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One of the real highlights of any trip to Thailand
is the food. Once tasted, it is easy to understand why Thai cuisine
has gained such worldwide popularity in recent years and you should
definitely take the opportunity to experience it as often as you
can whilst in Phuket
. . . especially buffets.
The pleasure of eating Thai food is the great variety of taste,
the exotic aromas plus all the herbs and spices that go into even
a simple dish. Whether chilli hot or comparatively mild, harmony
is the guiding principle behind each dish. The ideal Thai meal is
a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet and the sour
and is meant to be equally satisfying to the eye, nose and palate.
A typical meal might then include soup; a steamed dish; a fried
dish, a spicy salad or curry and a variety of sauces into which
the food is dipped (accompanied generally by steamed rice of course).
This feast is then followed by a Thai dessert or fresh fruit. Of
course, to ensure that you have the wide range of choices needed
to decide for yourself, a buffet at one of Phuket's many hotels
and restaurants is a very good option indeed. You can then savour
the wide variety of flavours on offer and decide which combinations
suit you the best. The choice may seem daunting at first, as can
Thai food in general, to the uninitiated, but with perseverence
you can always find what suits. Recommended action is to take as
wide a selection as possible.
The beauty is that you can return to the buffet as often
as you like: take a plate of seafood, then some curry, rice . .
. whatever you wish to try. It won't take long before you realise
what your preference is. At lunch buffets such as the Metropole
Hotel in Phuket
Town, the variety on offer is wide and the staff willing to suggest
choices. Manager Khun Naruepon is also always willing to help with
your selection from the wide variety of Thai cuisine (Japanese and
European dishes are on offer as well).
In Phuket,
as in the whole of Southern Thailand, the cuisine is greatly influenced
by the abundance of fresh seafood available. Seafood, southern style,
is unique and often served barbecued or cooked with a combination
of herbs and spices such as lemon grass, chillies, mint, basil and
coriander. Most buffets will include the option of barbecued, steamed
or roasted seafood.
The Thai people love to eat, and you will rarely be more than five
minutes from a place serving food in Phuket. There is no lack of
restaurants across the island ranging from the simple and inexpensive
to the more opulent, where you will encounter well-prepared, beautifully-presented
dishes and good service.
Perhaps the best way to sample a greater variety of Thai dishes,
however, is to indulge yourself at one of the lunch buffets on offer
in many of the hotels around the island. Ask the staff for their
recommendation for the day, or just practise putting combinations
together until you find the most pleasing one for your taste buds.
Bon Appetit
Our recommendations for lunch buffets:
The Metropole Hotel, 1 Soi Surin, Montri Rd, Phuket Town. Tel: 215
050. The Metropole Cafe buffet lunch, on the second floor of the
hotel, is open from 11.30am to 2pm. The cost is Bht199 per person.
Thainaan Restaurant, 16 Vichitsongkram Rd, A. Muang. Tel: 226 164.
Buffet open from 11am to 2pm. Bht180 per person
(For other suggestions, please contact your guest relations desk.)
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