Koh Samui’s best kept secret, if it wasn’t for friends taking us to dinner at cafe 69, eight years ago we would have never known about this little gem run by Vivian.
Every time we are in Samui it’s our favourite place to eat. If you a foodie then this is where you need to go. The owner Vivian creates all the dishes and the menu is always evolving with new creations of twisted elegant Thai food. It’s been four years since our last visit and I have to say the food has got even better.
Our favourite dish this visit (2 visits this trip) was the chicken pie, it sounds simple but no it’s a complex dish of flavours that explodes in your mouth.
The base and top is not pastry but roti bread, so it’s light flaky and crispy. Inside was beef mince simmered in green curry paste and it is served with balls of fresh mango. What I love about Vivian’s food is the balance of spices and the sweetness of fruit or sauces he uses.
On the second night I just watched the cafe and the food coming out of the kitchen and the most ordered dish was the chicken pie.
Another winner of a dish was the red curry duck dumplings. Again a true twist of a dish with the duck Breast simmered in red curry spices then minced and wrapped in a wonton paper and deep fried, this is served with a mango sauce to compliment the red curry. I love the dumplings are served on a retro food scale!
The soft shell crab roll was again another stunning dish served with a Thai chilli sugar sauce. The soft shell is deep fried then wrapped as a sushi roll but rolled with crispy lettuce again a explosion of flavour in your mouth.
The shrimp cake was a triumph minced shrimps mixed with spices, chilli and deep fried served with finely diced mango and a mango mayonnaise -yum!
The tall prawns were beautiful fresh large prawns shelled and standing tall on a skewer, served with a stunning curry sauce. Now I’m a fan of the old seafood cocktail of which I made a killer version, but this curry sauce was a stand out winner balanced perfectly with spice yet a sweetness touch.
Plus on the last night we had room for desert, which was. type of fried ice cream that was lit at the table for us.
Honestly you can tell Vivian loves his food and put a lot of passion and love into creating a menu of twisted Thai dishes.
The cafe is only small so book ahead you won’t be disappointed. Eight years on and the food only gets better and the cafe is full every night.
Cafe 69
a: Mae Nam, Ko Samui District, Surat Thani
h: Closed Friday, open every other day.
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