I Talay Beach Bar & Cottage Taling Ngam

The last three times we ordered Thai dishes, they served us very little meat. Is there some sort of meat shortage or what? We ordered pad krapao moo and got exactly three spoonfuls of minced meat. What kind of nonsense is that? This has happened before. It feels like they’re dividing two portions into one, which is too much. Each time I asked them to add more, but they said nothing.

Somehow I’d never found this gem before. It’s on Samui’s southwest coast, with lovely views of the nearby islands and a stunning spot for sunsets. A wooden bridge at the entrance crosses a lake full of colourful lotus flowers. The restaurant serves amazing food, and its cocktails are great to sip while watching the sun go down. They also rent out beach bungalows. Definitely a highlight of this trip.

We ate well here for less than 1,000 THB, and every dish tasted fresh and full of flavor. The coconut rice was fragrant, cooked just right and really satisfying. The shrimp in tamarind sauce weren’t spicy at all, so the rich, tangy sauce came through. We also had fried noodles with chicken, which were tasty, comforting and well seasoned. I-Talay Taling Ngam is a traditional Thai restaurant that surprised us with its quality and value. A great place for authentic Thai food at a fair price. Highly recommended!

The staff were really friendly and helpful, and the food and cocktails were good. I liked this spot more than the expensive place 100 mtr to the north.