Mor Mu Dong Restaurant – #1 Food You Must Eat in Phuket, Thailand!

Mor Mu Dong is a restaurant in Phuket that serves some of the best and most unique local Southern Thai dishes on the island.

When you are in Phuket, and of course if you love to eat, this is a restaurant not to be missed.

I’ll quickly share with you some of the best dishes to order and what you can expect when eating at Mor Mu Dong (Mo Mu Dong Phuket) restaurant!

Mor Mu Dong

First of all we must acknowledge the fact that Mor Mu Dong (หมอมูดง) is one of the most famous restaurants in all of Phuket and, truth be told, it is so well known that tourists, especially Thai tourists from Bangkok, frequent the restaurant.

Over the years the restaurant has become increasingly commercial. I think I even saw some bank ads the last time I was there.

When this happens, the quality of the food typically decreases.

However, this is not the case with Mor Mu Dong. Even after their widespread publicity and inclusion in the Phuket Michelin Guideand in every possible Thai media publication, they remain one of the best restaurants in Phuket.

I eat here every time I’m in Phuket, and literally every time I’m blown away by the fantastic taste and unique dishes, dishes you won’t find anywhere else.

All this to say, for food lovers, Mor Mu Dong is a must-visit restaurant when you are in Phuket.

The location and setting

The restaurant is located in an area of ​​Phuket called Chalong, about a 15-minute drive south of Phuket Town. It is hidden in a swampy mangrove forest.

They have a variety of seating options, including outdoor communal booths with wooden decks and smaller private booths with a choice of small tables or chairs.

Despite their popularity, they remained local in style. I love the natural aspect of these types of restaurants, they have great character right from the start.

Put in order

The menu is extensive and covers the wide range of Southern Thai cuisine, local Phuket dishes and signature dishes that are pretty much only available at Mor Mu Dong.

And that’s another reason why I love this restaurant so much, they have so many unique dishes.

Now let’s get to the food and what you should order.

Stuffed mackerel

One of the most famous dishes to order is theirs you too, you know (stuffed mackerel), essentially a stuffed shorthead mackerel.

When it arrives on your table, it looks like any other fried fish.

But the surprise is the filling, where the internal meat of the fish and the bones are removed and a spongy fish sausage is obtained which is reminiscent of tod man, or Malaysian mental brainis stuffed into the skin of the fish.

Since it’s fried, you can eat it whole, skin, head, and all the sausage inside. You taste the red curry paste, the fragrance of the kaffir lime leaves and the mackerel to hold it all together.

Quite simply, they are glorious.

Clam salad + sea grapes (clam salad with red sauce)

Sea grapes are a delicacy in Phuket and there are numerous dishes you can order to accompany them.

On my last visit, I ordered the Hi Dad (หอยตับ), which I believe are a type of clam, made into a salad with shrimp paste, chili peppers, shallots and lime juice. The salad itself was amazing, and then pairing it with the grape seaweed took it to the next level.

Sepia ink

Calamari in black sauce is another exceptional dish.

First of all, the calamari is tender and the sauce is both spicy and inky. The sprinkle of crispy shallots on top added the perfect savory tang.

Dried Fish Chilli Sauce (Dried Fish Chili Sauce)

Within the repertoire for ordering Thai food, you need to have a mix of dishes in each meal, including some spicy, fried, rich and some light dishes. A type of nam prik, or chili sauce, is something you should include.

There are several chilli sauces to try at Mor Mu Dong Restaurant (Mor Mu Dong Restaurant, Phuket). I tried the chili sauce with dried anchovies (chilli sauce with dried anchovies), which had a good balance of texture, flavors and kick. of umami.

It is perfect to eat with the accompaniment of blanched vegetables.

Snail curry (stir-fried periwinkle with chaplu)

They actually call it stir-fried, but it’s actually a rich, thick curry made with snails. The snails have a similar texture to squid and, wrapped in the curry sauce, are delicious.

What makes it really special to me is the handful of coarsely chopped wild betel leaves that give the whole thing a fresh nutty flavour.

Fern salad

A great vegetable dish to order is fern salad (yam pak kud).

The salad includes fern shoots, pieces of seafood, scallions, chilies and a dressing of fish sauce, lime juice and probably a little sugar for balance. It was salty, sour and refreshing.

Sour curry

If you have already read any other reviews of my restaurants in Southern Thailand, you will probably see the sour curry (as usual แกงส้ม) in almost every post. This is because it is one of the national dishes of southern Thailand and one of my favorites.

Typically the Phuket version of gaeng som tends to be sweet, so it’s not my favorite. But Mor Mu Dong’s version was quite good, thick with curry puree, turmeric and shrimp paste. It was sour and salty, without being overly sweet.

This time we ordered it with taro stems.

Banana flower salad

Banana flower salad (what is the result? ยำหัวปลี) was not one of my favorite dishes because it was quite sweet. That said, it’s still pretty good.

The sauce included thick coconut cream and lots of it it happened to usroasted red pepper jam.

Melinjo leaves with egg

Another absolute classic of southern Thai cuisine is melinjo leaves sautéed with egg (Mr. Miang Pad Kai Stir-fried vegetables with egg.

Their version is dry and smoky, just how I like it.

Fried aubergines with curry

Finally, to conclude this review of Mor Mu Dong, there is another exceptional dish.

The aubergines are fried until caramelized, then covered in a small mountain of fried curry paste, crunchy garlic and kaffir lime leaves.

It’s incredibly tasty – just order it!

video

If you have some time, you can watch the full video, on how to eat at Mor Mu Dong (or watch it on YouTube here).

In conclusion, I would simply say; Mor Mu Dong is one of the best local restaurants in Phuket. It’s famous for a reason: the food is really good and consistent.

I eat at Mor Mu Dong every time I visit Phuket and it is definitely worth taking the time to eat here.

Mor Mu Dong (Mor Mu Dong Restaurant, Phuket) – Phuket, Thailand

Address: 9/4 Village No. 3, Soi Palai, Chao Fa Road, Chalong, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83130 (Google Maps)
Opening time: every day from 10:00 to 21:30
Prices: I don’t have an exact bill to show you of the dishes above because the photos I took are of a few meals. But the prices are around 100 – 200 THB per dish. Please note that portion sizes are small. If my wife and I eat out, we order about 6-8 dishes and we can eat them all.