~{nilheadimage~=132182~}
There's lots of good eating here...

Nakhon Si Thammarat is famous for its khanom jeen (fresh rice noodles). We tried the version at Khanom Jeen Mae Aet, and liked it so much we went back a second time. To accompany our noodles, we had a meat curry, a plate of prawns (cooked to be so incredibly crispy that you can eat the whole thing), boiled eggs, three sauces, and a big tray of salad greens and cooked vegetables, plus a bottle of water -- all for 210 baht. Delish.

~{nilimage~=132099~;dir~=H~;alt~=kj~;caption~=One awesome meal~}
~{nilimage~=132222~;dir~=H~;alt~=museum~;caption~=Khanom jeen-making equipment, as displayed in the city museum~}
Krua Nai Nang, not far from our ~{purplepost~=801~;text~=Tree Home Plus~;target~=nst21~} abode, has an extensive menu of Southern Thai goodies. At the top of this post is the chicken curry, and below is the pork salad, but we also enjoyed their dry curried beef, and tangy prawn salad.

~{nilimage~=132181~;dir~=H~;alt~=knn~}
For more basic curry-and-rice, there's a place opposite the Bua Luang Hotel on Klongtha Road (again h/t ~{link~= https://www.travelfish.org/eatandmeet/thailand/southern_thailand/nakhon_si_thammarat/nakhon_si_thammarat/eat ~;text~=Travelfish~;target~=curry~}). Lots of choices, and very tasty.

Chaba deserves a special mention. On one side of the entrance area, there's a coffee-and-waffle caf; on the other there's a restaurant. But they share menus. So, you can arrive for coffee (which is served with a little bowl of alphabet biscuits and a pot of some soothing hot infusion), and then slide gently into lunch (young coconut and crispy pork salad, for example, and fried salted chicken).

~{nilimage~=132198~;dir~=H~;alt~=chaba1~;caption~=Chaba~}
~{nilimage~=132199~;dir~=H~;alt~=chaba2~}
~{nilimage~=132200~;dir~=V~;alt~=cocopork~}
Other favourite cafes are these:

~{nilimage~=132091~;dir~=H~;alt~=cfe1~;caption~=You hear the bear: Cocoa for ever!!~}
~{nilimage~=132090~;dir~=V~;alt~=cfe2~;caption~=Black cocoa and red cocoa (and alphabet biscuits, which are very popular here)~}
~{nilimage~=132089~;dir~=V~;alt~=cfe3~;caption~=The beer-crate stools are surprisingly comfortable~}
~{nilimage~=132094~;dir~=H~;alt~=A&A1~;caption~=The A&A Bakery and Restaurant~}
~{nilimage~=132093~;dir~=V~;alt~=A&A2~;caption~=Don't miss the carrot cake...~}
I took no photos, but Khonnect is also a very pleasant little cafe.

I can't not point to the excellent kao ka mu (pork leg with rice) that we procured from a little eating place not far from Wat Phra Maha That. I may jeopardize my chances of a long-stay Malaysian visa by saying this, but I like the Thai version of this dish better than the Malaysian version (good though the latter is).

Likewise worthy of honourable mention is the 10-baht pad Thai we bought at the roadside near ~{purplepost~=802~;text~=Taksin's resting place (maybe)~;target~=nst2~}.

In the "most surprising food" category was the mango, sticky rice, and coconut that our landlady brought us one evening. As unexpected as it was delicious.

And finally, you see these little crispy fried rice cakes everywhere. The plain (just slightly salted) version goes very nicely with beer...

~{nilimage~=132201~;dir~=V~;alt~=ricecakes1~;caption~=Drying...~}
~{nilimage~=132262~;dir~=V~;alt~=ricecakes2~;caption~=Ready to eat~}
~{nilimage~=132263~;dir~=H~;alt~=beer~}
We revisited ~{purplepost~=801~;text~=Wat Phra Maha That~;target~=nst21~} today. Such a resonant place.... I can't imagine not coming back. So, here's to more fine eating in the future.

~{nilimage~=132261~;dir~=H~;alt~=buddha~}