Here’s a great little place to stop if you’re heading round to the south east of the island. A couple of years ago, a Thai guy, Ronny, set up a small roadside shack selling fruit and fruitshakes. The fruit coming fresh from his land nearby. He is one of those super friendly, gregarious people that make any holiday one to remember.
The shack expanded and now includes a small restaurant and coffeeshop. It’s still a very basic building. A partially enclosed shelter with seating and coffee counter and open kitchen.
But this isn’t the type of place where you give your order, sit down and just eat. If you order a coconut shake you might be asked to go and cut the coconut from the tree. Or be asked how many bananas you want in your shake. There’s no such thing as ‘portion control’. Surprisingly, the coffee is also locally sourced. It is grown by Ronny’s family who also have a small coffeeshop on the opposite side of the main road nearby. They have a small coffee plantation on the hillside.
If you order food, then there’s a good chance you will be somehow involved in cooking it. It’s quite common to see diners hard at work preparing their own somtam. Also don’t be surprised if dish you didn’t order arrives on your table. Chances are Ronny was cooking something for himself or trying out a new dish and thought you might like to try it too – for free.
The menu is the usual common Thai dishes, plus some western items. What’s on offer changes quite often. You’ll see chalkboards with available dishes and drinks outside the restaurant. Ronny speaks good English and is a fountain of knowledge about the island and pretty much anything you want to know about farming, growing fruit and football.
If you enjoy your drink or meal, there’s a tip box. But you’ll notice that the tips don’t go to Ronny, they’re for a children’s charity.
So a definite ‘Must try’ if you are exploring the east of the island. And don’t forget to take your camera if you decide to visit the outdoor toilet. :-)
Price: $ – $$
Photos:
Location: In the south east of the island. On the left hand side of the road, about 1km south of the shooting range.
These restaurant reviews are just my thoughts on a place at the time I visited. I’ll mention if I know the owner well or get any freebies. But for the most of the time I am happy to play tourist and don’t mention this site at all. Obviously it isn’t possible to sample every dish on the menu and the type of food you have for lunch will differ to evening. In addition, owners and more importantly chefs, can change and your experience may differ from mine. If it does, post a comment below.
Great to see this. I was searching for Ronnie’s place to leave him/them a review, following a recent late lunch there. Excellent stop after an early trip down the east coast to Long Beach. A fresh coconut water, roasted chicken, som tam, sticky rice, all in a lovely space, one with nature (including the deluxe toilets!), kind hosts, Ronnie with excellent English too. Imagine it’s fun at night too if you are staying on that side of the island.