Restaurant Tip: Lakeside

Yesterday we decided to try and find another new place to eat in Phuket. We used to live in the same street as Nueng about 6 years ago. She was running a restaurant called "Chili" a few years back, but now has a place called "Lakeside" - it's on the road between the Heroine's Monument and Bang Pae Waterfall in the north of Phuket, an area which seems like a different world compared to the main tourist beaches. Nueng says she gets very few tourists at her restaurant... not a big surprise - it's quite a drive from Patong or Karon beach, but if you want very very good local food, and a sample of the "real" Phuket away from the sun loungers, tailors and fast food joints, well, I can now 100% recommend the Lakeside restaurant.

It's a little more than 2km from the Heroine's monument along the road to Bang Pae, there are a couple of small signs to the left. Don't drive too fast or you'll miss it. The Lakeside restaurant is down a small side track. It looks like nothing fancy, but ...





You sit over the water. Chairs and tables are made of heavy wood. Do ask for Nueng ("Noong") and tell her Jamie recommended her place! Even though she is an old friend, I would not be raving unless the food was good. It is. The food is very good. While we waited for lunch, I took a few photos. The environment is very quiet, you can also do some fishing at the lake.



And then the food arrived. We ordered a good selection including a duck curry, pad gaprao with beef, tofu in tamarind sauce, phad thai..... it was all delicious. My first bite of the tofu was a taste sensation :) We found with her last restaurant that Nueng certainly knows how to cook some special food.





The bill surprised me too. For 4 people, ordering 5 main dishes plus drinks, less than 500 Baht. We will be back soon.... I do realise that the restaurants recommended on this blog are often a little off the beaten track, but... sometimes you should take the road less traveled. See a bit more of Phuket. And anyway - this is my Phuket! We generally don't eat near the main beaches - the whole idea of this blog was to show something of the Phuket that exists away from the rows of beach chairs. Hope you can find it!