 Thai food is internationally famous. Whether chilli-hot or comparatively bland, harmony is the guiding principle behind each dish. Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai. The characteristics of Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion, and where it is cooked to suit all palates. Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plants and herbs were major ingredients. Large chunks of meat were eschewed. Subsequent influences introduced the use of sizeable chunks to Thai cooking.
With their Buddhist background, Thais shunned the use of large animals in big chunks. Big cuts of meat were shredded and laced with herbs and spices. Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and baking, or grilling. Chinese influences saw the introduction of frying, stir frying and deep-frying. Culinary influences from the 17th century onwards included Portuguese, Dutch, French and Japanese. Chillies were introduced to Thai cooking during the late 1600s by Portuguese missionaries who had acquired a taste for them while serving in South America.
Thais were very adapt at 'Siamese-ising' foreign cooking methods, and substituting ingredients. The ghee used in Indian cooking was replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk substituted for other daily products. Overpowering pure spices were toned down and enhanced by fresh herbs such as lemon grass and galanga. Eventually, fewer and less spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs increased. It is generally acknowledged that Thai curries burn intensely, but briefly, whereas other curries, with strong spices, burn for longer periods. Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal is served all at once, permitting dinners to enjoy complementary combinations of different tastes.
A proper Thai meal should consist of a soup, a curry dish with condiments, a dip with accompanying fish and vegetables. A spiced salad may replace the curry dish. The soup can also be spicy, but the curry should be replaced by non spiced items. There must be a harmony of tastes and textures within individual dishes and the entire meal.
Phuket Restaurant Guide
Phuket has a number of foods different in character and flavour from those of other areas in Thailand. The international character of the island, however, with so many different restaurants catering to a multitude of tastes, makes it difficult for non-Thais to identify Phuket cuisine.
Below is a list of dishes and shops where they can be sampled.
| AMPHOE MUANG |
 Al Dente
35/7-8 Patak Road (Italian) , PHUKET
Ban Saeng Duan
27 Chana Charoen (Muslim), PHUKET
Chom View
Siam Phuket Resort 24/24 Rawai Plaza (Thai), PHUKET
Euro Food
15-7 Thalang Road (Western) , PHUKET
Forturna Pavilion
Montri Road (Chinese) , PHUKET
Hayashi
Raya Pacific Resort, 137/2 Mu 2 Patak Road (Japanese) , PHUKET
Islander
6/3 Patak Road (Thai, Chinese, Western, Seafood), PHUKET
Kan Eng 1
Chalong Junction, Wiset Road (Seafood) , PHUKET
Kan Eng 2
9/3 Chao Fa Road (Seafood) , PHUKET
Karon Cafe
33/76 Patak Road, Karon Beach (Western) , PHUKET
Kou Kwan
Near Ruampaet Hospital on Phuket Rd. , PHUKET
Kuhn Mae
On Thep Krasatri Rd., in the village of Sapam. , PHUKET
Kwan Kanohm Jin
On Tungka Rd. , PHUKET
Laem Thong
31-39 Opposite Thawon Grand Plaza (Chinese, Seafood) , PHUKET
Lai An Lao
58 Ratsada Road (Thai, Chinese, Western) , PHUKET
Le Croissant
18/136-140 Chao Fa Nok Road (Bakery) , PHUKET
Mae Boon Tahm
On Surin Rd., Soi 4. , PHUKET
Tel :: 66 7621 7329
Mae Phon
Phangnga Road (Thai, Chinese, Western) , PHUKET
Mee Ao Geh
On Phunphol Rd., in Phuket Town. Yellow noodles are also cooked in both "dry" and "wet" versions, and as a prawn soup. For these try : - Somjit near the clocktower traffic circle on Phuket Rd. - Jirayuwat near the Pearl Cinema on Phang-nga Rd., i, PHUKET
Jirayuwat
near the Pearl Cinema on Phang-nga Rd., in Phuket Town.
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Mee Ao Geh
On Phunphol Rd., in Phuket Town, PHUKET
Mee Huhn Pah Chahng
Dry Fried noodles eaten with pork bone soup. For this try (all in Phuket Town) : - On Thanon Yaowarat. - Near the Tessaban Ban Bang Niao School on Takua Tong Rd. - On Vichit Songkram Rd., near the entrance to Soi Lorong., PHUKET
Mee Sapam
On Thep Krasatri Rd., in the village of Sapam., PHUKET
Mee Ton Poh
Near the clock tower traffic circle on Phuket Rd., in Phuket Town., PHUKET
Metropole Cafe
Soi Surin, Montri Road (Thai, Chinese, Western) , PHUKET
New Lucky
74/162 Phun Phon Night Plaza, Phun Phon Road , PHUKET
Pah Mai
On statun Rd. , PHUKET
Paul’s Place
Kamala Beach, PHUKET
Pha Ri
On Pahtiphaht Rd. , PHUKET
Phromthep
Laem Phromthep 94/6 Mu 6, Tambon Rawai (Thai) , PHUKET
Phuket Sea Food
66/2 Phuket Road, PHUKET
Seven Sea Seafood
28/8 Chao Fa Road, PHUKET
Suan Sawan
Between Kalim and Kamala Beaches, PHUKET
Sun Down Cafe
7 Surin Beach , PHUKET
Thai Nan
16 Wichit Songkhram Road (Thai -Chinese -Japanese) , PHUKET
The Little Mermaid
36/10 Patak Road (Western) , PHUKET
The Terrace
Karon Beach (Thai-Western), PHUKET
Thung Kha Cafe
Khao Rang , PHUKET
Yam Yen Seafood
Phanwa Cape, Sakdidet Road, PHUKET
Mee Sue
Breakfast noodles served with the boiled rice dishes Khao Tohm or Johk.
This can be ordered at various shops around town, but the best known in Phuket Town is :
Kou Kwan near Ruampaet Hospital on Phuket Rd.
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Baitong
Patong Beach Hotel 124 Thawiwong Road (Seafood), PHUKET
Ban Rim Pha
100/7 Kalim Beach (Thai) , PHUKET
Bang Thong Ruan Phae
Soi Sai Thong, Tambon Bangthong, Krathu District (Thai, Western) , PHUKET
Buffalo Steak House
94/25-26 Soi Baitong Resort (Western) , PHUKET
Casanova
97/32 Thawiwong Road, Patong Resort Arcade (Italian ), PHUKET
Charlis
65/20 Soi Saen Sabai (Swedish) , PHUKET
Chat House
Phuket Cabana Hotel (Thai, Chinese, Western, Seafood) , PHUKET
Grillhuntte
83/54 Thawiwong Road (Austrarian, German) , PHUKET
Hideaway
47/4 Na Nai (Thai, Western) , PHUKET
Hungry Tiger
93/35 Rat uthit (Thai, Western), PHUKET
La Mousson
89/3 Sawatdirak (French) , PHUKET |
La Spaghettiria
70/68 Rat-uthit Road, Paradise Complex (Italian) , PHUKET
Lai Mai
68 Thawiwong Road (European, Thai), PHUKET
Le Jadin Patong Hill
Soi Na Nai , PHUKET
Malee Seafood
Thawiwong Road , PHUKET
Nakahe
97/9 Thawiwong Road, Patong Resort Arcade (Japanese), PHUKET
New Delhi
89/114 Soi Pheomphong 3 (Indian) , PHUKET
Noen Thong Terrace
64/5 Kalim Beach (Thai) , PHUKET
Patong Seaside
89/79 Thawiwong Road , PHUKET
Roma Da Maoro E Franco
89/15 Soi Praisani (Italian) , PHUKET
Sea Hag Cafe
89/128 Soi Phoem Phong (Thai) , PHUKET
The Islander
94/27 Soi Patong Resort (Thai, Western) , PHUKET
Trottoria-Pizzaria-Paperino
84/22 Soi Saen Sabai (Italian), PHUKET
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| Dishes |
Mee Huhn Pah Chahng
Dry Fried noodles eaten with pork bone soup. For this try (all in Phuket Town) :
- On Thanon Yaowarat.
- Near the Tessaban Ban Bang Niao School on Takua Tong Rd.
- On Vichit Songkram Rd., near the entrance to Soi Lorong.
Kanohm Jin Phuket
Noodles often compared to spaghetti usually served with a spicy curry sauce, the most common made from fish. It is usually eaten as a breakfast food and is, if you can stand its fresh character, delicious. It comes with an array of fresh vegetables and boiled eggs that are mixed with the dish by dinners at their table. It is often found with the fried pastry called Pah Tong Go and the curried fish mousse called Hor Mohk, both of which are very tasty. Some of the curries are not spicy, so try a shop that has many curries to choose from if you are sensitive to spicy cuisine. There are many shops to choose from everywhere in Phuket but the most famous are in Phuket Town :
- Kwan Kanohm Jin on Tungka Rd.
- Pah Mai on statun Rd.
- Pha Ri on Pahtiphaht Rd.
Lo Bah
Fried sausages served with fried tofu and spicy sweet and sour sauce. For this try (In Phuket Town) :
- On The way to span Hin.
- On Poonphol Rd.
Oh Tao
Oysters fried with flour, eggs, and taro root. The best known places in Phuket Town are :
- near the circle by the Fresh Market.
Tao Sor or Kanohm Bia
Phuket Spring rolls, Chinese crepes.
The best known are found at:
- Kaeng Tin near Ruam Paet Hospital on Phuket Rd.
On Soi Suhn Utit, Yaowarat Rd., in Phuket Town.
- Kuhn Mae on Thep Krasatri Rd., in the village of Sapam.
- Mae Boon Tahm on Surin Rd., Soi 4.
Oh Aew
An iced sweet made of flour, banana, and a little seaweed. Look for it at :
- On Soi Soon Utit, Yaowarat Rd.
- On Ranong Rd., at the entrance to Soi Lorong
Other foods held to be characteristic of Phuket include cashew nuts, which are planted along many of Phuket's highways, and pineapples--though to be crisper and sweeter than elsewhere.
Cashews try at :
- Maeti on Tilok Utit 2 Rd.
- Sri Boorapa Orchid on Takua Tung Rd., and Kwang Ban Teen Kao Rd.
- Sri Supalak Orchid on Thepkrasattri Rd.
Pineapples
can be purchased in the Fresh Market, and are found generally.
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