Food and drink in Trang, Thailand travelfish.org

While it’s easy to stick to the traveller-oriented cafes near the train station, Trang’s outstanding food scene with heavy Chinese and Muslim-Thai influences is a joy to explore. At the curry shops, most dishes are usually served rad khao (“on rice”), but you can ask for them sai tuai (“in a bowl”) as well.

A good place to start is the main night market, known as Centrepoint, where several Southern Thai khao gaeng (curry and rice) vendors sell 20 or more varieties at once. Fiery standards include gaeng neua (beef curry), kung sator pad prik (prawn with astringent “stink beans”), gaeng som (sour orange curry with fish) and gaeng tai pla (fish stomach curry) to go with several types of soup and turmeric-soaked pla sai, a slender fish that’s popular in the South and often served deep-fried.

By day Trang hosts a sprawling Municipal Market where you can check out fresh-cut pig’s heads, seafood and local fruit among the abundant produce squeezed into steamy surrounds beneath a giant pavilion. Head to the southwestern corner to find a provincial specialty: muu krob Mueang Trang, whole hogs marinated in herbs for hours and then slowly roasted over wood-fired pits. For 80 baht you get a good-size pouch of tender, fatty pork belly wrapped in its own golden, crispy skin. Yum.

Chinese-Thai and Southern Thai eateries

For a sit-down meal that won’t cost much, Kim Restaurant is a quality Chinese-Thai joint that sets out trays of curries, stir-fries and roasted meats served to stainless steel tables. The pla kaphang (sea bass) in a delicate ginger sauce was fabulous and unusually served in personal-size filets so that you don’t have to buy a whole fish. We’ve also heard that Kim is a top spot for roasted duck—and with their six decades of experience, we don’t doubt it.