The night was hot and sultry. (I borrowed that lead from
the movie Throw Mamma from the Train.) We sat on the seaside at
Phuket's famed Kan Eang 2 seafood restaurant. The moon was full, and the
tide was rolling in. An evening breeze blew stronger. We laughed at jokes,
and the more funnies we told the funnier we became.
This Chalong Bay eatery is bewitching — we always seem to
gravitate to this very Thai and most excellent establishment, one of
Phuket's original meeting places. This night we presented a mixture of
English, Scottish, Thai and Antipodean — "Two Fat Ladies Meet the Knights of
Nee", we could call the story. A mobile phone rang at our table. It was
Richard calling Peter from Kan Eang 1 restaurant, up by the Chalong Pier.
"Where am I?" Peter replied through a mouthful of fried
prawns in tamarind sauce. "At Kan Eang 2."
At that moment, a dinner cruise boat moored at the pier.
A few minutes later, the dark sky burst into colour with the daily 8pm
fireworks. Every night is New Year's Eve at Chalong Harbour. And that
reminds me of a funny story. A friend of a friend had her mother visiting
Phuket. They took her to dinner here at Kan Eang 2, explaining they had
arranged some fireworks for her arrival party. Sure enough, at 8pm the night
exploded with colour. Mother was most impressed.
My favourite dish of fresh oysters arrived. The local
oysters — fat and juicy — are served with fresh lime, chilli sauce, chunks
of garlic, and dried onion flakes. Enjoyed with an icy glass of Australian
Chardonnay, this makes a superb starter to a seafood feast at this seafront
restaurant. And the "spring flats" (spring rolls) are delicious here, even
if they don't roll.
A traditional open-air, family-style eatery, Kan Eang 2
is situated on the bay under large shady trees with a roofed pavilion and
several coconut-thatched salas for sheltered dining. An interesting
"Gilligan's Island" boathouse on the beach nearby adds to the casual
tropical feeling. Tanks of live fish, crabs, mussels and lobster lay in
ambush near the front entrance. Select your victims on the way to the table,
and they follow a little later, beautifully decorated and cooked to
perfection.
Steamed blue crab is always a winner at our table. It's
great for the waistline too, since it takes so long to eat. We have a lot of
fun cracking the shells and extracting the sweet, juicy meat while waiting
for the other dishes to arrive. We had selected two fish, one of which was
served fried with sweet-and-sour sauce and the second steamed in lemon
sauce. I particularly enjoyed the het hoo noo cat eam sai naman hoi,
or mouse-ear mushrooms in oyster sauce, for something completely different,
and the fried prawns with ginger, lemongrass and chilli.
Kan Eang 1 and 2 restaurants are designed for eating
seafood — lots of it. There are many other dishes on the menu, which is
excellent for trying a range of Thai cuisines. But I just can't get past the
seafood. So we feasted, swapped writer's stories, told more jokes and
watched yachts bobbing around on the moonlit harbour.
Kan Eang 2, tucked away down a coconut-lined lane, lies a
short adventure from Chalong Circle. It's definitely worth the effort.
Kan Eang 2 restaurant, Chalong Bay, Phuket; Tel. 076 381
694.
Open lunch & dinner
