April 2017

SAMUI

www.siamwininganddining.com

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APRIL 2017

Monday: Thai Buffet & Seafood BBQ on the Beach THB 1,200 Net Thursday: International Buffet & Seafood BBQ on the Beach THB 1,400 Net Sareeraya Villas & Suites

Call + 66 (0) 77 914 333 www.sareeraya.com

Warmly Wild and Wet! April sees the Thai New Year and the watery-celebrations of Songkran.

A holiday break is special. You can come to Thailand any time you want. But how many of you have come here this month just because of Songkran? If you haven’t then you’re in for a shock!

But if you have, then you’ll know what it’s all about. But do you know how it all began? Or what the water really represents? Today’s festivities now have turned into the world’s biggest water fight, and this year it all starts on the 13th April.

Songkran is such a big event that the rest of the month may seem dull in comparison. Not so! Not

on Samui. When all the excitement has faded away, then is the time to get out and about and discover what we’re most-famous for – our food. Not just the local eateries, but every kind of cuisine and all sorts of dining, from beachside barbecues to 5-star Silver Service. Samui is a gourmet’s delight, and we’ll spotlight those little off-the-track places, too – if they’re good enough!

Every month there’s something new at Samui Wining & Dining!

Enjoy outstanding Thai and European cuisine from our highly experienced, award winning chef beside the golden sands of Chaweng beach.

Perfect for any occasion whether it be dinner with friends or family, or specially set up romantic dinner for two.

At Banana Fan Sea Resort

Chaweng Beach Road Tel: 0 7741 3483-6

E-mail: info@bananafansea.com

www.bananafansea.com

SAMUI

SAMUI

Monday: Thai Buffet & Seafood BBQ on the Beach THB 1,200 Net

www.siamwininganddining.com

FREE COPY

Thursday: International Buffet & Seafood BBQ on the Beach THB 1,400 Net

APRIL 2017

Sareeraya Villas & Suites

Call + 66 (0) 77 914 333 www.sareeraya.com

Wild and Wet! April sees the Thai New Year and the watery-celebrations of Songkran.

A holiday break is special. You can come to Thailand any time you want. But how many of you have come here this month just because of Songkran? If you haven’t then you’re in for a shock!

But if you have, then you’ll know what it’s all about. But do you know how it all began? Or what the water really represents? Today’s festivities now have turned into the world’s biggest water fight, and this year it all starts on the 13th April.

Songkran is such a big event that the rest of the month may seem dull in comparison. Not so! Not

on Samui. When all the excitement has faded away, then is the time to get out and about and discover what we’re most-famous for – our food. Not just the local eateries, but every kind of cuisine and all sorts of dining, from beachside barbecues to 5-star Silver Service. Samui is a gourmet’s delight, and we’ll spotlight those little off-the-track places, too – if they’re good enough!

Every month there’s something new at Samui Wining & Dining!

Enjoy outstanding Thai and European cuisine from our highly experienced, award winning chef beside the golden sands of Chaweng beach.

Perfect for any occasion whether it be dinner with friends or family, or specially set up romantic dinner for two.

At Banana Fan Sea Resort

Chaweng Beach Road Tel: 0 7741 3483-6

E-mail: info@bananafansea.com

www.bananafansea.com

Graeme Malley Editor

Preeda Tuajob (Puy) Graphic Designer

Akaphon Phongninlaarphon (Don) Photographer

Seksak Kerdkanno (Klauy) Webmaster

Rob De Wet Feature Writer

Dimitri Waring Feature Writer

Karan Ladd Feature Writer

Nipawan Chuaysagul (Ning) Sales & Marketing Director ning@siammap.com Tel: 0 898 783 891

Henrik Bjørk Managing Director

Siam Map Company Ltd. 52/6, Samui Ring Road, Moo 3, Bo Phut, Samui, 84320 Thailand Tel: (66) 0 7742 2201 Fax: (66) 0 7741 3523 email: info@siammap.com www.siammap.com All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or pictorial content in any manner is prohibited without written permission from Siam Map Company Ltd. Whilst every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this publication, Siam Map Company Ltd. assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. c Siam Map Company Ltd. 2017

Distribution at Bangkok Airport courtesy of Bangkok Airways.

Reservation Center: 1771 Samui Chaweng Office: 0 7760 1300 www.bangkokair.com

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EPICUREAN EASTER Fancy a traditional Brazilian Easter lunch?

Head for RockPool where a dedicated duo of cooks will bring you perfection.

It’s said these days that when it comes to food, you can now find everything in Thailand. But the story’s still not complete. There are still items that you just can’t find here. The only option: bring them yourself. Pack everything into your luggage and hope nothing gets broken, damaged or spoiled. A little while ago, a traveller came through Bangkok airport with an array of goods that no supplier in Bangkok possesses. They were all Brazilian staples, exactly the type that are eaten at Easter. Their destination? RockPool, where they’re going to go into possibly the island’s most exuberant Easter lunch. Some 60 guests will be treated to a spectacular meal that will be hard to find outside Brazil.

The traveller in question is Luci Leonardi Varin, who’s a native Brazilian and completely new to Thailand. Yet, for all that, if you've ever eaten at RockPool, you'll already have come under her influence, without being the least aware of it.

Luci turns out to be the mother of RockPool’s executive chef, Lucas Leonardi Varin, and his chief inspiration when it comes to cooking. “It was my mother,” he says, “who got me into cooking. She’s brilliant at it, though she has had no formal training. She always loves making new dishes, and she’s very influenced by Brazil’s cosmopolitan heritage. I grew up with her cooking: we had food from all round the world.

In part, I'm simply passing that on to my guests here.”

Lucas masters many different styles. After learning all he could from Luci, he went on to one of Brazil’s most prestigious culinary schools, and then from there went on to cook in many different parts of the world, always acquiring wonderful local and regional dishes. For Easter, he’ll be cooking together with Luci as they prepare the one-off Brazilian lunch buffet. It’ll definitely be a reservations only affair, with groups welcome. Despite the uniqueness of the occasion, the price of the lunch definitely won’t be on the extravagant side. If you'd like to

Fresh local fish and seafood, cooked in authentic Thai way by the owner Supattra.

Great international wines!

Just a few tables in an open Thai sala style restaurant facing a mangrove forest.

Tel. 093 2828 777 Open 6:00 pm, closed Sunday & Monday www.facebook.com/supattrathaidining Seatran Ferry

Big Buddha Market

Airport

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attend, whatever you do, make sure you come hungry – otherwise you're not going to last the course, as they say. Brazilian food is as hearty as it’s delicious, and at RockPool there’ll be a lot of it. Afterwards, don't bother with planning anything for the rest of the day - you'll want to digest that lunch. In other words, you'll be happily drowsy – nothing to do with any drink.

That’s typical of any lunch in Brazil, but on 16th April, Easter Day, it’ll be a sumptuous occasion.

The menu for the day is in Portuguese and English. Portuguese can be tricky to understand, more so from a culinary point of view, as so many different cultures have gone into the

cuisine. Some of the English translations can sound clumsy, too. “And the food itself doesn’t look so wonderful – it doesn’t lend itself to photography.” Lucas explains how he was cooking some national dishes for a party of French people. “They turned their noses up at it, saying how it all looked so samey. But that was before they tasted it. Then they couldn’t get enough of it.”

For Easter Sunday, Lucas and Luci are preparing some 25 dishes, all of which are traditional. They range from the rustic to the sophisticated, but they're all exactly the kind of thing you'd be tucking into if you were anywhere in Brazil. First

of all there’s Brazilian cheese bread and garlic bread (not at all the same as the European variety and much softer) and ‘picanha no sal grosso’, a tender rump of beef crusted in rock salt. This is the best cut of meat from Brazil’s cattle with each animal just providing 900 g.

Then there’s an orange salad that offsets the heavy-hitting ‘feijoada’, Brazil’s acclaimed national dish, which is a black bean stew using sun-dried beef and pork. It’ll be accompanied by a spicy sauce that traditionally goes with the dish, and various other accompaniments.

There’ll be plenty of rice, but of a type that you may not be familiar with. This is ‘arroz carreteiro

gaucho’, which laboriously translates as ‘gaucho oxcart driver’s rice with beef jerky and onions’.

As the wording suggests, it’s traditional and rustic. It’s also tasty, and you'll find another wonderful rural dish too, ‘feijão tropeiro Mineiro’, or Minas-style cattleman’s beans – it’s made with salted pork, sausage, eggs, beans and manioc flour. You'll also find a prawn-stew baked in hollowed-out pumpkins, and the always excellent ‘escondidinho de bacalhau’, a type of fish pie, made with cod. Totally moreish. There’s a lot more besides, plus puddings which are scrumptious, to say the least. ‘Brigadeiro’, a chocolate bonbon, and Brazil’s national dessert perhaps, leads the way but is accompanied by

‘Romeo e Julieta’, guava paste and cheese, and will certainly win you over. Then there’s passion fruit mousse, crème caramel Brazilian-style, and ‘amendoas na taça’, a triple-decker construct of white chocolate, milk chocolate and almonds.

That doesn’t exhaust the list – seven desserts await you in all.

directly overlooking the sea.

RockPool is located at Kanda Residences, Koh Samui, which you will find three kilometres north of Chaweng. Easter lunch starts at midday, 16th April, and goes on till 4:00 pm. For children up to the age of five, there’s no charge; from the ages of six to 12, there's a 50% discount. The lunch will be held on the magnificent terrace,

Dimitri Waring

Popular with island residents and holidaymakers alike, RockPool always guarantees amazingly tasty dishes. And Easter lunch will be unique, something special. With so many treats on offer, it’ll be an ideal time to try something different.

For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7723 4500. www.samuirockpool.com

Romantic views, soothing sounds and classic Italian fare with a modern approach combine to please the most discerning diner.

Olivio - a must for visitors and locals alike.

Olivio ~ beachfront at Baan Haad Ngam Boutique Resort & Villas Chaweng Beach.

Free round trip transfer from Chaweng, Bophut and Choeng Mon. For reservation please call 0 7723 1500-8

www.siamwininganddining.com

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Thailand’s Greatest Recipes Make it yourself: Easy larb gai, or spicy minced chicken salad.

Larb is a dish that goes back a long, long way and no-one knows how it began. The dish was eaten by the Tai people, as historians call them, who lived in the north of Thailand and neighbouring Laos, but who could also be found in China and Myanmar. Larb has survived the passage of time, and remains one of Thailand’s most popular recipes. Over the border in today’s Laos, it’s no less in demand, and some refer to it as the nation’s national dish.

so on. No one way is more correct than any other.

The general procedure is to first settle on the meat you'll use, and then get creative with the spices. There’s no right or wrong here, but the stars of the larb show are definitely mint and chilli. Chinese five spice, lemongrass, coriander and a host of others may also make an appearance. The basic idea is to make the dish hot and spicy and then cool it down with plenty of raw, crunchy vegetables.

To say larb is versatile is a total understatement. It can be made in a huge variety of ways, and much depends on the area where you're eating it. It’s basically a spiced meat dish, and the meat can be variously pork, beef, chicken, duck, or even buffalo. Fish can also be used. If you're a vegetarian, no worries at all when it comes to larb, as the dish adapts well to chopped tofu, or more or less any kind of mock meat.

If you can’t buy the meat pre-ground, you'll need to do some mincing; you can prepare the meat either in a food processor or you can simply chop it up yourself. For this recipe, start with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Slice them up and then chop them until quite fine. This can be the lengthiest step, but with practice the time can be greatly reduced.

Larb’s variations aren’t just confined to ingredients; the very way the word is transliterated from the Thai to English gives rise to a bewildering number of alternatives just to the way it’s spelled. Google it up for yourself and you'll also find lahb, lahp, laarb, laahp, laab and

Larb tastes best when it’s totally fresh, and it’s not one of those dishes that improves if left a day. Its taste deteriorates quite quickly. It can be safely stored in the refrigerator, but you'll find that when you reheat it the taste and texture won’t be half as good. But don’t worry, it’s still great tasting if served cold from the fridge, rather than reheated.

Some people eat it as a kind of low-carb meal – just omit the rice. Others take it to work in a lunch box and eat at room temperature.

The traditional way to eat larb is with the hands: make a small ball of sticky rice using the fingers only and use it to pick up a little larb, then eat with the vegetables. These days most people simply use a spoon and fork. Easy to make and satisfying to eat, larb is definitely a winner when it comes to best-loved Thai dishes.

Ingredients Prep: 50 mins. Cook: 10 mins.

• 2 stalks of lemongrass • 4 lime leaves • 2 chillies, • 5 garlic cloves • 2 cm piece of ginger • 8 chicken thighs • 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil • 1 tbsp sesame oil • chilli powder to taste • 50 ml of fish sauce (or shiitake soy sauce as an alternative) • 2 finely chopped shallots or red onions • 3 ½ tbsp lime juice

• Roughly a half cup each of mint, basil and coriander leaves, chopped up very roughly

3. Prepare the vegetables that will accompany the larb and garnish with lime wedges.

To serve Lettuce (don’t cut up the leaves) 2 cucumbers, sliced into longish strips and deseeded A small handful of bean sprouts per person A handful of long beans Four Thai eggplants 2 limes Steamed rice or sticky rice, or for a western variant use pita bread.

4. Heat a frying pan or wok and add the vegetable oil and the sesame oil. Add the spice mixture and fry for a few seconds before adding the minced chicken and the chilli powder. Stir-fry the chicken and aim to keep as much moisture in the meat as possible. Don’t drain off the liquid, as larb isn’t supposed to be a dry dish. It’s no problem if the meat forms chunks while in the frying pan; you can simply separate with a spatula.

Method 1. Mince the chicken by hand.

5. Now add the fish sauce. Reduce the heat a little and let the contents of the wok or pan simmer together for about four minutes. Keep stirring and then add the onion and cook for a final minute, adding the mint, basil and coriander leaves.

2. Chop up the lemongrass, chillies, lime leaves, ginger and garlic, then put them all into a processor until the mixture looks finely chopped.

The amounts for the seasonings, especially the fish sauce, chilli and lime juice are recommended only, and you'll need to taste them to see if the amounts are right for you. The taste you're aiming for should be mostly sour but a bit salty. The degree of fieriness is completely down to you – and your guests, of course.

BEACHFRONT DINING & COCKTAILS RockPool at Kanda Residences is a spectacular beachfront restaurant and bar situated just five minutes from Chaweng For reservations or more information call +66 77 234 500 www.rockpoolsamui.com Facebook: rockpool.kohsamui Daily high tea from 12pm and happy hour with buy one get one free on selected drinks from 5pm until 7pm.

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6. Put everything together and serve as soon as possible.

Dimitri Waring

Buffet Art

Nora Beach Resort has mastered the buffet format and turned it into an art!

Let’s get right to the point: there are two sorts of buffets. The first is the kind of mass-catering you’ll find at a cheap wedding. And the other is the sort you’ll experience at Nora Beach Resort & Spa. These are the two extremes, and they’re as different as chalk and cheese. Sadly, though, there are some people who hear the word ‘buffet’ and cringe. These are the ‘buffet victims’; those people who have had bad experiences with bad buffets in the past. And the best cure here is to go along to Nora Beach and find out what a quality beach buffet is really all about.

It wasn’t so long ago that Nora Beach was generally reckoned to have the finest beach buffets on the island. In fact they still probably do in terms of the overall quality and cost; it’s just that they only hold two of these super sessions every week now. At one time this was six nights a week, and each one on a different theme. Truly, Nora had elevated these to a high art; an alternative form of quality evening dining that was ideally-suited to a warm tropical evening.

The resort itself is extensive, and situated at the very northern end of Chaweng Beach Road, where the rocky hillside begins. This means that the grounds are laid out on lots of little terraces that the villas and walled cottages sit on, with a little twisty lane around them all for the golf buggies to navigate. This land drops as it gets closer to the beach. And then you’ll round a bend and have the sea in front of you, with Prasuthon restaurant just out of sight behind the trees on your left.

One thing that adds to the enjoyment of a quality buffet is the layout and location. Firstly Prasuthon edges onto the beach. And there’s a patch of

sand which actually runs into and alongside the restaurant, with tables and easy chairs making this into an extension of the restaurant itself.

Everything’s on slightly different levels – two or three steps up or down from one area to another.

There are actually two dining areas here, almost touching. Both are actually octagonal in shape and completely open on all sides, and raised up a little higher than the surroundings. And the lighting is just right, pleasantly low and intimate, except for where the food’s laid out. And here the clean, bright spotlights not only highlight what’s on offer, but additionally form a pleasant contrast to the lights inside.

There’s also an art to laying out the actual buffet tables. Here there are several L-shapes nested into each other, making it an enjoyable and easy task to turn from one to another without have to walk along long dull rows. All the tables are covered in bright white linen cloths and offset by the immaculate gleam of polished stainless steel dishes and servers, with big shiny heated servers and pots for the hot items. There’s a fresh and crisp selection at the open salad bar alongside.

And two live cooking stations nearby preparing beef, chicken and pork kebabs hot off the grill, plus pad Thai, meat and seafood. There are numerous ready-made hot items available, but also plenty of seafood, including whole fish you can slice at, plus plentiful prawns, crab and even shellfish, depending on what’s in season. And there’s also live entertainment in the form of a very talented duo who’ll greet you with popular favourites, loves songs and ballads.

Every Tuesday evening sees the ‘Around Asia’ theme buffet, which focuses mainly on Thai dishes, but with a sprinkling of items from Japan, India and Vietnam, too. Such as the Vietnamese

style Spring Rolls with Chicken, or the Indian influenced Massaman Beef Curry. With the main dishes you can pick from Deep Fried Prawns with Tamarind Sauce, Steamed Fish Fillet with Soya Chili Sauce or Stewed Pork Rib, and a selection of meats including ‘Drunken Chicken’, amongst others.

And every Thursday there’s the ‘Hawaiian Night Buffet Dinner’ with similar live entertainment.

And here we’ve got (as well as all the ‘sides’ such as the salad bar and cold cuts etc.) Grilled Racks of Lamb with Peach Wine Sauce, Grilled Duck with Spiced Honey Rubbing Sauce, Grilled Salmon Fillet with Strawberry Passion Fruit Sauce, Avocado Salad with Rock Lobster, Toasted Herbal Tuna with Honey Lemon Sauce, assorted sashimi and sushi (and much more!), and a live BBQ station which will make your mouth water – rock lobster, crab, prawns, beef and pork tenderloin, beef sirloin and roasted honey farm ham. This is a feast!

I’m putting the prices right at the bottom here because I want them to stand out. The Around Asia buffet dinner is priced at just 850 baht. And the Hawaiian Night comes in at only 950 baht. As I said to start with, at Nora they’ve got it all sorted out. The quality is excellent and the price is perfect – they’ve had years of experience at this. And they’ve ended up turning the buffet format into an art!

Rob De Wet For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 9400. www.norabeachresort.com

Located in the beautiful Fisherman’s Village on Bophut Beach.

Our experienced chefs proudly present authentic Thai cuisine and Southern Thai dishes. Fresh seafood is a must with great quality at reasonable prices.

Enjoy the tranquility of the beach, the twinkling stars and the whispering waves along with the beautiful music. A superb dining experience and great memories.

Fisherman’s Village

Tel: 077 430 030, 077 245 035 www.kruabophut.com

Free Parking available at The

Wharf!!

www.siamwininganddining.com 5

Tantalisingly Thai Discover the secrets of Thai cooking at Olivio restaurant.

Much more than just a cooking class, Thai Spice at Baan Haad Ngam Boutique Resort and Villas’ Olivio restaurant offers a rich and interactive immersion into Thailand’s world famous gastronomy, renowned for its artistry and balance between the four very unique flavours of salty, sweet, spicy and sour.

Select either of the two culinary programmes and you’ll learn about Thai cuisine’s cultural significance, health benefits, indigenous ingredients and cooking equipment, as well as convenient replacements to use when you are back at home. Choose from a select menu of authentic regional dishes from across Thailand, and cook your favourites in a step by step class at Olivio restaurant, situated right alongside a quiet area of Chaweng Beach, with amazing views across the translucent and perfectly turquoise sea.

Chef Chay, who originally qualified in electronics at a technical college, has been the chef at Olivio

restaurant since it first opened, in 2003. He has a charismatic personality, with a great sense of humour. He jokes that he cooks great Thai and Italian food (having learnt the authentic Italian cuisine from an expert chef), but can also fix the kitchen blender or stereo!

He firmly believes in keeping Thai food in its traditional and authentic form. No ‘fusion’ of cuisines blurring the lines for him. He leads the two Thai cooking programs on offer that come under the cooking school name of Thai Spice, so you will get a very real exposure to genuine Thai dishes, with the correct ingredients and utensils used for the preparation and cooking. Cooking lessons with Chef Chay are never boring, you will learn a lot, whilst also having fun!

The Chilli Package program offers the most comprehensive immersion into the whole Thai cuisine experience, and starts with a visit to the Bangrak fresh food market. Chef Chay will show

you around, and introduce you to the authentic Thai spices, local fruits, vegetables, meat and fish on offer. He will explain how they are used in Thai cuisine, and answer any questions you may have. The market is particularly popular with locals for its many types of fresh fish which are all caught locally by the fisherman that live right next door. During the market tour, you will get the opportunity to have a local Thai cooling drink, and have the possibility to purchase items.

You won’t be actually buying the food that you will cook when you return, as you need to choose your dishes at least a day before, so that all the ingredients can be ready for you when you get back from your market trip.

On the return journey from the market, you will stop at Big Buddha temple where you get the opportunity to explore and ring the many different bells at the summit. A perfect spot for a photo opportunity. Chef Chay will teach you a little about the Buddhist culture, and you can

wander around the market stalls below that sell predominantly Thai souvenirs and clothing.

doesn’t include the very informative and worthwhile trip to the market and temple.

Once back at Olivio, you get a chance to freshen up before getting stuck into preparing your chosen dishes, all under Chay’s expert direction and instruction. You will prepare four dishes; an appetiser, a soup, a main course and a dessert.

There is also the possibility to add more dishes, but make sure you select this option when booking. Amongst the many Thai favourites that you can choose from, are delicacies such as Tod Mun Goong (deep fried prawn cakes), Tom Kha Gai (chicken in coconut milk soup), Gaeng Penang Moo (red curry with pork) and Guay Buad Chee (banana in coconut milk).

Normally secrets are best kept to yourself. But occasionally you come across some that are just too good not to share. So learn the hidden secrets of Thai cuisine with Chef Chay. Join one of the two programs on offer and have lots of fun and gain wonderful lasting memories as well as impressive new skills. When you get home, you can show off your new-found knowledge and know-how and enjoy entertaining your family and friends.

After your tasting session, you are presented with a certificate, a new apron and all the recipes on a CD. So, no excuses for not continuing to perfect your new-found Thai cuisine repertoire.

The Basil Package program is very similar, but

Karan Ladd For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7723 1500. www.baanhaadngam.com

Enjoy authentic local dishes featuring some of the freshest seafood on the island, in a delightful beachside setting.

Kruachaobaan Restaurant Located on the beach between Lamai and Hua Thanon Tel: 0 7741 8589 l 0 7741 9889 l 0 878 937 766 l 0 890 095 560 l www.kruachaobaansamui.com 6 www.siamwininganddining.com

Fine Beachside Dining with Spectacular Sunsets

THE SIAM RESIDENCE B o u t i q u e

R e s o r t

Thai & International cuisine in Lipa Noi / Koh Samui Phone: +66 (0) 77 420 008 | samui@siamresidence.com | www.siamresidence.com

Treats at The Terrace The Terrace at The Passage Samui is the ideal location for romantic dinners and more besides.

The Terrace has geared up to offer all manner of food and drink that’s been expressly designed to woo romantic couples, honeymooners and the just-wed. The beautifully situated restaurant is the ideal choice for many who come here seeking a relaxed dining experience in a maritime setting.

It is located at The Passage Samui, between Nathon and Bang Po, a tranquil stretch of coast that guarantees peace and calm. In addition, the resort is set a good half kilometre down a windy little lane and is remote from all traffic. There are no in-your-face signs suggesting you take that turning, and no pretension once you arrive at your destination. It’s quiet during the day, but once evening comes a hush descends over the entire area, which takes on a stillness of its own.

The resort is chic in an understated way, and has a subtle glamour of its own. People love staying here – it’s very easy to feel totally at home here within a few minutes of arriving. Staff are friendly and welcoming, and if you're a repeat visitor, they'll certainly remember you from your last visit.

The Terrace consists of an open-sided dining room that’s spacious and elegant, as well as extremely comfortable. It opens out to, yes, indeed, a terrace, a favourite place to sit and watch those beautiful sunsets – the restaurant and beach both face due west. There are also views of the picturesque islands of the Angthong Marine Park in the distance. It’s a wonderful place for a cocktail or long drink while you gaze out at the magnificent views as the day fades, and the stars come out.

The restaurant has also recently gone through an upgrade, and the culinary team have prepared new menus with romantic couples in mind. The restaurant excels at both Thai and Mediterranean style cuisines, with everything served completely fresh. And when it comes to seafood, that of course means that the fish is fresh off the boat – it’ll have docked just along the coast at the fishing port of Nathon.

And with Samui being an enormously popular wedding destination, the team here works closely with couples to make their dining dreams come true when it comes to wedding receptions.

Everything can be decided by email and Skype sessions in advance of the big day, so that all’s ready well before the couple arrives on holiday.

The wedding team can offer packages to suit most requests, but plenty of times what’s called for is unique, and needs to be tailor-made. The team excels at preparing individualized events, and can accommodate every request; they can put together unique reception menus so that they reflect the dreams and desires of the couple, right down to the last canapé.

The Terrace also offers a selection of romantic dinners, and though there are menus for these, the chefs and their team are extremely flexible and consider all their diners’ requests; the restaurant shines very brightly when it comes to putting together an evening for guests that’s going to be truly memorable.

But you don't need to be coming here to celebrate a romantic occasion. Any excuse will do, and regular day-time and evening dining offers plenty of delights; you'll find pastas and salads, soups and curries; all the favourites that Thai cuisine can muster and just as many that are international. And at the end of your meal there are some extremely tempting desserts that are just waiting to be tried. The restaurant has plenty of new and old world wines too, with a range of prices.

The restaurant is in the hands of a duo of versatile chefs, Khun Akaphong Lorwong and Khun Wanthanee Chootong. They ensure freshness, great choices and prime quality. Fruit and vegetables all come from trusted local sources on Samui, or further afield when necessary, and meats and fish are chosen with the greatest of care, ensuring mouth-watering tastes. The two chefs incidentally also run an on-demand cooking school, featuring favourites such as massaman curry, tom ka gai and yum

talay, so that you can learn to make some outstandingly good food, once you're back home.

Lunch offers a mix of both local and western dishes, so you might want to try a homely-tasting pizza or stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts.

Then there are sandwiches and burgers, Thai soups and spicy salads. When it comes to dinner, The Terrace again offers both Thai and international dishes, and whether you'd like to enjoy a Thai seafood treat or a western-style steak you'll find there are many options.

In addition there are set menus which offer a huge amount of epicurean combinations.

Depending on what you choose, you might end up with a mixed organic salad with extra virgin olive oil, black pepper served with homemade dressing, or grilled duck breast in red curry with eggplant, or a breast of succulent chicken, along with mushroom sauce, potato and vegetables.

How about something more Asian? You can opt for Vietnamese-style spring rolls with fresh herbs and vegetables or perhaps stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts and vegetables, and to finish deep-fried banana with ice-cream. There are a huge number of possible choices featuring an abundance of home-style Thai recipes that are prepared with love and expertise.

Not to be missed, dining out at The Terrace means partaking in wonderful food and drink in an unbeatably secluded setting. Once you've admired those sunset views, get ready to be spoiled by a selection of tempting dishes and treats brought to you by a duo of talented chefs and their team.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 1721. www.thepassagesamui.com

www.siamwininganddining.com 7

Waiter, Where’s My Knife?

It’s actually very easy to master Thai table manners.

Even though you're in a country that’s probably very far from your own, and which is renowned for being exotic, table manners aren’t so different to those back at home. And there's further good news in the fact that Thais are extremely tolerant, and are aware that holidaymakers are bound to make a few faux-pas when it comes to eating.

but definitely don’t do a high-wattage big grin. If you're not sure if the seat’s spare, then raise your eyebrows in a silent ‘OK?’ gesture. Once you've made yourself comfortable, don't try to engage your new neighbours in conversation, however.

Thais are used to being by themselves in crowded spaces and chatting isn’t expected.

There are a few things to know, however, and the first of them is that unless you're eating in a western-style restaurant in Thailand, you're probably not going to see many knives in evidence. No matter whether you're eating at a night market stall or dining in a top-notch Thai restaurant, you'll be given a spoon and fork.

Always use just the spoon for eating. Use the fork to guide the food onto the spoon. You'll find this arrangement quite practical most of the time.

If you're tempted to eat with the fork, ask yourself how you feel back home when you see someone eating food off a knife – it’s the western equivalent in bad etiquette. And, by the way, Thais don’t normally eat with chopsticks – unless they're eating noodles.

But back to that table. Whatever is already on the tables in the eatery is fine to use; help yourself to the condiments you find and if, without asking for it, you're brought a glass of water, it’s on the house. It’s the same if you're brought an empty glass with ice and there’s a carafe of water on the table. The exception to this rule is that if there are sealed plastic bottles of water instead, then these are for sale. In some places they may also have laid out some fresh vegetables on the table such as small cucumbers, Thai eggplants and green beans. Again feel free to help yourself, but only take as much as you are going to eat.

Thailand is a very convivial country, and people are used to eating together as strangers. If you're in a supermarket food court or small eatery, you may find yourself facing lots of packed tables.

Where to sit? Just take a seat anywhere that looks free, perhaps nod and smile before you sit down,

One of the main things to recognize when eating out with friends is that ordering food is done completely differently. Whereas in the west, each person orders for himself or herself, in Thailand, it’s a communal decision. So half a dozen friends may order half a dozen dishes, but they're for sharing. Once you get used to this system, you'll be happy to follow it. And why not? Instead of your one, solitary dish, yours to gloriously eat

alone, you'll be able to sample food that the entire group has chosen – many more dishes, in other words. Just be aware that this system calls for everyone to respect the others present. Don't hog any one of the dishes so that there’s not much of it left for anyone else. And be aware that some of the group may be slow eaters; they won’t be happy if the food’s all gone and they've only just started.

When you look around at Thai people eating in restaurants, you'll notice that they're mindful of each other. Look for the subtle signs of this and you'll see them. Generally, however, you'll see that there’s no standing on ceremony. No elaborate manners, no arcane rituals are being observed. The whole point of this is that no-one stands out. Really, no matter how many times you eat in a Thai restaurant, you'll probably never see anything remotely jaw-dropping. And that’s exactly the point: nothing much to see, nothing to really comment on. But make no mistake; this is all part of the etiquette, too.

The worst infringement of Thai etiquette isn’t to do with eating with a fork or ordering that amazing green curry just for yourself, it’s being noticed for all the wrong reasons. To give an example, just last week I was at the food-court at Tesco-Lotus when three young guys sat down next to my table. They seemed to be

holidaymakers, but they were obviously not Thai – as a Thai person would never, ever come to a table half-naked. They had no shirts on but didn’t seem remotely embarrassed. Well, at least they weren’t in Speedos. Next they hunkered down to their food, quite literally, somehow concertinaing their spines until their heads were just about a foot off the table. This gave them the disquieting appearance of over-large children. Next elbows came right out (dangerous for anyone passing close by them) and then came the mighty shovelling of food into their avid mouths. I thought of mechanical diggers. They looked a sight. They made trough noises. As for the Thais around them, I couldn’t tell what they were thinking, not that I expected them to say anything. A lot of visitors mistake the amiable silence of their fellow diners to mean that everything is just fine. Further encouragement then to keep on with the same bad behaviour – or worse.

Alas, it’s not just holidaymakers who manage to keep on offending their patient hosts, it’s foreign residents themselves, some of whom have been living on Samui for decades. They should be setting some kind of example (does one really need to be set?) and leading the way, so to speak. And not all do. Check out ex-pat gracelessness: the swaggering gait, the loud voices, the ordering-around of staff and worse.

Somehow, a certain percentage of people feel entitled, and their over-sized egos are right on display. Are they doing themselves a favour by standing out? Definitely not. Here in Thailand in a nation of some 60 million people who are trying to get through their day with calmness, they just look ... stupid.

But perhaps the most important consideration is the way that waiters, waitresses and restaurant staff are treated. The obvious, no-brainer rule is, treat them well. This means being patient when they don’t understand your order, summoning them in an appropriate way and being well, kind, to them and not oafish. And leave a tip, too, as they are working very long hours and very probably for wages that might shock you.

In Thailand, the fundamental idea of eating is the enjoyment of the food and being with friends and family. Nothing is therefore very complicated about etiquette, and it’s almost a minimalist approach at times. The crucial point to bear in mind, as with all Thai etiquette, is to think of others around you. If your attitude shows this, no-one will ever mind if you make some small mistake at the table.

Dimitri Waring

Sabienglae restaurants offer traditional fresh seafood and cuisine in an authentic southern Thai style.

Come and enjoy our unique dishes, many of which you won’t find elsewhere on the island, in a relaxing atmosphere. An experience to truly complete your holiday.

Sabeinglae Restaurant

The Wharf Samui, Fishermans’s Village For reservation please call 077 332 651

8 www.siamwininganddining.com

Hin Ta Hin Yai, Samui Ring Road For reservation please call 077 233 082-3

Wimaan Buri Resort, Chaweng Ring Road For reservation please call 077 962 333

It's in the Details

The Ultimate Seafood Barbecue at Buri Rasa Village Samui offers a superlative treat in beautiful surroundings.

now the culinary manager, overseeing everything in the group’s six properties. This means that he’s often travelling, and has to be able to come up with ideas that his teams can implement. As you can imagine, he makes sure that those teams are expert in all that they do. For the buffet, he sat down with the executive chef, Khun Somkid Pokkuntod, and put together ideas for what to have. Khun Somkid had plenty of ideas, according to Don, and they worked together with Khun Suchart Thongyoi, the food and beverage manager, to perfect all the food for the buffet. It involved a lot more than just the choice of food; equally important was how it was to be made and presented.

It wasn’t so long ago that when you stayed on Samui, most resorts would put on exactly the same fare night after night. You couldn’t blame them: things had to be kept simple, because supplies weren’t so easy to obtain; a single night boat provided everything. Nowadays, all that has changed, and Samui offers its guests everything when it comes to dining. Once a rarity, buffets, with their wide-ranging treats, have now become quite commonplace, and tend to liven up anyone’s hotel stay. Better still, they're all open to non-guests. Everyone is welcome, in other words.

But not all buffets are created equal. A few seem to have a primary focus on nigh impossible to find foodstuffs while a few others go to the

opposite extreme, offering a rag-bag of offerings from the local market that are negligently thrown together. Samui tends to do buffets well, so these are the exceptions. In between, however, there are scores of different variations on the buffet theme, making it really hard to pick which one to go to.

At Buri Rasa Village, you'll find a buffet that’s run by one of the island’s longest-standing chefs, Don Lawson, who also helps lead the island’s Culinary Circle, and seems to be the go-to guy for just about anything to do with food and drink. He has a serious pedigree when it comes to making great food, and was snapped up by the Rasa Hospitality Group, which runs Buri Rasa; he’s

Which brings us to the next point. If you’ve ever been to a buffet, you'll know that most of them rely a lot on chafing dishes. For some guests it’s fun to lift all those different lids and take a peek on what’s inside. For others, those same lids are just irritating, especially if there are a dozen of more of them! But the most obvious thing about chafing dishes is that though they work well for some foodstuffs, they're a disaster for others. All that gentle warmth for hours on end, and things can get as rubbery as a child’s toy duck.

Don therefore only relies on chafing dishes for a few items, so when you get to the buffet you won’t see any long line of shiny steel containers.

Instead, he’s put a much better system in place.

You can help yourself to salads and the like, but for other items, just tell the staff what you would like and the chef will cook it right there for you on the spot. This of course guarantees freshness and taste. But it also means that you have a say in exactly how you’d like your food prepared. What could be better?

Buffet highlights range from Thai through international delights. You'll find for example, tiger king prawns, marinated sea bass with Thai herbs in banana leaf, Boston style pork ribs and pomelo salad with spring onion, young white coconut, roasted cashew nuts and spicy citrus dressing. Also on the spicy side, you'll find tom kha pla muek, an aromatic coconut milk soup with local squid and fresh lime leaf, galangal shoots and coriander leaf. Then there's pasta salad, rib-eye steaks, noodles and rice dishes.

And this being a buffet, there are plenty of accompaniments. Afterwards you can expect some great desserts; spoil yourself with vanilla crème brulée or the double chocolate mousse – you'll see all the desserts displayed in their own special section.

Since the resort is a small one that’s highly personable (it’s not for nothing that it styles itself as a ‘village’) the buffet night isn’t packed out to the rafters. No long lines of diners queuing up in despair, so there’s time for the chef to make everything without any rush. It’s a good system and diners are happy with it. You'll also find a Mongolian cooking station, where the chef whips up some highly-tasty stir-fried dishes. Though there’s not a yurt in sight, the cooking traditions of Mongolia are faithfully evoked in the chef’s use of the wok – expect some fiery blasts worthy of a country that once ruled a sixth of the world. You can watch the chef at work, or just wait a couple of moments for your plate to be ready. It’ll be hot and fresh.

experience. Tables are well-spaced so it’s more intimate than most buffets can ever hope to be.

The evening is made more memorable yet by live music. Nothing raucous, just something that fits in with the ambience, and is quite likely to involve an acoustic guitar and singing. It doesn’t disrupt the overall peacefulness of the area; Buri Rasa is just far enough south of the centre of Chaweng to be surprisingly tranquil – you won’t find your evening is disturbed by music pumping out from just down the beach.

The buffet starts at 7:00 pm and takes place every Monday night. Book ahead to avoid disappointment, and come early to watch the sunset. There are some great cocktails to be had here, as well as long drinks. Incidentally, guests who are staying in the resort are cordially invited to take part in the resort’s weekly cocktail party, a convivial get together, which is held just a few steps away from the buffet. This starts at 6:00 pm.

If you miss out on the Monday, don’t worry, as you can join the Thai barbecue night, each Thursday. Either way, you'll be in the capable hands of Don Lawson, Chef Somkid and his team, who will do their utmost to ensure that you and your loved ones have a great evening.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information telephone 0 7723 0222. www.burirasa.com

The buffet is set right by the sea and is a comfortable experience, one that encourages you to linger. The night air is soft, and sitting here with a loved one can be a very romantic

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Discovering Baitong The delightful restaurant at Banana Fan Sea Resort is another one of those hidden gems we keep finding for you!

A unique combination of beachside and all day dining serving local specialities and international cuisine.

Open Daily 6.30 AM - 10.00 PM

10 www.siamwininganddining.com

Take a stroll along Chaweng Beach Road. At first it’s perhaps a bit confusing. It’s full of shops, stalls, restaurants, pubs, bars, massage places and a whole load more besides. But after a while you’ll start to notice things. For instance, all but a small handful of the resorts are located on one side – the side that runs on to the beach.

There’s quite a distance between the road and the beach, and some of these resorts have a very wide frontage, too. But the one thing they’ve all got in common is that you can’t see inside.

There are probably 100 resorts here of all shapes and sizes. But you can’t see into them like you can with the restaurants and shops.

And that means you’ll just keep walking past them. There might be some of the finest restaurants and spas on the island tucked away here, but unless you have a good reason to go inside, you’ll never know. Well that’s something we can fix right away. Because when you get to the delightfully-named Banana Fan Sea Resort, slow down. Walk up the steps and smile your way through reception, following the path towards the sea. You’ll come out by the side of the pool, so follow the path around the pool to your right. And the very good reason you are doing this is that you’ll then come right into the resort’s signature restaurant, Baitong.

Baitong restaurant is typically tropical; an open-sided roofed space, in this case on two of

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its sides. But there are also outer terraces, too, and on some occasions they’ll set up right on the adjoining sand as well. The décor is contemporary; stylish and subtle with rich, sturdy wood, terracotta and natural fabrics, and with live orchids and fresh blooms on the tables to enhance this. And you’ll additionally discover that all the staff are memorable: they’re really friendly and helpful, and will go out of their way to assist you and put you at your ease. In fact, after a while, you’ll genuinely begin to feel you’re part of some kind of family – it’s that relaxed.

now wonderfully side-lit and glowing. The lights of Baitong are now warm and discretely romantic: a disarmingly-charming transformation after having first seen it in the hard light of the sun.

Although we’re focusing on the evening dinner menu, it’s also worth mentioning that this is a cool and laid-back spot to drop in during the day. The shady bar is ideal for stopping awhile to check your emails or Facebook, while you sip a drink or take an afternoon snack. Plus this is also a great way of scouting it all out, too. Take a look at the dinner menu or ask about the happy hours. But keep it in mind that the best way to enjoy Baitong is to come for dinner in the evening.

The menu here features international items and Thai dishes. And two points right away: not only is the meat and some of the seafood specially imported (beef and mussels from New Zealand, for instance) but the international dishes are created with flair, as you’ll see from some examples in just a moment. The second point is the Thai offerings. Yes, there are all the usual favourites that you’re familiar with. But there are also some surprises, too: several dishes that you won’t normally come across. In other words, this is not the often-seen and somewhat dull ‘steak and fries’ kind of menu. This is something different and well-worth exploring. And the prices are exceptional, too, very reasonable indeed, with the most-expensive dish (imported grilled beef sirloin) coming in at just 650 baht, and all the pasta/pizza items averaging-out to only 250 baht each.

Coming out and down the steps after the lobby, you’ll make your way through what’s now become the unrecognisable fairyland of glimmering under lit trees and bushes that shroud the bungalows, and emerge into the open space of the embryonic-shaped pool, which is

The international menu is predictably organised into appetisers, salads, soups, Italian dishes, mains and desserts, plus an addition selection of vegetarian dishes. One must is the Authentic Greek Salad; tomatoes, cucumbers, green and black olives, feta cheese . . . but served on the

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intriguingly-different ‘half a dragon fruit’. See what I mean about being ‘created with flair’? (But then there are five ‘custom’ salads amongst the others and it’s hard to choose between them anyway.) Or how about the Pan Fried Fillet of Sea Bass, served with Creamy Spinach, sweet Pepper and Balsamic Sauce? Or the Grilled Duck Breast topped with Orange Sauce with Vegetable and Potato William? Both of these items are less than 390 baht, by the way!

Over on the Thai side of things, once again there are the usual suspects – curries, stir-fries, noodles and seafood. But some things leap out at you: such as the roasted duck curry or the stir-fried blue crab. And the Massaman curry is simply delicious. This is a truly Southern-Thai dish with an Indian bias; here it comes in coconut milk with sweet potatoes (yams) peanuts, and with pickled vegetables and toasted bread on the side.

(And at 250 baht that’s probably less than you’d pay in a restaurant outside on the street!).

super beach BBQ with live entertainment. The à la carte menu is in place also, so you can take your pick.

But seeing that it’s Songkran this month – Baitong is just the place to seek shelter and take a break! Head in, dry off, take a well-needed happy hour drink, relax and have a joke about “how wet it is today” with the delightful staff, and maybe even a snack while you’re there.

There’s so much more to discovering Banana Fan Sea Resort and Baitong than merely food!

Rob De Wet For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7741 3483-6. www.bananafansea.com

Plus I have to mention that there are two happy hours where you can get your drinks at a discount – one from midday to 3.00 pm and the other between 5.00 pm and 7.00 pm. Make a note to go early and enjoy the happy hour sunset before your dinner!

And I also have to say that you can enjoy all of this and more every Thursday, when there is a

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Boodog, Khorghog and Shoe Sole Cakes

The undiscovered world of Mongolian cuisine.

Barbecue time in Mongolia. It’s not like at home, where it’s sausages on a grill and the cooking is of the genteel kind that doesn’t scare off the faint-heated. Your Mongolian cooking manual gives the following easy-to-follow yet disquieting instructions: ‘Slaughter a young goat and eviscerate it. Next take whatever spices and vegetables you have to hand and stuff it with these. Then stuff as many heated rocks into the carcass as you can, to allow the goat to cook from the inside. Place on the barbecue, if you have one, to heat through from the outside and to burn off the animal’s fur. Otherwise use a blowtorch instead.’

That’s pretty clear. As a variant you can substitute a marmot for a goat. What you're cooking, ‘boodog’, is just one example of a Mongolian barbecue, where hot stones are perfectly acceptable instead of a fire. Incidentally, when the cooking is done, the stones are taken out first and given to everyone present. They rub the warm, greasy stones between their palms as it’s a widespread belief that this ritual will boost energy and take away tiredness. For an equally smoky treat, Mongolians savour a type of barbecued meat that they call ‘khorkhog’; it’s to be found from one end of the country to the other. It is usually made with mutton, which is cooked inside a pot containing hot rocks, which in turn is heated on an open fire.

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By some standards, Mongolian cuisine may lack finesse, but it’s as tasty as it’s down-to-earth.

Measurements and amounts of ingredients are all on the vague side. It’s nomadic food, and as a nomad, you tend to become expert at cooking with exactly what you have in stock.

Mongolia is a hardscrabble country when it comes to both climate and terrain. Immense barren plains stretch out into hazy distances, and temperatures in winter drop to −40°C. The capital, Ulaanbaatar, is the world's coldest capital city with an average annual temperature of −1.3°C. Mongolia is high, cold, and windy. Long, cold winters eventually give way to hot but heartbreakingly short summers. The way of life here is very rural, with just under a third of the population actually still being nomads. Mongolia is the world’s 19th largest country, yet there are only three cities with over 50,000 people. Few paved cross-country roads exist. It’s a land that’s suited to slow journeys on foot or horse-back.

The combination of geography, fierce winters and a wandering population has all led to Mongolia having an extraordinary culinary tradition. It’s very much a make-do approach to cooking, and due to the climate, there isn’t a diversity of ingredients to be had in the first place. The cuisine focuses largely on meat such as horse, yak, beef, lamb and even camel. Milk

and cream are used to make a variety of beverages, as well as cheese and similar products. Food like this helps people survive and to travel in very unforgiving surroundings, while animal fat is a source of energy for the drastic winters. In addition, many Mongolians’ work is largely manual, and requires large amounts of food to fuel the body.

Nomadic life the world over tends to be self-supporting, with as little reliance as possible on the world beyond the tribe. In Mongolia, roadside refreshment exists; there are simple restaurants offering traditional foods. Towns have wider choices. Meanwhile, nomads have portable dwellings in the form of a tent-like structure that’s called a ‘ger’. It’s the same as a ‘yurt’, which is the Russian word. Cooking in such structures presents a few challenges as space is at a premium. Mongolians most often prefer to use cast-iron or aluminium pots on small stoves. This prevents excess heat being wasted. There isn’t a great abundance of fuel to hand, just perhaps a supply of dry wood. Otherwise Mongolians use ‘argal’ – dried out animal dung. Nowadays, of course, there are portable gas bottles, offering an easier solution when it comes to cooking.

In Mongolia, the nomadic morning might look like this: up early, the first dish to be consumed, once it’s been thoroughly boiled in salted water,

is ‘chanasan makh’. These are biggish chunks of mutton and have quite a balanced taste, though many people like to add ketchup and sprinkle with pepper. Definitely a filling meal, and ideal if you have a long working day ahead of you.

an acquired taste. This is a fermented mare’s milk, and is 7% alcoholic. It’s a bit sour but is a great way for stocking up on vitamins and minerals. Some people drink three litres in one sitting!

‘Tsuivan’ is highly popular as main meals go, and is often eaten as lunch. This is a hearty noodle stew cooked with pork, beef or mutton and accompanied by cabbage, onion, and carrots.

The more soup-like ‘guriltai shul’ is also a crowd-pleaser; it’s a highly traditional dish of mutton soup or stock served with noodles and whatever vegetables are to be had. Fatty meat gives the dish a lot of relish. Yak’s milk is often used to make a kind of curd that gives it a special sharpness. ‘Aaruul’ is believed by experts to be behind the strong teeth of Mongolian people. The dish is made from curdled milk that’s dehydrated and dried. The great thing about this food item is that it never goes bad.

For a dessert that’s very filling you can try ‘ul boov’, a type of cake that’s heavy on sugar or cream; with the baking process making it look like the sole of a shoe. And that’s exactly what the Mongolian translates as. Naturally, this dessert doesn’t taste like a shoe of any kind; the soft outer texture has an even sweeter centre to it.

Mongolians are especially partial to the piquant and highly popular dish, budaatai khuurga; it’s also something that will taste at least a bit familiar to most of us. It’s rice with lamb or beef and cabbage, carrots and bell pepper. You'll find it served both as lunch and dinner.

When Mongolians fancy a tipple with their food, they’ll turn to ‘airag’, which for outsiders is often

The way to discover Mongolian cuisine is simply to go there yourself; it’s one of the few remaining unexplored travel destinations. With an unspoiled and very traditional culture, food here is quite different from anything you may have eaten elsewhere. And the best place to eat it is of course in a nomad’s ger, where you can savour not just the individual dishes, but the warm-hearted conviviality of the Mongolians themselves.

Dimitri Waring

Cordon Bleu

The Siam Residence is all tied up in blue ribbons.

When we see or hear the term ‘cordon bleu’, our minds immediately go directly to food, and quite probably French food, as the term is most commonly applied to cuisine, and the wording is from that language. But have you ever considered the literal translation or the origins of the term? And if you have, just how is it relevant to food?

Cordon bleu translates literally into English as blue ribbon. According to Larousse Gastronomique, cordon bleu originated back in the 16th century, when King Henri III of France established L'Ordre des Chevaliers du Saint-Esprit (Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit). From 1578 to 1789, it was the most exclusive order in France, and each of its knighted members were awarded the Cross of the Holy Spirit, which hung from a sky-blue ribbon, known as Le Cordon Bleu. All members had to be at least 35 years old and Roman Catholic, but there were a few exceptions based on royal connections. These 100 knights were then called Les Cordon Bleus.

So, how did this term become related to food?

Well, after elaborate ceremonies for these highly-respected knights, there were huge sumptuous banquets held in their honour. Over time, these feasts became legendary for their prestigious and high-quality food. By extension, the term has since been applied to cuisine

prepared to a very high standard and to outstanding chefs. It is surmised that the analogy no doubt arose from the similarity between the blue ribbons worn by the knights and the generally blue ribbons or ties of a cook's apron.

For anyone who has ever attended a country fair in The United States or Europe, it is generally the ’blue ribbon’ that everyone wants to earn.

Whether it was for the biggest pumpkin or the best apple pie, if you earned the blue ribbon, you were the best of the best.

Nowadays, a ‘cordon bleu’ or ‘schnitzel’ normally refers to a dish which probably originated in Switzerland around the 1940’s. Chicken, pork or veal are normally used, pounded thin and wrapped around a slice of ham and some cheese, then breaded and pan-fried or baked.

The idyllic beachside restaurant at The Siam Residence happens to have a Thai house chef who has worked here for the last 20 years. She has never lost her passion for cooking, and every dish is made with real feeling and love for the end result, which is to please her guests. All four kitchen staff are loyal native Samuians and live close by. They have all been at The Siam Residence a long time, and have bonded to form an exceptional team, consistently cooking high-quality food, using only the freshest ingredients which they buy every day from the

local market. If a type of fish or meat is unavailable, they will not substitute for a lower quality frozen alternative. You can be assured that all the mouth-watering authentic Thai and international dishes that they pride themselves on, are created using only the best and freshest ingredients. The genuine Thai dishes are created with traditional ingredients and recipes, but the chef is flexible with the level of spiciness that you prefer; anything from zero to crazy hot!

Any fish or shellfish can be chosen from the range on the menu as long as available; red or white snapper, barracuda, mackerel, squid, king prawns or lobster. Crab, rock lobster, tiger prawns and other seafood are available on pre-request only. Then choose your preferred method of cooking and side orders. You can order your seafood; barbequed with garlic butter, deep fried with garlic and pepper, fried with sweet and sour sauce or spicy chilli sauce, braised in Penang curry, stir fried with Thai yellow curry, or have it the healthy way; steamed with soy sauce and vegetables, young ginger and vegetables or lime, spring onions and Thai herbs.

All dishes are served with a choice of steamed rice, French fries, fried potatoes, baked potato, or noodles.

Meat dishes include; Mixed Grill, Beef Tenderloin or Tender Grilled Chicken and come with a

choice of sauce; herb butter, peppercorn, mushroom or red wine, and side dishes.

There is also an assortment of pasta dishes and burgers, and in addition to the menu items, there are daily specials which are normally a fusion of Thai and western fare, such as Chicken with Lemongrass. If you fancy something that is not on the menu, no problem, just ask. If they have the ingredients they will cook it for you.

Everything that comes out of the kitchen is home-made and prepared freshly every time.

And the prices are really good value, even the wine which starts at 740 baht a bottle, for the house wine.

The Siam Residence offers a calm and relaxing atmosphere for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Come early, stay late and take the opportunity to explore the beautiful bay of Lipa Noi on which the resort is situated. The white sandy beach alongside the shimmering ocean is the perfect venue for strolling, kayaking or snorkelling. Of course, you can simply relax by the pool or beach or enjoy a traditional Thai massage under the palm trees. As day turns to evening you are in the perfect spot to witness the glorious technicolour sunset, as the sun sinks into the horizon, perhaps, whilst enjoying a cocktail or aperitif! For any special occasion, staff are happy to arrange a romantic and intimate private dining

area for you on the beach. This is also an excellent location for a small and select wedding, with accommodation and catering all on hand.

The Siam Residence is located on the quiet and peaceful west coast of Samui. Heading south from Nathon, turn right at the first set of traffic lights, signposted to Samui Hospital. Follow the road until you reach a 7/11 and turn left immediately after it. Follow the road for about 500 metres and the entrance is on the right-hand side before you get to the temple. Opening times are daily from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm, with breakfast served until 10.30 am.

With Austrian owners and friendly Swiss management and hospitality, everything here is spotlessly clean, tidy and well maintained. The management and guests most definitely vote for awarding the blue ribbon to the chef here. And yes, you can order Pork Cordon Bleu, stuffed with mozzarella cheese and smoked ham. Enjoy!

Karan Ladd For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 0008. www.siamresidence.com

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Tropical Pick Fruit of the Month – The Santol

"So they took it away, and were married next day By the turkey who lives on the hill.

And they dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon."

Extract from ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ by Edward Lear (1812 – 1888).

What on earth is runcible? And who took what away? And what’s quince? Who wrote this stuff anyway? And runcible doesn’t mean rusty, either (it’s actually a fork curved like a spoon, with three broad prongs, one of which has a sharpened outer edge for cutting). And, a quince is a sort of bitter apple – unless it’s a tropical quince, that is. And then – well actually it’s quite sweet.

Well, that was a different way to begin this month’s Tropical Pick. We aim to please (if not to annoy). And so, without further ado, let’s go and look at the santol. Or maybe not. First let’s consider cashew nuts.

Fact: nuts grow inside shells or husks, which are the fruit of trees. Peanuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts – they’re all the same. Except for

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cashew nuts. With this one, the fruit comes up looking like an apple. And then, a little lump appears on its wrinkled bottom. A few weeks later, this lump becomes recognisable as a baby cashew nut – growing outside, on the surface.

It’s one of nature’s less serious fruits. Nature, being fickle and liking a joke now and again, decided to have some fun – and so created a whole family of similar fruit trees – the Meliaceae family. And the cashew is one of the members of this family.

here, in Thailand, the name is ka-thon.

A cousin of the cashew is the quince. And the sister of the quince is the tropical quince. Which is more or less the same – except that you can actually eat it uncooked. (With some things, the only you can do with them is to turn them into jam.)

The tropical quince is a native of what was once known as Indochina – Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Sometime in the last three or four hundred years, it wobbled into Thailand, where it survived in the warmer, southern parts. Needless to say, it also managed to creep into all the surrounding areas, from India, down to the Pacific Islands and parts of Australia, too. But it just can’t stand the cold. And despite many repeated attempts to cultivate this sweet one, it’s always failed to grow in cooler climes.

The santol. The tropical quince – sandoricum koetjape. The only really cute one out of the whole family. The only one that you’d want to take home to meet your mother. The only one that’s edible raw. It doesn’t look like much, but when you fancy a snack…In Malaysia, it’s known as the saton. In the Philippines, they call it the santor. In Indonesia, it’s the sentool. And

It’s a fast growing tree – straight-trunked and pale-barked – and it can reach heights of up to 150 feet. It’s not particularly pretty – and, unlike many similar trees, it’s not cultivated for its decorative qualities. Most of the tropical fruits enjoy long seasons, but this one is a little more nervous – and it struggles to produce the goods for more than two months a year. Look out for it in a two-month period around May/June/July.

This dowdy little fruit comes in two varieties – plain reddish and dull yellowish. And they both taste the same, even though their texture is

mottled and scabby, and not too attractive. The fruit looks quite ordinary – it’s round with a downy surface, much like a peach with a bad complexion. The rind is soft and quite thick, with a milky sort of juice. And if you feel so inclined – you can eat it. (Most people don’t bother.) But cut it in half, and it gets to look like a lot more fun. The white, translucent, juicy flesh makes a pretty cloverleaf shape. And in the middle of each of the (three or four) ‘leaves’, nests a big, firm, brown seed. These are inedible (not that you’d want to bother with these, anyway).

The usual way to set about eating one of these fruits is simply to chop it in half with a knife, and then scoop out the seeds. The two halves are firm enough to be used as little cups – so simply go for it with a spoon (runcible or otherwise). Other than this, people mostly turn it into jam – as with its Western counterpart.

One of the highlights of most tropical fruit is that they have (of late) been found to possess all sorts of wonderful medicinal benefits. When distilled, the roots, bark, seeds or fruit are effective in treating a multitude of conditions, from coughs to chronic cancers. But, alas! Not so, here. The plain

little santol-quince, you can make jam with. And that’s just about it.

However, all is not quite lost. The tree, at least, is rather useful. The wood is hard and heavy, easy to saw, and to work with generally. As a result, it finds its way into the building industry, into furniture factories, and into a lot of boats, carts, and household utensils.

If someone, one day, were to hold a grand ball for tropical fruits, then the santol would attract few admirers. Whilst the glamorous mangosteen, the exotic and whiskered rambutan, and the bizarre dragon fruit would all be waltzing round the floor with their partners, the little santol would still be sitting all alone on the side-lines.

The quince is hardly a star. But then – at least one person has thought enough of it to put it in a timeless poem. How many of these other fruits can lay claim to that?

Rob De Wet

www.siamwininganddining.com 15

To Eat, to Believe, to Sin Religion and food are bound together in lots of different ways.

Catholics don’t eat meat on a Friday, Muslims can’t eat pork, Hindus say no to beef and Rastafarians are vegetarians. And I’m leaving Buddhists until last, because we’re in Thailand, and that’s something different again! All regions, all over the world, have do’s and don’ts when it comes not simply to beliefs, but to what food is and isn’t allowed, too. Well, at least, that’s the theory. But in many cases it’s not observed everywhere or, at least, not all of the time.

On the surface of things, it’s all very confusing.

But that’s because there are all sorts of things muddled-in and tied together. Firstly, there are the roots of it all; each of them different in different religions. Then there are practical reasons woven-in with ethics. On top of that there are symbolic aspects – some items have evolved to become icons of different elements of a particular faith. And then there are all the different degrees of observance, as opposed to strict fundamentalists – for example, I’ve known Muslims (in many parts of the world) who have been quite happy to take a drink now and again, Buddhists who aren’t too concerned about killing animals, and Christians who never go to church.

To begin to get to grips with the thinking about food, diet, and religious beliefs, we need to go

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back to where it all began. Almost all of the major religions started to evolve between two and three thousand years ago. There were no systems of food preservation other than drying and salting, and even this depended on the subsequent conditions of storage. There was no understanding of our bodies and the way they functioned, and what was needed to maintain growth and health. Nor was anything known about the causes of disease and the way in which they spread. Back then, all of this was supposition and guesswork, and it varied from continent to continent, and from culture to culture.

So it was hardly surprising that the many religious leaders of that time developed rules about the intake of food and drink, and that religious practices, restrictions, and laws came into being as precautionary measures to ensure the survival of the people and their beliefs.

Animal flesh spoiled easily in hot countries. But it lasted longer if the blood was drained from the carcass first. Dairy products also were a problem, eggs in particular. And so those religions which became established in hot countries evolved with dietary restrictions on meat and dairy products, very much for practical reasons. With Christianity, which almost immediately spread all

over the world due to the Roman Empire, this was never an issue.

filled with an encyclopaedic mountain of symbols and icons such as these.

the spirit, too. This appears to be common to all religions.

As each religion matured, so did the rites and rituals which accompanied it, and symbolism became essential. The people were uneducated and illiterate, and needed spiritual teachers to interpret their holy writings and paint a picture which all could understand. And the most effective thing of all to convey a message (which otherwise would need many words) is an icon.

People were instantly reminded of one element or another of their faith by such an image. Or, alternatively, by associating it with some everyday aspect or activity, such as eating food.

However, along with the plethora of re-enforcement and reminders of faith that are expressed by what food to eat and what it represents, there’s also the other side of the coin.

It’s already been stated that the basis for these exclusions began for practical reasons. But it didn’t take so long for them to become embedded, and to symbolise negative aspects.

‘Purity’ is desirable. ‘Uncleanness’ is not. Thus, to some, pork is unclean. And to add to this, anything that changes the state of the body, or affects awareness, is generally not a good idea when it comes to keeping the masses on the straight and narrow. Alcohol is the main one. But along with this comes caffeine, which is banned by, for example, the Mormons and the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Or tobacco: banned by the Sikhs. Camels are banned by the Jewish faith, but I’m not sure there’s a direct connection!

Buddhism is not quite as extreme as some of the other faiths (and in particular some of the curious off-shoots of Christianity). In fact, there’s nothing you can’t eat or drink. But there are some definite practices. The foremost of these is the daily offering of alms to the monks who tour around the streets early every morning. The act of giving earns merit, but so does the act of receiving, thus abstracting the notion of a give and a receiver, and focussing on the process itself, instead.

Thus it came about that Christians ‘eat’ the ‘body’ and ‘blood’ of their saviour. Or a Russian baklava pastry has 33 layers; each representing one year in the life of Christ. Or that in a rendang curry, the meat symbolizes the leaders of the community, the coconut milk stands for the religious teachers, the many spices stand for society as a whole and the heat of the chillies represents the Muslim faith’s sharia law. Or that Jewish matzo bread is unleavened on purpose, to remind people of Egyptian Jewry fleeing in haste, without even having the time to work the yeast into their dough. Religions all over the world are

It’s also probably worth a mention that the two extremes, those of fasting and gluttony, are also symbolic. Over-indulgence is a sin in just about every religion; if not exactly ‘unclean’ then as close as it can get. Thus fasting symbolises not only a purification of the body but a cleansing of

And then there are the ghosts. In Thailand, spirits are everywhere. Being an animistic religion, trees and streams also have spirits, particularly mature fig trees. ‘Spirit houses’ abound; some dedicated to the particular tree, others to the spirit of land on which it stands. And all of them have tokens of luck or prosperity, including food and drink for the spirits. And, as everywhere, a happy good spirit beats a bad one – every time!

Rob De Wet



Dr Frogs Bar & Grill commands an amazing view while spoiling diners with top-quality food and drink.

Craving Italian food? If you're on Samui then you won’t have far to look before you come across a dependable Italian restaurant – there are many.

Most are good, too. But if you're looking for a really superlative place to eat and drink, with affordability in mind, then there are far fewer.

And still fewer if you'd like a great location too.

Dr Frogs Bar & Grill, just south of Chaweng on the ring-road, offers the entire combination of great tastes, good prices and a beautiful setting.

Walk in through the door and you find yourself in a dining room that has a massive wooden decked terrace, from where you can look out over the entire bay of Chaweng. The blue of the sea is incomparable, and contrasts the strips of white sand beach in the distance. But despite the distinctly tropical surroundings, the feel of the restaurant itself is totally Italian. And that’s not because it’s filled with scads of Italian knick-knacks (there aren’t any), it’s completely down to the team who’re in charge of Dr Frogs; they make it what it is. Massimo Marianni is in charge of the cooking, while Simone Marchiori is the food and beverage manager here. They come from the same area in Italy, and their parents were friends before they were. They indulge in a lot of light-hearted banter, and it really feels if you're in some laid-back restaurant back in Italy.

Massimo is a classically trained Italian chef who offers both traditional fare and some new takes on dishes. He’s a master chef who uses fresh seasonal local produce, such as Phuket lobster and locally caught seafood, as well as products that he imports directly from Italy. It’s a simple recipe for restaurant success, but of course it’s one that takes dedication to perfect. Massimo’s been on the island for quite some time now – 13 years – and knows exactly how please the most exacting of guests. Simone looks after getting in the supplies and pretty much everything else in the restaurant. They've both obviously done a great job; Dr Frogs has a lot of repeat guests and the venue’s highly popular.

With its setting and atmosphere, Dr Frogs could certainly get away with cutting a few culinary

corners, but the point is that it never does.

Everything’s made from scratch wherever possible, and diners get exactly the kind of food they would in a reputable Italian restaurant. The food’s not just highly tasty, but the dishes have the ring of authenticity about them. For example, Massimo makes a lot of his own pasta which he then uses to create unforgettable dishes. Try Crespelle al Salmone Affumicato, where salmon and pink besciamella are completed with delicate ricotta. Then there’s Penne Alfredo, a favourite dish, where chicken breast comes with porcini mushrooms and peas in a creamy tomato sauce.

You'll find many dishes have a simple sophistication, such as the risotto which comes with salsiccia, or sautéed Italian sausage. It’s nicely presented, as is all the food here, and extremely satisfying.

Along with all manner of pasta there's also a generous selection of pizzas, with a variety of toppings. Massimo uses a time-honoured recipe for the dough, and once the ingredients have been added, the pizzas are cooked to perfection in the oven. Massimo and Simone hone in on the fresh and seasonal and write up daily and weekly specials on blackboards in the dining room. These dishes vary according to the local catch or what’s around at the markets.

Fish and seafood lovers always appreciate the lobster that Dr Frogs features on its menus.

Highly tasty, they’re prepared in a variety of ways. Just try the thermidor, oven-baked in tarragon cream sauce with shallots and parmesan on a bed of lettuce. There's also a Thai menu which focuses on best-loved dishes, and as with the international fare, freshness and mouth-watering tastes are the main considerations here.

cocktails and long drinks as well, especially good for a sundown tipple. For this you may wish to reserve a seaside table, as they're extremely popular. There’s plenty of live music too, with award-winning acoustic guitar player and singer, Oliver Jones playing every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Unlike most Italian restaurants, you can also turn up here from 7:00 am until 11:00 am and enjoy one of the island’s best breakfasts, a gourmet treat; or rather a whole series of them, depending on what takes your fancy. It’s a relatively new addition to Dr Frogs, and came about when the owner built a luxury hotel next door, Boujis Boutique Resort. It offers maximum privacy to its guests, but is all part and parcel of Dr Frogs. The restaurant stays open all day, every day until midnight, with the kitchen closing at 11:00 pm.

Last but not least, Dr Frogs hosts many a gathering. Plenty of people choose to come here for birthdays, anniversaries and corporate events.

Then there are the intimate weddings that are held right on the beach, followed by receptions in the restaurant.

Definitely a rather special place, Dr Frogs with its blend of elegance, sophistication and great food and drinks is certainly worth getting to know.

And because there’s so much going on there, it’ll probably take a few visits before you've experienced all that Dr Frogs has to offer.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7744 8505. www.drfrogssamui.com

Good wine is part of an Italian meal for many of us, and Dr Frogs certainly has an impressive list of them; they come from all major wine-growing areas world-wide and there's a range in price, too. You can also choose between a staggering 14 house wines, and then there are all manner of

Beachside Dining at its Best

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Romantic Dinner I Seafood Basket with Lobster For reservations, please call 077 230 222 www.siamwininganddining.com 17

Last Orders

Tipple of the month – Gin.

Ever been in a riot? Taking to the streets has always been a last, desperate attempt to persuade the ruling powers to implement immediate changes. The causes of riots are usually drastic.

But perhaps one of the strangest riots ever to take place was over a simple drink - gin. It took place in 18th century England. The rioters wanted access to it; the government wanted it controlled.

To modern ears it sounds frivolous, but it was far from it.

The government had let things get out of hand.

From 1689, they had promoted distilling as they wanted to increase trade with their colonies and to prop up low grain prices. They were utterly successful, and the distilling of gin got completely out of hand. There was no quality control, and frequently the drink was mixed with, of all things, turpentine. To get a licence to distil gin was easy; people just had to apply and wait ten days. The drink became ever more popular and was beloved of the poor, who were able to get drunk for little outlay.

Gin Lane, by popular artist William Hogarth, depicts gin drinking as leading to infanticide, starvation, madness, decay and suicide. He wasn’t exaggerating; horrendous crimes were committed

not only under the influence of gin, but in order to finance their gin habit. Some people feared that gin would become like opium. By the 1730s, consumption in London had risen to the equivalent of two pints per week per Londoner.

The riots took place in 1743, and the government had to lower the licence fees and taxes in order to restore peace. By 1750, over a quarter of all buildings in St Giles parish in London were gin shops, with most doubling as receivers of stolen goods and locales for prostitution. Of the 15,000 drinking establishments in London, not including coffee shops and drinking chocolate shops, over half were gin shops.

The government gradually suppressed the craze for gin – and did some PR work too, promoting other beverages: tea drinking for all and, for men only, beer drinking. (Beer was thought to be innocuous in comparison to spirits, a just reward after a hard day’s work – a belief that’s still of course held by many of us today.)

These days not many of us know the history of gin, but for there’s forever a faint nimbus of danger and warning that seems to hover over the drink. But what’s truly odd is that before the English craze for drinking gin got hold of so many

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Samui Ring Road

Lamai

Londoners, gin had rather more noble connotations. It was a medicine. A doctor, Franciscus Sylvius, is credited with the invention of gin. It was used to treat kidney ailments, lumbago, stomach ailments, gallstones, and gout.

The good doctor however didn’t start from scratch; gin-like potions had been around since the Middle Ages, and Italian monks had been distilling it since the 11th century. It was even used to treat the Black Death, though no success was ever attributed to it. But largely thanks to Dr Sylvius, gin became a runaway success.

Eventually, there were some 400 distilleries in Amsterdam alone, and these supplied the pharmacies and the many establishments that weren’t so focused on medical usages. The English were smitten with it when they found it in Holland while fighting the Spanish in the Eighty Years War – ‘Dutch courage’ refers to the perhaps numbed-out state of mind that the drink gave to Dutch soldiers.

Gin is a spirit which derives its main flavour from juniper berries (Juniperus Communis). The word, gin, is derived from the French ‘genièvre’ or the Dutch ‘jenever’. Take your pick - both mean ‘juniper’. The botanical was used because of its perfume, flavour, and supposed medicinal

Telephone 0 7745 8560-4

properties. As for the actual alcohol used, that depends on the gin. Often the base alcohol is made from wheat, while others are made from barley, grapes, sugar and so on.

Crucially, the base alcohol needs to be neutral in taste, so that the flavour of the botanicals that are added can come through. A host of different ingredients can be added, including, but not limited to, lemon and bitter orange peel, anise, angelica root and seed, orris root, liquorice root, cinnamon, almond, grapefruit peel, dragon eye, saffron, baobab, frankincense, coriander, nutmeg and cassia bark. Gin is exactly like making perfume. That’s because making gin is all about extracting essential oils from the botanicals to create a sophisticated spirit.

The process of distilling gin became more refined.

Turpentine was still being added to give the drink a slightly ‘woody’ flavour as late as 1913, but the drink itself gradually evolved and its frightening reputation was given a makeover. Not only did its taste become more subtle, it went from being a poor person’s drink to the chosen tipple of high society. It had been scarce during the First World War, and when it came back after a break it was the star of the 1920s cocktail age. Highly popular

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in the United States, it gained traction in popular culture, while London Dry Gin became a staple in many a sophisticated drink, including the Martini.

Over the years, many other cocktails came to reflect the versatility of the drink that was their base. And of course the simple favourite, gin and tonic has remained one of the most popular drinks ever. It harkens back to the former tropical British colonies where gin was used to mask the unpleasant flavour of quinine, which was then the only effective anti-malarial compound. Quinine was dissolved in carbonated water to form tonic water; and even today tonic water still contains a smidgen of quinine.

Gin’s popularity continues unabated. These days there are more cocktails made with gin than with any other spirit. It’s definitely not like tequila which can be drunk as a shot, or whisky or bourbon that can be served neat. It’s certainly evolved from the drink it used to be when it caused so much mayhem and uproar. Yet as ever it still needs to be approached with caution; if a whole city once fell afoul of it, so too can an unsuspecting individual just out for a good time!

Dimitri Waring

Opening Times 10am – 1am

Silavadee Pool Spa Resort

Silavadee Pool Spa Resort presents a wide range of restaurants and bars featuring a variety of cuisines to suit all tastes.

Premium cocktails and selected wines are also available in each outlet.

STAR

A stunning rooftop bar where you can sip our signature cocktails and enjoy some snacks while watching the sunset or gazing at the stars above.

Open: 17.00-23.30hrs.

The Height

Sun Deck

Wine and Cigar Lounge

Oering an extensive menu of delightful Thai cuisine, the restaurant has both air-conditioned and open air seating options, all with stunning views of the surrounding sea.

Open: 17.00-22.30hrs.

Exclusive dining on the deck with breathtaking views.Enjoy International delights in a romantic setting with your loved one. Please reserve in advance.

Refreshments, cocktails and snacks with a selection of premium wines and cigars to enjoy the breathtaking view.

Open:18.00-22.30hrs.

Open: 17.00-23.30hrs

Silavadee Pool Spa Resort 208/66 Moo4, Koh Samui, Suratthani 84310 Thailand Tel: (+66) 077 960 555 Fax: (+66) 077 960 055 www. Silavadeeresort.com www.siamwininganddining.com 19

Rice Barge &

Terrace

Fine Beachside Dining at the Rice Barge & Terrace Authentic Thai Cuisine WEEKLY CALENDAR MONDAY - COWBOY DAY Cowboy Steak Night Buffet @ 1,129 Baht/person. Children half price Advance reservation discount 15% Costume Theme Night: Cowboy style will get 1 free bottle of beer Entertainment: The Barge Band TUESDAY - GRILLED NIGHT Lobster & Seafood Basket for 2 @ 3,500++ Steak Set for 2 @ 2,700++ or Seafood Set for 2 @ 2,700++ Entertainment: The Barge Trio Band WEDNESDAY - HAWAIIAN STYLE Hawaiian Seafood Buffet @ 1,290 Baht/person. Children half price Advance reservation discount 15% Entertainment: The Barge Band and Polynesian show THURSDAY - COCKTAILS DAY Lobster & Seafood Basket for 2 @ 3,500++ Steak Set for 2 @ 2,700++ or Seafood Set for 2 @ 2,700++ Free Flow Cocktails 5pm-7pm @ 950++/person/hour Entertainment: The Barge Trio Band EVERY DAY - FREE STYLE Thai Cooking Class & Bartender Master Class - Reservation required Happy Hours: Hillside Pool 1pm-3 pm. Beachside Pool 2pm-4 pm Lobby Lounge: 6pm-8pm. Rice Barge: 6pm-7pm. The Barge 9pm-10pm Private Dinner 3,500, 7,500, 8,500, 11,000 baht. Reservation required Free Flow Local Beer (Singha/Chang) @ 550++/person/hour Open Bar @ 650++/person/hour - Gin, Rum, Vodka, Red Label, Local Beer, Juice, Soft Drink Open Bar @ 850++/person/hour - Wine, Cocktails, Spirits, Local Beer, Juice, Soft Drink SATURDAY - WEEKEND DAY Chef Signature Food Set Menu 1,350 Food Only, 1,850 with Wine Pairing Entertainment: The Barge Trio SUNDAY - PASTA NIGHT Fresh Pasta and Pizza Corner and Salad Bar @ 550++/person

Rice Barge & Terrace Nora Buri's Signature Restaurant Chaweng North For Reservation Tel: 0 7791 3555 E-mail: ricebarge@noraburiresort.com www.noraburiresort.com

Chaweng Beach Road Chaweng North

It’s all happening at Nora Beach Resort & Spa Tuesday Night- Siam Kingdom Thai Night. We invite you to experience a variety of traditional Thai dishes.

Price THB 850 per person.

Thursday Night - East Meets West. Enjoy our chef’s special buffet creations. Price THB 950 net per person. Children 6-12 years old half price. Entertainment: Polynesian Show & Mariposa Duo. Thai Cooking Class Learn how to cook 3 authentic Thai dishes with our Thai Chef. Price THB 1,500 per person Inclusive of chef hat, apron, certificate and recipe.

Fruit Carving Class Price THB 1,500 per person. Inclusive of chef hat, apron and certificate.

Daily Happy Hour Beverages Special offer 50% off (Except wine, Corona beer, all spirits by the bottle) Pool Bar 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm & 4.00 pm - 5.00 pm. Prasuthon Restaurant 6.00 pm - 7.00 pm.

Lobby Bar 7.00 pm - 8.00 pm & 10.00 pm - 11.00 pm.

Romantic Private Dining Dining on the beach with private chef and waiter/waitress.

Thai menu THB 5,000 per couple.

International menu THB 6,000 per couple.

Advance reservation required

For further information please telephone 0 7742 9400 E-mail: reservation@norabeachresort.com www.norabeachresort.com

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