Description
On hot afternoons, many people in Sakon Nakhon like to visit one of the outdoor pond restaurants. Ran Rim Klong Gung Pao 2 (ร้านริมคลองกุ้งเผา สาขา2) is a popular example of this type of restaurant. At a pond restaurant, you'll find one large dining area that has been built onto a pond, plus several small salas (huts) that have been built around the pond.
This type of restaurant usually specializes in fish and seafood, and that is what you will find at Ran Rim Klong Gung Pao 2, as is indicated by their name. The phrase Gung Pao means grilled shrimp, and in addition to that, they also serve deep fried batter shrimp which is prepared differently than it usually is in the West. Instead of the entire shrimp being deep battered, the shrimp is chopped up and mixed in with the batter. This often is the way it's prepared in Thailand to keep the dishes less expensive, as you won't find an entire shrimp chopped up in a single piece.
Ran Rim Klong Gung Pao (ร้านริมคลองกุ้งเผา สาขา2) also prepares one of our favorite shrimp dishes Gung Chae Nam Pla (กุ้งแช่น้ำปลา). This is a Thai shrimp salad. Raw prawns that have been soaked in fish sauce and lime are placed on a plate covered in fish sauce, cloves of garlic, chunks of gourd, and chilies. The white prawns are also topped with a red, spicy sauce that isn't too spicy but just perfect.
Ran Rim Klong Gung Pao (Branch 2) is located on the road that leads to the airport. You turn left on a small road that is about 500 meters past the Sakon Nakhon Airport intersection. It is easy to miss, so you want to pay close attention. You will be able to see the pond salas from the main road. It is directly opposite the grounds of Wat Thep Kanyaram (วัดเทพกัญญาราม). They are open 7 days a week.
