Fah Thai Magazine May June 2018

HAPPENINGS
THAILAND
PHUKET
SPOTLIGHT
Charm of a Restaurant
UNESCO’s recognition of
Phuket as a City of Gastronomy
recently spurred increased
interest among the local and
international crowd for the
city’s local cuisines, especially
Peranakan food. The latest
addition to an already vibrant
and varied food scene is
‘The Charm,’ a traditional
restaurant in Phuket Old Town
that features rarely found
homemade Peranakan recipes.
These have been gathered by
the owner’s family by watching
and learning over time in
their ancestors’ kitchens.
The traditional fusion
cuisine itself has a long
heritage that traces
back to early Chinese
migrants who settled in
Malaysia, Singapore and
Indonesia. Distinctively
influenced and tasty
dishes once exclusively
prepared in the homes
of Phuket natives are now
served to diners to satisfy
inquisitive palates. Gaeng Tu
Mee or Muslim-inspired fish
curry, the unfamiliar delicacy
of Gaeng Plaa Ama (Ama’s
style fish curry) requiring a
good quality sesame oil, or the
Hainanese-style pork steak that
used to be a favourite among
Western engineers working
Phuket’s mines back in the day;
all are usually hard to find in a
restaurant. Diners should not
miss the signature dessert of
Koi Taa Lam, a Phuket delicacy
of pandanus-infused custard
served in a modern style. Open
Tuesday - Sunday: 11am - 10pm,
93 Deebuk Road, Amphur Muang,
Phuket, +66 (0) 96 998 9244
WORKING THE LAND IN PHUKET
If you’re looking for a change from
Phuket’s beaches, just a few kilometres
north of Phuket Old Town sits Vanich
Farm where you can learn about the
farming life. Gain insight on how rice is
grown, cook Thai dishes and even get up
close and personal with water buffalos,
the farmer’s trusty companion in the rice
paddy. While Vanich farm dedicates a
large part of the land to growing sweet
corn, their rice paddy complete with
tractors and farm animals sets this place
apart from other destinations in Phuket.
Visitors can come in and take a stroll
before retreating to a farm-to-table
meal at Barn Café where recommended
dishes include a Mulberry Salad and of course, corn soup. Those
determined to know more can sign up for packaged tours with
offers of educational experiences, like the hands-on planting of
rice seedlings in the comfortable outfit of a farmer’s ‘morhom’
shirt, cropped pants and protective straw hat. Workshops on how
to make salted eggs, and how to maintain a worm farm are also
interesting choices. Open daily: 10am - 6pm, 19/540 Rassada Road,
Amphur Muang, Phuket, +66 (0) 98 671 2168, vanichfarm.com
KNOWING MEE
Phuket always has its own local
interpretation of staple foods. An
example is the ubiquitous rice
vermicelli known as ‘sen mee’ in
other parts of Thailand but in Phuket,
it’s known as ‘mee hun’. Enjoying this
thinner strand of rice noodle requires
a quick trip to Talad Lor Rong food
court a few kilometres away from
Phuket Town. Expect mee hun noodles
in Phuket to be served with crabmeat
curry or stir-fried and served with pork
rib soup. When ordering mee hun,
this widely-used name brings to mind
that the beloved noodle should be
blanched until perfectly al dente and
served with myriad dishes.
Mee hun is cooked up differently
and also has the novelty of being
called a ‘mee Thai.’ Although a lesser
known name of the rice noodle, mee
Thai is great for those who love a
meatless dish. The noodle strands
get stir-fried with coconut cream
until fragrant, served with crunchy
beansprouts, julienned cucumber
and chopped chives with super
delicious results. Staple condiments
include toasted dried chillies and
maybe a spoonful of sugar. It’s a
great afternoon munch. Talad Lor
Rong is also the place you can find
other indigenous Phuket snacks, such
as their famous spring rolls and rice
pancakes called ‘A Pong.’ Ranong Road,
Amphur Muang, Phuket, open daily
(except Tuesdays): 11am - 3pm,
+66 (0) 86 814 9772
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