Kang Ban Phe - Creamiest Mantis Shrimp Seafood Tom Yum Noodles in Rayong! — *That is reddest bowl of Tom Yum I have ever seen.*

When you hear the words “Tom Yum Soup” you’re probably thinking of either a creamy or clear spicy soup with shrimp or chicken for proteins, Kang Ban Phe in Rayong does things a bit differently by throwing in Mantis shrimp and giving you the creamiest and richest bowl of Tom Yum you’ll ever have.

Rayong’s Kang Ban Phe Noodles & Seafood Bar’s slogan is claims to have the best Tom Yum noodle soup in Thailand, a very bold claim indeed, but is it true? Ehh I don’t think so, but it’s a damn good bowl of Tom Yum noodles though.

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Ban Phe Pier Discovery

kang ban phe restaurant entrance — *The front of Kang Ban Phe doesn’t look all that special but don’t judge a book by it’s cover!*

My girlfriend and I didn’t plan on eating at Kang Ban Phe, in fact we were on our way to Koh Samet for our weekend island paradise getaway. However, when we arrived at Ban Phe Pier we had about an hour of free time before our ferry departs for Koh Samet, so we decided to use that time to find something delicious to eat.

We didn’t know that Kang Ban Phe was famous or noteworthy, we just found this place on Google Maps and thought “Hey, Tom Yum and Mantis Shrimp? That sounds interesting.”.

Kang Ban Phe is only about a 10 minutes walk away from Ban Phe Pier but we were there during mid-day and the fiery heat of the sun compared with the sticky humidity of Thailand’s beaches made the walk felt like it took 10 hours.

I sweat a lot ok, when we got the the restaurant I was literally swimming in my own pool of sweat.

It didn’t help that the restaurant was open air, no air conditioning here, only retro fans that don’t stand a chance against the skin-melting heat.

Kang Ban Phe’s Menu

kang ban phe menu — *You’re likely here for the Mantis Shrimp Tom Yum :)*

There are quite a bit of things on the menu from simple hearty dishes like Fried Rice and Pad Thai to more complex dishes like Hor Mok, a classic Thai steamed curry usually made with fish.

But you’ll notice right away that Kang Ban Phe specializes in seafood, and especially the Mantis Shrimp which is where the name of the restaurant comes from as “Kang” is Mantis Shrimp in Thai.

You’ll likely be interested in their noodle soups which is what they are known for. Kang Ban Phe specializes in 2 types of Tom Yum noodles: creamy and clear broth.

There are 3 levels of Tom Yum noodle soup you can choose from, with each level increasing in the amount of seafood and types of seafood you’ll get.

In addition you get to choose the type of noodle you want with your Tom Yum Noodle Soup:

Rice Noodle - The classic and most popular choice, chewy and slimy in texture
Wide Rice Noodle - Same as regular rice noodles except thicker and more filling as a result
Egg Noodle - My favorite noodle, firm in texture
Vermicelli Noodle - thin rice noodles, great at picking up the broth, firm in texture
Instant Noodle - Your college dorm classic

Pricing

Is the price worth it? Mantis Shrimp is way more expensive compared to regular shrimp so it can be justified if the price is high. I think Kang Ban Phe’s pricing is ok, If you want Tom Yum noodles with Mantis Shrimp, the minimum you have to pay is 150 THB for a clear broth Tom Yum.

What I can’t get behind is that they only give you 1 piece of Mantis Shrimp…

And it’s not even a big piece… You can literally just eat it in one bite.

But considering the quality of ingredients and the other seafoods you get, it’s good for the price, just don’t expect more than a single bite of Mantis Shrimp.

Creamy Tom Yum with Mantis Shrimp

I ordered Kang Ban Phe’s 2nd best seller, the Creamy Tom Yum Noodle Soup with Mantis Shrimp and Seafood.

I would’ve gone for the best seller, the one with crab meat, but I felt like the addition of crab meat wouldn’t add much. After all, this restaurant is named after the Mantis Shrimp, so I was focused on the Kang.

Right off the bat, the soup lives up to the name, it was extremely creamy, the creamiest Tom Yum I’ve ever had. It was really flavorful with all the chilis and the lime, however I would’ve preferred if it was more spicy. Nonetheless, the Tom Yum broth was very Umami and delicious.

egg noodles and mantis shrimp — *Here, have a bite :)*

I forgot to mention that I ordered mine with egg noodles, and they were tasty as well, these were a little bit thicker than your regular egg noodles, so there was a bit more chew which I like. And I love how the creamy Tom Yum soup coats the noodles in every bite.

The extra seafoods like the shrimp and the various fish balls were also tasty.

Now how about the Mantis Shrimp? Kang Ban Phe’s namesake. It was alright, it was a little salty and you could taste the ocean brine but it was alright.

For those who’ve never tried Mantis Shrimp, the taste and texture is more akin to a crab than a shrimp, while the taste is more like a shrimp than a crab.

Clear Tom Yum Noodles with the Works

My girlfriend ordered the Clear Tom Yum Noodle Soup with Mantis Shrimp, Seafood, and Crab Meat. She’d chosen rice noodles for hers.

The clear broth had a different flavor compared to the creamy broth. Well duh obviously, but I mean that while they are both Tom Yum soups, the clear broth doesn’t taste much like Tom Yum. It’s hard to describe, but it just doesn’t really taste like Tom Yum.

Regardless, it’s a different type of taste for those who like a cleaner broth.

Conclusion

Pros

Good variety of seafood and toppings in their Tom Yum Noodle Soups.
If you don’t want to eat Tom Yum there are also plenty of other dishes on the menu.
The creamy Tom Yum is really delicious and creamy, the flavors are good.

Cons

They are skimping on the Mantis Shrimp, an extra piece would be nice.
The price is understandably expensive but it’s not worth it for the amount of food you are getting.

Overall I’d say you should try Kang Ban Phe if you happen to be in Rayong, it’s not a restaurant you should actively seek out however. The food is quite tasty and the menu is large, that’s always a plus.

The downside is that they don’t give you a lot of what they are known for, the Mantis Shrimp. Furthermore the price is quite expensive for what you are getting too.

Kang Ban Phe Rayong | 7 / 10

Phone: 096 969 9029

Location: Ban, 280/153 Moo 2, Phe, Muang, Rayong 21160

Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 5:30PM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: ~200 THB | $$

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