Chalong KEP Farm Fresh Food
Nestled within the lush marina of Chalong lies KEP Restaurant, a charming open-air eatery making waves in Phuket’s culinary scene. Focusing on fresh, organic “farm-to-table” cuisine, this dining restaurant offers visitors a unique dining experience.
The restaurant sources over 75% of its produce directly from its on-site organic farm. Spanning nearly 2 rai of land near the park, the farm utilizes natural farming techniques free of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. KEP’s seasonal harvest includes herbs, salad leaves, exotic veggies, tropical fruits, and more.While the majority of KEP Restaurant’s produce comes from their farm, the kitchen does utilize a wider network of specialty small farms across Phuket for harder-to-cultivate items.
For example, the heirloom Thai rice featured in dishes is sourced from a nearby 10-acre organic rice farm employing traditional, chemical-free growing techniques. KEP’s free-range chicken also arrives from a family-owned farm where the birds are allowed to roam and feed naturally.
According to head chef implementing a hyperlocal supply chain not only minimizes food miles, but allows for innovation in the kitchen. The restaurant’s contemporary Thai menu changes almost daily based on ingredient availability from the lush farm. The restaurant’s symphony garden growing technique utilizes recycled plastic bottles as vertical plant beds for micro-greens and rare herbs.
This space-efficient method allows the compact on-site farm located adjacent to the restaurant building to grow over 52 varieties of produce year-round despite its small size.Seasonal tasting menus fully embrace Chalong’s lush landscape with dishes like foraged rattan shoot salad with free-range duck from farms nearby and traditional massaman curry with pumpkin sourced from their garden just steps away. The restaurant also offers a signature tasting menu paired with natural wines made from Chalong-grown fruit by a pioneering vineyard that supplies only KEP Chalong.
Signature dishes incorporate little-known veggies and herbs rarely found in Phuket’s restaurants. Take the spicy winged bean salad with foraged wild betel leaves or the banana blossom larb featuring an indigenous banana cultivar. Don’t miss the homemade ice cream featuring unique flavors like roasted rice and butterfly pea flower.
With ingredients traveling mere meters from farm-to-plate, KEP’s dishes offer a remarkably fresh, natural flavor. Recent food critics have praised the restaurant for its inventive approach to farm-to-table cooking, with some hailing it as a new sustainability benchmark for Thailand.
Beyond sourcing responsibly raised meats and sustainably caught seafood, KEP’s devotion to localized organic produce is unmatched across the island. Sitting in its breezy jungle pavilion, one truly tastes the essence of Phuket.
