SINCE 2005 Sabeing Lae restaurant has been serving delicious cuisine to many customers on island. People who have tasted the restaurant’s menu would tell foreign tourists to sample its dishes before they return to their home country.

Located in Lamai beach, Sabeing Lae offers foreigners and local tourists a wide array of sea foods, European and Asian cuisines that titillates the tongue. The restaurant by the beach is popular for two of its most sought-after cuisine: sour curry with mullet and coconut turnip and deep fried king prawns with tamarind dressing.

It offers a feast of Thai foods and even a smorgasbord of European foods. Its seven Thai cooks prepare a wide array of international dishes and sea foods, which include a cornucopia of marine harvests such as baby octopus, seabass, crab, oyster, and a variety of fish among other exotic sea creatures developed into delicious and special menu.

Sample Sabeing Lae’s sea flower in yellow curry, baby octopus in coconut cream, deep fried seabass with fish sauce, oyster, sliced pork with shrimp paste on wog.

On top of its A-list of special offers to customers also includes Sabeing Lae’s signature salad, which is a good blend of Thai herbs, shrimp, octopus, fish, and crab meat enveloped in a special dressing. Such sea salad creates a sour and salty taste with a little hint of sweetness and spiciness.

About 60 percent of the restaurant’s customers are Thais, while 40 percent are Europeans. According to the restaurant management’s estimate, the establishment can accommodate about 300 diners at one time, filling all its 40 tables.

Sabeing Lae exhibits a restaurant-by-the-beach ambience, embracing a restful mood. The dining establishment contains three open huts nestled in the midst of a lush garden. Customers are ushered in open huts with thatch roofing, allowing for cool sea breeze to come in and for the rustle of leaves to serenade them as they dine and wine.

With its location by the beach the dining establishment stays true to its name, which literal means “food supply from the sea.” Amnaj Chokchuang, the owner of Sabeing Lae, thought of the name because when he was a young boy his friends on other islands around Koh Samui would ask him whether or not he brought “sabeing” (food supply). “Lae” simply means sea in Thai.

Service in Sabeing Lae is also an important facet in its operations. Amnaj said had recently augmented his service wait staff from 25 to 50 people in order to handle large volume of customers who frequent the restaurant. This allows for one wait staff per table to attend to the needs of diners. For Sabeing Lae having adequate number of staff can be translated for better and faster service.

Amnaj said market competition is quite harsh on Samui. Nevertheless, Amnaj believe this problem can be handled accordingly.

“I have opened Sabeing Lae five years ago, and problems occur all the time. The most important thing is to handle them. Of course, people are able to think of doing business and some of them have very excellent ideas but most of them tried to ran away from the truth when the problems occurring. A successful business always goes along with problems.” remarked Amnaj.

Problems may come and go they say, but the best sea foods and international cuisines in Sabeing Lae will stay as long as local people and foreign tourists frequent the place for its fresh produce of sea harvest and a good selection of Thai and European menu.