Yes I agree great value for money but had the same experience when they would not serve us a desert and once we had put our knife/fork down the plates were away, the bill presented and we were out. Def put a damper on the experience and we never returned. We subsequently tried the other restaurants on the same row and found the food/value at Bam Bams to be very good and we were never rushed, with the owner taking time to chat with us. We estimated that Moonshine were looking for a minimum of 3 covers per table per night where as the other neighbouring places were happy with 2.

EMDEE walked past the pier restaurants on a number of occassions - never tempted, the kitchens looked gross.

Inspired by Rabbit's upbeat review, I decided to follow up on his recommendation and go for an early dinner at Moonsmile and Platoo. It was not too much of a struggle to find near the base of Poonsuk Road, although the restaurant name was partially obscured. If it helps, it's opposite "La Grapia".

I had come up on the 5pm Ibis shuttle so was seated at the restaurant before 5.30pm. There were 4-6 other diners at that time; within the hour it filled considerably - it's a tiny place. Definitely go early for dinner (or late for lunch) if you want to have some space and to not be bashing elbows with your neighbour.

I ordered a fruit shake from one of the two impassive, robotic, bored-out-of-their-brains waitresses (40 Baht - banana - not ripe/sweet enough for my taste) and checked out the menu. Squid is not something you can get readily or cheap in my country so I went for it with garlic and pepper (100 Baht) with a side of rice (20 Baht). From the menu it seemed as if they had a standard repertiore of dishes for each meat type, as well as fish specialities for a bit more money.

I gazed around and liked the look and feel of the place. There are pictures on the wall of the head honcho herself, wearing her trademark bright red lipstick in every photo. As Rabbit mentioned, the tiny kitchen is open and you can watch them dilligently preparing the food, it all looks clean and fresh and it's a real draw for the restaurant. I got a warm smile of recognition from the boss lady, which made up for the zombie-like waiting staff.

I didn't have time to take much else in as my dish was suddenly there in front of me; it must have been all of five minutes from order to arrival. Don't expect this level of service when the place is packed, though! The portion of rice was very small for 20 Baht and I also thought my squid serving was a bit on the small side. It looked and smelled absolutely wonderful though.

The squid was liberally doused in garlic - luckily I was sleeping alone - and was cooked to absolute perfection. It was fresh and firm to the bite but not at all rubbery. It was the best squid I'd ever had - and I have eaten more than my fair ocean share on my multiple trips to Japan. The pepper came in the form of fresh peppercorns; I chewed on a few of them but left most.

Based on this tiny sampling of their menu, I too can recommend the Moonsmile and Platoo, and thank Roving Rabbit for bringing it to my attention. Don't expect to be bowled over by charming waitresses, but from the plaudits on this thread you are more likely than not to experience tasty, wonderfully cooked food at a pleasing price.

Moonsmile & Platoo is one of a number of similar-looking/-priced restaurants on the same road, so I've slowly been working my way through them all and will post some more reviews soon!

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Great Photos Steve. Your review brings back fond memories of the place and yes, the food is so fresh and tasty.