Guide to Phuket's Michelin

A trip to Thailand, Bangkok is always on the top of our minds whenever time allows. Yet choosing places other than Bangkok is very rare. With another long weekend to look forward to, our first choice was to go to Thailand, but this time we wanted something new to us.

We chose Phuket, the island destination of Thailand that got popular in 1990s. It is the biggest island of Thailand and has a long history of Sino-Portuguese Trade; thus the Old Phuket town has a distinct architecture of that era.

There are a lot of beaches and coves where you can do water activities. Island-hopping is a must where you can find the spherical small island that was a backdrop of a famous action thriller movie, James Bond. There is also a lot  of tourist attractions on the island like Thai boxing, the Elephant Farm, Bird Park and even a Tiger Park.

Unbeknownst to many, Phuket is also a haven for foodies because the island has a number of Michelin restaurants be it Star, Guide, Gourmand or Bib — over 50 of them!

Since it rained on our first day, we decided to explore some of the island’s Michelin-recommended restaurants.

The Charm Dining Gallery

First on the agenda was The Charm Dining Gallery. The restaurant is located in one of the shophouses that lined the Old Town. The feel is “old Phuket” where the family gathers every weekend for a home-cooked meal.

The restaurant is famous for its Moo Hong, a Phuket-style braised pork popular all over the island. It tastes almost like our adobo but on the sweet side. The usual Thai food is served in plates reminiscent of that bygone era, tins and old ceramic plates adorned with red roses. The oyster cake, my personal favorite, is good and the sauteed morning glory is just as good.

Dining in The Charm really felt like you were eating in a traditional Thai home. The restaurant was recognized by Michelin in 2019.

Jaras

As we went for a night out, we chose a club near our hotel — the only branch of the original Café del Mar in Ibiza. As we arrived too early for our reservation and not having dinner yet, we found ourselves in the neighboring hotel, Intercontinental Phuket.

This hotel has a Michelin Guide restaurant named Jaras. It serves Southern Thai Cuisine combining ancient and new cooking techniques with roots of Peranakan cuisine influence on Phuket.

All their 19 partner farms are from the Southern region. The restaurant is also “Habitat Concious” having collaborated with the World Wildlife Fund and Alternative Agriculture Networks in undertaking field research aimed at identifying underutilized and overabundant plant species that surpass market demand. Talk about surplus to nature’s balance! For a start, this restaurant has an environment-conscious mission.

We ordered Giean Thod Phuket, fresh crab meat, minced chicken mangrove fan palm shoots, taro and yam seasoned with oyster sauce with a distinctive Phuket tajiew sauce wrapped in delicate tofu sheets, as was suggested by the server.

We also got Grilled Fish with Tao Eiw sauce and young malinjo leaves with dried shrimps, crispy garlic and oyster sauce. Our night has a surprise and it was just starting. After dinner, we partied the night away at Cafe del Mar.

Kruvit Raft

The next day, we traveled one hour and a half away from the hotel in search of Kruvit Raft, a restaurant floating in the shallow sea as suggested by a famous chef, Marion Grasby. It is truly out of the way and frequented by the locals.

Upon arriving at the little port, we were transported by a long tail boat (courtesy of Kruvit Raft), an iconic boat known for its distinctive long tail propeller.

We ordered papaya salad, squid rings and a humungous steamed fish good for almost four persons. The food was fresh and delightful.

Blue Elephant

On our last day, we chose the Blue Elephant Restaurant. The one and only branch of the original Blue Elephant Restaurant in Bangkok and a Michelin Restaurant since 2024.

The restaurant is known for its royal Thai cuisine and has been an ambassador for Thai cuisine for decades. It is situated in a preserved century-old mansion in the outskirts of Patong.

We ordered crab cakes with pomelo salad on the side, the obligatory Phad Thai and Bespoke Massaman lamb, their signature curry.

Their Phad Thai is different from the north of the country as the noodles are stickier than usual. The Massaman Lamb was divine. I love lamb as it is, but cooking it in massaman curry elevated the lamb meat even more.

We never imagined our Phuket trip to become a food crawl. In the end, nature gave us the hint on what to do in Phuket other than the usual nightlife, animal parks and beach. There are more Michelin restaurants to visit so we will make plans to visit Phuket, again.