Overlooking the Tuross River the elevated open-air dining room of the Pickled Octopus is just the sort of place you want to dine on a holiday. Settle in for sunset and table service upstairs with a bottle of BYO ($12) or buy a bucket of beers ($45/5) for the adults and snaffle one of the outdoor tables where the kids can make a bit more noise. Down on the dock tables you’ll be ordering via a QR code or coming upstairs to the counter to make your selections. It’s worth checking out the specials. The chalkboard menu provided our dish of the night: moo lang ($30). This saw tender slices of grilled pork neck set over salad with nam jim poured from a shot glass at the table.
Tiny Tassy scallops ($25/4) got a bit lost under a peanut-butter heavy satay sauce. While the choo chee curry they were perched in lacked a bit of nuance, the signature choo chee prawns ($48) gravy was creamy and enjoyable over rice. The soupy bowl hides baby bok choi and broccoli florets. From the kitchen’s grill station, which shares the same magnificent river view, barbecued baby octopus ($30) has enough char to counter the sweet chilli nam jim it is paired with. We enjoyed meeting the owner, Bee, who came out to our table at the conclusion of our meal. Bee explained the picturesque locale and Tuross Head lifestyle has helped her woo an all-Thai kitchen team away from city life for the seven years she has rented this popular space.
