Baan Itsara is one of those hidden gems that Westerners don’t frequently unearth. I chose to dine in on a Monday lunchtime as Google showed it was one of the restaurant’s least busy times, and I wanted a chance to chat with my contact, Khun Gee. Little did I know that a not-so-busy time for this bustling restaurant means about 80 hungry guests in attendance.
According to Khun Gee and the captain of the wait staff, Khun Gang, the restaurant seats almost 250 people when at capacity, and they reach that frequently, especially on holiday weekends. But nearly all of the guests in this open, airy, covered restaurant are Thai. We were the only non-Thai patrons at the time. Westerners are missing out here, because this place is a real treat.
When we arrived early, at around 11.45am, the service staff were all just finishing their meal and preparing for their shift. They look so cute and neat in their bright shirts, printed with an image of the mermaid that graces the seashore. And they are easy to find in the restaurant, there being more than 40 service staff alone. It doesn’t take more than a half-full glass or the quirk of an eyebrow to be looked after by attentive staff at Baan Itsara.
Although the menu is in English and the photos are perfect representations of what you will be served on your plate, I wanted to taste the dishes Baan Itsara sees as its very best. Khun Gang, a loyal staff member with more than 15 years’ experience was happy to oblige and ordered a delightful array of dishes for us to sample.
We started with an oyster acacia salad with spicy sauce. Normally I am not the biggest fan of oysters, not the taste, but the texture of them raw. These were not cooked through, but had definitely been passed over a flame, so were very lightly charred, before being added to the greens and dressed. The smoked red chilis were left whole, so if you are not keen on spicy, avoiding them cut the heat considerably.
Our second dish was sauteed mussels with tomato, onion, oregano and white wine. Just a totally classic way to serve plump, juicy mussels, wherever you are in the world. These were on their half-shell and were perfect.
I have to admit I was stunned at the tiger prawns we were served – just the one each, but the size of them was incredible. I have had large prawns before and they have been over-cooked, but these had been split for the grill and then folded closed again for presentation. They looked stunning on the plate with the carved vegetable, and tasted just as good, drenched in either of the 2 herb sauces, 1 spicy, 1 more mild.
The next dish was somewhat of a mystery. It had a delicious smell as it was delivered to the table on a sizzling platter, slathered in a pungent thick green coating. It turned out to be stir-fried mixed seafood with a sweet basil sauce. I am not sure how many bunches of basil made the ultimate sacrifice for our sauce, but it would have been many indeed. I noted that most of the tables around us had one of these dishes delivered to them as well, so it is clearly a Thai favourite at Baan Itsara.
Our final dish was one Khun Gang considers their signature dish, a Tom Yum soup, a sour curry with squid and squid eggs. This was probably the spiciest dish in our lunch, but exceptionally tasty as well, with the squid cooked to tenderness: not too mushy, but certainly not rubbery. As Goldilocks would say, “Just right”.
We finished our meal with an icy-cold Thai dessert, green rice noodles floating in semi-frozen coconut cream. Not my usual choice of dessert, but worth getting a bit out of your normal comfort zone to try.
Baan Itsara boasts a large selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to accompany your meal. I stuck with pandanus leaf juice, intrigued by its bright green colour, but my husband had beer as usual. There are smoothies, juices, hot or iced tea and coffee, soda, fresh coconut and even milkshakes to choose from if you are not indulging in alcohol. I was almost tempted to try a cocktail, very reasonably priced at 150 baht, but resolved to be good. Beer drinkers will be delighted by the large selection of local and international beers, and there are also spirits available as well.
All in all, a top-notch seafood meal. We have already picked dishes for our next visit. I want to try the yellow curry crab which is Khun Gee’s personal favourite, while my husband, whose eyes are notoriously bigger than his belly, is eyeing off the whole deep-fried sea bass. We are going to need to share with a few friends, that’s for certain.
I am reliably informed that Itsara means freedom, and I can’t imagine a better way to experience freedom than sitting right at the seaside, eating delicious seafood. Noppasith Saereenakaphat, the managing director, can be justly proud of providing that experience to so many guests each year.
Baan Itsara,
7 Naeb Kehad Road
Hua Hin
Parking across the street available
Reservations – 081 887 9229
https://goo.gl/maps/4pSJn12rkErcqak39
