Sin Jiew

Sin Jiew has been operating in Trang, an ethnically Chinese, landlocked provincial capital in southern Thailand, since 1958. Seemingly little has changed at this local-style food court: fans struggle to stir the humid air, and the paint job (and quite possibly some of the customers) appear to have been there since opening day. 

In addition to its charmingly stuck-in-time vibe, Sin Jiw is also an excellent entry point to this city’s Chinese-leaning offerings. Start with the local style dim sum–-overtly porky and practically spicy from the addition of white pepper, and served with a vinegary chili dip that’s only found in Trang. Supplement this with an order of pa thong ko (deep-fried, Chinese-style crullers), which when fried to order, are crispy and golden. They’re also great with sangkhayaa, coconut custard dip, made in-house with little more than fresh coconut milk, eggs and sugar. 

Alternatively, approach the vendor hacking away at roast pork with a cleaver, who will serve it over rice drizzled with a savory sauce, or one the vendors serving noodle soup and congee, and you’ll have a deeply southern Thai-Chinese breakfast.