Lap Royet - Great local Issan restaurant in Koh Lanta (Klong Dao Beach)

[unagi11]

We have spent the last week on Klong Dao beach, the northernmost beach on the island of Koh Lanta on the Andaman side of Thailand.

Quickly tiring of the watered-down tourist fare on the beach itself, eg. Banana Beach Restaurant (boring) and bbq at Hans Restaurant (downright awful and expensive), we set off down the main road in search of something tasty and authentic.

We stumbled across an Issan restaurant called Lap Royet, which has since been our daily spot for dinner and some lunches, it is that good. It is all outdoor seating under thatched hut-covered tables, with a menu in English as well. Prices are just a smidgen above street food prices, although we have yet to spend over 300 baht for dinner for two with several dishes, sticky rice and a big Singha beer.

Highights so far:

- Som Tam (spicy papaya salad) - fresh, spicy, with roasted peanuts and the perfect accompaniment to every meal. Lots of street places on the main road in Lanta sell this, but this is the freshest and zingiest som tam we found here.

- Catfish Larb (I think this is called Nam Pladook?) - have had this twice, it is sooo moreish

- BBQ chicken with spicy sauce

- Boiled pork with ginger and lemongrass

- Bamboo shoot salad - slightly spicy with mildly fermented bamboo shoots, unusual and tasty

- BBQ beef

I am not sure all of the BBQ items are listed on the menu, as we just asked for the beef straight off the grill after seeing it for ourselves. The one disappointment was a pile of chewy, inedibe chopped pork fat, which seemed really to be nothing but BBQ'd fat, and not in a good way if you know what I mean. Maybe they are supposed to be more like beer snacks than an actual meal? My husband ordered it in a weak moment after downing a beer with the friendly BBQ cook, stuck there with our takeaway lunch after being trapped in an afternoon downpour.

I think the other side of the menu has more standard noodle and rice dishes, but we stuck with the Issan fare ourselves. Best of all, you don't need to ask for anything to be made spicy - but be sure to ask to have it toned down if you don't care for heat!

Lap Royet will happily do takeaway of everything if you want to eat it at your hotel/guesthouse, with all the usual side trimmings (basil, cabbage, etc) thrown in the bag as well.

Now, as for the location: it is on the main road which runs down the entire west coast of Koh Lanta, more towards the northern end of Klong Dao Beach. It is on the right side of the road as you head north towards the town of Saladan, just across the street from a place with a yellow sign called 'French Bakery'.

The sign for Lap Royet itself is in Thai and English, with a Coca-Cola logo in red across the bottom of the sign.

Probably the most well-known spot nearby is a place called 'The Pub'. If you ask any taxi/sidecar driver to take you to The Pub, then Lap Royet is about 5 minutes walking further north on the same side of the road.

We will miss it when we are gone!