A symbol of the Midlands' resurgent waterways, it's full of barges, cafes and the odd heckler ("No sharks in 'ere mate").
Bill Granfield, president of Local 100 of Unite Here, the union representing the cafe's 50-odd employees, said the restaurant had fallen behind on its payments for medical insurance and welfare funds, forcing the union to demand payment in court.
Phang Nga is home to ritzy Phuket in the west and busy Krabi to the east, but at its watery heart the sister islands of Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai pull in just a trickle of travellers, with a few basic beach-hut complexes, bars and cafes, and the odd barefoot-chic resort.
In bars, cafes and some truly odd outposts scattered across the five boroughs of New York, the flippers are still flapping.
They also point to the case of Staff Sgt. Martin Richburg who, after sensing something odd about a man at an Iraqi Internet cafe, managed to save the lives of 17 cafe patrons from the improvised bomb the man had planted there.
Alternatively, you can join the work-bound locals – and the odd unversed tourist – at an early morning cafe and start again.
The man glanced through the window at the 30-odd colleagues Usta had gathered outside the cafe, just in case.
I've lately started stashing bamboo sporks in my handbag and I get some odd looks when I produce them (in cafes, I hasten to add, rather than at other people's houses. I'm not that odd).
Cafes, bars and even the odd art gallery have sprung up in recent years, though the area still retains a refreshing air of authenticity, thanks to the fact that every second house is still inhabited by a poor gypsy family.
