Phuket Local Foods You Need To Try

A familiar name to those familiar with Chinese cuisine, they are called "Seo Boi" in Phuket and are generally a breakfast dish, enjoyed with a morning coffee. Juan Hieng Dim Sum on Chana-Charoen Road or Boonrat Dim Sum on Dilok-Uthit Road (and also on Chao-fa Tawan-ok Road) are among the best places to find the small individual dishes of various dumplings and preparations.

Mee Sua is a favourite breakfast option in Phuket and is often found sold alongside porridge dishes in restaurants along Dibuk Road in Phuket Old Town. Originally a Hokkien dish, it consists of a very thin variety of salted noodles made from wheat flour, served in a soup with pork. It is found in most Dim Sum restaurants in Phuket.

This is a simple seafood noodle dish, which can be served dry or with a shrimp soup. The ingredient list is similar to that of pad Thai, but a different kind of noodle and a different sauce. Good examples of Mee Chek can be found at Mee Jirayuwat by Phuket Trickeye Musuem or at Mee Somchit in front of the Clock Roundabout in Phuket Town.

Mee Hokkien is probably the most famous of Phuket's local foods, thanks to the success of Mee Ton Pho - the restaurant where it is the star dish, which is found by the Clock Roundabout in Phuket Town as well as near Kathu village. The name literally means "Hokkien-style noodles" and it comes from the Hokkien Chinese. It contains egg noodles fried with eggs, pork or chicken, with soya sauce added to make a thick gravy. It is sometimes served with a raw egg on top and crispy pork skin.

The Lok Tien Food Center near Phuket Old Town is one of the best places to get this fried rice noodle dish. Prepared with black soya sauce and topped with golden fried onions, it is served with a simple pork chop soup.

Being an island, seafood naturally plays a major role in Phuket local foods, which is why O-Tao is simply fried oysters served with yam chips and eggs. It can be best enjoyed at O-Tao Ji Pian near Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation.

A popular breakfast dish, Khanom Jin is a rice noodle dish usually served with spicy curry sauces, fresh vegetables, boiled eggs and Chinese fried bread - good for waking you up in the mornings and leaving you full of energy and ready to go! Being among the most popular ways to start the day, this is widely available, but is especially good at Khwan Khanom Jin on Tung Ka Road.

Similar to Nam Prik Yum in what it contains, Nam Prik Kung Siap is much thicker. It is made from a much thicker paste, with added dried chilli and smoked shrimps. It has a much meatier flavour and is also widely available in Phuket local restaurants.

A spicy sauce made from shrimp paste mixed with more shrimp, red onions, chilli and lemon. Often served with Khanom Jin, it has a tangy and bitter flavour, but makes a nice accompaniment to the plain noodles. It is found in most local restaurants in Phuket.