Ko Sukorn

Eat and meet

Ko Sukorn

There's little tourism infrastructure on Ko Sukorn and food options are limited. With a little effort, however, there are some good eats to be found.

It's no surprise that Sukorn Beach Bungalows and Sukorn Cabana Resort are owned by brothers, because the menus at each are practically identical. Both offer basic Western sandwiches and breakfasts, extensive seafood barbecues and standard resort Thai food.

Of the two, Sukorn Cabana Resort's food has more flavour and the portions are a little bigger. We were unimpressed by the food at Sukorn Beach Bungalows; both a massaman chicken curry and garlic-pepper seafood stir-fry were lacking in flavour and portions were small for the 120 baht-plus prices. They clearly seem to be watering down their Thai food for Western tongues.

If you love real Thai food and are staying at one of these resorts, do yourself a favour and head down the road to Little Restaurant at Bahn Dang Guesthouse. Despite a smaller menu, portions are larger here and the food is excellent. The red chicken curry we tried was very tasty and prepared in the traditional way with kaffir lime leaves and plenty of spice. Better yet, most items run a good 40-50 baht cheaper than at the resort restaurants.

The best food on Ko Sukorn, however, is found in and around the village, although it takes a little more effort. There are a few unassuming noodle shops, and these are a good option for a cheap noodle soup or stir-fried noodle dish. There are no menus, but don't worry, they'll be happy to whip something up for you. The village is also the place to get delicious gai yang (barbecued chicken) with sticky rice from a few street cart vendors near the school. These vendors also offer tasty chah yen (Thai iced tea) and khanom snacks of sweet rice and fillings wrapped in banana leaves.

Also in the village, the new Zum Zum cafe is a must-try while on Sukorn. It has a quirky atmosphere, with the walls painted a bright Rasta green-yellow-red theme and the outgoing, English-speaking owners blasting classic rock hits from the likes of Queen and The Who -- not what you expect to hear in this location. The ambience may be slightly out there, but the sweet banana roti was really out of this world, as was the local black coffee. They also offer sundaes, milk shakes and ice cream, with flavours like lime, coconut and taro.