07-06-2025
Would you travel for food? In Thailand, these regional chefs believe so
What makes a place worth visiting? For some, it might be a tick list of sights; others may favour a sandy beach or a pool by which to sit back and relax. But for a large and growing number of travelling gourmets, it's the number of Michelin stars a region racks up.
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For these epicureans, Tokyo holds the global first place, with a whopping 220 Michelin stars. Paris comes second with 160, followed by Kyoto with 119. Hong Kong ranks fifth in the 2025 edition, with a rather respectable 101 stars.
But what about the other end of the spectrum, like, say,
Phuket , where Pru, a 36-seat restaurant inside the luxurious Trisara resort, has been the Thai island's sole recipient of a Michelin star since 2018, making its tweezered tasting menu the foremost ambassador for fine dining in a place better known for cheap and cheerful street food served from unpretentious open-air markets.
Executive chef Jimmy Ophorst works the open-fire grill at Pru Phuket in Thailand. Photo: Gavin Yeung
'Being the only Michelin-starred restaurant on the island brings a lot of privileges, but because we're in Phuket, it also brings a lot of challenges,' says Pru's executive chef, Jimmy Ophorst. 'The sourcing of ingredients is a lot harder than when you are in Bangkok, for example, where suppliers have their headquarters and you have direct connections.'
The Dutch native believes Phuket's unique conditions for fine dining were vital to shaping Pru into its current incarnation. Perched atop a hill in a dedicated villa, the restaurant invites diners to ascend a flight of stairs to its welcome lounge, where a trio of amuse-bouches is served, cluing diners into the locavore cuisine.
The main dining room is dominated by a Japanese kappo-style dining bar, where up to 10 diners can peer into the generously spaced, state-of-the-art open kitchen, and out to the Andaman Sea beyond.
Durian mousse on a bed of Hua Hin caviar and topped with shiso leaf oil at Pru in Phuket. Photo: courtesy Pru
