✍29 Sep 2024. Heard a lot about Songkhla city but visiting it for the first time. It left a deep impression, I love it. I mean cities everywhere are developing very fast with cafes, highways, hotels, condos, popping up but here in Songkhla city, I can still see traces of the old city that reminded me of my childhood in Singapore.
The sun directly overhead was bearing down on us fiercely as we walked the main street of old Songkhla city. There were quaint little traditional food and craft shops juxtaposed with trendy cafes, boutique hotels, etc.
The old school, carved wooden signage says 芳潔 but on the World Wide Web it is Kiat Fang Restaurant พ พฤร้าน เกียดฟั่ง พ พฤ.
People come to this shop for two things.
On the left, customers huddled around large well weathered bamboo trays of steamy, chunky buns. The lady boss and her grandson struggled to meet their customers' orders.
On the right side, the roast pork and khao stu (stew rice) stall appeared calmer.
Calmer only because customers disappear into the cool insides of the restaurant / coffee shop.
Left and right Kiat Fang are run by sisters who are third generation owners.
Hainanese Foo 符 family run, Kiat Fang was founded in the 1930s. (The family name 符 is on the wall.)
Whereas in Central and North Thailand where deep fried pork belly rules the roost, here in Songkhla and generally in south Thailand, the preferred preparation is to roast with open flames i.e. siobak / siew yok or roast pork.
The roast pork had crackly crisp rind with juicy fat and tender lean meat like in Singapore / Malaysia but use of Chinese five spice was much more sparing.
They also have char siew and pork sausage in the mixed plate with the siobak.
The char siew, siobak (siew yok) and pork sausage were very good but the magic was in this signature soupy sauce (stu / stew) which they poured over sliced tender pork innards / offal, lean pork, sausage, pork blood curd, etc.
The soupy sauce was thick, full bodied, savoury, and mildly spiced with underlying subtle porcine flavour. It tasted great with rice when the soupy sauce was poured over it, flooding the plate.
The dish was enjoyed with these sour spicy firecrackers and raw garlic that cut through the fatty, meaty, salty stuff like laser.
So good.
We were already full because we couldn't resist finishing up the roast pork and khao stu dish 🤭
Then, we tried Kiat Fang's steamed pork buns. The skin was thick but fluffy, spongy and slightly sweet. The bun was palm size big, so there was lots of soft-tender savoury sweet meat inside. Each bun is a full meal itself.
The red bean and mung bean buns have house made fillings which were not overly sweet.
Oh... They brew Nanyang coffee the same way with a sock as is done in Malaysia and Singapore. Kiat Fang is a Hainanese coffee shop, remember?
Spot on delicious, hyperlocal experience. One of the memorable highlights of the rustic charms Songkhla city. Must visit again and soak in the atmosphere at leisure - I always prefer slow but deep dive travel. Missing Songkhla already.
Restaurant name: ข้าวสตูเกียดฟั่ง Khao Stu Kiat Fang Restaurant อ่านต่อได้ที่
Address: 94 Nang Ngam, Tambon Bo Yang, Mueang Songkhla District, Songkhla 90000, Thailand
Tel: +66 74 31 1998
Hours: 7am - 2pm (Thurs off)
Written by Tony Boey on 29 Sep 2024
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