Jungle Thai Food – Pilgrimage Worthy Meal at Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี)

Thai jungle food (อาหารป่า) will explode with flavors on your tongue – and when you have a spectacular countryside atmosphere and friendly owners to go with it – that’s a recipe for a pilgrimage food destination.
In this blog post I’m going to share with you all 12 of the unique Thai dishes we ate at this life changing Thai jungle food restaurant in Chonburi (ชลบุรี), Thailand!
Watch the video:
Press play to watch the full video of this incredible Thai jungle food meal experience.
(Or you can watch the video on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KExn4i5JErQ&t=25s)

Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี)
Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี)
First off, I want to say a big thank you to @theskinnybib for this restaurant tip recommendation. Follow his Instagram for some amazing food pics and adventures.
When I call Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี) a pilgrimage-worthy restaurant in Thailand, I’m not saying that lightly.
It’s the type of restaurant I would, without hesitation (if I didn’t live in Bangkok), fly straight into Bangkok (from anywhere in the world), and find whatever means of transportation directly to the restaurant.
Along with Soei, this goes down as one of the best restaurants I’ve eaten at in Thailand.

Family run, with amazing passion!
Along with serving some of the most amazing Thai food you’ll ever taste, the restaurant is all family run, and they are so cool — awesomely friendly and passionate about good traditional Thai jungle food.

Round 1 of jungle Thai food
You’ll find lots more info about how you can get to this restaurant and details at the bottom of this post, but for now, let’s dive right into the amazing Thai jungle food.
We’ll go over each of the dishes in the same order as in the video (if you haven’t already watched the video, be sure to check it out).

Wild boar with pineapple stems (ผัดหมูป่าจุกสัปประรด)
Wild boar with pineapple stems (ผัดหมูป่าจุกสัปประรด)
Wild boar is a popular Thai jungle food, and it’s well represented in many dishes at Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี).
This wild boar stir fried with curry paste and pineapple stems (ผัดหมูป่าจุกสัปประรด pad moo paa jook saparot) was the first dish I tried, and one of my favorites of the meal.

Pineapple stems are amazing
It almost had a green curry paste taste to it, but stronger and not as sweet because there was no coconut milk in the recipe. It was herbal tasting, spicy, full bodied, and the pineapple stems were amazing.
Pineapple stems taste similar to bamboo shoots, but they are perhaps a little more silky crisp.

Pork curry with coconut shell (แกงหมูกะลา)
Pork curry with coconut shell (แกงหมูกะลา)
Yes, you read that correctly.
Not coconut meat or coconut water, but coconut shell – that woody outer shell.
This was one of the Thai jungle food dishes I was most excited to try because it was my first time to eat coconut shell (apart from accidentally eating some coconut shell shards while eating coconut meat).
When you eat coconut shell it comes from young coconuts, and it’s sliced up into thin strips and soaked in water to become soft.
For this pork curry with coconut shell (แกงหมูกะลา gaeng moo kala), the coconut shell was stir fried with curry paste and pork.

The coconut shell had a snap like a carrot
Again, the flavor was stunning from the curry paste, and the coconut shell was spectacular.
I tasted the coconut shell raw before it was cooked in the curry and it was a little chalky, but within the curry it wasn’t chalky anymore, but had an almost carrot like snap crispness to it.
Another spectacular and unique Thai jungle food dish at Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี).

Wild boar with snakefruit (หมูป่าพล่าระกำ)
Wild boar with snakefruit (หมูป่าพล่าระกำ)
One of the non curry paste dishes we ordered was wild boar with snakefruit (หมูป่าพล่าระกำ moo paa pla rakam).
Pla (พล่า) in Thai is a variation of a mix or a salad, and this was an absolute stroke of genius to add rakam (ระกำ), a type of salak or snakefruit in English, to the recipe.

Flavored with rakam (ระกำ), a type of salak or snakefruit
The wild boar was slightly chewy as it should be, then it was flavored with lots of crushed green chilies, lemongrass, shallots, culantro, I think lime juice, and the snakefruit to give it an insane sourness.
The wild boar with snakefruit (หมูป่าพล่าระกำ) is a dish I’m still dreaming about.

Squid ink with garcinia leaves (หมึกต้มใบชะมวง)
Squid ink with garcinia leaves (หมึกต้มใบชะมวง)
For our next dish we ordered squid and their ink with garcinia leaves (หมึกต้มใบชะมวง meuk dam bai chamuang), which seem to be pretty healthy.
This was good too, but I think because of the other life-changing dishes mentioned above already, it wasn’t as stand out to me.
However, the squid was nice and tender, while the bai chamuang (ใบชะมวง), which in English are garcinia leaves were extremely sour. The broth had a sweetness to it as well.

Old style fried fish cakes (ทอดมันโบราณ)
Old style fried fish cakes (ทอดมันโบราณ)
Using 100% fish (no flour) and curry paste, these yellowstripe scad fried fish cakes, were also wonderful.
The little nuggets of joy were very bouncy in texture and had a curry paste taste with a sweetness to them.
The old style fried fish cakes (ทอดมันโบราณ tod man boran) are not to be missed when you eat at Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี).

Catfish salt curry (แกงเกลือปลาดุก)
Catfish salt curry (แกงเกลือปลาดุก)
Another signature dish is their catfish salt curry (แกงเกลือปลาดุก gaeng kleua pla duk), and it was a first for me to eat this type of curry in Thailand.
The catfish, which the owner emphasized is always wild, not farmed, was delicious. It was wrapped up in their home-made curry paste and coconut milk.
One thing I’m unsure of is why they used boxed coconut milk (rather than fresh) for this curry. But nevertheless, the flavor was outstanding – it was packed with flavor.

Best omelet in the world (ไข่เจียวอร่อยที่สุดในโลก)
Best omelet in the world (ไข่เจียวอร่อยที่สุดในโลก)
I’m not kidding you.
On the menu, it says it’s the best omelet in the world (ไข่เจียวอร่อยที่สุดในโลก kai jeow aroy teesud nailok). But it’s all in good fun, and I’m not going to argue with them at all!
The best omelet in the world included a secret mixture of not only normal eggs out of the shell, but also chopped up salted egg and century egg, plus minced pork and minced shrimp.

How about the Thai omelet?
I’m going to leave it up to you to decide if this is the best omelet in the world or not.
But what I will say is that it’s the type of omelet you wouldn’t think twice about scarfing down at 3 am.
I might need to start adding some century egg to my Thai omelet recipe!

The Thai jungle food eating atmosphere can’t be beat.
We finished eating the 6 dishes above, but could not bare to stop eating, so we ordered more food.
In the middle of your meal, if you wish to take a stroll around the coconut palms or cassava bushes, you can!

Free range chicken boiled with snakefruit (ไก่บ้านต้มระกำ)
Free range chicken boiled with snakefruit (ไก่บ้านต้มระกำ)
For round 2, we started with a free range chicken soup boiled with snakefruit (ไก่บ้านต้มระกำ), which was so sour you could actually feel the sourness going down your body with every bite.
Again, using the same snakefruit (ระกำ rakam), it was boiled with free range chicken into an amazingly sour and marvelous tasting soup.

Catfish fried with fresh chilies (ปลาดุกผัดพริกสด)
Catfish fried with fresh chilies (ปลาดุกผัดพริกสด)
If you hadn’t seen them cooking this dish, you might think that it was catfish fried with green beans — but I can assure you, no green beans were used in this recipe.
For this plate of catfish fried with fresh chilies (ปลาดุกผัดพริกสด pla duk pad prik sod) the catfish was deep fried, then stir fried with a heap of pounded green chilies and garlic.
It was as good and as glorious as it sounds.

Fried chicken with salt (ไก่คั่วเกลือ)
Fried chicken with salt (ไก่คั่วเกลือ)
I’m a huge fan of Thai free range chicken, and my mother in law often cooks with it at home.
But sometimes for fried chicken it can be a bit dry or tough. But their fried chicken with salt (ไก่คั่วเกลือ gai khua kleua) was absolutely spectacular.
The little bites of chicken tasted like REAL chicken — like the countryside free roaming chickens you want your chicken to taste like.
Also, what really made this fried chicken so good was that it was sprinkled with some good quality salt.
- The coconut shell was amazing!
- Pork ribs with yellow nightshade (หมูใบพายผัดมะเขือเหลือง)
Pork ribs with yellow nightshade (หมูใบพายผัดมะเขือเหลือง)
The owner recommended we also try pork riblets and cartilage pieces stir fried with at type of yellow nightshade (มะเขือเหลือง).
Again, just like the other stir fry curry paste dishes, the pork ribs with yellow nightshade (หมูใบพายผัดมะเขือเหลือง moo baipai pad makua leuang) was outstanding. The flavor of the curry paste combined with the meat and basil folded within, was insane.

Type of yellow nightshade with pork and curry paste
The yellow nightshade (มะเขือเหลือง) was also really good.
It almost has a bit of leathery texture to it, but at the same time it almost eats like bell peppers.

Jungle bird with holy basil (กระเพรานกป่า)
Jungle bird with holy basil (กระเพรานกป่า)
Despite wanting to never stop eating, we were going to call it quits there.
But the owner said we couldn’t leave Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี) without trying their special jungle bird with holy basil (กระเพรานกป่า kra prao nok paa).
They used some type of wild jungle pheasant. Just take a moment to admire that ratio of meat to herbs and chilies — it was perfect.

Loaded with flavor!
The bird was minced up with the bones similar to my mother in laws wild duck recipe, and then it was stir fried with wild holy basil, chilies, and lots of garlic.
It was the perfect dessert dish to finish off this life-changing Thai jungle food meal in Chonburi!

Menu at Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี)
Menu
Here’s a quick shot of their main menu poster at the restaurant. But keep in mind that some of the dishes are not available all the time, and they might have some random seasonal specials as well.

Hand painted sign at Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี) – although the painters mis-spelled the name (confirmed by the owner) – ลุงเรียง
Details about this restaurant
I wanted to share a few quick tidbits about eating at Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี) so we’re all on the same page.
1. Location
Please keep in mind that Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี) is NOT located in Bangkok. It’s located in Chonburi (ชลบุรี), not too far from Pattaya.
From Bangkok, I drove directly there and it took about 1.5 hours (a drive that was well worth every single minute). Pretty much the only way to get here is by private vehicle or taxi if you can get the driver to take you and wait.
2. Spicy food
At Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี) many of their dishes are spicy and full of flavor. If you don’t appreciate spicy food, it’s probably best to not consider eating here in the first place.
3. Open hours and busyness
The restaurant is open from 8 am – 3 pm on Sunday – Friday (closed on Saturdays). But it can get really packed, especially on Sunday (as the owner told me), and sometimes you have to wait hours for a table.
I went at about 11 am on a weekday, and got a table immediately. But if you go, I might advise you to go on an off-peak time in the middle of the week.
Ok, those are the main things I wanted to warn you about.
Total price
There were three of us eating, and our total bill came to 1,720 THB ($49.35).
So it’s not a cheap meal, but for the quality and uniqueness of the Thai dishes you can try here, it’s worth every single Baht.

Amazing food, and amazing people
Conclusion
If you’re a spicy food fanatic, Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี) in Chonburi, Thailand, serves some of the best Thai jungle food you could ever have.
They have many unique dishes on their menu, like pork fried with coconut shell or pineapple stems, and they make use of unique local tropical herbs and fruits in their cooking.
Not only does Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี) serve what I would call life-changing Thai food, but you can feel the passion and love of the owners in every bite you take (and the setting is superb as well).
Loong Riang & Pamalee (ร้านลุงเรียง & ป้ามาลี)
Address: Tambon Ta Khian Tia, Amphoe Bang Lamung, Chang Wat Chon Buri 20150, Thailand
Open hours: 8 am – 3 pm on Sunday – Friday (closed on Saturdays)
Phone: 087-0294376,081-2908490
Prices: Our total bill came to 1,720 THB ($49.35)
ที่อยู่ หมู่บ้านตะเคียนเตี้ย อ.บางละมุง จ.ชลบุรี
เปิดบริการ อาทิตย์-ศุกร์ 8.00-15.00 น. หยุดทุกวันเสาร์
โทร. 087-0294376,081-2908490
Den Dhep
4 years ago
Mark,
My family really enjoy your videos. We heading off to Thailand next week. This is definitely one of our first stops.
Jason Searle
5 years ago
Hi Mark
Thanks for the tip! We ate here last week and it was epic. I just wished that I had a bigger appetite! I’m sure it is already somewhere in the thread below but the restaurant has has a face lift and is looking a lot newer.. On arrivals they asked “Mark Wiens?” :-) . We ate the Fish Cakes and Jungle Curry as well as an incredible Tom Yum Soup that was mind blowing …
Well worth the visit.
Thank you
Jason S
Mark Wiens
5 years ago
Hey Jason, that’s awesome to hear. I haven’t been there in a while, glad you enjoyed it!
Ross
6 years ago
Nice review! Hey Mark, how would I get on with the recipes in your vege Ebook here? I’m in Bangkok in March 2018
Thiago
6 years ago
Just bought my ticket to Thailand, really look foward to come to this restaurant, very nice vid! cheers from Brazil!
Arv
6 years ago
At the restaurant now, first thing the waitress asked us “Mark Wiens?”
Incredible food, real spicy. The coconut husks were amazing. Great omlette too, your dish recommendations were spot on.
Anders
6 years ago
What a bad luck!!! Because a tree fell down on the restaurant it is currently under renovation and reppens next week…by then I will be in Norway.
The owner guy here remembers you very well, Mark!
Anders
6 years ago
We are going there TOMORROW! Looking forward to the jungle bird and the wild boar
Andrew J. Rice
6 years ago
Mark, great video! I’ll be heading that way in a couple weeks on a church mission trip. Hopefully we can find this place. Looks delicious! Love the videos and your blog. Keep it up! P.S. Ordered a shirt yesterday and I’ll be bringing it with me to Thailand! Take care.
Mark Wiens
6 years ago
Thank you very much Andrew, appreciate your getting a t-shirt as well. Hope you have an amazing upcoming trip.
DIDIER SOEKARDJAN
7 years ago
Hi Mark. What a fantastic restaurant. My next stop for food for my next trip. Thank u very much Mark.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Didier!
Lisa
7 years ago
“The restaurant is open from 8 am – 3 pm on Sunday – Friday (closed on Saturdays). But it can get really packed, especially on Saturday (as the owner told me), and sometimes you have to wait hours for a table”
Hey Mark, thanks so much for your wonderful videos! You’re one of the reasons why we make the pilgrimage to Thailand, over and over. Just wanted to let you know that there might be a slight typo on your info, it currently says that it is both Open and Close on Saturday.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hey Lisa, thanks for looking out, sorry about that, will correct it now. Thank you very much for your support and watching!
Elfed
7 years ago
Excellent blog look forward to trying the recipes
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Elfed!
Daniel
7 years ago
Just watching this VDO clip makes me hungry. I’ll visit this place for sure next time on the way to Pattaya.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thanks for reading Daniel!
nui acain
7 years ago
wow it is super awesome foods and video. Thank you so much Mark. I love it.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you for reading Nui!
Jade O’Hearn
7 years ago
So. Much. Drool. Ipad rendered inoperative from the flood :) Thanks Mark!
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Haha, thanks Jade!
Jerry Ruckert
7 years ago
Awesome. After my next golfing trip to Laem Chabang or Burapha, this place will be on my itinerary. Seems like the food might be a bit on the hot and spicy side, though. Thanks for taking one for the team, Mark.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Sounds good, thank you Jerry. Yes, food is generally on the spicy side here!
Rudy Zopfi
7 years ago
Pork curry with coconut shell (แกงหมูกะลา), that’s beautiful, as I live in Ban Phaeo (Samutsakhon) i had the nice experience, seems they would grow the Coconut very young and it weigh no more than 20 kg., simply fine.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Rudy, yes I think so, and then soak it to make it even softer. Thanks!
Ganjana
7 years ago
The food looks amazing! The restaurant hours in Thai say closed Saturday but open Sunday. In English it says the other way around.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hey Ganjana, thanks for catching that, that was my mistake, the Thai is correct. I just corrected it.
Usa Klein.
7 years ago
Excellent journey! I am from Thailand near Chicago. You have briught authentic to me. This is what foreigner should know more about Thailand and it still exists! Your write up and pictures is superb. Real people eat real food. Besides support local, experience gained is by far priceless. Thank you Mark for bringing the true picture of Thailand and definitely good food, real atmosphere beyond what any foreigner ever experiences. Thank you again
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much Usa, really appreciate your support!
Urs
7 years ago
Hi Mark, I never wrote a comment for anybody at the web but your thai food informations as well as your presentations are just GREAT. Many thanks for that and please continue, I will follow you on the web because I love Thai food and I travel to Thailand since 26 years.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much Urs!
Hugo
7 years ago
It looks delicious again. This will give me some work to do in the next few weeks. Thank you.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Hugo!
Waluga
7 years ago
Hi Mark, you added some wrong info about the opening hour in English you say it close on sunday but in Thai say it close on saturday please check which one is correct. I might wanna go there someday :)
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hi Waluga, sorry about that, and thanks for double checking. I’ve corrected it.
Debra Whie
7 years ago
Thank you so so much for allowing us to join you in your food ventures….I travel to Pattaya yearly so I am so excitied to visit this amazing restaurant on my next trip…..great work Mark
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Debra!
Herb Marsh
7 years ago
maaaaaaaaaaate amazing food
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thanks Herb!
Trystan Roberts
7 years ago
Mark!! This food looks insanely delicious!! I had no idea about jungle Thai food, who knew the ingrediants were so unique as well! With the way you wordsmith your videos and articles, I can practically taste the food. Can’t wait to try this, going to have to make the journey soon after Songkran! Dying to try that curry young coconut dish! Also, Micah is looking great! Keep living the dream my friend and hope to see you soon!
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hey Trystan, great to hear from you, thank you very much. Hope you’re doing well also!
JEANNE DIRREN
7 years ago
Great video!! Congratulations! Mouth watering dishes. Thanks Mark.
mahdi zakariya mohammed
7 years ago
Hi Mark ,
I am amazed by your Thai food adventure , next time , i come Thailand , i will bring a gift to your Baby ,
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much Mahdi!
Susan Slater
7 years ago
Great video Mark! Such unusual food. By the ‘pineapple stem/shoot’, do you mean the core inside the pineapple? What would that be in Thai?
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much Susan. It’s the stem that comes out pineapple, the top spiny part, but the inside the of that – kind of the sprout of the shoot.
Ed
7 years ago
Excellent show, Mark. I truly enjoy your Thai food adventures but can a non-Thai speaking person travel in Thailand easily other than English, Cantonese or Chinese? Also, can a monk survive in the jungle food trip like a vegetarian? Very interesting episode which I always look forward to enjoy your adventures.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much Ed. It’s definitely much easier to speak some Thai, but you can get by without knowing Thai as road signs are in English. Thanks for your support!
Paul
7 years ago
As slways, Spectacular job!!!
Bernabe Gabiana
7 years ago
Mark, who died? From my family to yours, condolence.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hey Bernabe, thank you for your concern. The black ribbon is to commemorate the late King of Thailand who passed.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Paul!
Peter Jensen
7 years ago
Hi Mark!
As usual fantastic videos and good food. I have one question, why it says on the sign ร้านลุงเลียงป้ามาลี and ร้านลุงเรียงป้ามาลี on the hanging menu? If the food is spicy, why เลียง or is it the famous R and L involved…hahaha.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hey Peter, thank you very much. Haha, funny story, I asked the owner that too, and he said the guy painting the sign just made a mistake. Hah!
Peter Jensen
7 years ago
hahaha…,yes only in Thailand….hahah. I’m really love Thai food and I’m a big fan of your videos, keep up the good work!
Peter
Steve Stubbe
7 years ago
I love this blog! Good job. Last trip to Thailand (2 yrs ago)I thought that I most likely wouldn’t ever be back due to the grueling flight, esp. the return flt. Thanks to your blog I am giving a return visit another chance.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much Steve, hope you can visit Thailand again!
Cheryl Respicio
7 years ago
Aww man Mark! Pilgrimage it is!!! I thoroughly savored your video and am already dreaming of when my husband Aaron and I can make it back to Thailand just for this palate adventure! All the dishes you chose are ones we would have been so curious to try ourselves: I’m such a fan of century egg I gotta try that omelette!! And coconut shell? Whoda thought?! Thanks SO much for this vid and taking us with you on your Gastro journey (btw we close our eyes and fall over too the same way when we devour Thai food!). Happy spicy eats!
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hey Cheryle, great to hear from you, thank you very much. Hope you can come back soon for a culinary adventure in Thailand!
Rich
7 years ago
Do you have a google map link or actual address to find this place please?
Rich
7 years ago
Never mind, the web site finally kicked in and I found it! Thanks
Was that $49 for all of those dishes or just a few of them?
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Ok, glad you found the info, thanks Rich.
Mark Bruley
7 years ago
Great, now I have to fly to Thailand just for this!! Thanks Mark!!
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thanks Mark, sounds good!
irwin legaspi
7 years ago
Once again you done it well deserve watching you eating and to see your whole family regards to journey to the next food trip.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much Irwin!
Francis Chan
7 years ago
I’m a big fan of Thailand and Thai food and this is a place I’m placing on my bucket list.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Great to hear that Francis!
Wim
7 years ago
Mai Phed for me, but I enjoyed watching the video.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Wim!
KL
7 years ago
WOW, the food looks fantastic
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you for reading KL!