Ever had the craving for some great Thai food? Well, if you’re anywhere near Amsterdam, you’re in luck!
Located in the heart of the city Thai Phutakun is the number one Thai restaurant in Amsterdam, according to Tripadvisor, and number 42 of 2,749 of all the restaurants in the whole of Amsterdam. Believe me, they know what they’re talking about.
Just a short backstory… one of my least favorite parts of visiting a new city is eating at the super touristy restaurants in the city center. The food appears to be delicious, the staff is seemingly so welcoming with their various discounts, but at the end I always end up feeling overcharged and dissatisfied. Throughout my travels, I’ve become so aware of the fact that many of the restaurants located in the city center (or typical tourist areas) don’t have regular diners, instead just travelers that will only eat there once. Therefore, the quality of food and experience doesn’t have to be good enough to make anyone ever come back, and usually, it isn’t.
There are the rare exceptions, however, and following a recommendation from a friend, we went to Thai Phukatun for dinner. And it was so good I just had to write an article about it.
Located in the Canal ring of Amsterdam, the restaurant is a short walk or (even shorter) bike ride from many of the main attractions including the Rembrant House Museum.
Husband and wife owners Erixx and Nong started Thai Phukatun seven years ago. At first, the business was slow to build up, Nong had previously owned a separate restaurant with her sister, but then they decided to divide it in two. In the past two years, however, it has totally taken off on Tripadvisor, winning the Certificate of Excellence in 2014 and 2015.
Today, Erixx works mostly in the front of the house, waiting tables, hosting guests, etc. During our first visit there (yes, we’ve already gone twice in less than two weeks), we were really impressed by how professional and great the service was. Wife, Nong splits her time between the cooking up the delicious cuisine, kitchen management and being the “architect of the menu”, according to Erixx
Then, of course, I can’t forget about the food! My family is vegetarian, and I sometimes try to eat that way as well, so we decided on a variety of vegetarian dishes during our visit. I like my food super spicy, and my sister not spicy at all, which was absolutely taken into account and seasoned perfectly to our preferences.
Something very distinct for me as well was the freshness of the food. Not only was it just normal freshness you would expect, but also it tasted as if it just left the farm, with the perfect crunch and texture. According to owner Erixx:
“All ingredients are fresh. Because we are very small, we have to do shopping two to three times per week depending on how busy it is. So, everything is fresh, always.”
“All the ingredients are originally Thai, and what we are doing is authentic Thai meals.”
Overall, this was one of my favorite restaurants I have ever been to, especially considering the location, service, friendliness and of course, the food. Even if you think you don’t like Thai food, believe me, you’ll like Phutakun!
Noel Hernandez
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