Ran Thammachat (natural restaurant)

Many restaurants in Phuket entised return visits. Of these 'Ran Thammachat' on Soi Phuton and the 'Hokien Noodle Shop' on the circle fountain roundabout were stand outs.

The relaxed atmosphere of dining in a tree house, with quirky alcoves and tv set fish tanks, makes Ran Thammachat worth a mention; not taking from the food in any way. Served up is traditional Thai fare from all regions; the Tom Yam served in a coconut shell with fresh young flesh was out standing.

A good range of dishes for meat lovers to try:

Duck Larp: Duck mince fried with chilli, lime and roasted rice (served with greens on the side).

Marinated bbq pork neck: A rich, juicy, tender, sticky cut. Lingering smokey flavour left you hankering for more.

Crispy catfish salad: The drying of the fish is a slow drawn out process. Taking days to produce a fluffy, flossy, airy flesh, mellow in flavour for such a strong tasting fish. We were all suprised by this dish, not really knowing what to expect. The texture was crisp, crunchy and slightly chewy. A typical garnish for this dish is mango salad (see LAM bits).

Hor Mok: Steamed fish mousse wrapped in banana leaf (cup like). A light mixture of fish, egg, red curry paste, lime leaf and coconut milk is steamed to a spongy consistancy.

'Hokien Noodle Shop', as the name states, serves up fresh hokien noodles wet or dry. Dry seemed to tickle our fancy and we returned for a daily dose of the hearty goodness.

A noodle dish consisted of; fresh home made noodles, bbq pork, crispy crackling (always the best part and always found at the bottom of the bowl), shrimp, chives and bean sprouts. A good drizzel of soy based malasis gave the noodles the edge. Garnish was always a spoon of black pepper and crushed peanuts. Served on the side was a bowl of lightly prawn flavoured broth, peppery and aromatic.

The shop is the front room of their house complete with family photos and antiques.

Cocktail hour

A trip to the boat harbour sets you among yachts/boats from all around the world. A perfect place to lose yourself with a cocktail.

A trip up the eastern side of phuket island will take you past the boat harbour. Stop into 'Watermark' a pleasant place to sit and enjoy a refreshing cocktail. Rumour has it, the best on Phuket.

We settled in for some classic cocktails with a Thai spin.

Capriosca: 2 shots vodka

3 limes (cut in wedges)

1 tsp palm sugar (however much you'd like)

Add lime wedges and and sugar into cocktail shaker (or glass), crush with pestle until lime juice has released.

Add vodka and crushed ice, mix well and serve.

The Watermark version was very generous on the lime and vodka!

Moscow Mule: 50ml vodka

70ml lime juice

4 lime wedges

1 knob fresh ginger

200ml soda water

sprig of mint

Crush ginger with pestle to break down and release juice. Slightly press mint (stem included).

Mix in a highball glass with ice.

The fresh ginger adds a tangey savoury dimension, making it not as sugary as alot of mules.

"Nuts Anybody, nuts?"

Original, Thai style beer nuts...a tasty treat.

The Thai version of beer nuts incorporates typical Thai flavours:

Roasted peanuts are mixed with a small amount of salt, sugar, chilli, fried kaffir lime (finely sliced), and crisp garlic. Gets the taste buds tingling and the mouth watering!

Green Mango Salad Recipe

The tangy lime dressing was brilliantly mellowed by the creamy, earthiness of roasted cashews. A pleasant surprise, was how well crispy, dehydrated shrimp crunched in the mouth, adding texture and flavour.

Green Mango Salad:

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups shredded green mango

2 chopped chillis

1 tblsp dried shrimp - fried until crispy

1/4 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

2 shallots, finely sliced

1 spring onion, finely sliced

1 kaffir lime, finely sliced

3 celery leaves, roughly torn

Dressing:

30mls lime juice

15mls fish sauce

palm sugar; a good pinch

Method: Combine dressing ingredients and disolve sugar. Mix other ingredients, coat well with dressing.

'Poortong' Restaurant, Phuket.

It is pronounced 'Poortong', but the sign is in Thai script only; on Phuket Rd. Look for the kitchen set up on the footpath and fluorescent lit seating inside. The friendly staff (see LAM Friends), shared a couple of recipes with us..

'Poortong' restaurant serves a good range of authentic Thai food (menu in English and Thai). Check out our acquired recipes for green mango salad (LAM Bits) and steamed clams. If you like it hot, 'Muh Parng'; fried pork in red curry sauce, with beans, chilli, lime leaf, green pepper and tumeric, is a delicious option. It gets all the diners coughing because of the chilli released in the air during cooking.

Steamed Clams:

Ingredients: 220grms fresh clams / mussels

2 tblsp chilli jam (your favourite brand)

4 or 5 kaffir lime leaves

fish sauce; a squirt

basil; to garnish

Method: Throw clams / mussels into a hot wok or pan, add a splash of water. Cover and leave to steam gently, until shells begin to open. Add chilli jam, fish sauce and lime leaves; mix through and simmer for 2 - 3 mins (add more water if required to allow for saucy consistancy). Tear basil and fold through to finish.

Smiles at Poortong Restaurant

Check out the happy staff at Poortong Restaurant, Phuket town. Long hours at work don't seem to dull the spirit here; we always received a warm welcome and big smiles. Combined with sumptuous Thai cuisine, no wonder we kept going back for more!

Along with the super friendly service at 'Poortong', we were often treated to tastes of speciality dishes - including staff meals, which invariably contained an amazing amount of chilli. We were also shown local produce that the cooks thought we may not be familiar with, such as jungle bean. The big chicka let us know that she wants a cooking job in Australia.(see LAM Bits).

Pengman Hotel / Noodle Shop

The Pengman Hotel is attached to the back of a noodle shop in central Phuket town. At 120 Baht (AUD$4) a room, it definitely rates a mention in Cattle Class...

Pengman Hotel (Phang-Nga Rd. Phuket town): It's reasonable accommodation (if you can deal with living in a box-like room with a fan) and it's 'convenience plus', with a handy location and a decent feed available downstairs ( the noodles are pretty good and the satay very tasty). The owner of the 'Pengman' has' excessive compulsive' disorder when it comes to cleaning the communal bathrooms, which is a relief, considering the favoured spot for drying the chillis out...

Phuket town

Phuket town is a pleasant surprise; it has an authentic Thai atmosphere with Chinese influence. Though the beach hubs on the island (such as Patong), are an example of the generic tourist beat, the town itself has retained it's heritage.

The backstreets of Phuket have much to offer; narrow streets with Chinese lanterns, old style coffee shops, noodle bars, street stalls and fantastic shopping for textile lovers (fabrics are sourced from all over Asia). It is satisfying to wander and make your own discoveries, especially in regard to food, as the cheap eat options are many and varied (see LAM Bits).

To our eyes, no physical effects of the tsunami were evident. The reminder of the tragedy lies in the many 'evacuation route' signs that have been erected and of course, the emotional recovery continues for the people. We didn't raise the topic with the locals we met casually, but on a couple of occasions, they reflected on their experience.