If you are on your way to visit Thailand, and if you happen to be a foodie and love experimenting with your food choices, then you better not skip visiting Phuket. Phuket happens to be a small island which is situated off Thailand’s mainland. Trust me when I tell you this, this place is a definite dream come true for any foodie out there.
This brilliant island has a ton to offer in terms of the sheer variety that you can find here. Its not just the food that has varieties, but even the food experiences one can engage on this island. Be it delicious street food served by the locals to some of the best fine dining restaurants one can find in the world, Phuket plays host to everything.
So how was Phuket for me you ask? Well if the above descriptions were not enough, then let us have a look at some of the most amazing experiences I had here, shall we? Before we go ahead with that though, I HAVE to give credit to GoAir, Thailand Tourism and Accor group of hotels in helping me make this trip one of the best trips ever! If it hadn’t been for them, I would never have been able to have the experiences that I had here.
The Street Food:
The amazing multicultural aspect that Phuket is so famous for is definitely something that can be felt when you are busy tasting the amazing street food that the island has to offer. You will literally be able to find a ton of street food all across Phuket, and because there is also such a vast variety available, you could even end up missing out on some of these foods too. So, just in case you would like to know what you really should NOT miss out on, have a looksie at some of the amazing delicacies I had the opportunity to try.
You can literally find anything and everything to eat on the streets of Phuket, and when I had my usual coffee craving, what could have been a better sight for me than this brilliant bottle of cold americano with just the right dash of sweetness to it? Well, definitely a must grab when you are tired and just want something to lift you up and leave you feeling full of energy. This little bottle was definitely a go to for me!
Who doesn’t love desserts now, because I sure do! Of course, being the (sometimes) irritating health freak that I am, I do prefer that my plateful of dessert comes with its fair share of health benefits. The added benefit of it being delicious and absolutely decadent is ALWAYS welcome, obviously! And this is where this amazing combination of a roasted banana and coconut milk dip gave me absolute goals!
Let us now get down to even more authentically Phuket-bound food now shall we? Say hello to the amazing food street on Patong beach area! This is THE paradise on earth for everything street! From indulging in the most amazing and authentic Thai steamed dumplings also known as Kanom Jeeb and the Moo Ping i.e. the Pork Satay to the delicious Khao Pad that is the thai fried rice and the Pancake roti, you cannot go wrong with the kind of street food you get to indulge in on this amazing island!
Another brilliant food that you can and should look into are the Pad Thai Noodles which have pretty much become popular all over the world already! These amazing fried noodles made up of rice noodles, eggs, tofu, garlic, shallots, dried shrimp and fish sauce, though originated in China have now come to be known as one of the most famous Thai dishes one can indulge in. They are often served with peanuts and lime wedges by the side. An amazingly simple yet filling and delicious dish and true indulgence! DO NOT skip eating this wonderful dish!
The barbeque at the weekend market is another place where you can satisfy your taste for some of the best sea food that you could have ever asked for or even tasted. The flavour of the barbequed food is wonderfully smoky and deep and I honestly feel like barbequeing sea-food might just be the way to go about cooking it. Not only do the flavours come out shiningly, but even the cooking of the sea-food is on-point! Absolutely one of the best places I have had sea-food at, till date!
Ok, so this may not be quintessentially Thai to begin with, but I did get to try the chicken shawarma that was truly delectable and punched my face with amazing flavours, in the best possible way that one can imagine! I definitely swear by the one I had at Al Hallab, without even a second thought! Do make sure that you try it out!
Let us talk about the Pancake or Roti now, shall we? When it comes to Phuket, the pancake might just be the number 1 dessert option that locals like to indulge in, so there is not way that you should not give it a try either. One can either opt for the use of condensed milk, Nutella, chocolate or even banana! A true delicacy that I could not keep my hands off of! Guilty as charged!
The street also does have quite a few options for health conscious folks when it comes to desserts! Say hello to the many fruit vendors that you can come in touch with when you are looking to try street food! Give the more controversial fruits like the Durian or even the Jackfruit a try!
Restaurants
Phuket is not just about amazing street food, but it also has some of the best restaurants that one can indulge in! This for example, the Mook Manee Seafood restaurant is definitely one of them. Here one can easily get the best raw seafood thatone can find and get it cooked according to one’s taste and just enjoy! The best part? The sea-food here is sold at a per kg rate! From prawns, scallops, snail to lobsters, mantis shrimps you can literally find everything here! I chose to get the prawns cooked in butter garlic & have the snails roasted! It was truly heaven!
One can also find some amazingly wonderful sushi on conveyer belt serving! How cool is that!
Other things to try in Phuket:
The macaroons are out of this world without a doubt specifically the butterscotch ones and even the chocolate hazelnut ones. There are a lot of beautiful farmhouses on the island and when you decide to visit one you are given the best kind of welcome including being welcomed with the freshest of pineapples one can have!
There are also plenty of 7x11s across the island so you can even pick up a snack or two on the road when you cannot find anything to eat or you are just craving for some good old combination of peanuts and anchovy!
Phuket is a world of its own when it comes to the sheer variety of food that it brings to its tourist population by the amazing local population! AN absolute haven for food lovers, I would definitely urge every one of you to visit this brilliant island at least once in your life time to have one of the best food experiences ever!
