Chef Angus An, his wife Kate, and their son Aidan have been traveling in Thailand doing research for Maenam, their popular Thai restaurant in the People’s Republic of Kitsilano. They have been keeping a photo journal of their tasty adventures, and will be keeping Scout readers abreast of them with guest blog dispatches and pictures as they go…

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Hua Hin used to be one of the most glamorous beach towns in Thailand. In fact, it was the first official beach resort in Thailand and a favourite getaway spot for celebrities and royalty during the 1920’s.

Right now, Hua Hin is a mix of good tourist resorts and small fishing village charm. It is the top weekend spot for Kate’s family due to the close proximity to Bangkok (3 hours drive – if no traffic, I learned painfully). The drive there is very peaceful once you manage to exit Bangkok and are able to enjoy the seaside scenery. We went through towns where everyone sells and produces sea salt. Shortly after those towns were others that produced fish sauce, then shrimp paste, then palm sugar…

We stopped for lunch about half-way to enjoy some nice hot & sour soup. As you get closer to the ocean, the seafood is noticeably fresher, and simplicity seems to be the general rule for most dishes.  For example, there are many different versions of the Thai hot & sour soup, some have chilli jam, some have fried garlic, but most of the seaside soups are just plain herbs, fish sauce and lime juice. The food tastes cleaner, and you are able to truly enjoy the freshness of the seafood. Some of the noticeable lunch items were steamed blue crab legs with nahm jim sauce, stir-fried baby razor clams, and stir-fried soft shell crab.

Once we arrived at our hotel, I quickly went on the deck for a beer, as it was 32 degrees and beautiful. I really don’t miss winters in Vancouver, and Aidan seemed really happy to get his R&R. That night, we had dinner right on the beach, and once again the food was simple and delicious. My favourite of the night was a simple fried fish: crispy and flavoured by a fish sauce marinade. Another dish I really enjoyed was a razor clam salad. And I washed everything down with a nice, dark Laos beer, which is full bodied but smooth. Later that night we went to the Hua Hin night market. Here, seafood is on display on ice in the streets and you pick what you want to eat and they cook it for you inside.

We had lunch before we started driving back to Bangkok. Just across from the restaurant there was a seaside market selling cured fish and dried squid. There was a delicious dessert called “kanon jak,” which is black sticky rice grilled in a palm leaves – one of Kate’s favourite. Then it was back on the road to Bangkok.

Stay tuned for my final travel post as I dine with Chef David Thompson at an old friend’s restaurant, Bo.lan.

Scout Guest Blog

Part One | Part Two