Cheap eats: Phuket curry shops get Blue Flags

PHUKET: Three curry shops in Phuket have been issued “Blue Flag” signs confirming them as cheap, high-quality and hygienic by the head of the Department of Internal Trade office in Phuket (DIT-Phuket).

The shops were the first to receive the Blue Flag signs, handed out on Tuesday, as part of the ministry’s latest initiative to keep rising consumer prices in check.

The first stop on Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak and DIT-Phuket chief Supacha Bunthalit’s Blue Flag tour was the “Noi Rice and Curry Shop”, located on Chao Fa East Road in Wichit.

Noi Rice and Curry Shop offers rice with one type of curry for 25 baht, rice with two types of curry for 30 baht, and takeaway bags of curry at 30 baht each.

After inspecting the shop, V/Gov Somkiet bestowed its owner with a DIT Blue Flag Shop sign to certify its fare as low-cost and high-quality.

“I would like Noi Rice and Curry Shop to serve as a model for other food shops in Muang District. The owner follows the Ministry of Commerce’s policy by selling good food at cheap prices, while still turning a profit. His profit margins might be small, but he is fair to his customers and meets the criteria for Blue Flag certification,” said Mr Somkiet while presenting the sign.

The next stop on the team’s tour was on Yaowarat Road in Samkong, where two curry shops offering curry and rice in the same price range were presented with the certificates: “Catalogue Rice and Curry Shop” and the self-branded “Blue Flag Rice and Curry Shop”.

Somjit Laowisetkul, the owner of the Blue Flag Rice and Curry Shop, said her curry dishes remained in the 25 baht to 30 baht range because she hadn’t raised prices in the many years she had been in operation.

“I haven’t increased prices because I understand how customers feel when all product prices go up. I just want to help them save money,” she said.

V/Gov Somkiet said he and his team would continue their quest to uncover cut-rate curry shops for the benefit of residents and tourists alike.

— Orawin Narabal