Restaurant in Ko Samui, Thailand
Private island Thai cooking with a real pedigree.
Long Dtai is David Thompson's Southern Thai restaurant on a private island off Ko Samui's east coast, holding consecutive Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025. At ฿฿฿, it earns its price through a combination of precise regional cooking, a documented marine sustainability focus, and panoramic bay terrace views. Book if setting and culinary credibility both matter to your trip.
Yes — and for a specific reason: it is the only place on the island where you can eat chef David Thompson's Southern Thai cooking on a private island with panoramic bay views, backed by consecutive Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025. If you are already interested in Southern Thai cuisine and want a setting that makes the meal an event, Long Dtai earns its ฿฿฿ price point. If you want casual beach food or are price-sensitive, Kapi Sator delivers authentic Southern Thai at ฿฿ without the resort premium.
Long Dtai sits within a private island resort off Samui's east coast, reached by crossing shallow waters — a short transit that immediately frames the meal as a destination rather than a drop-in. The restaurant's terrace opens onto a panoramic bay view, which means the setting does real work before a single dish arrives. That context matters for decision-making: you are committing to an experience, not just a dinner booking, and the logistics require a small amount of intention.
What Thompson does with Southern Thai cooking is worth understanding before you go. Southern Thai cuisine is structurally more assertive than the Central Thai dishes most tourists encounter: sharper with turmeric, more aggressive with fermented shrimp paste, and less inclined toward sweetness. Thompson's approach, according to verified Michelin documentation, is deliberately restrained in presentation while being precise in technique. The grilled squid marinated in turmeric and coconut milk is the documented anchor dish , an example of the kitchen using marinade not to mask protein but to sharpen it. Marine sustainability is a stated kitchen priority, which shapes ingredient selection throughout the menu.
Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) place Long Dtai in a specific bracket: not at the star level of Sorn in Bangkok or PRU in Phuket, but recognised as a kitchen producing food of consistent quality and identity. A Plate signals that Michelin inspectors found the cooking worth noting even without the structural complexity that earns stars. For a dining guide reader, the practical translation is: the food is reliable, the concept is coherent, and the kitchen has sustained that standard across at least two inspection cycles. Google reviews support this at 4.3 across 106 ratings , a score that reflects genuine repeat satisfaction rather than novelty hype.
If you are staying on Samui for a week or longer, Long Dtai rewards a deliberate multi-visit strategy. On a first visit, let the documented dishes anchor the meal: the turmeric-marinated squid is the right entry point for understanding Thompson's approach to Southern Thai flavour. The restraint is the point , do not arrive expecting maximalist plating or tasting-menu pageantry.
A second visit is better spent exploring the protein and ferment-forward dishes that define Southern Thai cooking at its most regional. The cuisine's use of kapi (fermented shrimp paste) and dried seafood in its base sauces is not background flavour; it is the architecture. Thompson's menu, per Michelin documentation, treats these ingredients with the same precision applied to the squid. Come with that expectation and you will read the menu differently. For context on how other Southern Thai kitchens in Thailand handle the same ingredients, Chom Chan in Phuket and Juumpo in Phang Nga offer useful regional comparisons at different price tiers.
If a third visit is viable, use it to focus on the bay-facing terrace at a different time of day. The view shifts substantially depending on light conditions, and the setting is a material part of what justifies the ฿฿฿ spend. Evening visits capture the bay at its most atmospheric. A daytime or early evening approach gives you more visual range across the water. Neither is wrong , they are genuinely different experiences within the same venue.
For explorers cross-referencing Southern Thai cooking across the region, Anuwat in Phang Nga and AKKEE in Pak Kret represent the cuisine at different points on the formality spectrum. Long Dtai occupies the resort-fine-dining end of that range, which is a strength when the setting is working in your favour and a minor friction point if you want stripped-back, market-adjacent informality.
Book if: you are interested in Southern Thai cooking from a kitchen with documented technique, you value setting as part of the dining experience, and ฿฿฿ is within your trip budget. The Michelin Plate recognition across two consecutive years gives you reasonable confidence that the kitchen is consistent rather than coast-dependent on its location premium.
Consider alternatives if: you want the most authentic Southern Thai cooking at the lowest friction and cost, in which case Kapi Sator at ฿฿ is the more direct answer. If seafood is your primary interest rather than regional cuisine, Baan Suan Lung Khai at ฿฿ removes the resort premium entirely. For the broader Ko Samui dining picture, see our full Ko Samui restaurants guide.
Yes, particularly if you are a food-focused traveller. The terrace setting and single-focus menu make solo dining comfortable rather than awkward. At ฿฿฿ in a resort context, solo diners may feel the price-per-head more acutely than a table sharing dishes, so order strategically: the documented squid dish and one or two Southern Thai preparations give you the kitchen's full range without over-ordering. For a lower-commitment solo Southern Thai meal on Samui, Kapi Sator at ฿฿ is the practical alternative.
No dress code is specified in available data, but the private island resort context points toward smart casual as the floor. On Ko Samui, that means clean resort wear rather than beachwear at the table. Given the ฿฿฿ price tier and consecutive Michelin Plate recognition, arriving slightly overdressed is lower risk than arriving underdressed. Check directly with the resort before your visit for any specific requirements.
For Southern Thai at a lower price point, Kapi Sator (฿฿) is the closest like-for-like alternative without the resort setting premium. For seafood with a different approach, Baan Suan Lung Khai (฿฿) and Bang Por Seafood Takho (฿฿) both operate at lower price tiers. FishHouse (฿฿฿) matches Long Dtai on price with a European approach if you want variety across your trip. See our full Ko Samui restaurants guide for the complete picture.
Yes , it is one of the stronger special occasion choices on Samui. The private island access, panoramic bay terrace, Michelin Plate-recognised kitchen, and David Thompson's Southern Thai menu collectively create a setting that justifies a celebratory booking. At ฿฿฿ it is not Samui's most expensive option (The Ranch runs ฿฿฿฿), but it delivers a more distinctive experience than most mid-range alternatives. Book in advance given the resort access logistics.
Southern Thai cuisine relies structurally on fermented shrimp paste, fish sauce, and dried seafood, which means the menu is challenging for vegetarians, vegans, and those with shellfish allergies at the ingredient level. The kitchen has a stated marine sustainability focus, suggesting seafood is central rather than optional. No booking contact or website is currently listed in available data, so contact the resort directly before your visit to clarify what accommodations are possible. Do not assume substitutions are standard.
At ฿฿฿, Long Dtai is worth the price if the combination of setting and cuisine is what you are paying for. The private island terrace and David Thompson's Michelin Plate-recognised Southern Thai cooking together justify the premium over ฿฿ alternatives like Kapi Sator. If you are primarily interested in Southern Thai food and indifferent to the resort setting, the value equation tips toward the lower-cost options. If setting and culinary credibility both matter, the ฿฿฿ spend is defensible across a two- or three-visit engagement during a longer Samui stay.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Dtai | After crossing shallow waters, you reach this private island resort off Samui’s east coast. From the restaurant’s terrace, diners enjoy panoramic views of the bay as they sample chef David Thompson’s fab creations. His Southern Thai menu is deceptively simple and his consummate culinary talent is revealed in the details. Start with grilled squid, marinated in turmeric and coconut milk to accentuate its freshness. Marine sustainability is the name of the game here.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | ฿฿฿ | — |
| Baan Suan Lung Khai | ฿฿ | — | |
| FishHouse | ฿฿฿ | — | |
| Kapi Sator | ฿฿ | — | |
| Koh Thai Kitchen | ฿฿฿ | — | |
| The Ranch | ฿฿฿฿ | — |
A quick look at how Long Dtai measures up.
Solo diners are well-suited to Long Dtai's format. A Southern Thai menu built on individual dishes — rather than sharing-heavy banquet formats — means you can eat through the menu at your own pace without needing a group to justify the spread. At ฿฿฿ pricing, a solo meal is a manageable spend relative to the private island setting and Michelin Plate credential.
The database does not specify a dress code, but the venue's context — a private island resort off Samui's east coast with terrace dining and a Michelin Plate recognition — points toward resort-appropriate attire: clean, presentable clothing rather than beachwear. Lightweight linen or a sundress would fit the setting without overdressing.
FishHouse is the go-to alternative if you want seafood focus without the private island transit. Kapi Sator and Koh Thai Kitchen are better for everyday Thai eating at a lower price point. Baan Suan Lung Khai suits groups who want a more casual, local experience. The Ranch is a different category entirely — go there for grilled meat, not Thai cooking. None of them offer David Thompson's documented Southern Thai technique.
Yes — the combination of private island access, terrace views over the bay, and a Michelin Plate kitchen makes the occasion feel considered rather than manufactured. It works best for couples or small groups who care about food quality, not just atmosphere. If your group wants bottle service and volume, look elsewhere.
Specific dietary policy is not documented in the available data. Southern Thai cooking frequently uses shrimp paste, fish sauce, and coconut milk as foundational ingredients, which limits straightforward vegan or shellfish-free adaptation. Contact the resort directly before booking if dietary restrictions are a factor — this is not a kitchen where off-menu substitutions are likely to be seamless.
At ฿฿฿, Long Dtai is priced at the upper end for Ko Samui dining, and the value case depends on what you are paying for. The Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 confirms the kitchen's consistency, and chef David Thompson's Southern Thai menu is not replicated anywhere else on the island. Add the private island setting and you are paying for a complete experience, not just a meal. If Southern Thai cooking at this level is your reason for visiting, it justifies the price. If you just want good Thai food at a good table, Koh Thai Kitchen delivers that for less.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
