The art of Food Gallery

PHUKET: In Phuket Town, there are many options for your culinary taste buds to explore. In one block, you can find street food, Thai cuisine, Chinese-inspired dishes, breakfast and an array of coffee shops, so it’s nice when you find a place that you want to go to over and over again.

For many people, this place is The Food Gallery, located on Rassada Road just past the Promthep Clock Tower. The original attraction for me, and for many people, is the excellent breakfast menu by Chef Patrick Langdon.

From the Benedict Bruschetta to the breakfast bagel and Island Porridge, they can fulfill all of your early-morning dietary needs. The menu even includes traditional brunch beverages, such as bloody marys and fresh juices. The lunch selection is also full of goodies: Thai chicken curry wrap, roasted chicken sandwich with thyme mayonnaise, and the roast beef sandwich served with beetroot, watercress and horseradish cream.

This week, however, we wanted to share with you their fantastic dinner menu. Daily specials include Monday’s Burger, Wednesday’s Curry Chicken and Friday’s Fish ‘n’ Chips, all served with a pint for 295 baht each.

As it was Monday, we decided to go for the burger – and it was definitely the right decision. The beef was cooked to order and adorned with hash browns, crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato and gherkin. The flavors and textures melded wonderfully together and the beef itself was well seasoned and very tender. Served with house-cut fries and coleslaw, this meal was certainly a deal, as it could easily feed two. If you are feeling a little adventurous, I recommend putting the coleslaw on the burger itself. It provides a bit of a fresh crunch.

On deck was the pasta carbonara and Caesar salad. The carbonara was creamy and cheesy and tasted like a fancier home-baked mac and cheese. The bacon inside maintained its crispness, and the parmesan its flavor, giving the dish a little bite. The portion size was substantial, but so good it left you wanting more. The Caesar salad was fantastic with tender grilled chicken, fresh romaine lettuce, more crisp bacon and, wait for it… actual anchovies.

For our final entree, we tried the grilled salmon fillet with cucumber, dill, mint and cream. It was phenomenal. The salmon was flaky and moist, while the cucumber – which resembled linguine – was full of flavor from the dill and mint. The freshness from the herbs and cucumber married beautifully with the salmon and it was decided that this was the winner of the already champion line-up of entrees.

But what is an exquisite dinner without an equally exquisite desert? It was a tough decision, with choices such as chocolate orange lava cake served with amaretto ice cream, strawberry and apple crumble, and fresh-baked banana cake served with coconut custard, but you can never go wrong with the tiramisu. Covered with the perfect amount of chocolate, this desert was just the right amount of mascarpone, and coffee and liquor-soaked sponge cake. I recommend pairing it with a nice cup of one of their coffees or teas.

Chef Langdon is definitely doing things right. Whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner, head on over to Phuket Town and stop by The Food Gallery, open every day from 8am until 11pm. It will be your first of many visits, I’m sure.

— Sylvia Joy