I spent just under a week in Phuket. Like Koh Samui, Phuket is really a beach destination. I stayed at the newly opened Crowne Plaza at Panwa.
Infinity pool at the Crowne Plaza, Phuket
Most of my time in Phuket was spent on the beach, eating seafood (which as you might imagine is really very good) and taking a long boat “down the islands”. I tended to sit at the front of the boat (bow), which really is the most exciting ride.
On the way to the islands just off of Phuket, with Thasanee and her mother
View of the long boat from the island
While I was there, I met a Thai chef, Thasanee, with whom I worked, at Jean Georges’ “V” and “Rama” restaurants in London. I hadn’t seen her since 2005 and this was a great coincidence. We took the opportunity to hang out and catch up on what we have been doing and the chefs we worked with.
Thasanee and her mother
We ate dinner at a casual open air seafood restaurant just outside of the aquarium.
Dockside seafood restaurant
One of my favourite dishes there was deep fried breaded butter fish with mango salad. I include a recipe below:
Deep fried butter fish with mango salad
Mango salad
Mango salad ingredients:
2 pinches of salt
6 bird’s eye chillies (scuds) – green and red
3 tablespoons white sugar
9 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons palm sugar
4 tablespoons fish sauce
Dried shrimp – 2-3 T (if you are allergic to shrimp, just leave this ingredient out and adjust fish sauce)
Green mango – julienned
2 small tomatoes or 8-10 cherry tomatoes (chopped or quartered if using cherry tomatoes)
3 red shallots (small round shallots found in Thailand – they are slightly sweet)
2 T peanuts
Small bunch of coriander leaves
Fish ingredients:
Butter fish – 3 medium, filleted.
Seasoned flour
1-2 eggs
Dry breadcrumbs
Method:
Chop the shallots and chillies finely. Lightly pound in mortar and pestle and add to the liquid ingredients, salt and sugars. Mix well.
Lightly crush the dried shrimp and soak in the dressing made in step 1, until soft. Some recipes suggest pounding the shrimp to a paste but I think it is nice to have integral pieces of shrimp. They must be well softened though.
Mix the dressing with the julienned green mango and add the tomatoes. Let sit for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, dip the fish fillets in seasoned flour, beaten egg and then breadcrumbs. Deep fry until crisp on the outside, in hot oil at 180C.
Finish the salad with roasted peanuts and top with fresh coriander leaves.
Serve the salad with the deep fried fish.
Well, that’s the end of my Thailand journey for now. My next post will be from Australia, as I am off to Melbourne to watch Serena!
Greedy Gyal 
Making me wish I was there.