Insane THAI FOOD!! Unbelievable Cooking Skills in Khao Lak, Thailand! 🇹🇭 สุดยอดอาหารใต้

– Hey everyone, hope you'rehaving an amazing day.

It's Mark Wiens.

I'm in the southern Thailand province of Phang Nga, right in Khao Lak.

And one of the restaurants that I was most lookingforward to visiting, well being here is a restaurantcalled Khrua Luang Then.

They specialize but they take it to a next level SouthernThai Phang Nga food, and so we're gonna eatall of their specialties.

Hopefully, I think they're really cool.

We're gonna have a chanceto see them cooking.

We're gonna have a SouthernThailand food feast.

In this video, I'm gonna share all of the amazing SouthernThai food with you.

(upbeat music) We just arrived immediatelyright as they opened and already I just lovethe look of this place.

It's so beautiful.

It's like a barefoot beach kind of place.

You could definitely beeating with no shoes on here.

There's sand.

Some of the tables areactually in the sand and there's just tables kindof around under these shelters.

But the coolest thing aboutthe restaurant so far, just the appearance of therestaurant is this massive tree, which I love that they kept the tree.

It's kind of shading, it's kind of shelteringthe entire restaurant.

There's like vines, there'sgreenery all around.

It's beautiful giant woodtables and some bamboo tables.

I love it here beforewe even taste the food.

– (speaking in foreign language) – It's just such a cool place and we're just talking with her now trying to make our order trying to get some of the specialty dishes here.

But another cool thing aboutthis restaurant is that it was in the Michelin Guide 2020for Phang Nga in Thailand.

– (speaking in foreign language) – [Mark] (speaking in foreign language) – (speaking in foreign language) – (speaking in foreign language) – That should be sufficient.

We ordered eight differentdishes, eight dishes for us.

But there's so many coolthings on your menu.

There's so many unique dishes.

There are some ingredientsin some seafoods that I haven't tried before elsewhere in other parts of southern Thailand.

And yeah, they're just so cool already.

We're going into thekitchen to watch Ping Ken as he starts to cook.

(upbeat music) So he is first making(speaks in foreign language).

So awesome.

Chef Ken, and this one is called(speaking in foreign language), it's a minced meat curry.

So he first sizzled down that curry paste.

The aroma, unbelievable.

Oh yeah, you can smell that.

He charred that curry pasteand put in the minced meat and he's just searing that over fire.

In Thai it's called (speakingin foreign language).

It's like a dry fry.

It's like a dry curry.

– (speaking in foreign language) Because we're the first ones here today, they're just gettingstarted on all of our dishes all at once across theentire assembly line.

She just made our (speaksin foreign language), which is an omelet with ant eggs in it and the entire ant as well.

That's one of the greatestomelets you can get.

And now, there's some, literally some ingredients I've never seen before.

One of them is called(speaks in foreign language).

I think it's a type of octopus or squid, but locally from this area and then the other maindish that we're going to get is called (speakingin foreign language).

I've never seen that before.

It's a black type of gray.

That is amazing.

And he's also searingoff that curry taste.

Well, too many things going on.

I'm just confused and happy and sweating and the aromas are (laughs).

(speaking in foreign language) (upbeat music) The black stew and curry, he sliced up some (speaksin foreign language) and then stuck it into the curry.

And again his style, his style, in a pot, just holds in the juices, holds in that curry paste.

The aromas of the shrimp paste and the (speaking in foreign language) and it's unbelievable.

And this one is a (speaksin foreign language).

– (speaking in foreign language) – I'm just flying around the kitchen.

They're just flying around the kitchen .

Three stations going on but I'm loving his hot cooking style for the next dish (speakingin foreign language).

It's one of the ultimatedishes of Southern Thailand but we're getting it with(speaking in foreign language) which is catfish, sea catfish, and for his (speaking in foreign language) he added in a massive spoon of the (speaking in foreign language) which is the orange curry paste used for this with lots of turmeric in it.

And he added in like a heaping spoon of shrimp paste as well and that shrimp paste, you can see the quality of it, you can see the chunkiness of it.

And that smells incredible.

The orangeness that's justbubbling and fire is raging.

The aromas are out of control.

My mouth juices.

Saliva is becominguncontrollable on my tongue.

(upbeat music) – (speaking in foreign language) – And then my favorite vegetable to go in (speaking in foreign language).

It's called pond dip, which here they call(speaks in foreign language) which is the taro stems growing out.

They're so you can even seelike the bubbliness of them.

You can see the airiness of them.

They're so crunchy, they justabsorb all of that broth.

That's why I like it so much for (speaking in foreign language).

And he's about to add it into the curry with the (speaking in foreign language) – (speaking in foreign language) – I just love everything about this place, and this is kind of theoutdoor kitchen section in the backyard here, and he's showing me all the different fish that they have for the day.

So many different beautiful fish.

Fresh fish, big fish, small fish, chopped up fish.

What a beautiful spot.

– (speaking in foreign language) – So the final dish that we're getting is (speaking in foreign language) which is fried fish withturmeric and garlic, and you can see that mortar and pestle is just completely orange from the amount of turmeric he's pounding.

Turmeric goes in, awhole stick of turmeric and then garlic and then he's going to be making it with a fish called – (speaking in foreign language) – And he said this is thebest fish for the day.

He said this is his favorite fish.

So that's what we're getting.

(upbeat music) – (speaking in foreign language) – Pounded turmeric and garlic, then he mixes in a little bit of flour, a little bit of water, and then he just like reallysoaked the entire soup with that mixture.

That goes straight to thehot oil to the deep fryer that goes in the (speakingin foreign language).

Oh, that's beautiful.

(oil boiling) (jazz music) – (speaking in foreign language) – Okay, I think that was the final dish.

I'm actually gonnasprint back to the table.

I've never been so excited in my life.

Oh, he is a master.

He's so good.

Yes.

Wow! I'm not just saying this lightly.

I say this a lot but I don't think I've everbeen so excited in my life to try this meal.

Everything is so his style of cooking and just you can telllike he's doing stuff without even thinking about it.

You can tell he's such a master.

He knows what he's doing.

He has an acute relationshipwith the curry pastes and the ingredients and the fish and the things that he uses.

You would just trust him for any kind of Southern Thai food.

I'm sure I guarantee beforeI've even tasted the food that anything that he cooks, that anything that's on his menu, Ping Ken, it's gonna be outstanding.

He's just a genius.

I'm almost nervous I'm so excited.

Rice into the bowl.

Ping says I have to begin with the (speaks in foreign language).

This is the Southern Thai.

One of the main staplesof Southern Thailand.

It is a sour curry, wegot it with the catfish, sea catfish, ocean catfish as well as pond dipswhich are the taro stems.

And then yeah.

Look at the thickness of that (speaks in foreign language).

Look at that color.

Look at the thickness of that and this is a water based curry.

Oh, wow.

That is masterful flavor.

And yeah, I could tellwhen he when he made this he put in a lot of shrimp paste, more shrimp paste than normal, that gives it such a rich umami, such a shrimpy flavor and this is a water basedcourse so it's not rich or it's not thick from coconut milk.

That's only thick from the shrimp paste and or the curry pastewhich is krill paste, maybe krill or shrimppaste I'm not totally sure and the curry paste, thatturmeric that garlic.

Wow.

Yeah, that is unbelievable.

It's less sour than some versions, but more umami from the amountof shrimp paste that he used.

That's stunning, unbelievable.

And just to try the thecatfish next on the next bite.

Oh, it's really firm.

That catfish is amazing.

I think the sea water catfish has a bit more of a firm texture than the freshwater catfish.

Freshwater catfish issometimes a little more mushy and like melt in your mouth, and just wrapped up in thatcurry, it's unbelievable.

Okay, next up dish that I cannot wait to try is that (speakingin foreign language).

This is the dry curry with beef and just look at that color, the amount of curry pastein there, the green peppers.

And he added in a big handfulof different herbs as well.

There's some bezels in there, there's some green peppercornthere's some (mumbles).

Just look at that closely.

The amount of texture inthere, the amount of spices and herbs the poundedcurry paste, it's chunky.

This amount in thisspoon right now could be a flavor overdose andI'm willing to risk it.

Wow, it should go on top.

Oh that is masterful.

All of that flavor iswrapped up in that paste which he seared down, which he dry fried, mixed with the meat cookeduntil like dehydrated, so it's dry, the flavoris completely condensed.

The green pepper in there.

You taste the the variety ofherbs, the bezel in there, that is a flavor overdose.

It's spicy, but it's so well balanced, everything together.

And while it's still hot and fresh, I'm going to go right into that (speaks in foreign language), the fried fish with turmeric and garlic.

And I love the way he cut it, strategically so that it absorbed more of the the turmeric and garlic and also so you can kindof just pull it directly off the bone structurejust pull off those fillets that are just like blooming and crunchy.

Put that onto the rice and then I'll immediatelygo for some of the sauce.

Oh, that's stunning.

Wow.

I watched him as he made this.

He took such care, to make sure that it wasn't overcooked, to make sure that it wasn't dry.

You taste the juicy oiliness of the fish so well fried perfectly.

And then just that amazinglike mustardy taste of the fresh turmeric, the garlic, it's crunchy a littlebit of flour in there to keep it extra crunchy, which is perfect.

And there are the (speaksin foreign language) the garlic sauce is also really good, very garlicky, chilly, limejuice with that acidity and not too sweet.

That combination.

I like the pillowishness of that fish.

He recommended this fish, and now I know why, you're just like, it's unbelievably like fluffy and oily.

It's absolutely delicious.

(jazz music) Now that we've tried a couple dishes, now would be an appropriatetime to explore the plate of, in Southern Thailand it's known as (speaks in foreign language), which is the plate of raw.

You're always given a plateof raw fresh vegetables.

Oftentimes when you takea bite of spicy curry and then you need like a mouthcleanse before the next dish, this is what you come to.

So this is an appropriate time right now.

Today we have some eggplantswe have some of these, (speaking in foreign language) I forget what it is, but it almost has alicorice taste I believe.

There's some stink beans, there's some long beans and then this one here.

This is the special event of the day.

Our pickled stink beans.

In Thai it's called (speaksin foreign language).

Yeah, that's amazing.

That like stinky juicinessjust overwhelms your mouth.

Oh, I love it.

And then I'll try this one next.

And the brininess of that stink bean and then just that aroma islife changingly delicious.

I love them.

Stink beans are one of thegreatest natural ingredients in the world in Southern Thailand and especially the Malay Peninsulaand throughout Indonesia.

Oh, yeah.

That leaf is definitely licorice.

(coughing) I'm kind of talking (mumbles) Oh and that chili sauce.

Wow, that's unique to that(speaks in foreign language).

That chili sauce is amazing, it's spicy.

Choky and spicy and like licorice.

Oh, it's making me tear a little bit.

Amazing, what a combination of flavor.

That like just surprisingcombination of (mumbles).

Just blows your tongue away.

Next up this is also the dish that I'm most looking forward to eating which is the black stingray curry (speaks in foreign language) And that's just like ahot mess of curry paste.

Even look at the color of that fish.

Yeah, look at the color of it.

Wow, that is spectacular.

The green pepper flavor, and he added a handful of(speaks in foreign language) which I believe it's tree bezel in English but it gives like almosta licorice bitter herb.

It almost has this likelicorice taste to it.

And then he added in a bunch of (speaks in foreignlanguage) in there as well, then wrapped up in that curry paste.

The fish, the stingrayalmost tastes like chicken, the mouthfeel of it and the texture, and it's just massive flavor.

And then a spicy dish like that, you do want to chase withsome of the fresh vegetables like some fresh stink beans.

The fresh, natural, beautifulvitamins, nothing beats, curly.

There's no greater singleone natural ingredient in the world.

Seems like an appropriate time to try that (speaking in foreign language).

Which is the omelet with ant eggs in it.

And you can see there'swhole ants in it too.

Oh, and there, they're right in there.

If you poke down a littlebit, that's an egg.

A little bubbly, buttery bite of joy.

And the best thing todo with this omelet is to just drench it in some of the (speaks in foreign language).

The combination.

Omelet, (speaks in foreign language) with the red ant eggs.

They're so buttery, and then if you feel one in your tongue it kind of has like alittle bubble a texture and you bite down.

It literally is like thatcreamy buttery texture that just kind of is released into your mouth, into your tongue.

Okay, next one they call it(speaks in foreign language) but a local octopus and then we got it fried with pineapple.

This one might be a less spicy dish but I think they mightadd a shrimp paste to it.

Well, we'll see.

But then there's pineapple, there's some onions in here, there's some chili.

(mumbles) It's like so refreshing.

I don't know if it's shrimp paste or if its just the juices of the octopus, but it's just slightlysweet from the pineapple.

Light and refreshing, then you've got the onionswhich are still crushed.

All that's delicious.

That's just like soothing.

Good to complement allthe other spicy dishes with this kind of like citrusypineapple sweetness dish.

And that is perfect.

Okay, and the final dish we got is called the (speaksin foreign language).

And it's called the (speaksin foreign language) because it has this little foot that you sometimes you can actually just use thefoot and pull it out.

But these ones are kind of stuck in here so you have to kind of use a toothpick or a kebab stick here.

There, that's a little foot and the little foot you cannoteat because it's really hard.

It feels like, oh, I justbroke off the foot.

(laughs) Okay, I'll have to re-get thestick and re-dig this guy out.

There we go.

And get this into the(speaks in foreign language).

It's just pure, it's just delicious.

The (speaks in foreign language), the seafood sauce is delicious.

It kind of has the texture of squid.

Whenever we come to thisregion of South of Thailand and Phang Nga and Krabi, Ying loves (speaks in foreign language).

I love it too.

We always order it.

They're just fresh, they're just delicious.

They're from this area.

(jazz music) I think we've now tried allof the different dishes.

Yeah.

Literally every singledish, unbelievable flavor, packed full of ingredients, packed full of spice, packed full of herbs.

This is just ultimate happiness for me and then on top of that just this location underneath the tree, myfeet are in the sand.

A perfect dining environment either.

I am just loving this and we are gonna now attempt to finish all the rest of the food.

I'm going to circle back around to the (speaks in foreign language).

Just the color, just thathot mess of curry paste, wet curry paste and a little green pepper corn on there.

Just like wet curry paste, chilies, that's just flavor overdose.

(jazz music) It's like so addictive.

You just cannot, you will not stop.

You cannot stop you, you don't want to stop.

Yeah, the (speaks inforeign language), wow.

These little guys I think they're called (speaksin foreign language).

They are like little sprout with beans.

They sort of have a stinkbeanie kind of aroma and taste to them as well.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, those are fresh, likea little gashes poof, just kind of like you mix into your mouth.

Oh, I love it.

(upbeat music) Unbelievable.

Oh, I love it.

That was, without a doubt one of the better singleSouthern Thai food meals that I've ever had in my entire life, and Southern Thai foodis one of my favorite regional variations, regional styles of cuisine in all of Thailand.

I love Southern Thailand.

I love the food of Southern Thailand, the curries, Ying, my wifeis from Southern Thailand in Krabi and so mostly I eata lot of Southern Thai food, but that was trulystandout, truly spectacular.

His mix of curry paste, his(speaks in foreign language) is beyond your wildestimagination of flavor.

I can just feel like curry paste like almost the herbs and the spices and chilies just almostcoming out of my face.

Khrua Luang Then, andhis name is Ping Ken.

He is the chef.

This is what I call afive star restaurant.

The combination of the unbelievable food and the care that he takes, the friendliness of Ping Ken and his his wife and the staff, you feel like you're at home.

That combination ofeverything put together makes this what I consider to be the best restaurantstyle place in the world.

That was, awesome.

(speaking in foreign language) When you are in Khao Lak, this place is worth driving to from wherever you are in Thailand.

I did come down herefrom Bangkok to eat here, but definitely if you're in Phang Nga, if you're in Khao Lak.

What a restaurant.

I want to say huge thankyou for watching this video.

Please remember to give it athumbs up if you enjoyed it.

Leave a comment below I'dlove to hear from you, and if you're not already subscribed, click Subscribe and alsoclick the little bell icon so you immediately, oh yeah, I'm all the way to the top with curry paste right now.

(laughs) I can't even believeit, I can't comprehend.

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Goodbye from Phang Nga, and I will see you on the next video.

Thanks again for watching.

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