Prawn Palace

Between Korat and Bangkok is a large reservoir called Lam Ta Khong

The main highway between the two cities runs along it's Eastern shore, which is lined with several dozen seafood and Bar-BQ restaurants. I'm usually hurrying one way or the other and rarely have a chance to stop by and enjoy the traditional Northeastern Thai food or the scenic view overlooking the reservoir.

However, this past weekend, the stars were aligned - I was able to leave work early, Nuch was with me, and we happened to be passing Lam Ta Khong just about lunch time.

With nothing else around, the only reason to stop by Lam Ta Khong is for the food and the view or perhaps for a bathroom break during the hour-long stretch between Korat and Pak Chong. But, my favorite part about Lam Ta Khong is the promotional efforts by the hyper-competitive restaurant owners. To differentiate one place from another, each restaurant has a hawker, a Thai guy usually wearing a ski mask and wide-brimmed hat to protect him from the sun, that stands on the side of the road and through improvised dances and exotic gestures competes with other hawkers to lure you into their particular restaurant.

Here's a video - pardon the poor quality, I was trying to avoid tour buses and semis on one side, while not to running over hawkers on the other.



We chose Prawn Palace (Wang Gung Yai) because the guy out front had by far the most enthusiastic and creative "come to my restaurant" dance. Unfortunately, I didn't get a video. After we had parked, I asked if I could film him, but he said he was too shy. Here's the Big Shrimp Mascot instead.



To start off, we ordered a highly recommended Honey and Lemon drink. I think they added a little soda, as well. I suggest trying to make this at home.


Soon after our food came. We began with a fried fish sprinkled with toasted garlic, some spicy chopped pork, and sticky rice.



The fish is deep-fried, so you don't have to worry about bones - just eat them.

The other reason to stop at Lam Ta Khong is the view. Although it's much more scenic towards the end of the rainy season, when the reservoir is full, it's always refreshing to see a large body water in arid Northeast Thailand.


You may be able to see a small herd of water buffalo grazing at the bottom right.



Finally, here's the cat that came with our table - sat with us for the entire meal, enjoying little bits of fish, chicken, and pork. In my opinion, 'restaurant cat' is the 2nd best life in Thailand after 'beach dog'.