Chow Lay Seafood Restaurant In terms of surroundings and natural landscapes Bang Bao surely has to be one of the best places in Koh Chang and possibly even Thailand to enjoy a seafood meal. The serene atmosphere of sitting over sparkling green seas whilst gazing at the bay and jungle clad hills is a moment tourists should absolutely not miss. And although most of the restaurants in Bang Bao serve great food Chow Lay is one of the originals and has been building its reputation as a purveyor of top quality seafood cuisine for around 20 years now.
A great way to start a lunch or dinner at Chow Lay is with the Fried Prawn Cakes which are fried to a perfect golden brown and packed with light fluffy prawn meat combing delightfully with the sweet plum sauce. Then staying with the prawn theme we highly recommend Fried Shrimps in Tamarind sauce, these fat crustaceans are superb with the piquant sauce and topping of crisped sliced garlic. For fish lovers the Fried Seabass with Spicy Salad and Herbs is very popular as it comes on a bed of special edible Thai leafs and a topping of chopped goodies comprising of limes, lemongrass, ginger, shallots, chilli, peanuts and dried shrimps. The idea is to take one leaf, place a piece of fish and topping inside, fold it up and pop in your mouth, hence combining a multitude of fresh flavours that dances around your mouth like Wayne Sleep on amphetamines. And if you want to try something a little different then order Poo Lon, it’s quite a rare dish but boasts a taste that is simply just too good for words. A combination of fresh chopped crab, crab meat, minced pork, coconut and fresh herbs, it is a taste that will have your guests purring like the cat that got the coconut cream.
Finally your soup dish could be any one of their delightful Tom Yum’s and if you’re a serious spice merchant then try the Thai classic Spicy Papaya Salad which is especially lauded over when served with raw fresh crabs.
An array of other dishes are just as delicious at Chow Lay but the above was what four of us shared for lunch with rice of course, and even though we didn’t dream we could consume the lot, we did and can say that we have not a single complaint or suggestion.