Rimtang restaurant in Phuket Town

I had heard of this restaurant before, but a couple of weeks ago we went with my wife's sister who works in Phuket town and seems to know all the good lunch spots.. which makes me wonder if they do any work at the bank or just eat lunch all day!

Rimtang is on Thung Kha road a bit north of the center of Phuket Town near the Satree Phuket school. It's just off the road, but has a big sign, so it's hard to miss...



Inside the entrance there's plenty of parking, while the restaurant itself is half hidden behind plants, trees and flowers. It has a peaceful feeling, but I hear it can be very busy at lunchtime during the week. Rimtang is open every day and based on my first meal there I would say is well worth looking for - I will be back soon to check out more of the menu.





The food we had was simple (fried rice, chicken with garlic and pepper), but I want to go back to try some of the Phuket specialties. We did get a couple of plates of fried tofu which comes with a nut/chili sauce. Very tasty.



There are plenty of drinks on offer too - different teas and herbal drinks (I just had a simple ice tea).. and ice chocolate for the kidz :)



We'll go back soon. I want to try the Mee Hoon, a Phuket style of noodles. You can also get Khanom Jeen, which is very popular round here - white noodles, rather sticky and ladled with (normally) some kind of curry. I am not a big fan, but my wife loves it. Also, I heard you can get some of the best mango and sticky rice at Rimtang.. I think mango and sticky rice deserves a blog entry!

Aside from the food, Rimtang also has a shop selling local snacks made of dried fish, cuttlefish, shrimps, different nuts, rice cakes, dried fruits.. a big range of tasty items. Good to take home for friends and family to try. We always have some snacks of some kind around the kitchen somewhere!



Rimtang is one of those "must go back soon" restaurants. Just need to find the time. Phuket town has a lot of good eating well off the tourist trap trail. Oh, and I should mention our bill that day for 3 adults, 2 kids, with about 7 dishes of food and 8 drinks and some snacks from the shop.... 510 Baht. Good eating, good price!

Update September 2010 - some new photos...



(above) Mango and sticky rice with coconut cream. Delicious.



(above) Mee Hoon - rice noodles fried in soy sauce with flaked dried onion and a pork rib soup. Also delicious!

Awards and gratitude

I've been given tons of awards over the past couple of months but I have always been hesitant to put them up as they all require that you nominate other people in return. I'm a bit shy to do that though - I am always shy to nominate people for memes and things like that.

Anyway, I've had so many awards by now that I think the time has come to be graceful and grateful.

Sandra from Get To Know Croatia and Jodi from Jodi's Journey gave me a Lemonade Award. This is meant to be for bloggers who show attitude and/or gratitude and it is a pretty little award.

I like the idea that I have attitude and gratitude!

Next, the lovely Ivana from From Ohio With Love gave me a butterfly award. What a sweet award! I like the idea of being cool too!

Mye from Blog Appetite gave me a triple award which is a very ambitious award! It encompasses the lemonade award as well as sisterhood and friendship. Very nice!

Finally, for sheer fabulousness, Forrest over at Travelling Through Space and Time gave me a "Your Blog is Fabulous" award. A very chic award indeed!

I'm almost certain I'm missing out on one and I honestly don't mean to sound as ungrateful as I undoubtedly do. Poo. If I left any out then please forgive me!!

Well, like I said, I don't like the idea of tagging people so I thought I'd mention that my way of "recognising" the blogs I like is to "follow" them using Blogger and to, well, read them. So if you're on my blogroll on my sidebar or if you ever see me popping by your blog then these awards are for you! I don't read blogs I don't think are great.

Talking about blogging, in the next two weeks or so I will finish the posts about our road trip in December. I have just Liverpool to finish now and York to add. Then I want to set up my old PC and show you some of the beauty and wonder that is South Africa. I have lots of photos to show you. Some of them are even good. (Most of them were taken before I learned some basics of photography, like holding the camera straight or steady). I also wanted to write about some of the blogs I follow in categories like "South African blogs", "photo blogs" or "expat blogs". It should be March then which is anniversary month in which I intend to be a hermit at home and post pictures from my honeymoon in Spain 7 years ago. Then it will be April and we're off to South Africa on a whirlwind visit. I'll have lots to post then as my gorgeous friend Gyda is getting married. And then, fair readers, it will be summer here and I should actually have original content to post again!!

Lots to look forward to!

Snow Day!

We had our first snow day today.  This picture shows the field behind my house with all the children playing on sleighs and building snow men.  I had to stay home for the day because all of the trains were cancelled.  Luckily, Ste and my brother work outside of London and their colleagues picked them up and took them to Orpington and Dartford respectively.  I was a bit disappointed after sitting around in my work clothes for three hours to learn that apart from there being no trains or buses, our offices were closing at 1pm and those of us that hadn't made it in would have to take a day's annual leave.  I tend to sleep in late and lounge about in pyjamas on my days off - not get up earlier than usual to make a special effort to get in and sit around waiting in my suit and jacket.  Grumpiness aside, once I realised it really was a day off, I made some Milo and watched Demons and Being Human from the weekend.  I also experimented with changing the layout for this blog, as I am a bit tired of this layout, but that didn't go very well.

The most amusing part of the day was observing my pets' differing reactions to the snow.

Cats
Early this morning, Seth was being an incorrigible pain in the neck bold and was meowing and asking to be let out.  So I opened the window thinking he would feel the snow on the window sill and realise that it was to wet and cold to go outside.  He put a tentative paw on the window sill and quickly shook it; but instead of coming back inside, he launched himself out of the window and promptly disappeared!  All I saw then was him shaking his back paws as cats do when their paws get wet and forging a way ahead in the snow.  Before I could do anything he sped off and was gone.  Oh dear.  I had to leave a window open for him then as I went to bath but soon he was back announcing at the top of his lungs something that sounded remarkably like, "Mum! I'm home! And wet! And cold! Close the windows quick!"

Well, his wet and cold experience didn't really leave an impression because a few hours later I was confronted with these friendly faces as I walked into the sitting room:

I promise you! He was giving me a right mouthful!  Summer supports him but won't actually go outside herself.

Well, as you can see, he got kind of insistent after a while so I hauled on my wellies and went outside the front door with him.  He immediately ran to the shelter of the bay window, complaining about the cold all the way!  Then he ran under the car and sat forlornly under the engine as if he were the most hard-done-by cat on the planet.  Unable to coax him from under the car, I returned inside and he came shooting in at the sound of the door.  Thankfully, that was that and he seems to have accepted that it is too cold and wet to go outside.

Dogs
Considering how terrified our dogs were of our swimming pool in South Africa, I never imagined that they would like snow so much!  I had opened up the back door to see if the dogs needed to pee and they just stood there watching it snow. 

That wasn't so much fun for me so I went inside to make some tea.  Suddenly, I noticed the pair of them prancing about in the snow like two little puppies, and they were even playing about with a rubber toy between them which is something they never do (share, I mean.  They are very possessive over their toys).  It was so funny to watch!

In the end, it was a pretty fun and exciting snow day!  Now to cook some dinner!

Per la Festa della Donna il MiBAC propone "Donna e Arte" con l'ingresso gratuito per le donne in tutti i luoghi d'arte statali l'8 marzo 2011

Anche quest'anno, il MiBAC aderendo alla giornata internazionale della Donna, intende celebrare il binomio Donna e Arte: un connubio ispiratore per pittori, scultori, musicisti e tutti coloro che nei secoli hanno individuato nella figura femminile una musa ispiratrice per la loro opera. E sono anche tante le donne che hanno potuto e saputo esprimere, in prima persona, il proprio talento artistico, superando pregiudizi ed ostacoli sociali.

Oggi il ruolo della donna nella società contemporanea è un argomento sempre più in primo piano all'interno del dibattito sociale e culturale del nostro Paese. E' un tema estremamente attuale le cui molteplici sfaccettature rischiano spesso di essere oggetto di facili strumentalizzazioni.

Per incentivare la conoscenza delle espressioni artistiche riferite a questo tema, presenti nei numerosi luoghi d'arte statali, il MiBAC vuole rendervi omaggio, offrendo l'ingresso gratuito a tutte le donne in questa giornata.

Leggi tutto...

Day Out: Burpham Court Farm Park

On perhaps the coldest day of the year so far, Sara decided that it would be a fabulous idea to walk about in the mud and sludge at the Burpham Court Farm Park in Surrey. I interpreted this to mean that my beloved almost-three-year-old godchild Keira was tired of being cooped up indoors and so we readily agreed.

It was so cold today that we noticed that even the ducks were cold! Before we disturbed these two their heads were completely tucked under their wings.

Still, they do look healthy and that is what impressed me the most about Burpham Court - all of the animals looked really healthy and well looked after.

Some of the ducks seemed to be involved in a biathlon type of event which involved swimming across the pond, running around it and swimming back across it again. They seemed to be very intent upon their purpose and it was interesting to watch their ritual!

We were quite taken by the geese as they were so majestic and they had such beautiful blue eyes. I think these might be West of England geese with the grey-headed female and the all-white males.

We wandered into a barn with many sheep and their little lambs. The sheep seemed to like Keira but they did not like me and my camera! Still, I got one picture of a little lamb. Keira's nickname is Lambchops and she was very intrigued to meet the real Lambchops.

They have llamas at Burpham Court and these animals are not shy! There was one scary moment when we were certain that one of the llamas was going to eat Keira's Teddy but it all seemed to end alright.

Did I mention it was cold? After visiting the llamas (and teaching Keira to say "llama" and not "banana") we visited the goats. Sara and I had great fun at this stage trying not to get into mud up to our ankles.

At 3pm we were lucky enough to catch up with Farmer Bob as it was time to bring the goats and the llamas in and feed them. First he involved all of the little children in collecting the animal's buckets and putting them in the right pens. Then he took them on a tour of the chicken coops while they looked for any eggs.

Then all the little children helped herd in the goats and the llamas so that they could eat.

Burpham Court is a rare breeds conservation park and I was really interested to see some rare breeds of pig and goat there. Despite the cold, it was a really nice opportunity to introduce Keira to life on a farm and for her to interact with animals on a deeper level than just a petting farm at a funfair. The animals are in excellent condition and the whole experience is just long enough to keep a small child's attention before they spot the playground at the end. I'd definitely consider going again in the summer as I imagine it might be nice to stop off in the tea garden for some refreshments.

I'd also like to keep an eye on developments at the place because the farmer has been given quite the legal runaround by the National Trust and Guildford City Council. They certainly need support!

Jamie's Phuket 2008 - The Best Bits

Time is money, so they say, but I disagree. Time is life, time is love, time is all you need. And there is never enough. Not enough time to do all you want, not enough time to spend with loved ones, not enough time to spend with friends, and not enough time to update blogs! Thus, on the last day of January I will make a review of 2008.

What appears on Jamie's Phuket depends on what we do, where we go and how much of that precious time I have. I would love to blog full time and write something new and exciting every couple of days, but family comes first, and work takes up most of the week, so do bear with me. I hope that over the last 2 ½ years this blog has been of some help, the original aim, and still the aim - to show the real Phuket, not only the beaches and tourist hangouts. 2008 was a good year, and 2009 promises much. So let's look back at what was blogged last year...

In January, my favourite Phad Thai shop was blogged.. and this little roadside local shop has now made the Lonely Planet! Thai food is great, but I admit to being English, and sometimes need some English Food too...



I have a vague aim to blog all Phuket Temples... 2 were added in January - Kata Temple (on the back road near Kata Beach) and Wat Naka (near Phuket Town).

February - a rare treat at a very nice restaurant called The Ninth Floor in Patong, not our normal kind of place, it was a company dinner. Great food... Next up - a visit to Chalong Temple Fair (which has also been on for the last 10 days).

The floating restaurant at Bang Rong on the east coast of Phuket was blogged - one of our favourite quite places... as is Buddha Mountain, where the Big Buddha is slowly nearing completion. We wrote our names on a piece of marble which I assume is now part of the statue...



March - we visited the Weekend Market which is near the aforementioned Naka Temple on the edge of Phuket Town. We also visited the Phuket Food Festival held at Sapan Hin in the south of town.



There was a little piece about Phuket Weather, although for much more information on the weather, then my Phuket Weather Blog is the place to look.

I was making a point to blog different parts of Phuket Town during 2008. In April I headed to Sapan Hin for a look around...



And then... highlight of April has to be Songkran! I have learned over the years that you have to be in a Songkran mood to enjoy the day. So we enjoyed it!



Phuket has more bloggers you know! In April there was an honorable mention for the Phuket Bloggers - if there are more, do let me know!

May - we left Phuket for a while - holidays! My wifes family is in Chumphon, on the east coast about 400km from Phuket. Further up the coast is the very nice little town of Prachuap Khiri Khan, which I enjoyed visiting. Must blog Chumphon one day too!

Back in Phuket we enjoyed the views from Rang Hill... and found a great restaurant on the north side of Phuket Town - Pak Nam Seafood.



June - meant to be low season but of course the weather is mostly nice. A couple of places to mingle and exercise with the locals - Bang Wad Reservoir and Suan Luang Park.



Phuket is trying to head more up market. Yes, it's got a lot of package tourists, but the luxury market is expanding... Nothing left for the budget traveler? Wrong! I wrote a little something about Phuket for Backpackers.

July - we started with another little local temple - Wat Thepnimit (which is just outside town), and later in the month I blogged Wat Sawang Arom, which is close to Rawai Beach.



Also at Rawai Beach... Nikitas Bar is a Phuket legend. On the beach, small and friendly, good prices. We like!

In July, using TripAdvisor as a guide, I wrote about the Top 10 Hotels in Phuket - this page has become one of the most visited on the blog.

August. At the end of August, Phuket Airport was closed for a day and a half by the PAD. We did not think at the time that the same idiots would do the same in Bangkok. It was a very confusing few days at the end of the month. I tried to do a kind of "live blog" with updates for a few days.

Earlier in the month, the Big Chicken restaurant was blogged - and we have just been there this very evening!

I also took some time to look around Kata Noi Beach.



Oh, back in January I mentioned the Phad Thai shop being in the Lonely Planet - in August I did a little review of the Lonely Planet Phuket Encounter Guide... and was glad to note they mentioned this blog :)

Our kids love the Phuket Butterfly Garden - we've been a few times. It's on the edge of Phuket Town.



September 2008. The year seems almost done... Now and then I add a recommendation for a Phuket Hotel. So in September I added Burasari and Katathani.

I finally blogged something about the Similan Islands, which really was the reason I stayed in Phuket. Great diving.

And then... my absolute favourite Phuket festival started at the end of September. This is something unmissable, something totally unique. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Every year I try to see something new, I started with the food...



And into October... the Vegetarian Festival is awesome. If you can be in Phuket at the right time, BE HERE! You cannot see anything like this anywhere. I was in blog overdrive for a week...

• Kathu Shrine
• Jui Tui Shrine
• Vegetarian Festival in Kathu Village - including face piercing



The firecrackers when the procession left Kathu village were earbursting. This is an experience...



And I took more photos of the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket Town. I love it! I also posted some videos of the festival...



As if October could not get any better.... we flew to Phi Phi. Yes, flew to Phi Phi. There are seaplane flights with a company called Destination Air, and I was asked to write something for them. No payment but at the last minute I was able to get the whole family along for the ride. A great afternoon.



November - into the high season for us divers... I took some videos at Phuket Aquarium, praised the abundance of Fruit Stalls, and we celebrated Loy Krathong...



I took my daughter to school - well, an old school which has been turned into a museum in Phuket Town - Thai Hua Museum... and on the edge of town, not far from our house, we found a great new noodle shop specialising in Kuay Jap style noodles.



I have learned something - there are always new adventures to be had, new places to explore close to your own doorstep. It's too easy to turn on the TV, easy to eat at your favourite restaurant, and I am guilty of this too. I thank this blog for making me get off my sofa. Phuket is a great place, but is often rather misunderstood. I love it here, and have no plans to leave.

December - I admit to being far too busy to write much save for some stuff about high season weather in Phuket and a review of the very nice Amari Coral Beach Resort.

The end of December marked a turning point. It has now been more than 4 years since the tsunami... What did I write? Fear not for the future, weep not for the past. Bring on 2009. It has already been brought. Hope January has been good for you. Hope the next 11 months are good too. Keep reading Jamie's Phuket!