Even the tedious and heavy traffic 45-minute car ride could not deter us from dining at popular local seafood restaurant, Mae Klong Hua Pla Mo Fai. The unpretentious restaurant proudly owns 7 consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards since 2017. Serving the local community as well as foreigners in the know, the modestly set up restaurant draws in a healthy crowd every day of the week.

The staff is a friendly lot, despite speaking very little to no English. Thanks to trusty Google translate, we were able to communicate without any hiccups, and get recommendations on their best sellers. 

At almost every table, you will spot one or more of their signature crab dishes. And we had our fair share as well. Starting with Pickled Marinated Roe Crab, the raw crustacean is pickled in a deep soy marinade for hours, until every teeny ounce of flesh and roe breathe umami sweetness. The bright orangey roe, which is the highlight of this small but meaty blue crab, is soft, delicate and bursting with creamy savory flavors. Each little mouthful packs such a hell load of fresh oceanic juices, your eyeballs will roll back in their sockets in ecstasy! It’s not too salty to eat on its own, though I also enjoyed chasing it down with a lil spoonful of rice to balance out the flavors. An absolute MUST eat here and get as many as your appetite allows! You will not regret it!

Steamed crabs are a normality for us, but steaming them in milk is something else. At Mae Klong Hua Pla, they pick the meatiest mud crabs in full heat and steam them in fresh milk.  The reward, a combination of plump succulent crab meat and a shell-full of firm fresh roe submerged in warm milk. I have never been as willing, getting all my fingers dirty for a meal. The heated milk instinctively brings out the sweetness of the crab, and that sweetness in turn, seeps into the milk. A win-win situation, if you ask me! 

One of the dishes I swore to order was the catfish roe. These larger than life roe beads start off bright orange and turn a cloudy white when cooked. We had them stir fried with petai stink beans in a spicy shrimpy sauce. Our mildly spicy version was still way too fiery for me, though I did brave through the heat and took a few mouthfuls in FOMO! The roe turned out totally different from what I had expected. Instead of salty gooey, it was neutral starchy! And would have been almost bland if not for the spices it was cooked in. Definitely one that is eaten for its uniquely gummy texture; which also explains the ideal pairing with full bodied crunchy petai beans. 

On our second visit (yes, we went twice in one week!), besides more steamed crabs, we started with some catch-of-the-day Blood Cockles. The meaty shellfish was bloody delicious! Freshness is key when it comes to blood cockles; these were so fresh, they were simply flash dipped in hot water, and served.  Get a load of the fresh, plump, juicy, creamy meat without the funk! 

Upon recommendation, we also ordered the Grilled Squid with a fully belly of roe. The squid was grilled to toothy tenderness, while keeping the translucent roe within soft and creamy. Salty ocean flavors shone through every piece of squid and the contrasting roe. I enjoyed the taste and rarity of the dish. 

Next up, the famous (and expensive) Deep fried River prawn which is another of Ma Klong’s signature dishes. Fried and flavored in its own prawny oils and juices, with a splash of Thai fish sauce to taste. The giant head river prawn which weighed a hefty 600g was INcredibly delicious! The chunky prawn was firm and crunchy. The huge prawn head, as long as its body, was filled with treasures of brains and juices that dribbled down our hands as we devoured it! Slivers of crab leg meats were thrown in for added value. But it was the umami prawn oil resting glistening on the plate that I honestly could not get enough! You gotta swipe everything, be it the prawn, the brains, and in my case all my rice, in that oil! And believe me, you will not let one drop go to waste! Is it worth every one of the 1000Baht? My husband and I have decided to agree to disagree. 

The friendly staff will come by with an assortment of homemade desserts just as they spot you finishing up your meal. I say, get some! The cold icy Red Rubies in coconut milk was beautifully balanced in every way. Mildly sweet, mildly coconutty and full of gelatinous jelly strips and chewy crunchy water chestnuts disguised as rubies! It’s as refreshing as it can get after a rich meal! 

And if you like something more substantial, the sweet potato and taro dessert in sweet coconut milk will not only filled that little empty nook left in your stomach, it’ll fill it with much satisfaction! The spuds were cooked to a soft, buttery texture. Each bite crumbles effortlessly in the mouth. Chase it down with some of the warm aromatic coconut milk syrup. With this, I found that empty nook in my stomach which I didn’t know was there! Now ain’t that nice!

MAE KLONG HUA PLA MO FAI @ 198 Phran Nok Phutthamonthon Sai 4 Rd, Bang Phrom, Taling Chan, Bangkok 10170, Thailand. Phone +66 96 880 7196

Disclaimer ~ This is not a sponsored post!