Southern Thai food (from Songkhla to Phang Nga and Phuket) is all about the chili. A good sign of a great meal in the South are tears, sweat, snot, swollen lips and sounds of pain. (Warning: not a meal for dates.) The chili factor is unrivaled and is the pride of all Southerners. Whether they are cooking up a curry, a soup or frying up various meats, the acidity of your stomach will go up a notch. However, there are other important ingredients in the South. Being in abundance of beaches and islands, fresh seafood is key. Furthermore, a lot of the dishes feature coconut milk in soups and paste. Turmeric (kha-min), lemongrass, fresh vegetables, and the kaffir lime leaf (bai ma-krut), as in Central Thailand, do the rest. But if the South had a flag, it would probably feature sa-taw, the pungent green bean pod, eaten fresh or fried. Lastly, Southerners will rarely add sugar to their dish—nor do they resort to MSG. In short, Southern food is a brutal, raw experience. As Chef Baew of Janhom restaurant beautifully stated, “My food is not pretty, it’s just real.”

Ta-khrai Hom

380/2 Praram 9 Rd., 02-719-7007. Open Mon-Sat 10:30am-9pm.
This restaurant on the side of the road serves up some great kaeng leung with plaa krabok (B160-180 depending on the fish), that’s spicy to the core and prepared with fresh fish. Also order their three-flavored phad sa-taw with shrimp (B120), in which the pungent taste of the bean definitely comes through. You can ease all the burning with their lemongrass juice (B25). Another Southern staple is the yaam ta-khrai—the name of the restaurant says it all, with a real love of lemongrass, this place does the dish justice.

Pak Dai 41

11/415 behind Ladprao temple, Sukhaphiban Rd., 02-931-7887. Open daily 6am-5pm.
With the chef hailing from Krabi, this khao kaeng shop is such a hit that both branches sell out their array of southern dishes well before 2pm (the second place is just down the block). A must-try here is their khao yam (B25), which is rice, dried shrimps, dried coconut shavings, naam budu and an assortment of vegetables. They also have a large variety of fish, chicken, beef and pork kua kling (B30). But the dish that will leave you in tears of pain and pleasure is their B25 nom jeen with kaeng phed (Bangkokians call it naam yaa baa). They also have other famous Southern sauces including naam yaa, naam phrik, and kaeng dai plaa. Do not leave the shop without tasting their spicy fish paste with mixed vegetables (B25)—the vegetables are there to help you cope with the heat.

Janhom

273/4 Ramkamhaeng Soi 21, 02-319-1128/9. Open Tue-Sun 11am-10:30pm.
You won’t find any sugar here. Chef Poonsri Sarikarn a.k.a. auntie Baew hails from Surat Thani and refuses to season her dishes with sugar, but grudgingly allows her Bangkokian diners to put it in themselves—sinful! Order her kaeng leung with a huge crab (B580), but have water at hand because this soup is all about saltiness and spiciness. Another rod-jad dish is her tom som with plaa krabok (B120), the sourness of the tamarind is definitely present. If you are a novice in the spice market, then opt for her coconut soup (tom ka-ti, B80).

Sariya

39 Food Center. Soi Sahakranpramoon Pracha Uthit Rd., 084-972-1141. Open Mon-Sat 10:30am-9pm.
This little tent located on the parking lot of the food center, is definitely not for the hiso or the faint hearted. Walking in, you feel like you are in the South, with the Muslim chefs from Nakorn Sri Thammarat jovially speaking in their heavy Southern dialect. A must here is their nom jeen kaeng phed (B25) but venture out and try their other sauces like the naam yaa ka-ti and kaeng neua (B25). For a soup, you must order their chicken with turmeric (B25).

Malika

21/36 Rangnam Rd., 02-248-0287. Open Mon-Sat 10am-10pm.
If you are in the Rangnam neighborhood, (we told you this little area is on the rise), you must stop by the recently relocated pak tai restaurant, which prides itself on sticking to real Chumphon recipes. Order their spicy nom jeen naam yaa (B150) or their chicken kua kling (B100).