A historic 350-meter long street, right smacked in the heart of Phuket Town, would spring to life in the late afternoon every Sunday and even though i didn't register much interest in it initially; i will strongly recommend everyone to pay it a visit!
I had so much fun shopping, looking and smelling that time sped past and i realized i didn't have much time to soak in the atmosphere! The next time i go, i will ensure at least one night stay in Phuket Town; on a Sunday obviously.
Frankly, i am once again in a dilemma on how to arrange the content of this post as i have a hundred photos to share! To make it simple, let's just look at it from two categories; food and, well, non-food.
Food
There were so many food stalls and a lot of them were so visually appetizing; i wish i have another stomach! p.s. nope, i still didn't regret having the filling yet scrumptious meal at Raya restaurant.
Many were just setting up their stalls at 4.00 pm, which was in fact advantageous for me, as it would not have allowed me to start salivating and by the time the stall operators were ready; the crowd was already too formidable to deter me from buying!
The aforementioned was just a weak excuse and i was honestly too full (with late lunch at Raya restaurant and desserts at Torry's ice cream boutique shop) to force in more food to grow my already-expanded waist!
Pork lasagna instead of the common beef version found in Singapore! At 79 baht (less than S$3.30), it's quite a buy although at my age, i would need a big group of friends to share the food.
Fruit juice, including the popular orange juice found along the streets in Bangkok! I was intrigued by the Chinese translation of passionfruit though; it was written as egg fruit (鸡蛋果) in Chinese. In Singapore, we call it hundred-fragrance fruit (百香果).
Sushi and each piece only cost 7 baht (about S$0.30).
Pancakes at 10 baht each! If i were with the Great Kon, i believe i would be able to push through my limit as Kon would likely keep buying for the sake of trying!
Prawn fritters and fried bananas; both were my favourites! Okay, i admit i have a soft spot for deep fried stuff but in terms of ingredients, i LOVE prawns and bananas, separately!
Not sure what they were even though i was reminded of the korean street snack; hotteok (호떡)! They came in three flavours; soy beans, black beans and yam and priced at 10 baht each.
Pair the rice crackers with watermelon juice at just 30 baht!
Colourful mochi!
I might be a food lover but there are some things i don't enjoy; one is internal organs and the other would be most types of braised meat! The pungent smell of the latter would put me off despite the fact that i couldn't resist the aroma of stinky tofu.
This Burger - at 45 baht, you can choose between beef, chicken, fish and prawns and you may top up 10 baht for an egg and 15 baht for cheese.
Watermelon shakes at 30 baht a cup!
Phuket fried noodle? Looked a bit like Singapore's fried kway teow; albeit a lighter version that's more similar to the Thailand's pad thai. 50 baht a plate!
Sugarcane juice! Nope, i can't read Thai although i am assuming from the singular stalk of sugar cane lying on the table. Furthermore, the colour appeared similar.
Takoyaki at 50 baht which i thought was rather expensive. To be fair, i don't know how many pieces would make up to the 50 baht portion and if you look closer at the picture, the octopus legs and prawns were huge!
Mango / jackfruit sticky rice at only 40 baht!
Ribs!!!!!
Thai pancakes - 6 for 20 baht! Maybe it's good to bring along my niece and nephew when they were in their puberty stage so that i steal a bite or two while they clean up everything!
Grape seaweed - i have never tried this before and don't know how you are supposed to pair them. Given that it's also known as green caviar, i presume you can eat them raw?
Another weak spot of mine; fried chicken!
Samplings were provided at some stalls and i knew i would have some stomach space for them! I was mindful and went for the one that appealed to me; dessert layer pandan!
The piece i had was surprisingly not bad; tasted like lapis sagu with a texture that's soft yet doesn't stick to the teeth! Good enough for me to buy a pack at 10 baht for breakfast the next morning.
A familiar sight; kebab which was commonly available in Singapore's night markets. There's actually a chain of kebab takeaway counters in shopping centres nowadays by the name of stuff'd. Maybe i should review the food from there soon.
Raw oysters for those who dare!
Thankfully, i am not much of an oyster fan.
Crispy lotus blossom cookie? Hm.... aren't those a bigger version of our local kueh rose? For Chinese in Singapore, we call them bee hive biscuits and i kid you not; i can clean up half a container in one sitting, when i was younger.
Crispy pork at 50 baht which would be about S$2.00. Contrast this with the S$19 crispy pork (with buns) i had at The Chop House in Singapore (Vivo City) last week!
Nicer looking mango sticky rice with three types of coloured rice. Compared to the mango sticky rice i showed earlier, this was priced more expensively at 60 baht each.
Love letters?
Steamed bread! Have i ever mentioned that i love bread?! You don't see me eating them often as i have the impression they tend to retain fats as compared to rice....
100% pure honey for sale at 600 baht a bottle!
Other food photos for your viewing pleasure! Please note that i didn't manage to take pictures of every food stall; hence, do visit on an empty stomach as you can easily fill it up at Phuket Sunday Night Market.
Non-Food
Phuket Walking Street is not just about food and from this moment on, i shall touch on the non-edible items! Maybe due to the cool weather; it was so relaxing to browse through the offerings at every stall and if not for the driver whom we had engaged and was waiting for us; i could spend hours!
As the street was flanked by shophouses on both sides, some of the shop keepers continued to keep their stores open in view of the popularity of the night market.
Like Singapore's Chinatown during the lunar new year bazaar, makeshift stores would take over the space in front of shophouses that have closed for the day.
Eh, fancy pens; unsure why they were everywhere, even when i was in Bangkok. At 40 baht (about S$1.60) a pen, they were not exactly cheap. Buy 3 for 100 baht.
Plants for sale - with the ability to liven up an apartment with a black and white concept like mine, it's sad that i didn't inherit my dad's green thumb.
Trust me, cactus had withered under my care before and it's not just a rare, one-time occurrence! I really need those self-watering, self-sustaining plants in my house but they are so expensive!
Benches for people to take a rest although i thought the organiser could work on having more all along the street so that visitors can take a breather at any time and maybe also put up cocktail tables for those who need a table to eat the food bought from the food stalls.
Artificial plants might work better for plant killers like me.
Popup cards - hm...... i don't think many people gave out cards nowadays even though i do treasure all the handwritten cards i received occasionally from friends. Having said that, i don't send out cards as my handwriting is horrendous; at times, i don't even know what the heck i am writing!
Amazing decorative glassware!
I was so tempted to get the hermit crab that's with a real shell but my rational mind told me it would only collect dust and i should just focus on my piggy bank collection instead.
Empty bottles of liquor with LED fairy lights; it's actually cheap to get the lights from taobao.com and then use your own empty bottle to emulate the same effect.
Adorable tee-shirts; while i might buy for my niece and nephew, i am not keen buying clothes for friends as not many share my weird taste. Furthermore, i have had friends buying clothes for me and to be totally honest, it's rare you would find me wearing them.
Bowls, plates, cups for sale! I can't imagine why some homeowners can buy so many of them; in my house, i only have two sets of corelle and i absolutely have no intention to buy more!
Hm... what's this?
It's a makeshift barber! Maybe i should have my hair cut by the Thai barber in my next trip to Thailand; time for a change in hairstyle even though i dislike having to wax or gel my hair.
Portrait / caricature painting!
As mentioned previously, i should get one done in every country i visited so that i can frame them up and adorn my plain white walls at home with them.
Street painting this time!
You can purchase them and some were in postcard size. At 20 baht each, i wonder if the price was worth the time and effort taken to draw them...
Souvenirs you can bring back for friends; i utterly love the unique elephant magnets which were handmade and cost 60 baht each!
Handmade soap carvings - too pretty to be used, i would prefer something that's more practical. By the way, the soap carvings were listed as one of the things to buy from Thailand. *shrug*
I was contemplating whether to buy these glass piglets to complement my piggy banks at home! Eventually, i came to the decision that it will be never-ending if i am buying every pig-related stuff . Hence, i shall focus only on piggy banks...
More photos on other non-food stalls. As with the food category, there could be more that i didn't manage to capture since i left at about 4.45 pm and some stalls were not up and running.
A musician was on site to add to the vibrancy of the Phuket Walking Street! And i read somewhere that there's also a trampoline for kids, which i didn't see. Yes, i will definitely be back and shall await the next promotional airfares to Phuket!
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Location
Thanon Chao Fa, Tambon Talat Yai,
Amphoe Mueang Phuket,
Chang Wat Phuket 83000,
Thailand
Map
As above.
Operating Hours
4.00 pm to 10.00 pm
(Sundays Only)
Facebook Page
Nice post, thank you for all the details. I couldn't remember the name of the stall I bought the soap at and found it thanks to your pictures!
ReplyDeleteI believe the flat pan fried dumplings are jiu cai bau, a Cantonese dish. When I was there (in January) they offered them in Taro and Spring Chive and Garlic fillings.
You are most welcome! Bet you eat a lot more than i do! i really can't stomach much after the fantastic meal at the nearby raya restaurant.
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