Dining in Phuket, Thailand

THAILAND FOODS

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.

RECOMMENDED DINING & RESTAURANTS

AMPHOE MUAGN

Ban Saeng Duan 27 Chana Charoen, Amphoe Mueang, Phuket *Muslim Tel :: 076- 217598 European Food 15-7 Thalang Road, Amphoe Mueang, Phuket *Western Tel :: 076-21 2611 Forturna Pavilion Montri Road, Amphoe Mueang, Phuket *Chinese Tel :: 076-215050 Laem Thong 31-39 Opposite Thawon Grand Plaza, Amphoe Mueang, Phuket *Chinese, Seafood Tel :: 076-211269, 076-210609

Lai An Lao 58 Ratsada Road, Amphoe Mueang, Phuket *Thai, Chinese, Western Tel :: 076-211245, 076-222203 Mae Phon Phangnga Road, Amphoe Mueang, Phuket *Thai, Chinese, Western Tel :: 076-212106 Thai Nan 16 Wichit Songkhram Road, Amphoe Mueang, Phuket *Thai -Chinese –Japanese Tel :: 076-226164 -- 7 Thung Kha Café Khao Rang, Amphoe Mueang, Phuket Tel :: 076-211500

AMPHOE KRATHU

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 Sea Hag Café 89/128 Soi Phoem Phong (Thai) , PHUKET The Islander 94/27 Soi Patong Resort (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 Trottoria-Pizzaria-Paperino 84/22 Soi Saen Sabai (Italian), PHUKET