2/3 Rattanathibet Rd., 02-921-8480, 089-044-5075
If you don’t mind driving a bit further out of town, Krua Mae Nong Nun provides a homey and affordable meal. Located in an unassuming sub-soi, the neighborhood eatery is housed in a shabby wooden cottage with a small parking space (just ignore the overly-eager parking attendant). On the wooden plank floor are several tables with plastic vivid blue tablecloths and plastic red chairs. The kitchen, as well as a dessert station, is at the front corner, while in the middle is a fish tank, populated by seafood—the eatery’s specialty—which can be cooked any way you like. Considering its concealed location and “minimalist” setting, Krua Mae Nong Nun should be pretty empty, but instead the tattered dining area welcomes government officers in yellow shirts during lunch and family regulars at dinner. On the first page of the brief menu are three recommendations: pork satay, deep-fried grouper topped with signature old-style sauce and dok kajorn salad, which is available only during the rainy season. Out of the three, the grouper is the most popular as you can see it on every table—our server said sell over 100 groupers a day. Pork satay, though tender and juicy, was a bit of a disappointment because the skewers of meat arrived surprisingly cold—we wished they had re-grilled the satay before. Despite that, the skewers still usually run out fast. The stir-fried curry crab here is already shelled, so you won’t have to get your hands dirty eating it. Children will love the deep-fried battered whole shrimp served with sweet sauce. If you can’t stand the heat, steer clear of the steamed squid in hot and spicy soup. More tender to the tongue is cockle salad with sliced mango, in which medium-rare cockles are mixed with chili paste and lime and topped with heaps of shredded mango and herbs. Desserts include ice cream and mango with sticky rice. Service is casual and friendly, but sometimes sluggish during peak hours. But thanks to its generous portions and reasonable prices, Krua Mae Nong Nun is still a popular neighborhood eatery.
