Epic mealtimes at Chalok Bay, Koh Tao, Thailand.

Almost every restaurant served Thai, American, Italian and Mexican cuisine. Specialisation in tourist destinations is for fools. In Asia, it’s only at places that locals frequent that you get 1 chef, 1 dish specialities.

Seaview Restaurant at Chalok Bay

Our favourite place to eat was Seaview Restaurant which had a nice dining deck on the beach overlooking the bay. Right in the centre of Chalok Bay, you could swim from this area at high tide. Shoes off, low tables and triangle cushions give this place a super laid back vibe. We never dined inside, but it had a really modern, comfortable interior. Kind of a like a super modern beach bach.

Beach burgers. We had these a couple times actually.

Niçoise salad.

Pineapple Shrimp. The shrimp were great. They had a fluffy almost fish like texture. A little chili made this a perfectly tropical meal. Of course, I had mango shake to go with this. Mango shakes are basically fresh mango blended with ice.

Creamy Carbonara.

Pad Thai with shrimp. Pad Thai (stir-fried rice noodles with egg, tofu and meat of your choice) can be found everywhere in Thailand and a delicious feed. Cheap at 30 to 60 baht / $1.20 to $2.40NZ / $1 to $2US for a plate and I never experienced a bad Pad Thai on my travels. With the condiments like chili, vinegar and soy at every table, you can fine tune your Pad Thai to taste exactly how you like it.

Extreme closeup.

Pizza for one.

Mexican-Thai

We came here for breakfast and dinner. Hearty, flavoursome meals with all the trimmings. They show movies on a projector with the programme changing daily. Although it’s kind of weird if you want to talk during dinner as others are watching a movie.

Nachos with all the trimmings at Mexican-Thai restaurant on the beach.

Massaman curry at the same restaurant.

Koppee Bakery

Koppee Bakery is a European style bakery serving full breakfast and cafe food. Lots of dogs hang around and wait patiently for wayward tidbits. Sit inside if you don’t like puppy dog eyes watching your every mouthful.

Scandinavian Breakfast. If there’s salmon on a menu, 9 times out of 10, I must have it.

Eggs Bene with bacon.

Not all meals were beautifully presented or what we expected or hoped for. I ordered a potato salad at a restaurant in Chalok Bay. I was hoping for boiled potato cubes, in a creamy mayo dressing with other bits and pieces mixed in. What came out was an undressed leafy garden salad with slices of boiled potato and vinaigrette on the side. Because of language barriers and different interpretations of Western dishes, it won’t do to be a fussy eater while traveling.

Koh Tao Eating Tips:

1. Keep an open mind.
2. Thai dishes are always cheaper than Western dishes.
3. Most places are shoes off. Get used to it. It’s much nicer to relax on cushions when you aren’t wearing shoes anyway.

Koh Tao Eating Highlights:

1. Prawn dishes.
2. Epic burgers.