Je T'aime

 One of the more interesting food destinations in Phuket is Je T'aime a Vietnamese/Thai restaurant located next to the bus station (round the back off the main road). The food here is not unique but it is done better than all the other Vietnamese places I have tried, especially the 'pork skewers'(top right).

The fun of course comes in rolling your own and filling the lettuce provided with any mix of the sauces, vegetables or tidbits given to you.Ordering these are a must any time you visit here! The fresh spring rolls (right) are worthwhile but a little flowery for my tastes. Other than that the menu can become a bit of a lottery with us usually ordering 4 dishes, loving 2 and feeling underwhelmed by the other 2.

The air-con in here is unnecessarily cold ... to the point of freezing and a meal here often turns into an endurance test with no real desire to sit around and chat after it has finished. It is also noticeably less busy than when I first started going there 4 years ago and now is never more than half full. The recent introduction of a 'western menu' offering steaks etc. is a very worrying sign. Once a place starts shooting for the tourist crowd it looses a lot of it authenticity. The cooking style changes and the restaurant suffers for it.

 There is an outside seating area (4 tables ish) that is nicer and more comfortable but you will often be out there on your own or with smokers so they are not that appealing.

The price is however pretty good with about 800 baht covering a meal for 2 including a couple of drinks. Most dishes are in the 140-180 baht price range and value for money isn't a complaint. The service is efficient but unfriendly and staffed by what seemed like 12 year olds on my last visit.

While I can't put my finger on why this place is declining in popularity I can tell you that I don't come here as regularly as I used to. I don't know why but it seems I am no longer in love with Je T'aime.