Being a coastal town, it’s no wonder that Hua Hin is bustling with wide array of fresh seafood. With a rented car at our disposal, we got a variety of recommended seafood restaurant with a few being a little out of town.
What we did not anticipated was, we did not have the luxury of time, having only reach Hua Hin by evening. Hungry after visiting the Hua Hin railway station, the most sensible thing was to find a restaurant right in the smack of town, Jek Be-Ak restaurant was on my shortlist but it was closed on that day (which is Thursday, by the way). Then we found Koti Restaurant which easily looks like a twin sister to Jek Be-Ak, and with the same length of queue to be expected, but later I found out this is supposed to be the oldest restaurant in Hua Hin. Naturally, expectation went high up.
To ease the crowd they had taken our order long before we got our seat. Their menu was simple, adequately priced but seemed to cover all the norm Thai food we’re looking for.
The Thai fish cake was something similar to Malaysia’s otak-otak or sata, made from fish paste mixed with chili, curry powder and coconut milk. It came highly recommended by the waitress but I don’t really like the vegetable base at the bottom of the fish paste. The fish paste itself were of soggy texture.
Tom Kha is something we are very fond of, even exceeded our likes for the better-known Tom Yam Kung. It’s a blend of exotic taste – sour notes from the lime and tomatoes, spiciness from the chilies, slight pungent taste from the galangal. Combined together, this was nothing but appetizing. Koti’s version of Tom Kha Seafood is very much, meet the expectation we had for it, judging by how we finished every drop of its soup.
The Prawn with Vermicelli (Tang Hoon). It was more peppery than what I would like and the vermicelli is not as al-dente as what I will usually get at home. The prawn was undeniable fresh but taste very much like farmed prawn instead of sea prawn. If you are interested to know, farmed prawn lack of distinct seafood sweetness and had an earthy tone to it, usually accompanied by grainy textured innards.
The Thai Milk Tea was silky smooth a little too sweet for our liking. We prefer the version from Black Canyon franchises.
Total damage was 490 Bht, not bad for 3 dishes, rice and drinks but with many other places to get seafood in Hua Hin, I will venture to find other jewel off the beaten path, the next time I am here.
Koti Restaurant
61/1 Dechanuchit Road (Intersection to the night market)
Hua Hin, Thailand.
12°34’18.6″N 99°57’23.9″E
