The Charm Dining Gallery (Phuket, Thailand): A Restaurant Specializing in Thai-Peranakan Food
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)
Aside from Jadjan by Ko Dang (check my review here), the Bangkok-based American food vlogger Mark Wiens also visited a charming restaurant in Phuket called The Charm Dining Gallery. (See what I did there? LOL.)
The Charm Dining Gallery
A MICHELIN Bib Gourmand awardee, The Charm Dining Gallery is a restaurant that specializes in Thai Peranakan food. To the uninitiated, the Peranakan is an ethnic group with Chinese and Malay descent. They can be found in Phuket, Malacca and Penang (Malaysia), and Singapore.
The MICHELIN Bib Gourmand Recognition of The Charm Dining Gallery
The restaurant is located in Dibuk Road, which is lined up with beautiful Peranakan shophouses. The Charm is housed in a restored shophouse.
A visit to The Charm is like visiting a museum. The restaurant have renovated its interior to keep it as close as possible to the original house.
One of the Dining Tables
Old Photographs and a Peranakan Vase. I love Peranakan ceramics!
It also has a courtyard, which is typical of a Peranakan shophouse:
The Courtyard
Aside from Peranakan food, The Charm also offers Phuketian and Southern Thai dishes, as well as common Thai dishes such as Pad Krapow (holy basil stir-fry) and stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts.
Here are the food we tried:
Old Fashion Hainanese Pork Steak: This dish is composed of seasoned pork patties served with a homemade gravy.
Old Fashion Hainanese Pork Steak (THB250)
The patties are tasty and juicy, and the tomato-based gravy is sweet and sour. The onions in the sauce add crunch.
Roast Duck with Homemade Orange Sauce: I like that the duck isn’t gamey. The orange sauce is nicely sweet and tangy.
Roast Duck with Homemade Orange Sauce (THB250)
Wok-Fried Black Mushroom, Eggs, and Shallots: This dish doesn’t look appetizing. But believe me, it’s delicious.
Wok-Fried Black Mushroom, Eggs, and Shallots (THB160)
We ate these dishes with rice, which is placed in a nice green tin can. I find it cute so I have to show it here. LOL.
Rice in a Tin Can
To wash down the food, we got Iced Sour Plum and Calamansi Drink and Sugarcane Juice.
Left to Right: Iced Sour Plum and Calamansi Drink (THB120) and Sugarcane Juice (THB120)
My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary at The Charm. They were kind to give us a complimentary local dessert. I think it’s the Sago Topped with Coconut Milk and Coconut Sugar. It’s a nice end to our anniversary meal!
Our Complimentary Sago Topped with Coconut Milk and Coconut Sugar
They also offer Fish Head Curry, which is one of my favorite dishes. However, we didn’t get it because we din’t want to overeat (the portion is huge) and overspend. So I have a reason to go back!
Anyway, we had a pleasant visit at The Charm Dining Gallery. The food is tasty and the ambiance does bring you back to the past. I highly recommend it to you!
And happy anniversary to us!
Happy Anniversary to Us!
