Royd Phuket Traces Southern Thailand Between Two Seas
Words: Pasuta Phongam Photos: Pasuta Phongam
At Royd, MICHELIN Young Chef Award 2026 winner Suwijak “Mond” Kunghae brings Phuket’s culinary traditions into a contemporary tasting menu, following ingredients from the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand.
Southern Thailand’s geography becomes the organising principle at Royd Phuket. This season’s ‘Two Seas through South’ menu moves between coastlines, orchards and rice fields, connecting Andaman seafood with Surat Thani river prawns, Ranong krill and Phatthalung rice. Presented as eight courses, with opening bites and petit fours, it takes Phuket as its point of departure and looks across the wider South.
Behind the restaurant is chef Suwijak “Mond” Kunghae, recipient of the MICHELIN Young Chef Award 2026, presented by Blancpain. The recognition places a spotlight on a chef whose contemporary approach centres on Southern Thai cooking and its regional identity. MICHELIN, SOOD’s introduction to Chef Mond
At Royd, the relationship between authentic Phuket cooking and fine dining is expressed through the menu’s construction. Familiar dishes retain their Thai names, while their ingredients suggest changes in texture, temperature and composition. Nam prik, sour curry, coconut soup and khanom jeen provide the framework; emulsions, sorbets and smoked caviar extend the possibilities.
The opening pair establishes that approach through two interpretations of nam prik. Local anchovy meets sour mango in nam prik pla ching chang, placing salt and acidity at the beginning of the meal. Nam prik man goong follows with Surat Thani river prawn, Tubtim Siam pomelo and a prawn-fat emulsion—a combination that brings citrus into conversation with the richness of the crustacean.
From here, the menu turns towards the Andaman. Squid and Phuket pineapple form the basis of a Southern Thai sour curry, listed in Thai as gaeng som muek nam dam. Pineapple carries the island’s agricultural identity into a seafood course, its sweet acidity offering a natural connection to the curry.
The next dish draws on tom kati phak miang, the Southern preparation of leafy greens in coconut milk. Royd pairs malindjo leaves with Ranong krill shrimp and smoked Hua Hin caviar. The ingredient list stretches across the peninsula, bringing a familiar regional vegetable together with two distinct expressions of seafood.
Andaman crab follows in kian pu, accompanied by Phuket chilli sauce. Its concise composition keeps the focus on the crab and its local reference. The subsequent santol course is more unexpected: local santol sorbet appears alongside chilli paste and Andaman golden pomfret. Fruit enters the savoury sequence in frozen form, making temperature part of the dish’s interpretation.
Khanom jeen nam ya pla siab returns to the language of noodles and curry. Homemade rice noodles are paired with Krabi fish curry and frog leg, bringing another province into the meal’s expanding map.
A Phuket classic of slow-braised duck belly, Ped Hong, lacquered in soy and palm sugar, with garlic and black pepper lending warmth and depth. Rich, tender and gently spiced, it arrives with the glossy finish of a dish built on time rather than excess.
Longkong brings a soft sweetness to this Southern Thai salad, lifted by citrus, herbs and a light savoury dressing. Fresh and restrained, it lands neatly between the richer courses.
The menu then moves inland with organic duck from Klong Phai Farm, Phatthalung Tubtim organic rice and kolae sauce. Here, the rice receives a named provenance alongside the duck, giving the agricultural ingredient equal presence on the page.
Dessert continues the regional itinerary. Phuket pineapple returns as a sorbet with rambutan and Rai Narak white sato jelly, revisiting an ingredient introduced earlier in the sour curry. The final dessert takes its name from tao sor, assembling Surat Thani salted egg,
Phang Nga palm-sugar ice cream and palm-sugar jelly. Salted egg and palm sugar bring the sequence towards a richer sweet-savoury register before petit fours.
Across ‘Two Seas through South’, provenance gives the meal its structure. Phuket remains the anchor, while ingredients from neighbouring provinces broaden the perspective.
Mond’s contemporary treatment allows these familiar foods to occupy a different setting, with the names, produce and culinary references of Southern Thailand still clearly in view. Royd Phuket Contact: +66 (0)65 554 2494 reservation@restaurantroyd.com
Reserve: TableCheck | reservation@restaurantroyd.com
Location: 95/1 Dibuk Road, Talat Nuea, Mueang Phuket, Phuket 83000, Thailand.
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