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Vegetarian
 Ranong
Road in Phuket Town features one of the most popular vegetarian
restaurants on the Island. Open from mid-morning until 9.00pm
daily, this canteen style restaurant serves entirely vegetarian
Thai food. You can sample the most incredible array of tastes
using vegetables, herbs, spices and soyabean protein, served with
either brown or white rice, thick flat white rice noodles, yellow
egg noodles or Chinese rice noodles. One of the best value, most
nutritious and delicious meals you'll ever have. During the vegetarian
festival of late September early October, a number of other shop
houses open up vegetarian eateries in the vicinity of the Chinese
Temple on Ranong Road and at other sites, where you can sample
all sorts of dishes created to imitate non-vegetarian dishes using
soy protein.
Navrang Mahal, 58/11 Bangla Road, Soi Patong (Tel: 292280),
in addition to their general menu, serve a variety of vegetarian
dishes.
International Fast
Food Chains
Kentucky Fried Chicken is found in 2 locations in Patong
Beach. At Ocean Department Store, Soi Bangla, and at Patong Shopping
Centre, Beach Road Patong. Also available at Tesco Lotus and Robinsons
Department Store in Phuket Town
MacDonalds is found on Beach Road in Patong Beach and
at Robinsons Department Store in Phuket Town.
Pizza Hut can be found opposite Robinsons Department Store
in Phuket Town.
Starbucks coming soon to Patong Beach and will be located
on Beach Road. Duncan Donuts
Bakeries/Delicatessens
Bakery Café at the Boat Lagoon on Thepkasattri
Road (Heading from Phuket Town towards the airport) serves incredibly
good deli style sandwiches on baguettes, fruit smoothies, croissants
and other pastries, quiche, hearty breakfast fare (all day). Fresh
bakery items for sale daily. Well patronised by resident and visiting
Yachties, the cafe is intimate, quiet and very affordable.
The Deli Supermarket, along Rat-U-Thit Road at Patong
Beach is where you'll find the largest selection of imported foods
on the island, and a good selection of imported wines. Also available
are fresh bakery items including baguettes, whole wheat loaves,
croissants and pastries.
Flintstone Bakery on Chaofa Road in Chalong has a great
range of pastries and treats to tempt shoppers. (Tel: 383 087).
Wine
M M Wine, on Thepkasattri Road, about 5 minutes out of
Phuket town are importers of fine wines to Phuket's premier restaurants
and hotels. Selling on-line or direct to the public from their
location in Phuket Town, Friday evenings they host drinks from
5:30 to 10:30pm. Heineken 60b, wine by the glass 80b, free nibbles
plus selection of cheese at wholesale prices are also available.
Food Markets
Supermarkets
Patong has 3 large supermarkets. In the basement of Ocean
Department Store, one in Soi Bangla, and the other on Beach Road
past the Holiday Inn, are Big 1 Supermarkets selling toiletries,
bakery items, fresh fruit and vegetables and snacks. Patong Shopping
Centre, also on Beach Road near Molly Malones and KFC, is the
other department store with a supermarket in the basement. Robinson's
Department Store on Ong Sim Phai Road in Phuket and Lotus Supercentre
on Chalerm Pakiat Road heading out of Phuket Town towards
Patong, both house a Tops Supermarket, and on the top floors
of both these stores are cafeteria style foodhalls featuring a
selection of noodles, rice dishes, Thai snacks and sweets.
The Deli Supermarket, along Rat-U-Thit Road at Patong
Beach is where you'll find the largest selection of imported foods
on the island, and a good selection of imported wines. Also available
are fresh bakery items including baguettes, whole wheat loaves,
croissants and pastries
Night Markets
For a good view of what Thai hawker food is all about, a visit
to the night markets held next door to Robinson's Department Store
on Ong Sim Phai Road, is a must. Vendors set up their mobile cooking
units, tables and chairs, and display their fresh ingredients
for passing customers to view. This colourful market offers a
wealth of Muslim, Thai and Chinese cooked meals and sweets. Simply
point at what you want to take away or eat right there -- most
vendors are perfectly happy to share the business with other vendors.
What they don't have, they'll get for you from another vendor.
 Fresh
Markets
In Phuket town, there are fresh markets held every morning. The
largest is the central market behind Ranong Road, which goes from
the early hours until 9-10am. During the day, some vegetables
and dry produce is still available, but the colour and bustle
is missing. The other fresh market is held next door to Robinson's
Department Store on Ong Sim Phai Road at a similar time. During
the day there is nothing to be seen until late afternoon when
food vendors start gathering for the night market.
Elsewhere on the island, fresh morning markets are held in Chalong,
Talang and Choeng Talay. Fish markets are held daily in the morning
at Rawai.
 Village
Markets
On any afternoon through the week, village markets are
held at various locations around the island. On Wednesday and
Saturday afternoons visit Kamala Beach, on Tuesdays and Sundays
at Bang Tao Village, Sundays at Choeng Talay and Chalong, Tuesdays
at Sam Gong in Phuket Town, Wednesday and Sunday afternoons at
Kathu village, Thursday afternoons at Kathu crossroads, Tuesday
and Fridays at Rawai. At any of these locations you can buy fresh
fruit and veggies, herbs, spices, fish, fresh meat, and all the
accompaniments to cooking of this region. Sample the snack food
on offer - freshly cooked spring rolls, deep fried sweet potato,
banana and jack fruit, steamed corn, Thai style pancakes, steamed
ground nuts, natural ice-cream flavoured with durian, corn, coconut
or taro, coconut and sticky rice steamed in bamboo, freshly cut
fruit and much much more.
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