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Whole fish charring on a grill over glowing charcoal, smoke rising

Today's fish, off the charcoal฿420 whole

The boats come in at five. The charcoal is lit by eleven.

A family seafood grill at the end of the fishing pier in Ban Khlong Mai, near Prachuap Khiri Khan. We buy from nine boats, cook what they land, and you eat it with your feet over the water.

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Open 11:00 to 22:00, later on Friday and Saturday. Closed on Wednesdays, when the boats rest.

Off the boats this morning

Landed at 05:40. Priced by weight, weighed in front of you. When it's gone, it's gone.

  • Bigfin reef squid หมึกหอมgrilled whole, lime and chilli dip
    ฿60 per 100 g
  • River prawns, the big ones กุ้งแม่น้ำsplit and grilled, head butter left in
    ฿95 per 100 g
  • Sea bass, 600 to 800 g ปลากะพงfried with fish sauce, or steamed with lime
    ฿420 each
  • Blue swimmer crab ปูม้าsteamed, green seafood dip
    ฿85 per 100 g
  • Tiger grouper ปลาเก๋าsteamed with soy and ginger
    Sold out
  • Rock oysters หอยนางรมraw, fried shallots, acacia shoots
    ฿45 each
Rows of scored squid on the grill, glazed dark with chilli paste over banana leaf
Squid goes on whole. Eight minutes, turned twice, chilli jam at the end.

The menu

Dishes are made to share: for four people, order a fish, something from the grill, a soup, a salad and rice. Prices are in baht and include service. No MSG, plenty of fish sauce.

a little heat hot very hot

Dishes marked with an ember have a photograph. Point at one, or tap it.

From the charcoal

Mangrove charcoal, lit at eleven. Everything comes with two dips: green chilli and lime, and tamarind.

  • กุ้งแม่น้ำเผาRiver prawns split down the back and grilled shell-side down, so the head butter stays put.

  • ปลาหมึกย่างA whole squid, scored and brushed with garlic, coriander root and white pepper.

  • ปลากะพงเผาเกลือSea bass packed in salt, belly stuffed with lemongrass and pandan. Peel the skin back and eat with lettuce.

  • หอยเชลล์ย่างเนยSix scallops in the shell with garlic butter, a little charred at the edges.

  • The pier plate, for two฿890

    ทะเลเผารวมPrawns, squid, mussels and two fish fillets off the grill, with papaya salad and sticky rice.

Wok and fryer

Cooked by Pa Noi on two burners that sound like a jet engine.

  • ปลากะพงทอดน้ำปลาWhole sea bass fried until the fins crackle, dressed with fish sauce caramel and green mango.

  • ปูผัดผงกะหรี่Crab stir-fried with yellow curry powder, egg, celery leaf and spring onion.

  • หอยลายผัดน้ำพริกเผาShort-necked clams tossed in roasted chilli jam with a fistful of holy basil.

  • Kung thot krathiam฿240

    กุ้งทอดกระเทียมSea prawns fried with a snowdrift of crisp garlic and black pepper.

Soup, steam and salad

Tell us how hot. We believe you the first time.

  • ต้มยำกุ้งHot and sour, with river prawns, straw mushrooms, galangal and lime leaf. Clear or creamy.

  • Pla kao neung manao฿520

    ปลาเก๋านึ่งมะนาวGrouper steamed over a candle burner in lime, garlic and bird's eye chilli broth.

  • Yam wun sen thale฿180

    ยำวุ้นเส้นทะเลGlass noodles with squid, prawns, celery and red onion, dressed warm.

  • ส้มตำปูม้าGreen papaya pounded with raw blue crab, long beans and tomato.

Rice and greens

Order one more than you think.

  • ข้าวผัดปูFried rice with picked crab meat, egg and a wedge of lime. Small feeds two, large feeds four.

  • ผักบุ้งไฟแดงMorning glory flashed in the wok with garlic, chilli and yellow bean.

  • Khai chiao cha-om฿90

    ไข่เจียวชะอมPuffy omelette with acacia shoots. The thing children ask for.

  • Khao suai฿20

    ข้าวสวยSteamed jasmine rice, per person.

Sweet and cold

Mango from November to May. Outside the season we will say so.

  • ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วงRipe mango, coconut sticky rice, toasted mung beans.

  • Thapthim krop฿70

    ทับทิมกรอบWater chestnut rubies in iced coconut milk with jackfruit.

  • มะพร้าวน้ำหอมChilled, opened at the table.

  • Lime soda฿50

    มะนาวโซดาSweet, salty or both.

  • Cold lager, large bottle฿110

    เบียร์Served with a bucket of ice, the local way.

Six tables sit on the pier edge. They go first.

The grill takes walk-ins all day. For the edge, and for sunset, book ahead.

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No walls on three sides

Forty seats under a tin roof, six tables out on the edge, one charcoal pit and the whole Gulf for a view. The breeze does the air conditioning.

A long concrete pier running out into a calm sea under a pink and gold sky, islands on the horizon
The pier, a few minutes after six
Silhouettes at a candlelit table under strings of small lights, the sea pale behind them
Table 4, pier edge
Lumps of charcoal glowing red in a clay brazier
Mangrove charcoal, lit at eleven
Five white plates on a dark wooden table: marinated crab, prawns, sea snails, clams and stir-fried greens
Lunch for three
A small fishing boat with two men aboard crossing grey water under an orange sunset
One of our nine boats, heading out
A green wooden fishing boat crossing a harbour under a peach evening sky
17:30. The fleet leaves as the first tables sit down

Sunset is at 18:15.

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A squid boat at night, lamps blazing, a green glow on the water beside its hull

Why “green light”

After dark the squid boats switch on rows of green lamps to pull the squid up to the surface. From our tables you see them strung along the horizon like a second shoreline. ไฟเขียว, fai khiao, is what the village calls that glow.

Pa Noi opened the grill in 2009 with four tables and her husband's boat. Her son Ton runs the charcoal now, her daughter Fah runs the floor, and the boat still goes out most nights. The squid on your plate was under those lamps a few hours ago.

Find us at the end of the pier

Sketch map of Ban Khlong MaiThe coast road runs north to south. At the blue-roofed ice factory a lane turns east to the shore, where a pier runs out into the gulf. Fai Khiao is at the end of the pier.PPrachuap town6 km northWat Khlong MaiTurn at theice factoryKhlong Wan4 km south120 m on footGulf of ThailandFai KhiaoN
Not to scale. The pier is the only one in the village.
Fai Khiao, end of the pier
Moo 3, Ban Khlong Mai, Khlong Wan
Prachuap Khiri Khan 77000
  1. From Prachuap town, take the coast road south for six kilometres, keeping the sea on your left.
  2. Pass the gold roof of Wat Khlong Mai on your right. 300 metres on, turn left at the ice factory with the blue roof.
  3. Park for free under the pines where the lane meets the beach.
  4. Walk out along the pier. We are the last building, with the smoke.

By songthaew: the blue line from the town market passes the ice factory every 30 minutes until 19:00, ฿20. A tuk-tuk back to town at night is about ฿150, and we will call one for you.

Opening hours

Monday11:00 to 22:00
Tuesday11:00 to 22:00
WednesdayClosed
Thursday11:00 to 22:00
Friday11:00 to 23:00
Saturday11:00 to 23:00
Sunday11:00 to 22:00

Last orders 45 minutes before closing.

Book a table

Sunset is around 18:15. If you want a pier-edge table for it, book for 17:30 and ask for the edge. We hold tables for 15 minutes.

For more than 12 people, or a whole fish ordered ahead, call or message us.

Guests
2 people
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