There are many amazing restaurants to eat at in Phuket, and what I really like is that there is such a wide variety of food available. Phuket has had many influences over the years, from the Portuguese to Chinese, and so it has created a unique and appetizing set of cuisine available. But still, one of my favorite styles of Phuket food is local Malay style food. Located right across the street from one of the main markets in the city is a restaurant called Krua Charifa (ครัวชารีฟ๊ะฮ์) that serves an array of Halal Thai food.
When I walked into the restaurant I immediately got a whiff of curry leaves, a leaf that smells exactly like a pungent pot of curry. In Thai they are called bai mui (ใบหมุย), and from that aroma I knew they were going to serve good food. Curry leaves in Thailand are quite rare to find, only occasionally available in the south, but mostly I’ve tried them in Sri Lanka and Malaysia, used in south Indian cooking. Anyway, when I walked into Krua Charifa (ครัวชารีฟ๊ะฮ์), the smell of curry leaves took over my nostrils and I could wait to order and eat. The restaurant is a khao gaeng restaurant, meaning they have rice and curry. All the dishes are pre-made ahead of time, and you just walk up to the front of the restaurant and see what’s available and then order what looks the best.
The first food I ordered was gaeng gari pla (แกงกะหรี่ปลา), a type of curry with fish, and that’s where the curry leaves were coming from. The curry was a little on oily side, but wow was it incredibly well flavored. I could taste the turmeric and the blend of dry spices, and the fish was soft and filled with flavor too. The curry leaves came in strongly and what I really loved in the curry were the pieces of eggplant that were filled with the curry sauce. It’s easily one of the best tasting versions of gaeng gari pla (แกงกะหรี่ปลา) that I’ve had in a long time. Along with the gaeng gari pla (แกงกะหรี่ปลา), I got a plate of pad ped pla kraben (ผัดเผ็ดปลากระเบน), a style of southern Thai curry that’s fried with curry paste. This version was made with stingray, which is commonly found in the south of Thailand as well as in Malaysia and Singapore. Stingray has a very firm texture almost like chicken breast. It was very good and the flavor was again filled with spice and delicious. The final food we ordered at Krua Charifa (ครัวชารีฟ๊ะฮ์) was Yam Phuket (ยำภูเก็ต) a Phuket style salad. The salad included small fried fish, fried coconut, and then slices of green mango. It was another excellent dish. Everything we ate was wonderful.
If you’re looking for local Malay Phuket food that’s also Halal, when you’re in Phuket Town, this is a wonderful place to eat. Here are the details:
Address: 113 Tilok Utis 2 Road, Muang, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Phone number: 076-221908
Open hours: 8 am – 4 pm daily
Prices: Our total meal cost 220 THB, so each dish is about 50 – 60 THB
ที่อยู่ ถนนดิลกอุทิศ2 ต.ตลาดใหญ่ อ.เมือง จ.ภูเก็ต
ทร. 076-221908
เปิดบริการทุกวัน 8.00 – 16.00 น.
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Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network
By Mark Wiens and Ying Wiens: http://migrationology.com/blog & http://www.eatingthaifood.com/ & http://www.travelbyying.com/
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