Feel immersed in nature when dining at Thamachat, better known as The Natural Restaurant, in Phuket Old Town. Not to be mistaken for some organic or vegan restaurant like I first did. It is far from that! Thamachat serves a wide variety of Thai classics, plus some very unique creations.
The menu displays beautiful photos of every dish, it is a challenge deciding which to choose! We went with the restaurant’s specialties instead of the usual Pad Thais or Tom Yums, even though these have been touted to be really good too.
Stuffed Potato with Dry Chicken Curry – a favorite starter at The Natural. This was like chicken curry puff, mashed potato and samosa rolled into one! First, they made little cups out of mashed potato and deep fried them golden brown. These cups are then filled with an aromatic dry chicken curry whereby small cubes of chicken meat is stir fried in fragrant samosa-like curry spices. It isn’t too spicy which was great for me since I’m not big on spicy food! The tender chicken and crispy fluffy potato went together perfectly. It wasn’t greasy despite being deep fried. I had 3 to myself without guilt! The flavors were deep and unique. A superb starter that set the bar high!
Also high on the recommendation list is Fried Soft Shell Crab in Garlic and Black Pepper. Sometimes, soft shell crabs get fried so crunchy you can barely taste the crabmeat. This was crunchy and meaty at the same time, with bits of crispy punchy garlic chips all over. Served with a medium spicy chili sauce which wasn’t quite necessary since the crab was nicely seasoned. Again, the crab felt greaseless on my fingers and tasted very fresh. The fragrant garlic crispies were perfect with it.
One of the best Oyster Omelette I have had in a while. Sure I like my oysters big, plump and juicy; but these mini ones are so darn awesome! They’re sweet. They’re fresh. And they’re juicy. Blanketing the entire omelette on a sizzling hot plate, and flavored with dried shrimps, shallots and chives; plus an evident dose of umami fish sauce. I’d never look at a tiny oysters the same again! This was amazingly yummy!
Portions at Thamachat are good for at least 4 people so the 2 of us were pretty stuffed after 3 courses. And even though my eyes were darting about at the other diners’ food and my gut was calling out to their Roast Duck in Coconut Milk Curry, we decided best take a rain check and plan a comeback for another day!
Dine amongst beautiful fauna, sculptures and water features at Thamachat.
The stairs lead you 3 storeys up, onto a private dining area, a huge dining hall, and an open rooftop terrace. Despite the absence of air conditioning, the restaurant was cool and breezy on a sunny afternoon.
THAMACHAT THE NATURAL RESTAURANT @ 62/5 Soi Phutorn, Phuket Town. Thailand. Phone +66 (0)7 621 4037 Open daily 10.30-23.30
Disclaimer- This is not a sponsored post!
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