The Bib Gourmand selection of the MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2024 has just been revealed, encompassing 2 destinations within the guide, totaling 196 exceptional value-for-money gourmet experiences, including restaurants and street food stalls. This year, 32 new Bib Gourmand establishments have been recognised, offering a variety of cuisine specialties and local delicacies, with the inclusion of Ko Samui and Surat Thani.
Our MICHELIN Guide inspectors have shared the dishes that impressed them the most during their year-round journeys.
Fried pork belly with curry paste and young coconut shoots
Krua Praya Phuket, PhuketThe restaurant's signature dish was absolutely delicious, the meaty, crispy fried pork belly and crunchy coconut shoots went very well with the vibrant spicy curry paste, with a good citrus note from the kaffir lime leaf julienne.
Fried squid with fish sauce
Nina's Cafe & Restaurant, Nakhon RatchasimaThis simple dish was so very flavourful; the well-cooked fresh squid was umami-rich, with a bouncy yet juicy texture, blending beautifully with the savoury fish sauce, delivering saltiness and sweetness, plus good caramelised and fishy aromas, the peppery-sweet chilli sauce was a great bedfellow.
Steamed whole seabass with Southern Thai curry
Krua Chao Baan Samui, Ko SamuiThe most flavourful dish of the whole meal, the steamed fish was superbly fresh, the flesh was very juicy, sweet and flaky and went very well with the intense spicy curry paste, that also had nice spice and a mouth-watering herb aroma.
Signature spicy salad
Sum Gradang Nga, Surat ThaniWhat a tasty salad! Consisting of many well-cooked ingredients, including crispy fried gourd leaves, bouncy blanched prawns, and crisp cashew nuts; the dressing had good sweetness, light sourness, and a satisfying saltiness. It is a great sum of its parts with a good variety of different textures too.
Grilled bone marrow with galangal chilli paste
Rasik Local Kitchen, Chiang MaiThe bone marrow came grilled with galangal chilli paste served on the top along with fresh vegetables as a side. Simplicity is key. The chili paste had a dry and crunchy texture that came with a moreish spicy flavour, the aroma of galangal went well with the bone marrow, it was soft and melted in the mouth. Fresh vegetables provided a natural sweetness that contrasted perfectly with the spiciness.
The full restaurant selection of the MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2024 will be released on 13 December 2023 on the MICHELIN Guide’s official website and the MICHELIN Guide mobile app (iOS and Android) on the same day.
Stay up-to-date for more surprises via the live streaming broadcast on MICHELIN Guide Asia Youtube channel starting from 10:30 AM on 13 December 2023!
To learn more about the MICHELIN Guide, please visit guide.michelin.com/th/en, or follow updates regarding the MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2024 on Facebook: facebook.com/MichelinGuideThailand.
Illustration image: © Sanae Thai Cuisine
