Ban Mai Chay Nam is a restaurant, a museum and a hotel all rolled into one. Located in Khao yai which is just a 3 hour drive from Bangkok, this unique restaurant is one that you cannot miss.
Just a few steps into the restaurant and we knew this place was really special.
The restaurant is filled with interesting, weird and old things in every nook and cranny, you will never spend a bored second here. There are old chinaware, creepy looking dolls, antiques, old toys, figurines, statues, arcade machines etc.
If you thought that everything is old and just for display – you thought wrong. Some of the arcade games such as Air Hockey and Family Guy Pinball are still playable. If you do not have enough coins, you can proceed to the counter to make an exchange.
Besides playing the games, you get to take awesome pictures as well!
We had so much fun walking around and exploring the place that we forgot we were there for the food in the first place.
The first dish we got was shredded pork with rice cooked with coconut milk and papaya salad. The sticky rice was fragrant and it went well with the crispy and salty pork. The papaya salad was sweet, spicy, salty and sour all at the same time. It was really balanced out.
The second dish was grilled catfish with sweet fish sauce and neem. I have never tried neem before and was curious to try it. I must say, the taste is an acquired one. When you first eat it, it presents a mild taste but as you chew, it becomes more and more bitter. The neem is best enjoyed with a bite of the catfish and sauce.
Before you leave, remember to take a picture on the wooden bridge over the beautiful river.
If you want to experience something unique in Khao Yai, do head over to Ban Mai Chay Nam. A word of advice was given to us by one of the locals, they said that the restaurant is best enjoyed at night as it could get really hot in the day because of the zinc roofs. Have fun eating, playing and taking pictures!
Hours: 10 am – 10pm
Address: 21 หมู่บ้านเกาะแก้ว Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima 30130, Thailand
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