Poa Taek, or "Broken Pier" Seafood Soup in Koh Si Chang, Thailand

Poa Taek, or "Broken Pier" Seafood Soup

by Baan Noey Rim Tang Seafood Restaurant in Koh Si Chang, Thailand

Poa Taek, or "Broken Pier Soup" is a very popular Thai seafood dish similar to the iconic tom yum kung. The name sounds kind of funny when translated into English, but I guess that the idea of it is that the soup is so full of fresh seafood that it looks like something you might find under a pier.

Broken Pier Soup on Koh Si Chang Island, Thailand
Broken Pier Soup on Koh Si Chang Island, Thailand

Po Tak Soup is known for its aromatic, umami, and spicy flavors and features seafood such as prawns, fish, mussels, and squid cooked in a spicy and sour broth with herbs and spices. The broth is cooked with tons of traditional and aromatic Thai ingredients such as lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chilies, and palm sugar. Unlike tom yum, the broth is not sour so much as it is herbal and spicy.

Of course, you can eat poa taek on its own with a side of rice, but whenever we are traveling to the coast we like to have as much delicious Thai seafood as possible.

We also ordered a big plate of steamed mussels which came with a side of spicy Thai seafood dipping sauce.

steamed mussels with herbs, Koh Sichang, Thailand
steamed mussels with herbs, Koh Sichang, Thailand

And finally (one of my favorites), we ordered a plate of "hoy shell", or scallops cooked with butter, garlic, and green onion. You absolutely can't go wrong with any of that!

"hoy shell", or scallops with butter, garlic, and green onion, Koh Sichang, Thailand
"hoy shell", or scallops with butter, garlic, and green onion, Koh Sichang, Thailand

Menu

You can see Baan Noey Rim Tang Seafood Restaurant's menu by scanning the QR code:

Traveler's Tips

Koh Si Chang Island, Siracha, Thailand
Koh Si Chang Island, Siracha, Thailand

Koh Sichang may not be the most beautiful or famous island in Thailand, but it's the closest one to Bangkok, and makes for a really nice, quiet, peaceful getaway from the city. To get to Koh Sichang, you have to take a bus from MoChit Bus Terminal to Siracha (yes, like the sauce). From there, you can take a local tuk-tuk (150 baht) to the pier where you can catch an hourly ferry to the island (100 baht and about 30 minutes). There are lots of cheap guesthouses on the small island, and it's easy to get around.

Chinese temple on Koh Si Chang, Thailand
Chinese temple on Koh Si Chang, Thailand

Koh Sichang has a small beach, but what makes the island more worth visiting in my opinion are the historical sites. There's a fantastic Chinese-Thai temple built into the side of a mountain with shrines going back into the caves. You can also find the ruins of an old palace which once served as the summer retreat for King Rama V in the early 20th century.

Location

On the advice of the owner of the bungalow we rented for the night, we ate dinner at Baan Noey Rim Tang Seafood Restaurant, located on one of the island's main roads. It's a very old-fashioned open air Thai seafood restaurant, and you can find it at Tha Thewawong, Ko Sichang District, Chon Buri 20120.

Baan Noey Rim Tang Seafood Restaurant
Baan Noey Rim Tang Seafood Restaurant, Koh Si Chang, Thailand

See the map for the exact location.

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