Curry makes merry at Phuket eateries

With over 25 Indian restaurants in this tourist town in Phuket, eateries like Tantra, Indian Curry Club and Ali Baba are adding much variety to the international cuisine already available here, keeping their cash registers ringing.

There are 25 Indian restaurants doing brisk business at Patong in Phuket

"We are seeing a boom among Indian restaurants here," says Kolkata-born Aaffzal Khan (39) the proprietor of the largest Indian food chain in this town located in the southern province of Thailand, who started his operations here around five years ago.

"Currently there are over 25 restaurants serving Indian food here alone. All are stand-alone restaurants. This trend started two-three years ago when thousands of Indians started coming here. These eateries are a rage among the people," Khan said.

A walk around the famous Bangla street, known for a Thai kick-boxing stadium, night life and massage parlours, gives a glimpse of the dozens of eateries with the familiar Indian names. The clientele is cosmopolitan, though the flow of Indians has helped.

"This year, we expect 60,000 Indians in Phuket double the number from last year. In the next few years it is expected to go up to 1 lakh-plus," said Bangornrat Chinaprayoon, director of state-run Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Andre A Gomez, general manager at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort, said weddings and receptions being hosted by Indians were also making Indian food popular since chefs are being trained to handle the diverse Indian cuisine.
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"Last month, we had a grand Indian wedding here. Everyone wanted Indian food, even the non-Indian guests. Why them alone? Even our guests from other countries like Indian food and want it for variety," Gomez said.

David Lance, operations director of Courtyard Marriot in Patong, said Indian food was in such high demand that his hotel was not just recruiting Indian chefs but also training some of its own by asking those from the Marriots in India to come by for short stints.