Restaurant Tip: Moo Grob Khun Yai

Oh yes, time for another little local restaurant treat! Forget those fancy places, they're out of my budget! All the restaurant guides I read feature the same old places, all of which will cost an arm and a leg, though I am sure plenty of people love an expensive meal with sauce "drizzled" artistically across the plate... The restaurant section on this blog does not feature too many fancy restaurants. Partly because we are not rich and partly because we feel more comfortable in a more local setting without art deco meals. And .. if you want real local food, you find this in LOCAL restaurants where LOCAL people eat. Food is quite a personal issue, so if you disagree with me, no worries, go find your own favorite place!

Moo Grob (หมูกรอบ) is a bit of a special thing... it's crispy pork belly, and if it's done well, it's crispy, crunchy, crackly, yet retains some soft meat and a little fat, (oh, if you are vegetarian, this place is not for you!) - Moo Grob can be too soft sometimes, or too fatty or too meaty.. I mean, Moo Grob lovers will have their own style, but what I am saying is, Moo Grob is an art. And Tik, the owner of Moo Grob Khun Yai is the artist. The restaurant is on the road between Central Festival mall and Phuket Town, on the left side as you head into town. Looks like this:



We've known Tik for some years. Her son was in the same class as our daughter at school, but he moved to another school where Tik's husband is a teacher. We'd not been for ages, but met Tik and her son Kane a couple of weeks ago (in Pizza Company, yeh, I know, you own a restaurant and your kid wants to go eat pizza), so we went to eat at her place the next day. The restaurant was run by her mother before her - "Khun Yai" means Grandmother. This is Tik .... she's a happy smiley person :)



The menu in this restaurant is basically 4 different options. You have Khao Moo Grob (rice with crispy pork), Khao Moo Daeng (rice with red pork), Khao Man Gai (rice with chicken) and Khao Ka Moo (rice with a kind of stewed pork leg). Or you can mix up the meats. You can get the dishes as a small portion (which is called Tama Da) or large portion (for this you ask for Pee Set). Don't be asking for fried rice or anything else. These 4 dishes are among the most popular simple meals all over Thailand. If you can't guess, my favourite is Moo Grob :) Tik makes it herself from pieces of pork belly, carefully grilled. Looks like this, hanging up at the front of the restaurant:



Then Tik slices off a section - note use of plastic gloves... my wife is quite picky with little local restaurants, they are not all this clean!



And the slice of pork is cut into smaller pieces, piled on some rice and that's it! On the table are some different sauces, a mix of sweet and spicy, which you can "drizzle" onto your pork. Big plate = 45 Baht, small plate = 35 Baht. The Moo Daeng is the same price. On this day I had one plate of each.





I am hungry now just looking at the photos! It's not just meat, you do get a small plate of greens with the meal too and a little bowl of clear soup. And you can get an ice tea or ice coffee for 10-15 Baht, or just drink water (drinking water and ice is normally free with meals at this kind of restaurant).



Don't get me wrong, Phuket has got some very (very) nice restaurants, with 5 star food and wine lists to match. And there are websites which happily let these places advertise. On this blog, you see the places where I eat, or where my family eats. And if you want the "real" Phuket... this is it! Damn, I fancy a plate of Moo Grob now!

Some more Phuket restaurants to get good local food:

• Laem Hin Seafood
• Tunk Ka Cafe
• Rimtang
• Kopitiam in Phuket Town
• Pak Nam Seafood

Moo Grob Khun Yai - Location Map


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A walk up Monkey Hill

On late Sunday afternoon after a hot day, and a couple of hours working in the garden, I decided that my original plan to drive to Cape Phromthep and hike down the path to the very end of Phuket was not going to happen due to an onset of laziness. Still can't believe I have never done that after 11 years here! So we took a vague drive into Phuket Town with the idea of a little walk somewhere and maybe an early dinner at Dairy Hut (a restaurant near the Bangkok-Phuket International Hospital which normally has live music at the weekend).

We actually thought of heading for a drive around Sirey Island, but it was getting late, and Sirey is on the far east side of town... we instead headed to the north side of town and the hill which most people call Monkey Hill, although it's really called Khao To Sae. We'd not been here for a while.. could have been a couple of years actually. There is a narrow road right to the top where you find many TV aerials. The monkeys are also nearer the top, where we have been before - this photo taken in 2007:



This time we drove as far as the shrine - a very interesting little place which I'd like to know more about. The shrine is called Chao Por To Sae.. I need to ask my wife to research a little with some Thai Google searches. The shrine features tigers and monkeys. It's built into the hillside surrounded by tropical foliage.



Tigers roam outside guarding the shrine. Inside at the very back of the wall are 3 figures which are called To Sae Kao, To Sae Daeng and To Sae Dam. (Kao = White; Daeng = Red; Dam = Black). Although it appears to be a Buddhist or Chinese shrine, the figures all have the Islamic crescent and star on the wall behind them. Interesting place. A girl came to say prayers while we were there.



Meanwhile my son was more interested in posing with the many tiger images outside the shrine. The whole shrine is full of tigers, this one being the scariest:



We had no plan to walk to the very top of the hill, that would be foolhardy! We just walked up until we found a view. A little exercise before dinner. Many local people come here to walk, ride bikes or run. The road is quite steep, so even a gentle walk is enough to burn a few calories. These guys were being more energetic, and with all their huffing and puffing still managed a smile :)



Some way below the "monkey line" we stopped where a gap in the trees allowed views to the east and south. A good place to stop and pose for photos. A number of other people had the same idea. One man was taking photos of his dog. One tree covered hillside looked almost autumnal...



And the same photo with some messing around on Photoshop:



Good for the kids to get some exercise too. Kids these days are easily distracted by their Nintendo games or watching movies or (God forbid!) reading books... we try to keep our kids active physically and mentally. Not too much.. keep it enjoyable. Now follows one of my favourite photos ever. Our kids. You want to know about my life in Phuket - this is it.



And another favourite. Earlier the same day, my daughter and I had been having a long discussion argument about the value of reading books. Not cartoon books, but real books with words. I think that this day was important in my daughter's life. In the last few days since this walk she has read Alice in Wonderland which starts rather wonderfully with Alice stating that she does not like books without pictures. I called my daughter "Alice" for a couple of days. Anyway, here she is with her mum, enjoying each others company, walking back down Monkey Hill.



I remember when we last came, a restaurant was being built just below the shrine, not so far up the hill but still quite a good viewpoint. The restaurant is now open, it's called "Green Forest" and we will go back sometime - just stopped for a drink this time. The menu was full of local food - a lot of salads and seafood. Looks good.



Update 2012 - Green Forest Restaurant now blogged!



The view above looking to the southeast across Phuket Town from the restaurant. You can see the Royal Phuket City Hotel and the Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel and behind that is Khao Khad hill and view point. Although I live here, sometimes the time is limited for exploring (yeh, I have a job working 6 days a week). Nice to revisit a place and find that there might be a good meal waiting in the future! We do try to get out and explore on days off but some days we have work to do around the house, feel lazy and just head somewhere local. Phuket has enough little places of interest that we can keep going back and there's always something new to see.

Monkey Hill - Location Map


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The Phuket "3 Beaches" Viewpoint

Phuket, in case you don't know, is full of hills. The highest point in Phuket is over 500m above sea level (I hiked up there a while back), while the Big Buddha sits over 400m above sea level. Around the coast, the roads wind up and down the hills, sometimes climbing up from sea level to give great views. Phuket has many viewpoints, some with names, some without, but the best known and most visited is the 3 Beaches Viewpoint, also called Kata Viewpoint, though the sign by the road says "Karon Viewpoint". And the view is indeed a good one...



I stopped here on the way home from work one day last week... well, not exactly on the way home - a detour needed, but the weather was perfect and I reckoned sunset here would be worth seeing. On the way from Kata you pass the well known "After Beach Bar" which hangs over Kata Noi beach along with several other copycat bars which have sprung up over the years. I want to stop here one evening for a sunset beer and some photos. It's begging to be blogged.

At the viewpoint, there is parking and pathways and a couple of shaded buildings, and some stalls selling food, drinks and such. There are views to the north across the beaches - see photo above. The nearest is Kata Noi, then Kata, and then Karon. Contrary to rumour you cannot see Patong from here. if you turn your head slightly to the north east, you look across the hills and can see the Big Buddha.



Lots of people were there on the evening when I stopped. A party of Swedes had brought wine with them to toast the view, nice. I heard French being spoken, German, Thai of course, and (yes, they are here) Russian. A lot of them about these days, but apart from the language problems the Russian tourists here seem to be well behaved and not deserving of any bad press. And, well ....



She noticed that I was sneaking a few photos.. he didn't thankfully :) Hope he doesn't read my blog. Anyway - the viewpoint, a nice place to get a nice photo of your loved ones. The evening light on a nice sunny day is great. There are plenty of great sea views along the west coast. One of these days I'd like to do a drive all the way up the coast taking photos. Phuket has a beautiful coastline.. especially in between the beaches where rocky headlands jut into the ocean.



Above - the 3 beaches (Kata Noi, Kata, Karon) from the viewpoint just before sunset. As the sun dropped, it was pretty much hidden from view behind some trees. I walked down the path next to the little shops just to the right of the trees to try and snap a view of the sun sinking over the sea... must buy a tripod sometime. The evening was quite hazy as a couple of fishing boats passed in the distance.



Nice view at any time of day from this viewpoint, but it's certainly a good spot for sunset.. or maybe just before sunset and then drive back to the bars overlooking Kata Noi. Easy to get to if you're staying around Kata or Karon Beaches.

The Phuket Viewpoint (Karon Viewpoint) - Location Map


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More hills and viewpoints in Phuket:

• The Big Buddha
• Radar Hill
• Khao Khad Viewpoint
• Phuket Hills and Views

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Phuket Fantasea

I never thought we'd visit Phuket Fantasea. But now we have and, despite my continuing aversion to anything over-commercial, we will probably visit again. Phuket Fantasea is the biggest, most overtly touristy attraction in Phuket. I probably don't need to explain what it is - a huge theme park with a huge stage show, a huge buffet restaurant and plenty of shops to tempt people into spending more than just the entry fee. Phuket Fantasea opened in 1998 and is certainly one of Phuket's main tourist attractions.. and just the kind of thing that normally would not be on this blog! I like to concentrate more on the other Phuket, away from the crowds, and I am not sure if we'd have ever bought tickets to Phuket Fantasea, but then.. a couple of months ago we got a letter from our kids school - a special afternoon show for schools, special price too. Our kids would have been disappointed, so we ticked the "yes" box on the letter.

Our experience, starting on a hot afternoon, would be slightly different to most visitors. The normal show starts at 9pm. Gates open before 6pm, as there is also a buffet dinner. You can buy tickets with or without dinner. We of course had no dinner but there were some special stalls set up for drinks and snacks for the kids (and their parents!). Most of the shops and other attractions outside the main show hall, aka Palace of the Elephants, were not open, but had opened up by the time we left, just as the first tourists were arriving for the evening dinner and show.



(above) - Palace of the Elephants as we saw it... but if you go at night, it might look more like the photo below. Thanks to Phuket Fantasea for permission to use this photo and the photos of the show.



We were leaving just as darkness began to fall. The lights and the night gave the place a more magical feeling. In the heat of the afternoon as we waited for our tickets and queued to enter I had wondered if the show would be worth it! The Palace of the Elephants is quite impressive though, and the queue sends you through several checkpoints along hallways of stone. Please note - you can NOT take a camera into the show, or certainly you can NOT take photos in the show. Cameras have to be left at a checkpoint to be collected later. We took some photos before and after the show outside. I did not take my camera, but our daughter had her little Sony. She kept this in her bag but could not resist trying to take a photo during the show. Camera police were on her in seconds. We got the camera back after the show.

The show at Phuket Fantasea. The theater seats 3,000 people. The stage is about 40 meters wide. There are hundreds of performers in the show. I was not sure what to expect. Tacky or Impressive? Being a cynic, I was expecting something less than amazing, so I was happy to be wrong. The show lasts over one hour with song and dance from different regions of Thailand woven into a tale of the "Kingdom of Kamala". There are animals, acrobats, fireworks. From the first minute I think I realised.. this is not tacky, this is a good show.



It helped to be sitting with our kids. There was a lot of "Look at that, daddy!" - acrobats swung overhead several times, and elephants were a big feature. Lots of elephants... I have to mention that some people worry about the treatment of animals in a show such as this. I have seen elephants in my travels, I have seen unhappy elephants. Well, what do I know, but the elephants in the Fantasea show looked happy to be there!



So, having avoided Phuket Fantasea for more than 10 years, I ended up enjoying the show. I'd say the kids enjoyed it more - a "magical" kingdom can be truly magical in the eyes of a child. As we left the theater, everything was opening up outside. Some cheap food had been laid on for us poor parents and school kids (fried rice). If you visit Fantasea you can buy a ticket including a buffet in the huge Golden Kinnaree restaurant, or you can eat elsewhere and get there in time for the show. Our kids were very happy that evening.



There are many things to see before or after the show, and shops to spend money. There is a room full of fairground stalls like the target practice that our daughter is attempting below. There's also a hall called the "Tiger Jungle Adventure" full of animals such as tropical birds and a rather sad looking tiger who was pacing up and down in his enclosure.



If we go again, it will be for a proper evening show. We'd skip the dinner, but it does not add to much onto the overall price so I think most people go for the whole deal. One thing you should note, Phuket Fantasea is located on the north end of Kamala beach, about a 20 minute drive from Patong, can take well over half an hour from Kata or Karon beaches. They will arrange pick ups for people (extra cost). Any travel agent sells tickets - you can book Fantasea with Easy Day Thailand. Did we enjoy? Yes we did. I shouldn't be such a cynic.



Phuket Fantasea - Location Map


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Krua Maireab Restaurant

Update 2012 January - this restaurant is no longer there. Shame! But this is the kind of place you should try!

One of the great things about living in Phuket is that you can get all kinds of food, and there are so many restaurants to choose from. Some restaurants are aimed squarely at tourists. The main beach areas offer enough restaurants that you can never get bored. Most hotels have their own restaurants too. There are some very very nice places to eat in Phuket, some very fancy restaurants serving all kinds food, but .. (big but) fancy places are out of our price range except for a splurge now and then, and in any case, I feel uncomfortable if I have to dress up. I like good, tasty food, maybe with a nice view, but also like a place where I (and the rest of the family) can relax.

Krua Maireab (Krua is the Thai word for Kitchen, Maireab is the name of the area) suits us very well. It's close to home, along the road to Kathu waterfall. It's now run by a friend of ours who we've known for years, though we were coming to this restaurant before she took it over last year. Food is good, and food is not expensive. Mostly the Thai dishes are 40 - 60 Baht. Lots of locals come to eat here, it suits us very well as a place to take the kids to eat rather than eating at home. At this price, we figure it might even be cheaper to eat out!



Above - does not look like a very imposing place, just as I like it. You can get the best food in little roadside restaurants like this all over Phuket, all over Thailand in fact. Give it a try! OK, some little shacks can be a bit dirty, you can judge for yourself. My dear wife is quite picky in this regard, but our friend (her name is Kung) who runs Krua Maireab, she keeps it very clean and tidy.



They do have a menu with some dishes translated into English, but basically just think of any standard Thai dish and you can get it. Our kids are growing up as non-fussy eaters, though spicy curries are not yet on their menu. They tend to get something like fried rice (Kao Pad) or fried noodles (Pad Sii Eew) or garlic chicken (see photo below). My wife likes Kana Pla Kem - this is fried Kana (Kale) with salted fish. I sometimes have fried beef with garlic, or a very good and very spicy fried catfish (Pad Pet Pla Duk).





Drinks - you can get ice tea, ice coffee, water (free), coke... If you want a beer, please note that the restaurant has no alcohol licence, but you can nip over the road to the little shop and buy one :)

Now, let me introduce you to one of my favourite foods at the moment, a current craving. This is a southern Thai dish, especially from the area around Phuket and Phang Nga: Nam Prik Kung Seab. What? So, "nam prik" is chili paste which can be made in many different ways using chilis, lime, shrimp or fish paste and garlic. It has many regional varieties. The "kung seab" is dried/smoked crunchy shrimps. This is added to the nam prik with some shredded papaya and a little sugar. It's spicy, sweet and sour at the same time, a very typical southern Thai combination. You eat with rice and boiled veg and maybe an omelette (Kai Jeow). A bit of rice, a bit of veg, a bit of nam prik and pop it in your mouth. I love this stuff!



I can't imagine too many people will read this blog and head directly for Krua Maireab, but if you are in the exploring mood, heading to Kathu maybe to check out the local market or Kathu waterfall, then this is a good stop for some food!

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Phuket Hotels - Jamie's Recommendations

On the Phuket Blog, I've made some reviews over the years of recommended hotels on the 3 main beaches (Patong, Karon and Kata) and also hotels which are away from the crowds in quieter areas of Phuket. Yes, there are lots of quiet areas .. it's kind of the main point of this blog to show that there's more to Phuket than just a few busy beaches! Phuket is a big island (bigger than most people realise), and it's worth spending some time to research the best hotels and the right location for you. I've been living in Phuket since 1999, so I hope the Phuket hotel information on this blog should be useful :) Feel free to leave comments or ask questions about hotels on this page or on the Phuket Blog Facebook Page.

Phuket Hotels - Where to book online?

I recommend looking for information and to check for available Phuket hotels at Agoda.com. The rates are the best (so they say), the choice is wide, there are thousands of hotel reviews and the website is very easy to use. I use it myself for our holiday hotel bookings. Agoda also has a rewards program - bookings and reviews earn you points which add up to discounts on future bookings. Only if you book a hotel through Agoda can you leave a review, so I trust these reviews more than TripAdvisor.

• Phuket Hotels at Agoda.com

Jamie's Phuket Hotel Recommendations

Patong Beach

Amari Coral Beach Resort
La Flora Resort
The Kee Resort and Spa
Yorkshire Hotel and Spa
Aspery Hotel
Burasari Resort
Graceland Resort
Merlin Beach Resort
Baan Yin Dee Resort
Tri Trang Beach Resort
Patong Beach Hotels - Full List at Agoda.com

Karon Beach

Mandarava Resort
Centara Grand Beach Resort
Old Phuket Hotel
Phuket Orchid Resort
Phuket Island View
Le Meridien Beach Resort
Pacific Club Resort
Boomerang Village Resort
Marina Phuket Resort
Karon Princess Resort
Karon Beach Hotels - Full List at Agoda.com

Kata Beach

Katathani Resort
Avista Resort
Mom Tri's Villa Royale
Sawasdee Village
Kata Palm Resort
Ibis Kata Hotel
CC Blooms Hotel
Kata Beach Hotels - Full List @ Agoda.com


Want the best hotels in Phuket? There are some pages on the blog about that ...

Top 10 Phuket Hotels (2013)
Top 10 Family Hotels
Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Phuket
Top 10 Couples Hotels in Phuket
Top 10 Phuket Hotels (2012)

Some hotels are on more that one of the lists above. I tend to update the Top 10 now and then. And they're not all expensive 5 star resorts - quite a mix of styles and budgets. These pages are a good place to start looking if you want a top rated hotel!


Northern Phuket (Kamala, Surin, Bang Tao, Naithon, Mai Khao beaches)

Holiday Inn
The Surin Resort
Sala Phuket
Dusit Thani Laguna
Indigo Pearl Resort
Phuket Airport Hotel
Nai Yang Beach Resort
Naithonburi Resort
Seaside Cottages
Bang Tao Beach Hotels at Agoda.com
Surin Beach Hotels at Agoda.com
Mai Khao Beach Hotels at Agoda.com
Kamala Beach Hotels at Agoda.com

Southern Phuket (Cape Panwa, Rawai, Naiharn, Raya Island)

The Racha Resort
Cape Panwa Hotel
Baan Krating Jungle Beach
Panwa Beach Resort
All Seasons Resort
Cape Panwa Hotels at Agoda.com
Rawai Beach Hotels at Agoda.com

Phuket Town

Not next to the beach, but if you want a taste of the real Phuket or want to see some of Phuket's biggest festivals, or like a bit of history and culture, then Phuket Town is worth a look for a hotel - maybe not for your whole holiday, but for a bit of balance. I like Phuket Town .. actually it's my favourite part of Phuket!

My suggestions for Hotels in Phuket Town
Full List of Phuket Town Hotels at Agoda.com

Phuket Hotels - Location Map


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Khao Lak Hotels

While Khao Lak is not part of Phuket (it's in Phang Nga province), it's not far away, about 70km north of Phuket airport, which is the nearest airport to Khao Lak, so basically we can consider Khao Lak hotels as being part of "greater" Phuket, since the whole region is serviced by Phuket Airport. Khao Lak is very quiet, there are a lot of very nice hotels on the beach, there is very little in the way of nightlife, a good place to just relax. It's also within easy reach of Khao Sok national park and Phang Nga Bay.

The Sarojin 5 star resort
Khao Lak Hotels - Full List at Agoda.com
Cliff and River Jungle Resort (Khao Sok National Park)

More Phuket hotel suggestions to be blogged as time goes by... Please note that this is a blog, and some of the hotel reviews were made years ago - things can change. For most hotels you can find hundreds of guest reviews at the Agoda site, made by people who have stayed at these hotels recently, well worth checking the reviews!

This page is of course just a taster for the hotels available in Phuket. I suggest everyone check Agoda.com for hotel reviews and for online booking and lots of information including location maps for all hotels... If you have a question about Phuket hotels, please do add a comment below or ask on my Phuket Blog Facebook Page. I will try to answer! See you in Phuket!

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