I feel like it has been such a long time since I have recommended a restaurant here on And Three To Go. Oh my goodness, it has been since March of this year! I am rather disappointed in myself. I am not sharing my food obsession nearly enough lately. Lucky for me, we went to SMILE Restaurant while we visited Khao Lak, Thailand.
The restaurant at our resort in Khao Lak was sub par and pretty expensive (kindest way I could write it), and so the second night of Z and I’s trip with my mom, we did some research on Trip Advisor to find a place that had some good reviews and nice ambience.
Just a side note here real quick, I only started using Trip Advisor since we have been living in Asia. It is my go-to site to find restaurants and things to do. Anywhere else in the world there are other, better ways of finding out this information, but here it works well. But I digress…
Smile is the number one rated restaurant on Trip Advisor in Khao Lak. The ratings are never really that important to me, but after reading the reviews and looking at their website I HAD to try it.
It was suggested on their website to make a reservation, so I called right up and spoke with a lovely gentleman that turned out to be the owner of the restaurant. We had our reservations for that evening.
(Just another side note…It is a good thing that we made those reservations, because despite the restaurant being empty when we got there, by the time we finished our meal, the tables were full and they were having to turn people without reservations away.)
We arrived at the restaurant and were surprised at how it looked. It certainly didn’t look like much from the outside. We trundled in and stepped into one of the most well-decorated restaurants I have been to in Thailand so far.
We were sat at a table and then regaled with actually prepared dishes of their specialties. They described each dish with such flair and they even suggested that we smell the food to get the full effect. We were hooked. We ended up ordering most of the dishes.
(I hope you ate already because here comes the pictures of the delicious food!)
First, we were given a complimentary appetizer! That’s right, FREE food people! They must have known the way to my heart! Oh, wait they gave it to everyone… Oh well, they still have my heart.
I almost forgot, they have wine! Fairly decent wine (which means awesome wine in Thailand standards), and at only 150 baht ($5 US) I had to have a glass with dinner.
Because we weren’t aware that we would be getting a complimentary appetizer, we ordered the Poh Piew Thod “Chicken and Cheese” spring rolls. These were rich, so rich. They were slightly spicy and the creamy melted mozzarella that made them irresistible. By the time our actual meal came I was almost full!
My mom ordered the Smile chicken, which is described on the menu as “A chicken breast rolled with smoked ham and melted cheese, filled with a julienne of mince pork, onion, garlic, apple, herbs… Slowly cooked with butter and some white wine. Served with spaghetti and a creamy sauce.” It was reminiscent of chicken cordon bleu to me, but I took just one bite as I was trying to save room for my own meal. I think it was a steal at only 180 baht though (about $6 us).
I had the Phad Pong Karee, which was yellow curry with chicken (you could also order it with prawns or pork). It was slightly spicy, just enough to really enjoy your wine, and the ingredients were fresh and vast. The chicken was perfectly cooked, the veggies soft and fresh. What a treat! Absolutely delicious!
Z had spaghetti noodles with parmesan cheese. (Sorry didn’t take a picture of her’s, though she said she loved it and has asked for spaghetti almost every night since then.) We were able to special order her something she would love without any problem at all. In fact, at Smile they pride themselves at being able to make something for anyone no matter what tastes or dietary restrictions you may have. So all you vegans, paleos, GAPS diet, gluten-free or whatever people out there can find something awesome to eat at Smile.
As we asked for the bill (or as they call it here the check bin- long story), they brought out a digestif for my mom and I. It was a sip of Limoncello! They already had my heart with the appetizer, but then they give me complimentary alcohol… well, I may be moving into Smile restaurant in the near future… So if you ever make it to Khao Lak, make sure to eat at Smile (who knows I may be there!)
*Disclaimer-Smile Restaurant did not know that I write a travel blog and did not give me any kick-backs for writing about them. They gave the complimentary appetizer and digestif to all the (legal aged) customers. The opinions expressed in the article of the excellent food and ambience at Smile restaurant are only my own. You may not agree with me, but that’s okay… life goes on. For more information about all the legal stuff, check out my Disclosure Page*
Now it’s your turn! Would you want to move into a restaurant for free food and drinks? Ok, well maybe not move in, but would you give it a try? Leave a comment and let’s chat!
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