Patong’s new Rustic—Eatery & Bar (076-344-838, open daily 7am-11pm, goo.gl/HRiAs1) looks like it walked out of Thonglor and onto the beach. Craft beers, chopping boards as plates and Edison lightbulbs are the stock trade of this spot on Patong’s southern end, but so is good food.

 

The kitchen is actually led by a Masterchef winner—albeit the Croatian version of the show. Nikola Lesar won the popular culinary challenge back in 2012, after which he moved to Thailand, trained at Le Cordon Bleu Bangkok’s Asian cuisine course and teamed up with pastry chef Mook Surajaroenjai. Together they make food that ranges from European-Asian creations like the herb-and-almond-crusted salmon with charred corn sauce (B450) to simple, comfort pleasures like porchetta (slow-roasted pork belly, B450) and churros (B400).