Phuket Food

Dear Reader,

It’s 8am at the fish market in Ranong Road Phuket town and we’re ogling the astonishing variety of squid and other seafood available.  Suddenly, from out of the blue, loud disco music is blaring from loud speakers through the market.  A number of the stall holders put down whatever they’re doing and start dancing.  Others follow.  Tourists join in.  We join in.  The whole market is disco dancing.  After about ten minutes the music is turned off and everyone resumes their normal roles.

It’s not until later in the day that a Thai journalist tells us about the new health initiative being championed by the government to encourage healthy living and that dancing in the morning has been identified and promoted as one of the activities (perhaps we could introduce this idea in Australia to curb the obesity crisis?).

The fish market comes to life in the early hours of the morning and it’s here that you’ll find the freshest of seafood, poultry, herbs, eggs, vegetables and fruit amid more interesting items like deep-fried cockroaches and butchered frogs.

Fresh local markets are held in various towns throughout Phuket and for the adventurous foodie, what better place to experience the colour, confusion and vitality of Thai life?

Phuket, also known as ‘Pearl of the South’, is Thailand’s largest and wealthiest island.  Surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea, it’s famous for its plentiful supply of fresh seafood (fish, squid, oysters, crabs,  prawns and lobsters) and seafood restaurants. While most Aussie tourists head for the bright lights of Patong and the resort-laden west coast, it’s well worth making the effort to suss out some of the lesser known more authentic places.
I had one of the best lunches at  Raya Thai Cuisine (48 New Dibuk Cross Road, Phuket Town,
Ph. 6676 218155).  Set in a charming old two-storey Sino-Portuguese house where gentle breezes flow through the open windows and double doors, we were treated to a feast of Phuket-style Thai dishes including a luscious curried fresh crabmeat with Thai holy basil in coconut milk, deep-fried whole fish with fried papery garlic cloves, fabulous giant prawns in a tamarind sauce and stir-fried vivid green broccoli with baby prawns.  Despite the quality and freshness of the seafood, each dish cost between 150 and 200 Baht.

Afterward, we drove up Khao Rang (Rang Hill) to the north of the town for an iced coffee at the pretty Tunka Café which is situated down a flight of wooden stairs in lush tropical gardens. 
The black sesame dumplings in ginger tea are also a treat, as is the view of Phuket town.
Most unforgettable was a dinner at Panwa House, a magnificently restored Sino-Portuguese house on the palm-strewn beach at Cape Panwa Hotel on the southern tip of the island.  Built on a hill with a panoramic view of the Andaman Sea, this tranquil low-rise hotel boasts a variety of restaurants including Laem Panwa, famous on the island for its succulent and fresh seafood BBQ.
Executive chef Phudon Prachum (who also conducts cooking classes every Friday morning under the palm trees) had prepared a sumptuous banquet which included dishes like Yam Woon Sen (glass noodle salad with minced chicken and shrimps), Choo Chee Goong (curried prawns in creamy coconut milk) and  Pla Krapong Neung Manow (steamed white snapper with chilli, garlic and lime) served with steamed jasmine rice. The very simplicity of the steamed fish with its slightly sour slightly hot sauce was perfect on that warm still night and a tribute to the elegance of Thai cuisine.  As we walked back up the hill to our rooms, we passed a group of revellers at the Bamboo Bar Beach BBQ, all doing their best to support the new government initiative.

Sheridan Rogers was a guest of Cape Panwa Hotel  and flew to Phuket with Jet Star.
Cape Panwa Hotel, 27 Mu 8, Sakdidej Road, Cape Panwa, Phuket
www.capepanwa.com
Email: sales@capepanwa.com

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