10 must-try dishes when coming to Hua Hin

You can find these dishes all over the city, sometimes served in ornate restaurants; Others are served without fuss or ceremony on plastic plates and stainless steel tables - either way, these are dishes not only Thais but also international tourists absolutely love and recommend everyone to try them when they come to Hua Hin.

1. Som Tam Pu Ma (Spicy Green Papaya Salad)

Combining zesty som tam from the Northeast (Isan) and fresh green crab from Hua Hin, this all-time favorite appetizer you can't miss. It tastes like crushed son tam - an invigorating blend of spicy and sour that makes it so addictive with chunks of raw blue crab you can chew on.

2. Kan Chiang Pu Nueng (I'm Steamed Crab)

Steamed crab is the main highlight of Hua Hin's food menu, but peeling it on the table makes many diners feel lazy and afraid to get their hands dirty. Steamed crab is a simple alternative because it is medium in size, rich in meat and can be eaten immediately. Just dip a piece into the spicy seafood sauce that comes with the dish and enjoy. This is a pretty appetizing appetizer.

3. Tom Yam Goong (Spicy Shrimp Soup)

A bold, refreshing blend of fragrant lemongrass, chili, galangal, lime leaves, chives, lime juice and fish sauce. Tom yam is a versatile dish that goes well with almost any meal - its energizing hot-sour flavor makes you just say 'This is Thailand'!

4. Hoi Wan Pad Cha (Snails sautéed in chili oil)

Fresh snails are a specialty delicacy and are not easy to find on the regular menu. In this dish, snails are added with garlic, wild ginger, fresh pepper, horn pepper, sweet basil and roasted chili oil and then stir in a hot pan to have an attractive dish. Be warned that the pad cha is very spicy - not for the faint of heart.

5. Au Suan (Crispy Oyster Cake)

Although also a popular dish in Bangkok, Au Suan in Hua Hin has a bold flavor that is much easier to please diners due to the freshness and size of the main ingredient: oysters. Raw eggs and plump oysters are added to the pan first, then vigorously stirred a few times, diluted tapioca starch solution and a little quality oyster sauce are added later. The dish is usually served on a hot electric stove.

6. Haw Mok Talay (Steamed Seafood Cake)

This rustic Central dish is traditionally made with freshwater fish, but the seafood variant replaces sea bass with sea bass and often adds some other seafood such as mussels, squid, and shrimp. Along with coconut cream and red curry, the dish is usually served in a coconut shell.

7. Plaa Sai Tod Kratiem (sandfish with garlic)

A popular menu at Thai-style seafood restaurants in Hua Hin, sardines with garlic sauce make a delicious appetizer or a la carte served with steamed rice. These small silver saltwater fish are found in abundance in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. Whole fish is marinated with garlic pepper powder, then fried until golden brown. Be careful for the bones as you dig in.

8. Pad Thai (Thai fried noodles)

This is a dish that can appear at any Thai restaurant from Cape Town to Khao San Road, Thailand's default international dish. Dropped in a pan of hot oil, thin and small handfuls of noodles are tossed together with crispy bean sprouts, scallions and eggs, before being moved to the nearest plate.

9. Pak Boong Fai Daeng (Fried water spinach)

Green leafy plants with hollow stems and delicate leaves are the main ingredients of this super-cute dish. Garlic cloves and chilies mixed with oyster sauce, fish sauce and fermented beans. Dig evenly on the hot pan for a few minutes and the delicious dish is done!

10. Gaeng Keow Wan Kai (Green Chicken Curry)

A favorite among Thais and tourists, served with a bowl of fragrant rice. Green curry sauce and coconut milk are creamy. Pieces of fresh chicken, cherry-sized eggplant, bamboo shoots, sprigs of cilantro and a handful of sweet basil add a twist to this delicious curry.