Restaurant Tips: Farang

Farang – such a simple word that can be used in so many different situations. You would have thought that naming a Phuket restaurant Farang would be a recipe for disaster, but thankfully Farang restaurant is a welcome breath of fresh air for Phuket's restaurant scene.

There are actually two Farang restaurants in Phuket. The first is in Cherng Talay (an area in the north of Phuket near Bang Tao beach popular with expats); the second is next to Index Living Mall on the bypass road (just outside Phuket Town). Both have identical menus. The only difference between the two restaurants is that the vibe at the Cherng Talay branch is a little more chilled without the headache of the bypass road nearby.



The food at Farang restaurant is fantastic. The menu features simple fusion dishes executed to perfection. Choose from a range of pasta dishes, pizzas, salads and Thai dishes, all coming in at about 100 to 200 baht.

It's the little touches that make Farang stand out. The care taken in the presentation of the food adds to the whole dining experience. It's almost a paradox, because the dishes usually fly out of the kitchen within minutes of ordering. The pasta dishes are particularly good, with none of the ketchup-as-sauce antics you find at other restaurants that charge the same kind of price. Also worth trying is the beef tenderloin, which has a tenderness to it.

Another surprise at Farang is that the house wine is actually drinkable. Cheap wine and good food – what could be better? There isn't really anything to fault Farang restaurant for. It's cheap and cheerful and makes no bones about trying to be something it's not.

Both restaurants are closed on Mondays. Call 086-9463142 for details.

This post was guest blogged by Matt from Phuket Vogue - a new Phuket website about dining and nightlife. Matt also writes a well known Thailand blog - The Lost Boy.

Jamie adds... We have driven past the Farang restaurant next to Index about 300 times, and we know an American lady who makes cakes for them - we sometimes buy cheesecake from her - absolutely fantastic - so I guess we have an idea of the quality of the dessert menu at Farang! One of these days we must go and sample the food, as it's been recommended to me by several people, not just Matt.

• More Phuket Restaurants at Phuket Vogue
• More Phuket Restaurants on Jamie's Phuket

Photo above is from a Japanese blog I found which (I guess...it's in Japanese) recommends Farang restaurant - see the link and more photos here: Farang Restaurant Review. I'll be sure to add some photos of my own when/if we eat there!