What factors make a destination worthwhile? Some travelers prioritize ticking off attractions from their lists, while others seek out lounging opportunities like sunbathing on a sandy shore or relaxing beside a swimming pool. However, an increasing number of food enthusiasts consider the total count of Michelin stars awarded to restaurants within a locale as key criteria when choosing where to go.
For these food enthusiasts, Tokyo stands at the top of the list globally, boasting an impressive 220 Michelin stars. Paris follows closely behind with 160 stars, while Kyoto takes third place with 119 stars. In the 2025 ranking, Hong Kong secures the fifth spot with a notable total of 101 stars.
However, what about the opposite extreme, for instance, Phuket Since 2018, Pru, a 36-seater located within the opulent Trisara resort, stands as Phuket’s only establishment awarded a Michelin star. This accolade makes their meticulously crafted tasting menu the leading representation of high-end cuisine in an area predominantly recognized for affordable and casual street food sold at humble open-air stalls.
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As the sole Michelin-starred establishment on this island, we enjoy numerous advantages; however, being located in Phuket comes with significant hurdles as well," explains Jimmy Ophorst, the executive chef at Pru. "Procuring ingredients proves much more difficult here compared to cities like Bangkok, which has established suppliers and easy access to resources due to their central offices.
A local from the Netherlands feels that Phuket’s distinctive setting was crucial in transforming Pru into what it is today. Located within a private villa on a hilltop, the eatery encourages guests to climb a staircase leading up to a welcoming lounge. Here, three palate-cleansing canapés are presented, giving patrons insight into the establishment’s focus on locally sourced ingredients.
The primary eating area features a Japanese kappo-style counter that accommodates up to 10 guests. From here, they can observe the spacious, cutting-edge open kitchen and catch views of the Andaman Sea outside.
The tasting menu Conceived with the principle of "community to fork," this concept highlights local ingredients alongside social sustainability. (Pru operates solely on electricity, while Ophorst oversees a flexible open-fire grill setup.)
When we launched Pru in 2016, the primary objective was to use exclusively local Thai ingredients for our dishes,” Ophorst remembers. “That posed the greatest hurdle.” However, over time, as the eatery forged relationships with providers throughout Thailand, procuring ingredients grew increasingly straightforward until eventually, he notes, “it ceased being our central aim and evolved into an integral aspect of what defines us.”
Eating at Pru means diving into intense Thai cuisine. The dinner starts with one of Ophorst’s hallmark dishes: what initially looks like a white lump of coral topped with emerald-hued liquid. This turns out to be a mousse crafted from durian, which was slowly cooked over an open flame for six hours to achieve a richly smoked sweetness similar to caramelization. Served on a base of Hua Hin caviar and enhanced with shiso leaf oil, this dish offers a complex blend of flavors—salty, sweet, herby—and showcases deep tastes thanks to Ophorst’s profound understanding of Thailand’s local resources.
Following this, a dish featuring black crabs selects premium crustaceans from the local waters of Phang Nga, serving them with tender claw meat paired with a sauce combining green curry and aged tea leaves. Meanwhile, another offering showcases smoked, dehydrated, and “liqueur-infused” beetroots sourced from northeast Thailand’s Loei province. This course highlights the establishment's commitment to sustainable practices through a miso glaze created using discarded sourdough as an ingredient. The plate also includes mulberries cultivated at a neighboring permaculture farm shared between Pru and its sibling eatery—Jampa—which has earned both establishments a Michelin Green Star for environmental stewardship.
One of the standout dishes on the menu features dry-aged duck served with tamarind. The bird comes from free-range flocks raised in the unspoiled Khao Yai area within central Thailand. After being soaked in brine for one full day and subsequently honey-glazed for another, the duck gets flavored with lemongrass. Following this, it’s left hanging to age for a week prior to undergoing slow roasting over an open fire. Accompanying this culinary masterpiece is a combination of sweet tamarind cream, roasted burdock roots sourced from Northern Thailand, along with a mix of red, black, and white Trang peppercorns. Just before serving, each plate receives a final touch through the addition of a sauce made by reducing duck stock down to its essence after cooking it slowly four times. As expected, such meticulous preparation yields exceptionally crisp yet delicate skin surrounding succulent flesh, complemented unexpectedly but beautifully by the tangy notes brought forth by the tamarind component.
It's simple, having said that. A metropolis like Hong Kong, which boasts Michelin-starred establishments. It’s easy to overlook the smoothly running systems, swift service, and culinary expertise needed to earn a Michelin star. However, Phuket, which is often seen as lacking in high-end dining options, highlights Pru’s stringent standards even more sharply.
"Traditionally, tourists visiting the island have favored sampling authentic local Thai dishes rather than opting for high-end dining experiences," explains Phuket-based hospitality specialist Karim von Alvensleben, whose experience includes managing hotels in Macau and Hong Kong. Instead of benchmarking Phuket’s culinary offerings against those found in bustling Bangkok, von Alvensleben suggests that Bali serves as a better point of comparison; both islands share similar tropical attractions despite lacking Michelin-starred establishments yet remain renowned for their exceptional food scenes.
A 50-minute drive to the north, on the mainland Phang Nga province Aulis Phuket shares the distinction of being the sole Michelin-starred venue in its area (although named after Phuket, the eatery falls under the purview of Phang Nga according to the Guide — one of three locations in Thailand inspected by Michelin reviewers, along with Phuket and Bangkok).
Aulis has three global locations (in addition to those in London and Cartmel, northwest England) and forms parte of British chef Simon Rogan's a sustainable high-end dining establishment renowned for its chef's table experience, similar to Pru, which features an exposed kitchen setting designed to engage up to 15 guests in witnessing the intricate preparation of a tasting menu.
The strategy employed here involves an extensive use of locally-sourced products—upwards of 95 percent of all ingredients—which aligns closely with Rogan’s distinctive philosophy of serving food from farm to table. On a customary tasting menu at Aulis, one can find predominantly Thai components highlighted: for instance, a dish featuring domestically-raised Wagyu beef originating from the ArunSupa Farm located near Khon Kaen in northeast Thailand, complemented by fresh herbs cultivated on site at Aulis; sustainable orange-spotted grouper captured by Catch & Co., based out of Phang Nga; along with a dessert option consisting of frozen sheep’s yoghurt. from Chiang Mai enhanced with aerated lime and leaf top oil.
At times, the restaurant takes an extra step, like its partnership with Farmer Family organic farm located in the Phuket township of Paklok. This farm cultivates produce solely for Aulis, and any excess is then sold at nearby markets.
Even though its location is more isolated compared to Pru’s, Aulis Phuket received a Michelin star within fewer than 12 months after launching in December 2023.
"Reaching the pinnacle at Aulis has been a dream realized," remarks head chef Charlie Wilson, emphasizing that Aulis’ method of integrating its natural environment into their dining experience is what connects most profoundly with patrons (as well as Michelin assessors) who go out of their way to visit for a meal.
"The restaurants are renowned for providing outstanding culinary experiences, and through our chef’s table, we have the opportunity to genuinely convey the narratives behind every dish, ingredient, and component of our menu and drink offerings," he explains.
As part of Thailand's broader effort to recast itself as more than just a budget destination for backpackers, The Beach (2000) to the opulent locale illustrated in The White Lotus In April, the Tourism Authority of Thailand entered into an eight-year partnership with the Michelin Guide, contributing to a significant increase in Michelin-starred eateries, which rose from just 98 in the first Thai edition in 2018 to 462 this year.
Certainly, Thailand stands only behind Japan when it comes to the proportion of global travelers who consider it a premier culinary destination, as per a 2024 report from Kinetic Consulting. Additionally, over the last two consecutive years, the Asia's Best Female Chef Award at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants has recognized talented female chefs from Thailand.
Although Bangkok continues to be the epicenter for cuisine in Thailand, Phuket was named a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015 and contributes over $3.6 billion yearly through its food industry.
"Pru’s Ophorst acknowledges the difficulties of operating in Phuket,” he states. “While we may lack the spotlight enjoyed by bigger cities, our location here has shaped us into what we are now and enabled us to develop something distinctive. Many visitors journey around the globe specifically to come to Phuket for dining at Pru. This holds great significance for me, particularly since our aim is to advocate for and cement Phuket Island’s status as a premier food destination.”
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