Jadjan by Ko Dang (Phuket, Thailand): A Hole-in-the-Wall Serving Five-Star Thai Food Cooked by A Former Hotel Chef (We Tried their “Mark Wiens Menu”)

This article is part of the Phuket Food Trip series. Check out the installments in this series: Phuket Food Guide | Chuan Chim (Thai-Chinese Food) | Go Benz (Dry Porridge) | Fatboys Cafe & Restaurant (British Food) | Jadjan by Ko Dang (Restaurant by Former Hotel Chef) | Mee Ton Poe’s Hokkien Mee (Phuketian Stir-Fried Noodles) | Mu Krop Chi Hong (Crispy Pork Belly and Roast Meats) | Mad Hog Tavern Phuket (Harry Potter-Themed Tavern) | One Chun Cafe and Restaurant (Phuketian and Southern Thai Food) | Prime Burger (Award-Winning Smash Burgers) | Roti Taew Nam (Roti and Breakfast Spot) | Thaivetro Oldtown (Ice Cream) | The Charm Dining Gallery (Thai-Peranakan Food)

In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, I got to watch food vlogger Mark Wiens visit a Phuket restaurant helmed by a former five-star hotel chef. I had no idea that I’d be visiting it two years after. The restaurant is Jadjan by Ko Dang.

Jadjan is headed by Chef Dang (or Danny), who worked in the hotel industry for 20 years (including Marriott) and, at one point, for Benihana in Texas. The restaurant specializes in both Central and Southern Thai cuisine.

Inside Jadjan. It has a homey vibes. If I’m not mistaken, it’s also the house of Chef Danny.

Jadjan literally means “intensely flavored”. From the name itself, you know that the restaurant offers flavorful food. It’s so good that even the MICHELIN Guide listed the food spot in its Phuket guide (although it has no distinction).

Chef Danny is so friendly and always converses with his customers. When we said that we’ve learned about his restaurant through Mark Wiens, he offered to cook the same dishes he served to the American food vlogger. We just told him to tone down the spiciness (because my wife can’t tolerate spicy food) and remove any shrimp (because we’re allergic to it). He was kind enough to accommodate our requests.

Here are the dishes we tried from the “Mark Wiens Menu”:

Fish Curry: Made with seabass covered in curry that’s flavorful, spicky, and coconutty. The fish is tender but I wished it’s firmer. Nevertheless, it’s so good!

Squid with Crispy Garlic: Squid is rightly cooked and perfectly portioned. It’s very garlicky because of the crispy garlic bits. Then its accompanying dip is sweet, perfectly complementing the savory squid.

Stir-Fried Kale with Crispy Pork: The pork, even if drenched with sauce, is still crunchy. The kale is crisp and has a nice bitter aftertaste.

Stir-Fried Kale with Crispy Pork (THB160)

We washed down our meal with Roselle Juice. It’s a common drink in many Thai restaurants. It’s sweet and citrusy, and it reminds us of pomegranate.

Jadjan by Ko Dang has homey vibes, a great chef (personality and skills), amazing food, living up to its name. Chef Danny only uses quality ingredients, masterfully cooks it, and presents it beautifully. You can really tell that the food is five-star! We’ll definitely go back when we travel to Phuket again.

Needless to say, I highly recommend Jadjan by Ko Dang to you!

Address: 4 15 Sakdidet Rd., Tambon Talat Nuea, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket, Thailand | Operating Hours: Daily, 10:30AM-1:30PM & 5:00-7:30PM | Contact No.: +66 89 868 1954