Phuket, Thailand, is 400 miles (640 km) from Penang, but the two islands might as well be twin-cities from their two-century-old relationship. Historically, tin mining was one of the major industries in Phuket since the early 16th-century, but it was in the 19th-century that it became dominated by the wealthy Straits-born Chinese from British-ruled Penang. Close relationship between the Straits-born Chinese in Phuket and Penang gave rise to Phuket’s so-called Sino-Portuguese architecture seen in Phuket Old Town, which is known in Penang as Strait-Eclectic, a style of building which started off in Malacca, formerly ruled by the Portuguese in 1511 to 1641.
Today, Phuket still promotes (as part of its tourism strategy) its Strait-born Chinese or Peranakan identity, unique to them in Thailand, and which is more identifiable with the three cities at the heart of Peranakan culture: Singapore, Malacca (Malaysia) and Penang (Malaysia).
Peranakan or Nyonya food is at the forefront of this, and Michelin Bib Gourmand-listed The Charm Dining Gallery in Phuket Old Town is oft-quoted by my Penangite and Singaporean friends as having the tastiest renditions they’d ever had. In fact, I was surprised that at least three Penang friends who dined at The Charm Dining Gallery, at 3 different times last year, actually said that they wished Penang’s Nyonya restaurants can produce dishes as good as those from The Charm Dining Gallery! Not easy to wrangle that admission out of Penangites, often seen as the finickiest eaters in Malaysia, and who often argue that the food in Penang is the best in Malaysia! Every country has this type of people - in China, it’ll be the Cantonese, the Vietnamese have their Hueians, the Japanese have the Kyoto-ites, the Philippines have the Pampanguenos, etc.
Back to The Charm Dining Gallery, it occupies a beautiful space, and very nicely done up to look like a Peranakan house, exactly like those one sees in Penang, Malacca or Singapore:
Their menu offerings consist of three sections: a “popular Thai” section (for foreign visitors who’d rather stick to pad Thai or tom yum soups since they are on holiday in Thailand), a Southern Thai section (dedicated to Phuket-style and Southern Thai regional cooking) and a Peranakan(Straits-Chinese) section. We opted for the Peranakan one.
- Pai tee - crisp pastry cups filled with stewed jicama, shrimps, hard-boiled egg wedges and crabmeat, garnished with golden-fried garlic crumbs and coriander leaves.
This Nyonya dish actually originated in Singapore, which then spread to Malacca and Penang in the early-20th-century. By the 1920s, it was also adapted in then-Siam as “kratong tong” - same concept of crisp pastry cups with savory fillings - as Siamese royals, who lived and studied in English schools in British-ruled Penang, then brought this idea back to Siam.
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Pineapple-desiccated coconut-groundnut salad - the fresh pineapple provides burst of tangy sweetness, with the toasted, grated coconut giving a nutty flavor, plus some added piquancy from the spicy dressing.
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Popia tod - crisp-fried spring rolls, with very tasty jicama-carrot-peanut filling. A must-order.
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Chicken ponteh - stewed chicken and potato, with dark soy sauce, star-anise, cloves and other aromatic spices. It’s a variant on a Phuket classic - “moo hong”, which uses pork. Another must-order.
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Roast duck with orange sauce
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Tom kha kai - this soup is from the Thai section: chicken-galangal-coconut milk. Very well executed.
Desserts
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Pandan-and-coconut pudding
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Coconut panna cotta with lychees
Really lovely place, with a rich menu to explore. One needs to make more than a couple of trips to try everything that’s good here.
Address
The Charm Dining Gallery (เดอะฌาร์ม)
93 Dibuk Road, Tambon Talat Nuea, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Tel: +66 76 530 199
Opening hours: 11am to 9pm daily, except for Wed (closed)
