By Nan Mackenzie
The key in a properly run Thai kitchen is not the level of chilli in a dish, it’s the layers of other bits of deliciousness which have all been perfectly balanced and positioned to play with your taste buds.
The Phukhet Chinese and Thai restaurant in Paphos boasts a kitchen of highly trained staff and a chef who has the ability to choreograph taste delights that would send raptures down the throat of any aficionado of Thai cuisine.
This eatery has been in the business of gently seducing customers with quality Chinese food delights for over 30. Longevity in this business speaks volumes, it reflects knowledge of their customers and it also shows the restaurant’s ability to move and change with the times.
Phukhet recognised early on the demand by visitors for Chinese/Asian food and they have been satisfying this need since their doors first opened in 1988, and indeed, they could have kept going for another 20 years churning out their sweet and sour pork, and crispy duck and pancakes. But, like everything else in this world, nothing ever stays the same and the owner recognised the need to not only refresh the premises but to incorporate new and different dishes into their menu, dishes that would attract a younger and more culinary sophisticated market.
Thai food was the answer and now Phukhet offers both decent Chinese and Thai dishes and importantly they also employ both Thai and Chinese chefs. This marrying of two very different cuisines has definitely worked if the meal I had last week is anything to go by.
Thai food should always offer a wonderful deep layer of flavour which lingers long after the last bite – its interplay of texture, flavours and seasonings can sometimes include up to 20 ingredients in a single dish.
The Thai Tom Ka Khung, a prawn in coconut soup, is one of the most carefully made and judiciously spiced soups you will taste. The ever popular stir fry dish Phad Thai is another that perfectly combines all the essential Thai flavours of sweet, sour, hot and spicy. Another interesting element is the kitchen politics, with the Chinese and Thai chefs working well together to devise their own form of Phukhet Fusion, so giving customers that extra bit of spice to their meal.
I can honestly say I ate the very best plate of prawns with sweet chilli and cashew nuts and my friends also raved about the whole steamed fish with ginger and garlic. The word I used to describe these dishes was ‘exceptional’ and although I love dumplings, noodles, and satay, the fish for me was the star of the show.
Again Phukhet is leading the way here in Paphos with their newly introduced menu of dainty Dim Sum delights, always a favourite, and as a starter one can now joyously indulge in ten different taste experiences that have been secreted into these fine light parcels. We tested the scallop and shitake dumplings, also prawn and crab meat and voted the spicy chicken and black prawn dumpling as our all time favourite.
Then moving on to the main dishes we all threw ourselves onto a plate of perfect and beautifully presented sushi and sashimi. There followed a prawn salad with a fresh plump and a quite marvellous Thai duck with red curry paste, cherry tomatoes and grapes. Here the kitchen delivers quality and value for money on each plate and it’s the type of place where you go to relax and to relish quality cooking.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALITY Chinese and Thai fish dishes
WHERE Phuket, Tomb of the Kings Road, Paphos.
CONTACT 26 936738. Take away and home delivery 26 818678
