ("Choo Chee" Fish) – fish in a spicy red-curry sauce – and Pad Mu Tao Hu Yi (Fried Pork with Fermented Bean Curd and Garlic). Don't just order the old standbys that you are familiar with: try something new to light up and delight your taste buts.

Ordering

Mun

Ordering in Thai restaurants in Thailand can be challenging for a fahrang (foreigner). Many restaurants have had bad experiences with foreigners who couldn't eat spicy Thai food, so they tend to dumb down the food a bit (much like many Thai restaurants in other countries). It's best to learn a few phrases of Thai to convince them that you really want the good stuff. I was amused to see this on the Ruen Mai menu: "If you would like not spicy say 'maiped' to waiter or waitress." Phrases you might find useful if you want spicy food are: gkin ped dai! (I can eat spicy) or chawb ahaan ped (I like spicy food).

At Ruen Mai we recommend that you order from one of two people, whose pictures you see here. They both speak a bit of English. Ask for Mun (the man to the left) or Da (the woman to the right). Tell them that Kasma sent you and that you want the same food that they serve to Kasma and her groups. We've sent many of Kasma's cooking students here and this phrase has always worked like a charm to get the good stuff. Write down some of the dishes here that look particularly good and give them a try. If possible, eat there more than once: we never tire of the food here.

Reservations

Making reservations is a good idea. When we ate here in February of this year (2011), one night they were completely full.

Thumbnails of Ruen Mai Food Dishes

Click any image to see a larger version; then clicking the larger images will take you to the next image in sequence. Page titles and bold caption below the pictures are the name of the dish on the Ruen Mai menu.