PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAMemories of a trip to a Thai restaurant can often be broken into sensual pieces: the tang of tamarind, the aroma of kaffir lime leaves and the sweet-smell of steamed jasmine rice (indigenous to Thailand interestingly enough). Phuket Thai stuns the senses with ingredients that bring authenticity to your Thai experience: pahk chee (cilantro), hand-pounded curry pastes, prik haeng (dried shrimp), pong pa-loh (five-spice powder), prik Thai (Thai pepper), and the divine nahm prik pao (roasted chili paste).
The old and faded exterior conceals the fairly nice interior – carefully folded napkins sitting in wine glasses, a family-friendly restaurant with Thai tapestries colouring the walls. An uncomplicated restaurant with a solid reputation, start with gai hor bi teoy – chicken fillets tumbled in herbs and spices, wrapped in pandan leaf and fried, or tod mun goong – slightly spicy prawn cakes served with cucumber salad and sprinkled with ground peanuts. The masaman curry is especially popular, but venture to sample the pia phud prig khing – fried whole fish in a sauce of coconut milk and a topping of hot chilli. The coconut ice-cream is the star of the desserts menu, homemade and mixed with jackfruit and fresh strawberries.
Jennifer Miller