The Krabi restaurant guide - December 2004

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Rise and shine! This month, we focus on the most important meal of the day

SKIPPING breakfast can, as Lady Jekyll put it in one of her ‘Kitchen Essays’, “set our whole mental landscape into a minor key for the rest of the day”. Holidays, however, give us the chance to start the day properly, at a more leisurely pace: with so much time on our hands and so much choice, there is really no excuse not to indulge.

Here in Thailand, like in many Asian countries, there is no real differentiation between ‘morning food’ and that eaten during the rest of the day - which usually means chillies for breakfast. This is actually not as bad as it sounds. But, alternatives are available if you cannot stomach curry first thing, and include plenty of healthy fresh fruit shakes (also very fashionable back home) or the growing number of foreign restaurants and cafes serving Western food.

Most guesthouses also serve good value breakfast ‘sets’, with hot savoury food, bread, fruit and coffee - although these vary wildly in quality (see guide below for recommendations). At the other end of the scale, for those who don’t like to get dressed on an empty stomach, your hotel may serve you breakfast in bed or on your balcony, the ultimate luxury.

Whatever you eat, though, the only true requirement of a perfect breakfast is that it should set you up for the rest of the day. Whether this means it has to cure a hangover, fast; give you energy for a day of climbing; or simply allow you to spend most of the morning lounging around with a newspaper, your friends or the latest gossip mags, it will be time well spent.

Breakfast is, of course, a matter of national identity and the quick carbohydrate and caffeine fix is a staple of most Southern European countries. For the authentic Italian breakfast experience, visit Viva Ristorante in Krabi Town or Azzurra, La Luna and Lo Spuntino in Ao Nang: all serve excellent espresso. Terrace Coffee is a new business opposite @rt Bar, more in the Starbucks style and with tables outside (no food).

In England, the famous fried breakfast, although on the decline, is still eaten by many, especially at the weekends, and is the one meal most husbands will cook for their wives. Known as a ‘greasy spoon’ breakfast, this combination of fried protein (eggs, sausages, bacon) and carbohydrate (bread, potatoes) is guaranteed to cure any hangover if washed down with a big mug of tea.

If done properly, as served in The Irish Rover and J.J’s Sports Cafe in Ao Nang, you will be incapable of doing much afterwards except snooze.

The Irish Rover is a temple of the cooked breakfast, painstakingly searching out ‘real’ sausages, baked beans and black pudding as well as recreating classics such as bubble and squeak and hash browns in-house. They have various breakfast set menus from 80-150B, served all day in a pub-style setting.

J.J.’s beachfront dining room is light and breezy and serves excellent value all-day set breakfasts (150-195 Baht) with unlimited free coffee and tea refills. Choose from Continental (eggs, cereal, bread and pastries, fruit); Full English; and what has to be the biggest breakfast in Ao Nang, the J.J’s Super Breakfast. Here, size matters: portions are huge and thoughtfully served on separate plates so you don’t get jam on your bacon. The quality of the sausages, bread and croissants is also impressive.

Most guesthouses in town and at the beach will offer their version of the fried breakfast, but the quality does vary and meat products in particular can be disappointing. Some Muslim establishments may also serve ‘sausages’ and ‘ham’ made from chicken meat; check before you order.

Of course, it is not necessary to eat your balance of carbohydrate and protein in a fried form. May & Mark in Krabi Town offers a range of open, closed and toasted sandwiches using their own, healthy sourdough rye bread. The small dining room can get a bit overrun with backpackers clutching their Lonely Planets, but this is one of the few places that has not gone downhill after featuring in the ubiquitous guidebook.

For more healthy northern European tastes, the well-established Cafe Europa, also in town, has a good selection of quality ham and cheese-based breakfasts, as well as doing a good yoghurt, fruit and muesli combo. If you’re in Krabi, you could also take a walk down to Kwan Cafe on Chao Fah Pier, which has a vast range of all-day breakfast food as well as an impressive selection of coffees and teas, including some herbal and fruit varieties.

Here you will find not just pancakes, but waffles and fritters, both sweet and savoury; cornflakes, muesli and porridge; eggs in every possible style; a huge array of different breads and pastries and even a breakfast steak. The musical accompaniment is equally varied; the owner of this spotlessly clean cafe will be more than happy to talk to you about his eclectic collection of jazz CDs.

But to breakfast like a king, there is only one option: the enormous buffet at the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort in Klong Muang (served until 10.30am). At 620 Baht, it’s not cheap, but it’s excellent value as you’ll find the biggest range of breakfast items anywhere in Krabi. There’s a fruit and juice bar; a mouthwatering bread and pastry section with fantastic muffins, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, banana cake and endless savoury rolls and breadsticks; cold cuts and cheese with crackers; cereals; and cooked breakfast items including eggs, sausages, waffles and pancakes.

Asian guests are catered for with dim sum, noodles, fried rice and spicy omelettes. And of course there’s unlimited coffee and a whole range of teas. Just remember to starve yourself for two days first!

Finally, if all you need for breakfast is a clear head to start the day, The Last Cafe in Ao Nang cannot be beat. Its menu is small (try the unusually good muesli with fruit and yoghurt), but it offers big views across the islands, from a shady, sandy corner of Ao Nang Beach. It’s so laid back, you may find your breakfast coffee stretching into lunch and beyond.