Perhaps my favorite food in Phuket

It's so freaking cold in Chicago! Arghhh!

Ok, just had to let that out. I was lucky for my balmy reprieve in the tropics. Here's a look at one of my favorite places to dine in Phuket, Thailand. I don't know the name of the place, but I can tell you what they serve: roti and curry.

Roti and curry shop and, what I think is safe to assume, a regular.

Roti is a fried flatbread. It used to only be served in Thailand either plain, with egg, or as a dessert with various sugary accoutrement such as condensed milk, sugar, bananas, and/or chocolate syrup, among other condiments. It is wonderful.

Roti in raw and cooked form.

These days you can also find, usually in the southern region, roti as part of a savory meal with curry. The best I've had is with a beef mussamun curry. Sometimes it's served as a wrap with a thick, sloppy-joe-like curry interior. In this case the flatbread is smooshed, cut up, and literally served just like rice alongside a thin, soupy curry.

The shop had chicken and beef curry and you could have it with or without a fried egg on top. The beef curry was the best one in my opinion.

Part of what is so genius about this concoction is the fact that the curry does not have coconut milk and thus is not so fatty. The delicious fatty satisfaction comes from the crispy, greasy bread.

Upon asking the chef about how he makes the dough, he did not reveal his recipe. However, he did impress that it's not easy. In order to have everything prepped for lunch service, his dad - the original owner of the establishment - wakes up at dawn, mixes the dough, lets it rest and then thoroughly massages the dough in a very particular style. No machines can do it quite right, apparently. All that said, you can also buy roti frozen in the asian grocery. Somehow I doubt the flavor is quite the same.

The cook at work. The pan is super hot and heated by coal fire.

Roti and curry is not indigenous Thai fare. Given the crescent and star symbol of Islam on the front of the counter as well as geographic liklihood, I would surmise that this version came from Malaysia, although there are versions of roti and curry in India and Caribbean countries too. What I'd like to try is an addition of fresh herbs or leafy veggies atop or on the side of the curry and roti. I think it would brighten up the fatty bread and spicy curry and add a harmonious Thai element to the dish.

Should you find yourself in Phuket, I highly recommend checking it out.

You can find this shop at the Thaew Nam intersection in the Sino-Chinese part of Phuket Town.