October 2016

SAMUI

www.siamwininganddining.com

FREE COPY

OCTOBER 2016

Seafood Beach BBQ Buffet, Mondays & Thursdays Sareeraya Villas & Suites

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

Pound for Pound

Gourmet dining on Samui costs a fraction of the price back home!

It’s all about perspective. What does a pub meal cost? And what can you get for a couple of Euros? Exactly! That’s why you eat-in every night, and go out once a week. But you’re now on Samui. You can eat a full Thai meal for a couple of Euros. And you can go 5-star for next to nothing – compared to the costs back home.

The temptation is to play it by ear. To just go out and see what happens each night. You’re on holiday, so who wants to make a plan for each day?

But that’s not the way to do it. Sure, yes, it’s fun now and then. But for every street-side venue with bright lights and warm tempting glows, there are ten you can’t see which are better all round. So be wise; take a look through our pages and then think again.

Certainly some of the 5-star venues still price things way-high. But many of them have now caught on that it’s more welcoming for you, the guest, to come along and eat well and affordably: they get far more guests that way!

And so, for the same price as a take-away back home, you can enjoy tip-top cuisine from a 5-star chef right here. But you need to know where to go; the bright lights on the main streets might disappoint. Why eat on the cheap because you’re not sure what’s what? Take a look inside – your Euros and Dollars will buy so much more!

SAMUI

SAMUI

Seafood Beach BBQ Buffet, Mondays & Thursdays

www.siamwininganddining.com

OCTOBER 2016

FREE COPY

Sareeraya Villas & Suites

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

Pound for Pound

Gourmet dining on Samui costs a fraction of the price back home!

It’s all about perspective. What does a pub meal cost? And what can you get for a couple of Euros? Exactly! That’s why you eat-in every night, and go out once a week. But you’re now on Samui. You can eat a full Thai meal for a couple of Euros. And you can go 5-star for next to nothing – compared to the costs back home.

The temptation is to play it by ear. To just go out and see what happens each night. You’re on holiday, so who wants to make a plan for each day?

But that’s not the way to do it. Sure, yes, it’s fun now and then. But for every street-side venue with bright lights and warm tempting glows, there are ten you can’t see which are better all round. So be wise; take a look through our pages and then think again.

Certainly some of the 5-star venues still price things way-high. But many of them have now caught on that it’s more welcoming for you, the guest, to come along and eat well and affordably: they get far more guests that way!

And so, for the same price as a take-away back home, you can enjoy tip-top cuisine from a 5-star chef right here. But you need to know where to go; the bright lights on the main streets might disappoint. Why eat on the cheap because you’re not sure what’s what? Take a look inside – your Euros and Dollars will buy so much more!

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

Natalie Hughes Feature Writer

Karan Ladd Feature Writer

Peter Jones 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. 2016

Distribution at Bangkok Airport courtesy of Bangkok Airways.

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

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A drink from Paradise...available on Earth

Located at Tesco Lotus Chaweng, Tesco Lotus Lamai and Central Festival 2 www.siamwininganddining.com

In the Mood for Food Impiana Resort Chaweng Noi’s two restaurants offer excellent international and Thai delicacies at exceptionally good prices.

Impiana is the creation of Impiana Hotels & Resorts Management, a Malaysian-owned company and a highly-respected brand in Southeast Asia’s luxury hotel market. On Samui they’ve put together this luxurious masterpiece, with dining facilities that attract more than just the resort’s guests. It was built just over a decade ago, and the restaurants have been upgraded in that time and have always kept their reputation for extremely good food and all-round professionalism.

Just coming to Impiana to eat is an experience in itself. As you step through the lobby, you'll see the sea right in front of you, framed by the resort’s atrium. From there, it’s a short walk to the restaurants. On your right you'll see Tamarind Bar and Lounge which offers a select Thai menu.

Highly recommended here are the two set dinners. Both consist of Thai favourites, for example, Gaeng Phed Ped Yang or Grilled Duck Breast in Thai Red Curry Paste & Sweet Basil Leaf and Goong Nam Ma Kham or Deep-fried Prawns in Tamarind Sauce. Naturally, you can also order à la carte and then treat yourself to a dessert that’s too tempting to refuse. Try, for example, the Water Chestnuts in Coconut Jasmine Syrup or the Mango Panna Cotta, which comes with a coconut sorbet. Both are equally delicious.

Continue towards the sea and you'll come to Sabai, the resort’s all-day dining facility. Here there's a choice between Thai or international favourites. The menu starts with Thai dishes such as Kai Hor Bai Toey or Deep-fried Chicken wrapped in Pandan Leaf and Satay Neua, Moo Reu Gai or Skewers of Marinated Grilled Beef, Pork or Chicken. Then there are mains such as Massaman Curry, Sautéed New Zealand Mussels with Garlic, Chili and Basil Leaf and the excellent Pla Sam Rod or Deep-fried Fish in Three Flavours Sauce.

There's a long and satisfying list of international dishes too. You can start with appetizers such as Smoked Salmon Plate with Caper, Shallot Rings, Apple Bread & Butter or the Pan Fried Sea Scallops with Tomato Fondue, Asparagus and Minted Peas. There are plenty of salads, including a classic Greek salad and Poached Salmon Salad with Asparagus.

A lunchtime favourite just has to be Impiana’s own pizza which you can customize with your own toppings. Then there are pasta dishes, burgers, snacks and some great bites such as the Grilled Chicken & Roasted Vegetable Sandwich with Pesto Mayonnaise or the Oak Smoked Salmon, Red Onion Tomato Salad Sandwich. For main courses you'll find many delights. How about Classic Fish & Chips served with Mushy Peas & Lemon? Or if you're a meat lover, the

Grilled 6oz Tenderloin Steak with Grilled King Prawn, Mustard Mash, Spinach & Garlic? These are just a couple of examples out of many.

Desserts are every bit as good. Sample treats such as Hot Chocolate Fondant with Pistachio Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce, home-made tiramisu or a mango parfait. And as mentioned already, everything’s very reasonably priced – costs are in keeping with far smaller and humbler restaurants.

However, the tastes and preparation are all gourmet standard. The same goes for drinks; if you’re here for lunch or dinner you can rest assured that there’s a selection of wonderful wines to go with the food.

Right by the sea, you'll find Beach Bar, where you can sit and admire the panorama in front of you, while you sip on cocktails and long drinks. As beach bars go, it’s exceptionally comfortable and there’s also an upper deck too. It’s built around an old almond tree that rises through the ceiling to spread its branches across the decking, providing plenty of shade. It’s also a great place for enjoying the romantic private dinner that Impiana offer. (Or, if you'd prefer, you can opt to have this on the sands.)

The resort has culinary themes for every day of the week. Monday is Classical Thai Night (590 Baht) with a Thai buffet featuring dishes from all around the country. Tuesday is Catch of The Day (from 250 Baht) with freshly grilled seafood. On Wednesdays, it’s Italian Night (490 Baht), with a buffet dinner of salads, entrees and pasta.

Char-grilled steak from Australia, along with pork and chicken star in Thursday’s Steak Supreme (from 300 Baht), while on Fridays there’s the Beach Barbecue Buffet with live music (690 Baht). When the weekend comes, you can enjoy Surf & Turf on Saturday night (790 Baht), and to finish the week there’s the delicious Roast Chicken Sunday Buffet (390 Baht).

With its attractive menus and professional approach to presentation, taste and freshness, Impiana’s two restaurants offer all that you would expect of a resort of this calibre. Whether you're looking for a coffee in great surrounds, or in search of a truly luxurious lunch or dinner, Impiana offers the full scope of gastronomic delights.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information, telephone: 0 7742 2011. www.impiana.com.my

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

3

Completely Nuts There are some weird tropical fruits, but there’s nothing as strange, or dangerous, as the humble cashew nut!

You’d never guess. I mean, they come in packets, in a shop, on the shelf, in a bag. You munch them happily and without thought.

They’re a TV snack, or something you pop in a Thai dish with chicken. But, in a world full of sensible, pleasant, nuts, this one’s out on a limb. Yes, cashew nuts might seem quite ordinary. But if a peanut is the Forrest Gump of the nut world, then the cashew is Hannibal Lecter. Just looking at it in the bag, it appears quite normal. But there’s far, far more to cashew nuts than meets the eye.

And that goes for the whole deal, too, including the way it grows. Different nuts grow in different ways. Some, like peanuts, grow in the ground. But the others grow on trees and, in reality, are seeds and not ‘nuts’. Chestnuts grow on huge and majestic trees. Walnuts grow in neat upright lines like soldiers. Pecans are gigantic and graceful, yet delicate, too. But the cashew is a gnarly old witch! Bent and twisted and low to the ground. The only other thing like it in the tree world is an apple tree, which is also knobbly and twisty. But, whereas the apple tree is light, the cashew is dark – dark bark and dark glossy leaves. And then things just get stranger still.

Few visitors to Samui have ever seen a cashew tree. Or, at least, few people have realised that this was what they were looking at. But then again, few visitors seem to keep an eye out for this sort of thing, anyway. Certainly coconuts are a prime crop, and these are everywhere, and instantly familiar. But did you realise that Samui also grows (and sends to the mainland markets) durian, jackfruit, rambutan, dragon fruit, pomelo, mangosteen and . . . cashews?

Most of the fruit farms are higher on the mountain where the air is cooler, and many of them don’t even have a road or track, but are accessed cross-country by 4WD trucks. But nearly all of these fruit trees can be seen all over the place, seemingly growing wild. Keep your eye out for jackfruit and mangos; they’re easy to spot. But the cashew?

Unless you know, you won’t even recognise what it is. As mentioned, it’s a small twisty tree that’s low-growing yet spreading. But it seems to have small red apples on it. And this is where some serious weirdness creeps in. The cashew is a nut, yes. But the cashew tree actually bears fruit, too, the red ‘apples’. And these are actually the parts you can’t eat. And the cashew nut/seed itself is toxic. And it looks

nothing at all like the cashew nuts you’re used to!

You see, to begin with, after the flowers have been pollinated, a dark little nut starts to form.

And it looks just like you’d expect – cashew-shaped but in a thick dark-brown shell.

Plants are clever things. And they all rely on their seeds being spread far and wide. Some have little wings and fly away. Others get eaten by birds, then dropped all over the place, far and wide. Some are so pretty they just know they’ll get picked. But the nasty little cashew nut’s a devil. It’s poisonous in its natural state, and having dead bodies littered all around is not a good advert. So, somewhere back in the seeds of time, it adopted a cunning ploy. Once the dull and nasty cashew ‘hull’ has formed, and isn’t it pretty, a nice red fruit begins to grow. Well-balanced and socially-integrated fruits don’t need this type of trickery – they keep their seeds inside their fruit in the normal way. But not the cashew!

The red fruit with the little dark cashew hull sitting on the bottom of it continues to grow, and both of them get bigger together. The first time you see a fruiting cashew tree, I’ll bet you

don’t notice the little dark nuts. You’re only aware of the much bigger red ‘apples’. (To be exact, by this time the fruit is actually more pear-shaped.) And then, after about two more months, the fruit with the nut still attached ripens and falls to the ground. And this is when things start to get really nasty.

Cashews have always been a profitable crop.

That’s the first thing to keep in mind. The second thing is that they mainly grow in tropical regions where local labour is cheap. And that adds to the profit. But the problem is to get the cashew nut out of its husk. It’s a tough little chap, and banging it between two rocks has no effect at all. In fact the husk has three tightly-knit layers, with the nut itself being layer three, in the centre of the husk. The outer skin contains the poison oak allergen ‘urushiol’, which causes skin blisters and dermatitis, and is used in the manufacture of brake linings. But, even worse, the second layer is not only just as caustic, but is full of ‘cardol’, a highly toxic resin, and neither of these toxins can be allowed to contaminate the extracted nut in any way at all.

So the method is to get a bunch of locals and pay them higher than the usual ‘nut-job’ rate to

Are you ready for a brand new dining experience?

Join us at RockPool, Kanda Residences' spectacular beachfront restaurant and bar situated just 5 minutes from Chaweng.

Daily happy hour with buy one get one free on selected drinks from 2pm until 7pm.

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simply roast the whole husks in shallow pans over an open fire while constantly shaking them about until the shells burst open under the pressure. There’s a high injury rate: the acidic fluid is scalding and even the dense fumes can cause the skin to blister. But it’s not all bad news. The ‘apple’ part gets made into jam, and the wood is used in furniture making and boat building.

And the nuts themselves? Well, you can eat them! And did you know that they’re also used in the making of Madeira wine? And on top of this it’s been discovered that ‘gram positive bacteria’ which causes tooth decay, acne, tuberculosis and leprosy, is killed by the anacardic acid contained in the plant. So the next time you out and about on Samui, keep your eyes open. If it looks like an apple tree, it’s probably a cashew. And there’s a lot more to this little tree than simply ‘going nuts’!

Rob De Wet

Sublime Supattra Supattra Thai Dining offers authentic dishes in an exquisite setting.

In the hush of the night air, time seems to slow, and in the restaurant a very relaxed vibe is palpable. Built from tropical hardwoods and open-sided, Supattra Thai Dining faces not the sea, but a heady grove of mangrove trees that cluster round the restaurant’s terrace, as if they too are intent on dining here. It’s a beautiful setting, and an original one; plenty of people venture in, drawn by the postcard-pretty architecture, but the food and drink turns out to be an even finer lure here.

The newly-opened restaurant is the brain child of Khun Supattra and her husband Thomas, a couple who provide excellence at very reasonable prices, and are in the gastronomy business out of sheer passion and a devotion to hospitality. This shows in all that they do, from the welcome you'll receive when you arrive all the way through to the moreish desserts that they offer.

Supattra Thai Dining is definitely a place to linger, and the best way to start off an evening here is with a drink in hand. You’ll find a cosy bar along one wall of the restaurant, offering a wide range of wines and cocktails. The wines come from all over the world, and are showcased in a blue-lit chilled cabinet next to the bar. The couple know well that wines are highly taxed in Thailand, and don’t add on much to the price of the bottles, allowing you to enjoy a better quality wine for your budget. And being Austrian, Thomas ensures there are a couple of choices from his native country. Try, for example, a Riesling from the Kamptal terraces, or the Grüner Veltiner Bankett, both from producer Willi Bründlmayer. You'll also find selections from France, Italy, Australia, Chile and South Africa. And you don’t necessarily need to be coming for dinner to enjoy these wines, as right by the restaurant they also run a wine store.

Grab a bottle while passing, though you may well be tempted to stay for the food.

And the food is excellent. Before we get into what exactly you can eat here, it’s worth noting that this restaurant is very differently run compared to many of its peers on Samui. As the focus is on Thai food, nothing at all is imported and everything is brought as locally as possible.

That means that most of the fish comes from the market just a few metres down the road. Some comes from further away, but not that far: Koh Pha-Ngan. “That’s where we get our squid from,” explains Khun Supattra. “It’s that much better, and we've known our supplier for years. He catches it and then it’s immediately shipped over.

It’s particularly tender and everyone enjoys it.”

The food’s all totally fresh, and the couple buy in just what they think they'll need for the day.

You won’t find freezers filled with fish on a just-in-case basis, nor will you find surplus stock being reworked into tomorrow’s dishes.

Necessarily, the menu remains select. It’s a way of thinking that truly works. “Guests know that our focus is on Thai food, though we normally offer a dish or two that's international in style,” says Khun Supattra. “We stick to what we know best – Thai food.” To say her approach is tried and tested is an understatement; before they came to Samui their restaurant on Koh Pha-Ngan, The Beachlounge Thong Sala, did extremely well, using exactly the same idea. Says Khun Supattra, “We've chosen to serve what we think tastes best; it’s actually the food that I grew up with. My father used to cook and liked what was simple but as tasty as possible. We've

adopted that same way of thinking.”

Adhering to freshness isn’t always easy or convenient, and because the day’s catch can vary, you'll find this reflected in the menu. So what you find today at Supattra, you may not find tomorrow!

Because of this, you'll find that there’s no actual printed menu. There’s a far more approachable system. When you're seated, either Thomas or Khun Supattra herself will bring over a blackboard on which you'll find listed all the dishes. It begins with a handful of starters, then goes onto main courses, with fish followed by meats, and then, finally, the desserts. Every day is different.

A typical offering includes starters such as grilled lemongrass shrimp sticks, crispy fried squid with chilli sauce and chicken satay. For main courses you might well find a Barracuda filet with Paneng Curry (here the sauce is ladled onto the fish) or Hor Mok Gung Yai, stir-fried red curry with shrimp. For meats there’ll be perhaps the popular Nam Tok Moo, a spicy grilled pork loin with fresh herbs. Desserts are extremely yummy; round off dinner here with either a homemade coconut ice-cream with a Thai topping or Bour Lai, small pudding balls in five different natural colours, accompanied by crispy rolls and coconut milk.

The couple realize that not everyone’s familiar with Thai food, and are right there to explain what the dishes are. They can do this in both English and German. One of the big challenges is, of course, the degree of spiciness guests like, and they'll help you ascertain how spicy you'd like your dishes to be. It’s much like having a personalized chef. After you've made your choice, Khun Supattra cooks the dishes for you in her glass-sided kitchen. Incidentally, the restaurant only seats some 20 to 25 diners and this further allows you to have a very personalized service. It’s definitely not the kind of establishment that hopes to belt out hundreds of dinners per night. Care and attention is taken over every guest, and in this way satisfaction is guaranteed. Check out the restaurant’s Facebook below, and you'll find more details on what’s happening. Supattra Thai Dining is open from 6:00 pm daily, apart from Sunday and Monday.

(Please note that due to holidays the restaurant will be closed for four weeks from 20th October.)

The restaurant is in Bangrak, and is easy to find.

From Samui Airport, head towards Bangrak and you’ll see it on your left less than a hundred metres from the coast road. There’s ample parking right next to the restaurant in a designated car park.

With the bounty of local markets offering a mouth-watering variety of tastes, Supattra Thai Dining offers all the nuances of Thai food at its most authentic. Simple can be the best, as Khun Supattra and Thomas demonstrate so admirably.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information, telephone 0 932 828 777 or 0 993 637 030. www.facebook.com/SupattraThaiDining

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

Veni, Vidi, Vici An army of food vendors brings hard-to-resist delights to Samui’s beaches.

Imagine being wrapped from head-to-shorts in chequered clothing. This is to keep you cool, and to make you stand out. Because people have to recognize who you are, or more importantly, what you are. If they don’t, you'll be invisible in the blinding sun. And invisible is the worst thing possible; you won’t make any money.

hot and carrying that load on your shoulders.

You're doing the equivalent of door-to-door selling, except that here on the beach it’s towel-to-towel. You don’t need to knock on doors, happily, but you do need to call out to the occupants of each towel. You need to be cheerful. Put on a smile. That's your door-bell moment.

Now look down at your feet. You're wearing flip-flops. Old ones. Not the most comfortable footwear – and you'll be walking miles and miles in them. Same as you did yesterday, and the day before that. As you've done for years.

In return you get a variety of reactions. A blank-sunglassed stare; a dismissive wave of the hand; some words – check out the body language: you're being told to get lost. People can get abusive, especially the drunks. And a lot of people feel rather entitled, and their look tells you that you are not one of them. But hey, you knew that anyway. But, just when you're really sick of it all, every once in a while, there’s a hand that beckons you over.

OK. Cap pulled down, sunglasses tight against your face; you now crouch down and get ready for your day’s work. Which means positioning the carrying pole over whichever shoulder hurts the least. Then you stand. And as you do so, you pull up the two baskets at each end of the pole. Together they must weigh – and you've been through this countless times – surely as much as one of the suitcases that holidaymakers bring with them to Samui. You wish your baskets had wheels on them, just like those suitcases do, but no such luck. And not even possible given all the sand.

So now you start walking ... one foot in front of the other ... that’s the marathon spirit, the spirit that’ll get you through the day, at least the physical side of it. You're on Samui, on the beach, but not here for swimming or sport or relaxation of any kind. You're a food vendor.

Whether you survive the long walk or not, this has nothing to do with success. Success means that you sell your goods, reload, set off again ... sell ... and sell again. Your physical prowess has to be matched by your commercial savvy. You have to have a good sales pitch, and a bit more worryingly than that, it often has to be in a foreign language, English, and better still – in several others, too: French, German, Russian and now increasingly, Chinese. Painstakingly you've learned a smattering of as many languages as you can. And you match your body language to the words you use. You look friendly, approachable, at ease with yourself and the world. A difficult feat when you're boiling

And when that happens, you sink to your knees. With tiredness, with gratitude, but who cares? Because now you have to start your work in earnest, and suddenly you're no longer a sportsperson, or a salesperson, you're a cook!

OK, your dishes are incredibly simple, but given the fact that you're on foot, they have to be. You carry with you a charcoal grill on which maybe you roast corn-on-the-cob, till the exterior is nicely scorched and then you offer it to your guests. While you're doing the cooking, they're probably looking on in amazement, the thought coming to them just how difficult your job is.

And then, hey presto, they have the food they ordered right in front of them. You also have other fruits, such as pineapple, which other people may want to eat. And perhaps they’d like a drink too?

Another favourite is grilled chicken. If you're selling this, you need to prepare it long before you get to the beach, threading it onto skewers and adding some marinade. Complicated, of course, but you can be sure that it’s near the top of many beachgoers list of foods to eat on the beach.

The king of all beach foods, however, has to be ‘som tam’ or spicy papaya salad. Perhaps many people from abroad have never tried it, but

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once they do, many are smitten. Not surprisingly, as the tangy combination is a definite winner – it’s sold throughout Thailand on streets, in restaurants and just about anywhere where it’s possible to park a cart and start pounding up the ingredients. If you're good at som tam, then you have a chance to outdo many other vendors. It’s certainly the most complicated of dishes to prepare if you have to carry everything with you. But if you have a motorized cart and can find a road that fronts the beach, then you'll not need to do any carrying at all – once word gets round that you're there and you're dependably good, then people will come up to you to order directly.

Som tam is made in a pestle and mortar, each portion being known as a ‘krog’, which is also the word for the mortar itself. If you end up making dozens of krogs a day, then you'll be doing well. The most basic ingredients used are as follows: raw green papaya, fish sauce, lime juice, long Chinese beans, tomatoes and garlic.

There are many variations, as particular recipes may have been handed down through the generations. If you have a particularly good recipe and the patience to make the dish over and over again, then you'll probably want to stick to this and won’t be tempted to try other kinds of vending.

Last but not least, leading a life walking about in the heat may make you crave the cold, and in that case you may opt to sell that beachgoers favourite dessert, ice-cream. You'll be popular with not just adults but children too. You can even make a beeline for people who have just finished off a meal sold to them by another vendor, and they’ll probably be tempted.

It’s not known how many food vendors ply the beaches of Thailand, but if you are one of them, then you'll be working in a trade where physical prowess is just as much called for as mental agility. And you're providing a valuable service, too, and one that’s going to be around for many years to come.

Dimitri Waring

Holes with Views One of the most magnificent restaurant panoramas is at the Santiburi Samui Country Club in Maenam.

Take a look around as you come through Maenam. It’s a fact that 80% of people only look around at head height. They don’t look up or down. But pull your eye away from the shops and eateries, and look up. It seems a long way up the mountain, doesn’t it? It’s high. Keep on driving, along the ring-road through Maenam, heading away from Chaweng, west in the direction of Nathon. Not so far – just a few kilometres until you get to where the road seems to get busier. There are orange cones in the middle of the road, just at the entrance of Soi 7 where the market is. Turn left into Soi 7 and take the second turn on the right (it’s a short distance). And then follow the signs for ‘Santiburi Golf’.

But here’s an odd thing. Apart from the last few hundred metres as you head up a slight incline towards the clubhouse, there’s almost no sensation at all of going up. And if you’ve ever explored up and over the mountain before, you’ll know what I mean! It’s only 600 metres to the highest point of Samui, but in some places you need a ski-lift!

You’ll get tantalising glimpses of the scenes below through the trees. But nothing will prepare you for the view once you’re inside.

There’s a huge turning and parking area outside, and the clubhouse is elevated, with a series of steps leading up. But even as you enter you’ll not see too much – the floor’s wide and there’s a railed balcony. But cross to the rail and gasp!

You’re seeing the entire six-kilometre sweep of Maenam Bay laid out in miniature below, with the golfing foreground luminously manicured and lawned, sweeping ever-downwards through the plains of palms towards the sea. And the entire pastel sweep of Koh Phan-Ngan sits dreamily in the far distance in front of you.

Yes, I know – I’ve really gone on about the view.

But, firstly, it’s totally stunning. And second, the restaurant opens at 6:00 am for breakfast. And these two things together make Santiburi Golf something very special indeed. (Plus, of course, it’s no hassle to get there, high-up as it is.)

Certainly there are a few places which do early breakfasts. But nowhere I know has a view like this, where you can watch the sun easing up across half the world (it seems), as the little hollows of mist lose their shadows and melt away in the crystal light of a new day.

Oh. And there’s another reason to come here, too. ‘Country Club’ sounds expensively exclusive. But it isn’t! There are four set-breakfasts on offer, and the average price is less than 250 baht. You can pick from the ‘Santiburi Breakfast’, which is styled on an English breakfast, the ‘American’ breakfast, and then ‘Continental’ and ‘Asian’ options, too. And then there’s a generous additional à la carte section from which you can mix and match to your heart’s content. And here, a great base to begin with is the scrambled eggs with ham (or bacon or sausage) and fried tomatoes, which will set you back a mere 110 baht.

Of course, if you’re not an early riser then you can enjoy much the same experience at the other end of the day – the sunsets are equally as stunning, particularly the cloudscapes as they catch the lowering rays side-on. There’s a couple of extra perks in going about it this way, too.

One of them is the happy-hour that runs from 5:00 pm until closing time at 7:30 pm. (They close early to correspond with daylight on the greens). One item here recommends itself; the 240 cc pitcher of Singha beer for just 150 baht!

There’s also a substantial wine list featuring classic and New World labels from France, South Africa, California and Chile, and all available by the bottle or the glass. And the other advantage of evening dining is the more-extensive menu.

However, as far as the overall menu choices go, it’s all a bit of a free-for-all! By which I mean that you can still pick from that breakfast menu, or dip into the ‘all day menu’ which runs, well . . . all day. However, at 5:00 pm, the dinner menu also appears, effectively allowing you to juggle with three separate sources. If you were to turn up unknowingly after 5:00 pm, you wouldn’t be aware that, for instance, burgers and sandwiches

were available, as they don’t feature prominently on the dinner menu with which you’ll be presented and which, at first glance, seems to be exclusively Thai cuisine. There are actually quite a few international offerings tucked away in there, including a German-style leg of pork as well as ‘German sausages’, together with Fish ’n’ Chips and home-made spaghetti Bolognaise and lasagne.

The biggest difference, however, between the (evening) dinner menu and the others is that there’s a much wider range of top-end offerings, particularly when it comes to seafood. Now you’ll see a range of whole fish (whatever is in season) cooked in a variety of ways; steamed, deep-fried, with garlic and pepper or BBQ. There’s squid and crab; particularly delicious with chilli, garlic and lime. And the highlight of these offerings is the Phuket lobster, which is also available in one of the set-menus. There are four of these set-menus to choose from, each of four courses and each increasing in size, quality and price, starting at 850 baht per person per set.

And to top it all off there’s not only the usual Thai-style sticky-rice-and-fruit dessert, but also a range of mouth-watering Mövenpick ice-cream, too.

All of this and you can also play golf! The course here is extremely laid-back and there’s no formability with the dress regulations. Even though it’s a fully-professional tournament standard 18-hole par 72 golf course with driving range and putting green, beginners are warmly welcome and there’s no ‘certification’ needed.

Plus there’s a nine-hole course too, if you’d prefer a more leisurely day out. And everything’s all set against that stunning panorama – holes with views, to be sure!

Rob De Wet For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 1700-8 www.santiburi.com

www.siamwininganddining.com 7

Thailand’s Greatest Recipes Make it yourself: red and green Thai curry pastes.

Curries are a staple of the Thai diet, and if you're like me and love to eat Thai food, you'll probably want to make your own. If you go into any supermarket you'll find ready-made pastes for everything from tom yam to massaman.

Those packets of quick simple curry pastes are very appealing, promising quick and easy meals.

But making your own curry paste needn't be as hard as you think, and it will be much healthier for you and your family.

Also it is something you can still make and enjoy eating once your holiday is over. The beauty of the pastes is that they all keep for about one and a half weeks in the fridge, so you can use them whenever you want – they'll also keep well in the freezer. So time to get out your food processor or the more traditional pestle and mortar, and whip up some delicious curry pastes.

Red Curry Paste Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients; because once this paste is made you can use in a variety of ways – in a curry, a stir fry, with seafood or chicken. It is very versatile, and a good one to test out your curry paste making skills.

1 chopped shallot or small purple onion 1 minced stalk of lemongrass

1-2 chopped red chillies (depending on how spicy you like your curry) 4 cloves minced garlic 1 small thumb sized piece galangal or ginger, sliced 2 tbsp fish sauce (vegetarian substitute with soy sauce) 1 tsp shrimp paste (vegetarian substitute with 1/2 tsp salt) 2 tbsp tomato ketchup or tomato puree ¾ tsp ground coriander ¼ tsp ground white pepper 1 tsp ground cumin 1tsp sugar 1tsp – 2 tsp chilli powder (depending on how spicy you like your curry) 3 tbsp coconut cream 2 tbsp lime juice Simply put all the ingredients in a blender and process well. If you find the mixture too thick add a little more coconut milk to help blend the ingredients. If you are using a pestle and mortal, then pound all the dry ingredients, the herbs and chillies, together first and then add the wet ingredients.

Green Curry Paste 1 stalk lemongrass, minced 1-3 green chillies, sliced

1 shallot, sliced, or 4 tbsp minced purple onion 4-5 cloves garlic 1 thumb-size piece of galangal or ginger, sliced 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves & stems 1/2 cup fresh basil 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground white pepper (available in most supermarket spice aisles) 1/2 tsp ground coriander 3 tbsp fish sauce (for vegetarian dishes, substitute 1 tbsp soy sauce) 1 tsp shrimp paste (for vegetarian dishes, substitute 1/2 tsp salt) 2 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp brown sugar 3-4 tbsp coconut milk (enough to blend ingredients together) The key ingredients in the majority of Thai curry pastes are mostly wet and fragrant: fresh chillies, lemon grass, galangal, garlic, shallot, kaffir lime, coriander root, and shrimp paste (kapee). These herbs and spices are appreciated not only for their taste, but also for their medicinal qualities (yah samun phrai) by Thai people all over the nation.

Curry paste not only forms the basis of curry dishes in Thailand but also can be used in several other dishes, such as stir-fries. In fact the pastes underpin much of Thai cuisine. Not

surprising then that they're so popular in supermarkets across the country.

But if the pastes are a staple, then there are a huge number of variations in them. By changing the few herbs and spices making up the curry paste, the palette of flavours of the various pastes becomes amazingly broad. As cooking instructor and cookbook author Kasma Loha-unchit notes, “After you have tried out recipes for several different kinds of curry pastes you will notice that many of the same ingredients are used over and over again, yet the resulting pastes are far from similar. Varying the proportions of ingredients, prepping them differently (e.g. roasting or not roasting spices, shrimp paste, garlic, etc., beforehand), leaving out an ingredient, adding a new one or introducing a new twist somewhere in the process will produce entirely different curries. In fact, the list of ingredients often gives no real indication of how the resulting paste will actually taste. People like to have a go at making their own variations and chance plays a large part in how successful they are.”

And it’s not just the taste that varies, but also the texture of the different Thai curry pastes: “Some kreung gaeng (curry pastes) run to the consistency of fresh clay, while others are as soft as cornmeal dough,” notes Joe Cummings in

‘Lonely Planet World Food Thailand’. With so much variety it's no wonder that Thais never seem to tire of curry.

The pastes are surely also popular because they're so easy to transport; once they've been made they can simply be scooped into plastic bags and sealed. As we’ve said already, they keep for a long time, but just as handy, a small sachet can be slipped into a pocket and taken to the next village, town or even further away – abroad. Curry paste can also be a souvenir.

When office worker Juree Jullkaew leaves her home in Nakorn Sri Thammarat to come back to her job here on Samui, her mother always gives her some home-made curry paste to take with her. It’s the ideal gift as it’s unique; no-one will make it quite like mum does – literally.

It can take years to perfect a recipe for a curry paste, but you can be sure that once you've done so, your cooking will be much appreciated by friends, family and just about everyone. The love of curry fuels the nation, bonds everyone together and makes for versatile and tasty dishes.

Natalie Hughes

Daily Theme Nights From 7pm.

Monday Classical Thai Night Buffet - THB 590 Tuesday Catch of the Day - from THB 250 Wednesday Italian Night Buffet - THB 490 Thursday Steak Supreme - from THB 300 Friday Beach BBQ Buffet featuring live music and a fire juggling show - THB 690 Saturday Surf & Turf - THB 790 Sunday Roast Chicken Sunday - THB 390 Daily Happy Hours at Beach Bar Buy 1 get 1 free beers and cocktails from 12pm - 2pm l 5pm - 7pm l 9pm - Midnight Sentinel Band Enjoy music from the Sentinel Band - Monday to Saturday from 7pm – 10pm Dining on the Beach Moonlight beach dining with your own private chef, from THB 1,500 per person

Chaweng Noi Beach For reservations please call: +66 77 448 994 www.impiana.com.my/hotel/impiana-resort-chaweng-noi-koh-samui/

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Island Irish

Mulligans Irish Pub stands out for great food, convivial evenings and sheer friendliness.

The Irish were never colonists, and weren’t into annexing other countries, and yet you can find their culture pretty much everywhere you go.

The Irish, over the centuries, migrated to many different places in the world, and have left their mark in lots of ways, particularly their pubs and bars, which in turn have been enthusiastically copied. There can be few countries today that don’t boast a few Irish watering holes. On Samui you can now find quite a few established Irish pubs, and all attract lots of visitors out for a laid-back time.

Mulligans is one of the newer additions to the Irish scene here on the island. You'll find it in Lamai, where it forms part of Manathai Koh Samui, a unique resort with louvered shutters that looks like it might have been modelled on Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Both the resort and the pub are easy to find: as you drive along the ring-road from Chaweng to Lamai, you'll see Manathai on your right about a half kilometre after the IT Building, and just after the turning for Tamarind Springs. If you're coming by car, there's plenty of parking space in the courtyard at Manathai, right in front of Mulligans itself.

From the outside Mulligans looks pretty much like many an Irish pub, with its deep green frontage, large front windows and beer barrels standing just outside. And once inside, you'll quickly see that the vibe is, indeed, very Irish; you might well have stepped into an Irish pub in, say, Dublin. And it’s just the right size for a convivial evening; neither too cavernous nor overly small. It’s a very friendly kind of place, and you'll soon feel totally relaxed here.

The food though is something unique and special. Mulligans takes food very seriously, and the menu has been put together by a professional chef, highly skilled at making western foods. But here’s the difference. The food at Mulligans isn’t on the whole typically Irish fare, as it tends to be more suited to much cooler climates. Instead, you'll find the menu is singularly different. It’s much more international, and focuses on being healthy as well as tasty.

You'll find, for example, dishes such as ratatouille on the menu. As you might guess, there are hundreds of different ways of making ratatouille, and if you're driving through the south of France and tasting them, you'll realize that no two are the same. Mulligan’s version certainly has a definite Mediterranean feel to it, but comes in the form of a small round stack.

But it’s unique. You'll see all the different vegetables in layers: courgettes, okra and aubergine, all generously coated with a herb tomato sauce. It tastes delicious and is both vegetarian and gluten-free. All the tastes are admirably presented, and even if you're not a big fan of vegetables, you'll be seduced by this dish.

Then there’s the summery Sunday Roast. And at Mulligan’s, where this dish is concerned, every day is a Sunday; you can eat it any day or time of the week. It’s a cross between delicate and hearty, and consists of chicken breast stuffed with mozzarella cheese and pesto. When you taste it, you'll find all the flavours are perfectly balanced. With this dish you'll find an accompaniment of red wine jus – it tastes like a richer version of very good gravy. You won’t find anything remotely like this at most Irish pubs.

One dish on the menu turns out to be purely Irish, after all: Steak and Guinness Pie. If you've

been living in Thailand for some time, just seeing a traditional pie like this can be a nostalgic moment. It’s also made with traditional ingredients so that the pie seems to have come fresh from an oven somewhere in Ireland. The steak is succulent and it’s hard to put your fork down. As with all the dishes here, the pie is generously-sized and is ideal for sharing. It comes with some delightfully creamy mashed potatoes.

If you're more in search of a snack, try what Mulligans calls their ‘Small Plates’ – they're not so much starters as literally small plates of delicious food. But again the portions turn out to be bigger than you might expect. Try, for example, the pizza bread and you'll find plenty of lavish pizza strips smothered in mozzarella.

You'll also find a nice range of desserts.

Mulligans offers a ‘cake of the week’, a fresh fruit platter, a bread-and-butter pudding as well as a scrumptious apple tart with ice-cream.

If you're in the mood for Thai food, you've still come to the right place. You’ll find a page in the menu which features some of Thailand’s best-loved dishes. You can find, for example, pad Thai, papaya salad, fried rice or a spicy tom yam goong. The food’s delicious and it comes from just across the courtyard, from the Thai restaurant there, also part of Manathai, called appropriately, Pad Thai. The Thai food is therefore as professionally made as the other dishes, and flavours are entirely authentic, with everything being made from scratch.

For drinks there's a range of draught beers that includes Guinness, Hoegaarden and local brews Singha and Chang. You can also find bottled Singha and Chang, along with Tiger, San Miguel Light and Heineken. There’s also cider and house wine (red or white). Cocktails are worth noting, too. Enjoy Mulligan’s own take on popular Mai Tai or savour mojitos, pina coladas and frozen daiquiris – seven cocktails await you in all. Or so it seems, but what’s on the menu is just the tip of a massive cocktail iceberg. The bar staff know how to make an astonishing 200 different cocktails, so if you'd like something that's not listed, they'll be happy to make it for you. What could be better?

Major sports events are screened inside the pub and these might include premier league football or Formula One racing. Conflicting games present no problem – both can be screened on separate monitors. At the same time, Mulligans brings out its board games and you can try your hand at Scrabble, Chess or Connect Four, just to mention a few choices. Naturally you'll also find darts and a pool table.

And then there’s Happy Hour, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm daily. You can buy two cocktails for the price of one, or enjoy spirit mixers at 119 baht or bottles of Tiger for 89 baht.

Mulligans is open daily from 4:00 pm until midnight with last food orders at 10:30 pm.

Aficionados of great pub grub are heading here for seriously good eats, and then there’s the Irish side of the equation – drinks and good atmosphere that keep everyone charmed and wanting to come back for more.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7745 8560-4. www.manathai.com

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The Ultimate in Service A chef who once served royalty, now offers the very best of French-Mediterranean and Thai cuisine at Hansar Samui’s H Bistro.

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What’s in a word? ‘Bistro’ turns out to be Russian for ‘quickly’ and is thought to have evolved from impatient diners in Moscow who urged the waiting staff to be quick with the food. Eateries where the food reached the table in the minimum of time became popular, and they were called by that single, catchy word, bistro.

However, not all bistros are created equal, and the one that you'll find at Hansar Samui, a luxury resort in Fisherman’s Village, Bophut, is surprisingly chic. It’s called H Bistro, but behind the disarmingly simple name, you'll find one of the island’s most sophisticated restaurants.

For a start, the chef here, Stephen Jean Dion, used to be the private chef to the King and Queen of Jordan. Obviously, he’s used to working at the very pinnacle of dining, and as his guest at H Bistro, you'll enjoy some of the most sumptuous tastes to be had anywhere.

Then there’s the setting. The restaurant has a panoramic view of the bay of Maenam. Right in front of you, just across the water, you can see the entire southern coast of neighbouring Koh Pha-Ngan. From your seat you'll be able to watch the sun set and the evening stars coming out all along the bay.

H Bistro is easy to find, by the way. In Fisherman’s Village, simply head along the

beach road westwards and you'll soon come to it. If you're approaching from the ring-road, take the small turning just next to the Anantara Bophut Resort, some 600 metres after the traffic lights at Bophut as you head towards Nathon.

Follow the road till you get to the resort. You'll need to make a reservation, especially if you'd like one of the tables closest to the beach, as these are limited.

Architecturally, H Bistro is very easy on the eye.

For a start it’s both spacious and cosy. Tables are well-spaced, and the décor is pleasantly uncluttered, giving you a sense of almost instant repose. Choose between upstairs or downstairs and then opt for seating either on the large-sized terrace or inside the main dining room. The atmosphere is friendly and laid-back, and the staff are attentive and well-trained; they'll do everything they can to make your time here extremely pleasant; nothing seems too much trouble to them. They're also able to answer any questions you may have about the menu. And if you're hankering after something that’s not on the menu, have a word with them; Stephen will do his utmost to provide it for you.

Stephen has been with Hansar and Bistro H since the day it opened (it’s now in its seventh year) and he's kept up an astonishingly creative pace, enabling the restaurant to remain firmly on

the map as a great place for lunch or dinner. He offers two types of cuisine – both are equally authentic and remain close to their roots French Mediterranean cuisine, and just as mouth-watering, a Thai menu. Highly recommended are the Maine lobsters and oysters flown in from Canada, Japan, and France.

The international dishes are extremely varied, and it’s difficult to single out one or two that might serve as examples. But just to give you an idea of the delicious complexity of tastes you can expect, you can feast on dishes such as Slow-Cooked Iberico Pork Loin, along with Parma ham shavings (cured for two years!), young spinach, forest mushrooms, Amie Chambertin cheese and Kampot sage pepper jus.

Or how about Pan-Roasted Lamb Rump – a satisfyingly delicate dish, which is accompanied by salardaise potatoes, pickled cucumber ribbons, baby beetroots, cardamom jus and mélange du trappeur. This last ingredient you may not be familiar with unless, like Stephen, you hail from Canada. A trapper once accidentally mixed some salt into his sugar pot and ‘trapper’s mix’ was born; it’s now morphed into a Québecois combination of spice, sugar and salt that’s ideal for dishes like this.

There's a select list of equally varied starters you can have, while for desserts you can enjoy

delights such as the Vanilla Layered Panna Cotta or the Pistachio Crème Brulée. Equally impressive is the list of wines from both the new and old worlds.

For couples seeking to share some unforgettable moments, there’s a wonderfully romantic option available, simply called ‘Dining Under The Stars’.

You'll be seated at a specially decorated table and can enjoy a sumptuous meal in flame-lit atmosphere. Throughout, your personal butler will ensure that everything runs smoothly and that your experience is a truly memorable one.

In order to reserve your table, you'll need to phone ahead to avoid disappointment, as seating is limited. You'll also find that during this exceptional dinner, Chef Stephen includes complimentary surprises of amuse-bouche and pallet cleansers. You can also choose to have the courses paired with wines.

Aficionados of Thai food particularly enjoy H Bistro’s ‘Thai Discovery Dinner Menu’. It encompasses traditional dishes but with some interesting variations. For example, the wing bean salad is accompanied here by Hokkaido scallops from Japan (they add a very distinct sweetness) and with chicken from Bresse, in France. It’s an ideal way to begin a dinner. Next comes tom yum goong, along with limes from a Royal project in the north of Thailand. Mains

follow with a choice between crispy snow fish tossed in garlic, red chilli, Thai sweet basil and chilli sauce and a massaman curry, with 24-hour slow-cooked short ribs, braised baby onions, potatoes and cashews.

H Bistro also offers the highly-tasty Elefin coffee as a special treat to linger over after a lunch or dinner. The coffee comes directly from hill tribe plantations in the north of Thailand, and is of superior quality. The company, incidentally, works very directly with the coffee farmers themselves and knows them on an individual basis. This is coffee that comes from farm to cup with the greatest of dedication and sustainability.

The roasting methods used are very old-style and preserve all the tastes.

At H Bistro, you'll be able to see exactly what heights not just one, but two very different cuisines can reach. Hansar’s team of maestros will delight you with the dishes they produce.

And with the wonderfully romantic setting, you're sure to savour your time at H Bistro all the more.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7724 5511. www.samuihansar.com

www.siamwininganddining.com 11

Seafood Surprise Not all seafood is equal, as you’ll find out!

Ahhhh! You’ve planned for almost a year. You’ve gritted your teeth and suffered 30 hours of long-haul cramps. You’ve been happy to pay the taxi man on Samui anything he asks to get to your resort. You’ve signed-in and crashed-out by the pool. But now, at last, you’re here and you’re chilling! It’s holiday time on the isle of Samui.

And that means food; lots of it. Cocktails, too.

And, naturally, being an island, you just can’t wait to get stuck into all that luscious seafood. And so off you go, out at night, exploring, with crustaceans in mind.

For those who are new, there are three stages to this. The first is that you wander around the nearest town centre. Every one place out of four is an eatery, so you go for the prettiest. Or, if you are hyped-up on seafood, you’ll head to the one with its frontage filled with ice-boats and every kind of sea-stuff known to man. This first stage goes several ways – none good! The best case is that you eat lots of seafood and are impressed by the price, but not by the food. The worst case is that you spend the next three days in your room not straying far from the part with white tiles.

This is when you move to stage two. You realise that all the fish, prawns and lobsters so alluringly

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bedded in the ice outside have their whole top layer half-out of the ice. Not only that, the ice is a kind of grey colour because of the dust thrown up from the road. And in your three-day meditation, it also occurs to you that, at the end of the night, whatever’s not been sold gets slung back in the freezer again until the next day. So, wiser, you move on.

This is when you start to read the free local publications from down in the lobby. You linger particularly over Samui Wining & Dining, suddenly realising that the best places are hidden away. And then you start to check them out. Plus the fact that you’ve also heard about all those wondrous Thai seafood ‘beach-aurants’ around the coast. And stage three? It’s when you come back the following year, sparkling with savvy, all lessons learned, hell-bent on getting the best.

At which point you’re still only part way there.

Because, for instance, have you thought about where all this seafood comes from? I’ve spoken to a lot of people about this, and their response was a shrug and “. . . the sea?” Well, yes, but what sea, where, and when? Firstly we’ve established that not all seafood you’ll encounter is fresh – meaning that it was frolicking about

enjoying itself in the ocean only this morning.

(And if you’ve got past stage two you’ll also know that every restaurant will use the word ‘fresh’, regardless. A couple of years ago, I had a waitress tell me that the juice was ‘fresh’ because it came out of a can she’d only just opened – she was completely serious, so be careful here!)

So here are a couple of ground rules. In smaller local restaurants, if you’re asked to order some items of seafood 24 hours in advance, that’s because they’ll go out to the local market in the morning and buy it especially for you. The same is true for the many and delightful small beach bars. (And if that’s the case, then the other items on their menu – fish, crab and so on – have been bought in small quantities in anticipation of the day’s demands. No recycling for tomorrow.) If the restaurant is a speciality seafood restaurant, such as the many that are dotted about in particular on Samui’s north coast, then their stuff never even gets to the market in the first place.

You can guarantee that they have fishermen in the family and are supplied directly from the boat.

So what are we talking about? Well the perennial snappers; red and white. The same with

barracuda. Shark I would avoid: they have been almost totally fished-out of the Gulf of Thailand, and anything offered will be little babies. Squid: the sea offshore is full of them and the lights you’ll see on the water at night are the local squid boats. Crab: yes and no depending on the time of the year. You’ll find blue crab is common but soft-shell has to come from the mainland. The big prawns (tigers) are the same, as is the rock lobster. But then, if it’s not in season, it won’t be on the menu. The basic baby prawns are similar; if they’re ‘fresh’ then they’ll probably have been sent across frozen from one of the many prawn farms on the mainland. This raises a whole new point.

If you freeze seafood it gets damaged. It loses both its flavour and its texture; prawns aren’t firm any more, they’re squishy and tasteless. And yet many of the 5-star gourmet restaurants on the island are offering the finest of Canadian lobsters, Fine de Claire oysters from France, scallops from Japan, or turbot brought in from France. How can they do this? Why would want to?

Well, take the Fine de Claire oysters. Unlike others, these are transported to knee-deep ponds to mature for a minimum of one month, during

which time they fatten and take on a sweeter, fruitier flavour from the water and phytoplankton in the ponds. They’re bigger, and more succulent than any other oyster. The same with the Japanese scallops – they’re carefully farmed until they are semi-mature, in much the same way as grain-fed beef are nurtured. Then they are moved back into the sea to mature.

And those restaurants that offer these delicacies are also committed enough to make sure they’re shipped to Samui without being frozen. The new methods use ‘super-chill’ technology, which allows a seven day transport time while still staying fresh. They’re transported internationally, carefully packed using high-pressure seawater cleansing and then canning salt so that no ammonia excretions contaminate the stock. Live lobsters have their metabolism reduced and are packed individually so they don’t get territorial and fight – albeit in slo-mo!

And so stage four has to be ‘gourmet delight’. But that’s for you to discover – as it’s all a part of Samui’s never-ending seafood surprise!

Rob De Wet

The Italian Connection Exquisite cliffside dining at Dr Frogs Bar & Grill.

Nestled high up on the cliffs of Chaweng Noi, the ever popular Dr Frogs Bar & Grill commands breath-taking views of the turquoise blue ocean below, and the whole stretch of Chaweng beach to the north. The restaurant itself consists of two covered, open sided balconies with wooden decking and fans throughout. The gorgeous view, complete with a welcome ocean breeze weaving its way through the tables, is available throughout the entire dining area. It really is an idyllic spot to sample some of their renowned, authentic Italian or Thai cuisine. And despite its name, Dr Frogs now has an even stronger Italian connection.

To complement the exceptionally experienced and talented Italian chef Massimo Mariani, Dr Frogs now has a new restaurant manager.

Simoné Marchiori is young, enthusiastic and energetic, with a passion for exceptional hospitality and customer service.

Simoné and Massimo actually hail from the same Italian city of Sarrono (best known for its almond liqueur DiSaronno Originale Amaretto and its Amaretti biscuits), near Milan. Simoné’s father and Massimo were best friends, so Simoné grew up with Massimo around. Now they are both in the same restaurant on Samui, and the partnership is working exceptionally well. They have found that they share not just the same language, but the same ideas and passions about food, menus and hospitality. The Dr Frogs dining experience and reputation is going from strength to strength.

The restaurant opens its doors every day at 7:00 am for gourmet breakfasts. There is a great choice on offer, from a healthy Dr Frogs signature breakfast; poached eggs with asparagus, olives, feta cheese, rocket, polenta and toast, to a hearty English breakfast; sausage, bacon, eggs any style you choose, grilled tomato, asparagus, baked beans, fried potatoes and mushrooms. Or you can make up one of your own - there is a huge variety of choice including; feta or cream cheese, smoked salmon and steamed spinach, as well as cereals, fruit salads, pancakes, teas and coffees.

Dr Frogs serves only Italian Vittoria coffee. The beans come from Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, but strict quality control guidelines ensure only the best of these beans continue on their journey and are roasted in Italy. So you are always served a superior and authentic espresso,

cappuccino, latte or whatever style of coffee you desire.

The new Healthy Drinks menu offers such delights as; Green Pina Colada smoothie and Fresh and Fruity Elixirs’ such as the Energy Booster, or Recovery Angel. Be sure to go along and check them out. Also on offer is a selection of Thai breakfast favourites. So set yourself up for a great day with a relaxing breakfast, paired with a perfectly tranquil ocean view. You may just find it’s too good to leave.

And if that is the case, no problem! Now that the Boujis Boutique Resort situated right next door, is owned by Dr Frogs, you can always move to the sun loungers around the pool and continue your quiet and serene holiday or dining experience there. The intrepid Italian duo has even rustled up a new innovative and fun Poolside Menu, just for this option. Highlights include; Gondalina Bellavista - basil leaves topped with peach slices wrapped in Parma ham. Ladybug Toasties - Italian toasted ciabatta topped with smoked salmon, cherry tomato, black olives and dill. Or Thai favourites such as Papaya Salad with Grilled Prawns (choose your personal level of spiciness!).

Moet and Chandon. Sparkling wines of course include Italian Prosecco. The bar is also extremely well stocked, and has a good selection of specialist whiskies and Grappa to choose from.

If you are unfamiliar with Grappa, you should know that it is made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems (collectively called the pomace) left over from winemaking after pressing the grapes. In Italy, grappa is primarily served as a ‘digestivo’ or after-dinner drink, its main purpose being to aid in the digestion of your meal. At Dr Frogs you can choose from 10 different types of Italian grappa. If you aren’t sure which to choose, Simoné or Massimo are on hand to give you help and advice. And don’t forget to check out the desserts. Try the Mango Crème Brûlée with its homemade wild berries compote, or maybe the Homemade Tiramisu.

A visit to Dr Frogs is highly recommended and guarantees a happy and memorable holiday experience; you’ll be sure to enjoy the fine cuisine here as much as the wonderful ambience. You can even catch live music on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings starting at 7.30 pm.

But of course, don’t forget the famous ‘all-day menu’. Master Italian chef Massimo, who began his career in Milan over 30 years ago, is passionate about preparing authentic and classic Italian food for lunch and dinner. Specialities of the house include Italian classics such as; risotto, homemade pasta, pizza and gnocchi, all made with top grade ingredients, many imported direct from Italy. Firm favourites at this idyllic island location are seafood and shellfish. Live Alaskan or Canadian lobsters, French oysters and New Zealand Mussels, along with prime Australian beef and New Zealand Lamb are imported and regularly flown in on special speedy consignments to maintain freshness and quality.

Daily ‘Specials’ often include seafood, either imported or direct from the local fisherman and are of course, dependent on what is available. At Dr Frogs all the stocks, sauces and soups are made on site, and only the freshest vegetables are used.

Dr Frogs Bar & Grill is located on the ring road between Chaweng and Lamai. From Chaweng you will find it perched on the hilltop after passing Impiana Resort, and just before the viewpoint. The big green signs are easy to spot.

They are open from 7:00 am until 11.30 pm, breakfast is served until 11:00 am and the kitchen closes at 10:30 pm. Come and try something from the new Poolside or Healthy Drinks menus, swim in the pool, linger for lunch, surprise yourself with a sunset cocktail, stay for dinner and sample great authentic home-made Italian cooking at its best. Dr Frogs can get busy, particularly in the evenings, so it’s a good idea to book ahead, reserve a table and ensure you check out the even stronger Italian connection!

Whatever cuisine you decide upon, there’s a great selection of New and Old World wines (94 in fact!) to complement each and every dining experience, and some of them are even organic.

Champagnes include Cristal, Dom Perignon and

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

Karan Ladd

Authentic Middle-Eastern chic in a tropical paradise. Enjoy a cocktail or a cup of freshly brewed Turkish coffee on our spacious beachfront terrace or treat yourself to our chef's culinary delights while being entertained by belly dancing shows.

Reservation: 0 7743 0105 Open: 6.00 pm - 11.00 pm Beachfront at The Wharf, Fisherman's Village www.siamwininganddining.com

13

Going Native

Joining the locals at Imchalerm Restaurant.

The parcel is the size of a massive brick but seems to weigh no more than a proverbial feather. It’s wrapped in brown paper that has neither stamp nor address on it, just some Chinese characters on one side, and a supplier’s name translated into English. It looks mysterious. A corner has been broken open; a glimpse inside reveals a myriad of tiny white and yellow petals, perfectly dried and preserved. They look vaguely familiar yet hard to place.

That’s because many of the dishes call for being shared. These ones are presented in a steam-boat, kept warm by a flame underneath, with beef and pork in a moat of broth. Everyone helps themselves and it’s definitely not a meal to be rushed. Same as the cooking, really – it’s a slow, slow job to get the meat to the stage where it’s falling off the bone. “The beef I use is gently cooked for up to five hours,” says Khun Pongsak. “The pork’s a lot easier – it takes no more than an hour and a half.”

“Dried chrysanthemums,” says the owner of the restaurant. “Shipped straight from China and imported via Bangkok. Like some?” The petals are turned into an appealing cold juice that’s surprisingly refreshing. Just how Khun Pongsak Rojanapenkul, the owner of Imchalerm Restaurant, makes it is just one of the skills that he’s gathered over the years.

If inordinate patience is called for, then the results are surely worth it: this is meat that’s utterly tender. Plates of food arrive within minutes of ordering. There are chunks of meat in tempting broth and hot pot delicacies. It’s all as plentiful as it is mouth-watering. No fiery spices are called for in this type of cuisine, but there are plenty of Chinese herbs and spices used that are mild yet flavoursome. For those craving heat, powdered chilli awaits as a condiment, but this is food that’s traditionally savoured mild.

Once he had a completely different life. He used to be in shipping, and controlled a large warehouse with over 200 staff working for him, as well as a hundred trucks. “It was a 24 hour job,” he says. “Stuff would be happening all the time. Every day, some new problem would come up. It was a headache.” He dismisses the memory with a smile. “I got away from all of that. I came here, to Samui. I liked the island and began looking for a business that I could start, and eventually found it.”

It was his passion for cooking that ultimately paved the way to a new life; for some 30 years his hobby had been perfecting the art of cooking, especially the Thai-Chinese dishes that his mother used to make. “My mother’s from Thailand – she’s now 97 years old – and my father from mainland China, just opposite Taiwan. I learned quite a few dishes from my mother. She knew how to make things very tasty. And I practiced myself and gave my friends all sorts of dishes to try. They told me – but this was only after many, many years of trial and error – that I was now ready to go ahead and cook for a living.”

On Samui he started a restaurant, simply called Imchalerm. It’s been around for six years now, specializing in pork and beef dishes, but though remarkably easy to find, it’s equally easy to pass it by. As you head towards Big C on the ring-road, in the direction of Chaweng, it’s on the corner of the lane that leads up the hill to Island Safari. It’s almost opposite Take a Bread bakery, and is about 300 metres away from Big C itself. You'll recognise it as it’s the only restaurant in this area. The sign’s only in Thai, though underneath you can read the words ‘Hot Pot Beef Soup Noodles’ in English. Imchalerm is open every day, apart from Wednesdays, from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm.

Life is much less stressful for Khun Pongsak these days. He and his three staff serve up a select menu of Thai-Chinese dishes to a clientele of mostly Thai diners, but also a handful of western, Malaysian and Chinese guests. People driving on the ring-road make a point of stopping; the restaurant’s very relaxed and it’s easy to linger here, especially if with family and friends.

14 www.siamwininganddining.com

Khun Pongsak says that many of the ingredients, including the meat, are flown down from Bangkok. That’s because the markets he goes to there specialize in foods that lend themselves to Thai-Chinese cuisine. It pays off in dishes that simply taste far better than usual.

There are surprisingly few restaurants of this kind on the island. Perhaps it’s because Samui is simply too far away from Thailand’s epicentre of Thai-Chinese culture, Bangkok’s massive Chinatown. But whatever the reason, Imchalerm is one place that's guaranteed to be authentic to its roots; Khun Pongsak could have used all sorts of substitutes and thus avoided the lengthy supply route down from the capital, but then of course he’d have lost out on the taste of the food.

He also makes some very tasty starters of prawn and crabmeat, which are wrapped inside tofu before being cooked. They're served warm with a sweet dipping sauce and are an ideal way to start a meal here. Then there's an exquisite pork-and-broth combination that’s served in a lidded pot. Incidentally, this being a Thai-Chinese restaurant, most people eat with chopsticks. They first choose between rice and noodles to go with their dishes. Drinks that accompany meals also veer towards Thai-Chinese tastes, with roselle juice, longan juice and flower tea being served. All of these add a certain delicacy to lunch here.

Khun Pongsak himself is usually on hand at Imchalerm and you'll see him out at the front of the restaurant. He’s a welcoming and friendly figure, always attentive to his guests.

Incidentally, he speaks good English, so it’s no problem to communicate exactly what you want. If you are a fan of Thai-Chinese dishes, then Imchalerm is one of the spots that you'll want to head to; it serves exceptionally good food at very reasonable prices.

Dimitri Waring

Experience the very best in authentic Thai cuisine at Chef Chom’s Thai Restaurant at The Tongsai Bay Chef Chom's serves truly authentic Thai cuisine with an emphasis on local southern Thai cuisine. Wherever possible, ingredients are sourced locally and dishes are prepared from scratch.

This real Thai taste is the pride of the kitchen, and dishes are not 'watered down', the taste of Chef Chom's food is just the way Thais would have it.

Chef Chom’s is open daily for dinner from 7pm to 10pm. Tel: +66 (0) 77 245-480 www.tongsaibay.co.th

www.siamwininganddining.com

15

More Than Just a Picture Why do people post more food pictures on social media when on holiday?

Picture this scene; you have arrived at your gorgeous Samui holiday destination, unpacked, had a leisurely swim in the glistening turquoise sea or the relaxing hotel pool, maybe enjoyed a massage or a pre-dinner cocktail and you are headed for a local restaurant. The waiter or waitress has helped you and your partner, family or friends select from their varied menu offering local Thai and/or western delights, and now you're sitting at a table waiting to be served.

One by one each dish is placed on your table. It all looks stunningly inviting and smells great.

You mentally select the dish that looks the most appealing to you and as you reach out to it, someone yells “WAIT!” They then proceed to take a picture of each dish, getting the angle and lighting just right, taking various different shots. And you have to sit back and wait until they get the perfect shot, smiling as if they are on the cusp of greatness, doing some sort of worldly service for the good of all human beings. Then they ask the waiter to take a shot of all of you together, and wait, it now needs to be posted on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. After all this, you finally get to try some of the delicious looking food that on your table. Ah, but now it’s not quite as hot, fresh and tasty as it would have been! And some people have even been known to then complain that the food is cold!

This ‘happy food snapping’ epidemic seems to be spreading, happening more and more often, but particularly when people are on holiday.

There used to be a time at the dinner table when a family could not proceed to eat until grace was said. Now, posting pictures on the internet has become a standard pre-meal ritual. Time is spent choosing between different filters and lenses, rather than socialising and enjoying your food at its best. Yes, I am sure we have all experienced or witnessed this scenario at some point.

So why do some people find it necessary to constantly post pictures of their food? Have our cultures become that food obsessed? Do we really love our food so much that we need to digitally share it with everyone we know? It turns out that people post pictures of food for many different reasons. Here are just a few of the psychological motivations behind sharing what you eat with the world.

1. Sharing good food advice. Way back in the pre-social media days, when you ate a good meal, you might describe it to your friends over the phone or in person; "You wouldn't believe the steak I had last night at …" They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so posting a photo of your dinner and the location may be a quick and easy way to share the fine details of an incredible meal or a memorable dining experience.

2. Look how healthy I am. Have you ever ordered a salad or a plate of fresh steamed fish and veggies for your main meal? You may be posting food to show people that you are eating mindfully and consuming healthy meals.

your grilling, frying, baking and presentation skills. If you are throwing a dinner party, it could also be a way of sharing photos with those that attended or impressing those who couldn’t come with how much of a good time was had!

aware of their unhealthy fixation on food. For those that have a predisposition to weight issues, it can go that one step further and they can become susceptible to develop unhealthy weight disorders and problems.

3. Oops, look how unhealthy I am. Confession time. Posting a big greasy burger with chips, or a slice of gooey chocolate cake may be a way of alleviating guilt or it may invite internal criticism that you might be struggling with. "How could I have eaten that?" you might ask yourself. Posting the unhealthy treat allows friends to either alleviate your guilt with reassurance, or they may add to your regret by pointing out the calorie content and your "lack of willpower" for digging into the fat, salt and sugariness of it all.

6. Cravings. Snapping a photo of a luscious looking iced cupcake in a bakery window or a slice of creamy dreamy cheesecake on a dessert tray? Food photos often reveal what you'd love to consume and the nature of your culinary desires.

So why are more food pictures posted on holiday? Well new and exotic venues often offer dishes that you have never come across before.

Hotels often have excellent chefs who love to demonstrate their culinary expertise and passion with innovative combinations and exquisite presentations. And food markets may offer local delicacies that are quite different to what you may be used to. In addition, food is often consumed at social gatherings, so it's no surprise that food photos have their fair share of time on social media. But often the focus is on taking pictures of what you are eating and not who you are with!

4. Can you believe I ate this? Have you ever posted weird or exotic combinations of food?

Perhaps you ate deep fried locusts, snake or chocolate covered grasshoppers whilst here in Thailand. There is nothing quite like documented, visual proof that you have taken a leap into unknown food territory.

Psychologically this could be to impress others with your daringness, or an opportunity to freak people out.

5. Magical cooking skills. Perhaps you've posted a picture of a masterpiece you've whipped up in the kitchen. It's a great forum for showing off

7. Know Me. "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are" the French philosopher, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote. Wanting people to truly know you, may be your motivation for keeping a daily food journal on your Facebook page or uploading the occasional photo of your meals. Documenting what you eat tells your friends a lot about who you are, your habits, personality, preferences and culinary weaknesses. If this sounds like you, it's likely that you've already become a fan of sharing food photos.

8. Help Me. Posting a lot of food images may indicate a problematic relationship with eating.

The photos might be inviting others to intervene or to help keep you accountable. People who routinely upload pictures may do so unconsciously and therefore may not even be

So before you upload your next photo of a huge slice of fully loaded hot cheesy pizza, delicately sculpted fresh fruit salad or chickens’ feet Thai curry on your Facebook page, stop and consider why, and what this might be telling your Facebook friends about you!

Karan Ladd

Sabeinglae Restaurant

Traditional fresh seafood and cuisine in an authentic southern Thai style.

An experience to truly complete your holiday.

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.

Fine Beachside Dining with Spectacular Sunsets

16 www.siamwininganddining.com

THE SIAM RESIDENCE B o u t i q u e

Seatran Ferry

Big Buddha Market

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

Airport

Hin Ta Hin Yai, Samui Ring Road Tel. 077 233 082-3 The Wharf Samui, Fishermans’s Village Tel. 077 430 094-5 Wimaan Buri Resort, Chaweng Ring Road Tel. 077 962 333

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

North East Tip The Tongsai Bay resort is a part of Samui’s history – but the only thing that’s old-fashioned about it is the food!

Everyone has heard the tales about the way Samui emerged. The influx of hippies in the 70s.

The little wooden beach huts. Then the airport.

More visitors, more investment and finally the influx of 5-star resorts. Of course today it’s all settled down a bit, and new players talk loudly about preservation, conservation and the new ‘green Samui’. But for some this is no new thing at all. In fact there’s one resort here that will see its 30th birthday next year, and was the island’s first 5-star resort. It was decades ahead of its time, with all today’s conservation principles inherent in its conception. It’s up at the tip of Samui’s north-east coast. And its name is The Tongsai Bay. Even the tale of how it came into being is bedded into Samui folklore. Back in the 1980s, the late Akorn Hoontrakul was the chairman of Thailand’s Imperial Hotel Group. His work took him all over the world, although his self-confessed favourite country was Italy, which he returned to as often as he could. In 1985, he visited Samui and happened to catch sight of Tongsai Bay from the sea. He instantly fell in love with it, and seven days later bought the land. He set up camp on the beach, and spent months walking the hillside, thinking, sketching, and planning the layout and location of the buildings – because he was determined to preserve its natural beauty, and achieve his

dream-resort without cutting a single tree or destroying any of the location’s massive rocks.

It was completed in 1987, sitting on over 102,000 square metres (25 acres) of virgin land, with 83 luxurious suites, villas and cottages knitted into the wooded slopes, together with a small ‘farm’ and nursery, although you’ll be hard-pressed to see more than a fraction of this at a time (unless you drop in via Google Earth!). And just to prove the point, Khun Akorn built a private holiday home for his family, hidden away in a corner of the grounds. It’s still there and still used today.

Although conservation was the imperative during the construction of the resort, something else happened as the years passed, completely by accident. The location is remote. And, as the island lost increasingly more land to development, so displaced wildlife migrated to safety at The Tongsai Bay, creating a natural haven where species of insects, birds and animals, now rare elsewhere, still thrive.

If you have any experience of the architectural styling of Thai hotels and resorts, then The Tongsai Bay will come as something of a pleasant shock. I’ve heard it said that this resort was the blending together of Khun Akorn’s two passions – that of Italian architecture and design combined with the most idyllic landscape that

Thailand has to offer. Coming in to reception you’re faced with a U-shaped colonnade that has a descending tiered piazza in the middle. Walls are whitewashed stucco. Even the roofs are topped with chunky terracotta tiles. But the Mediterranean styling is also effortlessly moderated throughout, with traditional and modern Thai artwork and crafts, making the sum-total one of the most refined and subtle blends of culture you’re ever likely to come across.

Needless to say with a resort of this quality, everything has been continually updated and renovated, and there’s nothing in any way passé or outmoded about any of it. There are two superlative restaurants; one in particular, Chef Chom’s Thai Restaurant, was set-up and established by one of the ex-Royal Palace chefs, who had been specifically headhunted by Khun Akorn, and many of her noteworthy original recipes are still in place today. This is an effortlessly laid-back eatery with a super seascape and a delightful time-warp atmosphere that evokes the feel of a languid Colonial era.

However, today there’s an even-more compelling reason to visit – some really ‘old fashioned’ food!

“There are two ways to view ‘authentic’ Thai food,” said Leisa Kenny, the resort’s General Manager. “One is to regard the food of the

masses, the street food, as ‘authentic’. But that’s much the same as saying that fast food is authentic American cuisine. Years ago Thai food had substance. Even in the little restaurants it was rich and creamy; cooks made their own sauces and dips and ground their own curry pastes by hand each day, simply because there was nowhere you could buy it over the counter ready-made.”

“It’s a whole different taste”, Leisa continued.

“And for the last three years we’ve been collecting old recipes, dishes that aren’t so common today – probably because they take time and effort to prepare. Also because they use ingredients that are now hard to find; herbs, spices, roots and leaves. Some of these we have to bring-in from far-flung parts of the Kingdom, others are easier to find. We’re even trying to cultivate some of them in our nursery, where we organically produce nearly all of our herbs, spices and vegetables. But the bottom line really is that our chefs and staff have assembled some ‘old-fashioned’ dishes that you just can’t find anywhere else.”

If you enjoy Thai food, then the cuisine here comes as a shock to the palette. But it’s no more spicy than usual. The difference comes in what they now call ‘mouth feel’, though I still prefer the old-fashioned notion of ‘texture’. Hot and

Sour Yellow Curry Soup with Silver Prawns, Tamarind Juice and Young Green Papaya. Baby Pork Ribs in Spicy Curry Paste with Kaffir Lime Leaf and Shrimp Paste. Plus a whole lot more.

You’ll see nothing like this in your local Thai eatery back home. There’s even a page of ‘sum rub’; what other places call ‘sets’ – a selection of Thai dishes for two people together. Choose from four substantial sections including ‘Traditional’, ‘e-sarn’ (Issan) and ‘Southern Thai’.

So here’s a tip: go for dinner between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm and catch the Happy Hour and the sunset down on the beach. Wander blissfully up to Chef Chom’s and spend a while deciding.

Then eat and experience something unforgettable. This is the Thai version of slow food. It’s a tip from Samui Wining & Dining and it’s the north-east tip of Samui, just 10 minutes from Chaweng. How many more tips do you need?

Rob De Wet For reservations and further information, telephone 0 7725 5480. www.tongsaibay.co.th

Beachside Dining at its Best

餐厅-歡迎中國貴賓

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

The Wine Page Have red wine and cheese stopped going steady?

The old rule of drinking red wine with cheese is as revered as the one dictating wearing black leather shoes with a dark business suit. But in a country where chilled white wine seems so appealing, and business suits are incongruous, both those rules demand to be broken, and not just as a sign of surrender to the hot weather.

The notion of red wine with cheese could be a vestige of the good old sexist, Victorian days. In 19th century England, the consumption of red wine and cheese was not considered ladylike.

At the end of dinner, the women retired to the parlour so that the men could get on with serious drinking and poignant discussions, often consuming claret and port with Stilton, of course. Whilst in France, the habit evolved from a custom of saving the best (red) wines for the end of the meal. And the custom persists, for practical reasons. Usually, there is enough red wine left over from the main course, so people continue drinking it with the cheese. My problem with this is that although many strong cheeses would flatter a light, simple red wine, most people would not follow the big red wine of the main course with a simpler one.

Today, my personal preference is for white wines to accompany nearly all cheeses. White wine is livelier and has more acidity, which balances the fattiness of cheese. I started drinking white wine with cheeses because many of the times with red wine, it was a disappointment. Cheeses kill the nuances in a complex red wine. Most cheeses taste of salt and fat (as well as being delicious). Many are also creamy and pungent. These characteristics often deaden full-bodied, tannic red wines. But refreshing, fruity but dry whites can handle them. Some sweet white wines make for brilliant matches, like the classic combination of Sauternes and Roquefort.

The pleasantly acidic taste of a German Riesling offers a counterpoint to the tangy nuttiness of a Parmigiano-Reggiano. While the ‘grass’ or ‘mineral’ flavours of French Sauvignon Blanc, such as Pouilly-Fume or Sancerre from the Loire Valley, can also deliver beautiful flavours when matched with goat’s cheese. (But the bolder, more melon-like flavours of Sauvignon from South America or New Zealand tend to be too strong for most cheeses.)

Successful cheese and wine matching is all about balance. Try a sweet white wine with flavoursome hard cheeses, like Gruyere and Parmesan. And salty Spanish cheeses such as Manchego and Cabrales accompanied by an Oloroso Sherry are a match made in heaven, to my palate.

Like cheeses, wines range from delicate to bold flavours, and their depth and complexity can correlate with their age, too. Young wines are fresh and spirited, with lively aromas and bright

Manathai Koh Samui 18 www.siamwininganddining.com

Samui Ring Road

Lamai

Telephone 0 7745 8560-4

www.manathai.com

flavours of fruits, flowers, citrus, herbs, and spice. Wines that have spent time in cask or bottle have had a chance to knit together and acquire more nuance and body. In addition to their primary fruit flavours, they take on secondary notes of oak, toast, earth, oxidation and minerals. And these wines tend to be more complex and savoury than their younger counterparts. So young cheeses might partner best with wines that are juicy, fruity, fresh and spirited. Such as, sparkling wines, crisp whites, dry rosés. Older cheeses would need wines with more body and complexity. The very oldest cheeses, those that are the most savoury and rich and nutty, pair best with wines that have ample structure. Put simply, the secret of wine and cheese pairing would seem to be pairing by flavour intensity, and consider correlation with age.

Another factor worth remembering is that salt loves sweet. Sweet wines beautifully balance the saltiest cheeses, like blue cheese, aged Gouda, or feta. The salt in the cheese heightens the perception of sweetness in the wine. Rich, creamy cheeses blend seamlessly with buttery, oaky white wines, creating a truly harmonious palate sensation. But contrast can be welcome, too. The bubbles in sparkling wines pose a nice counterpoint to a rich cheese, washing your tongue clean and making you want another bite. That's why gooey ripe Camembert cheese and chilled Champagne are a classic combination. Also, cheese loves fruits and nuts.

There's a reason we adorn cheese plates with fresh fruits, dried fruits, and nuts. The juicy, tangy fruits go well with young cheeses like Brie. Sweet dried fruits are wonderful with salty cheeses like Stilton. Buttery, bitter nuts are tasty with rich Cheddar. From fruity to sweet to nutty to tannic, these same pairing principles apply to wines, too. When in doubt, try to imagine what food would pair best with a cheese, and let that guide you toward a wine.

Recently, I’ve noticed that dining habits are truly changing. White wines are being served with foods traditionally associated with red wine, and the other way around. For example, many restaurants know Rieslings make a good match for game, such as venison and wild boar.

While red Pinot Noir from Burgundy or New Zealand undoubtedly complements grilled sea bass. Of course, not every wine or cheese aficionado will consent to the marriage of white wine and cheese. Though the notion of white wine with cheese may be gaining ground in enlightened circles, it‘s still not universal. And like many other perceived golden rules in the wine world, it is taking a long time to break down traditions, even if misguided and outdated.

Peter Jones

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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