June 2013

Romantic Dining

SAMUI

at Chaweng Beach

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1st _ 30th JUNE 2013

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Once again Samui Wining & Dining shares inside info on where to go for the island’s best dining experiences, from fancy beachside dining to small local restaurants.

So Songkran came and went in April, and we all got a good dousing of (sometimes icy!)

Speaking of beaches, Chaweng’s Buri Rasa resort water. With May not bringing any major offers beachside dining at its best. Staying in holidays, it’s a good time to just relax a little Chaweng, you can find out about the chefs that and make the most of Samui’s great dining head the kitchen at Poppies, one of the island’s options. From food-on-a-stick street food to oldest and most popular resorts. fancy fare, from local flavours to international cuisine, Samui will surely please the most If you’re curious about local cuisine, read on. In ardent food critic. this issue we give you the low down on Zalak – a local fruit sometimes known as snake fruit due to In this issue we look at Krua Bophut, popular the texture of its skin. You can find out about our

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‘catch of the day’, soft shell crab, and discover sticky rice and how it’s served and eaten.

Foodies will be inspired reading about the Samui South Africa. Ever wondered what a ‘braai’ is? for its picturesque setting and authentic Thai Culinary Circle, and golf enthusiasts will be Well read on and find out about this ‘rainbow food. For those that appreciate modern pleased to find out that the clubhouse at the nation’s’ cuisine, which incidentally includes the architecture, interiors and art, coupled with Santiburi Samui Country Club offers great food at meat of the world’s largest bird – which we’re great food and drinks, a trip to The Library’s reasonable prices and views to match the also running a story on!

Drink Gallery should be on your list of Samui’s spectacular course. must-do places.

Caffeine addicts will enjoy our stories on Now where has the year gone? It’s hard to believe Boncafe and The Coffee Club. For those that In the spirit of enjoying global cuisine, and to we are already halfway through 2013 - happy prefer their drink with a kick, read on further acknowledge Samui’s varied expat community, reading and happy eating. about Greek wine. each month we highlight the food from a Remember, life is too short to eat mediocre different nation. This month, the focus is on

food. Luckily, Samui’s great dining options are bountiful, and you can read about some of the best right here in Samui Wining and Dining.

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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. 2013

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of the Day

What’s the connection between a snake, a knight in shining armour and a crab? Well, actually, there are several. The first link is easy enough – yes, the last two are both in armour.

Shielded from the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune. And that, you may think, is that. Well, it isn’t. (Unfortunately the title of the story has given the game away already, or else I could have gone on for a bit longer.)The other thing that crabs and knights share is that they frequently have to shed their armour. But the way they each do it is very, very different.

Question: what species of crab is the soft-shell crab a member of? Is it related to the most-commonly-eaten crab of all, the blue shell crab? Or something softer and smaller perhaps? A mud crab, or a rice-field crab? And where are these crab softies found – these defenceless wimps of the crustacean playground, bullied by all and eaten by many?

Unless you’re already grinning and mentally telling me to go take a hike, then you’re

Eat it all – get stuck into one of Thailand’s delicacies, the soft-shell crab.

actually in exactly the same boat as I was a little while ago. Those of you who are smiling about this already know that soft-shell crabs are . . . nothing at all like knights in shining armour!

Soft-shell crabs are not a separate species. All crabs are soft-shell crabs – at least once a year throughout their life-cycle. Knights in armour stay the same size and use the same armour again and again. But crabs grow bigger. Well, to be precise, all crabs grow, but their horny carapace doesn’t. Their armour stays the same size. And then, when the conditions are right, these little fatties take a deep breath, puff themselves up, and burst out of their shells.

The thing is: we’re all so accustomed to seeing soft-shell crab on the menu and in the shops that many of us (myself included, until a little while ago) don’t actually know much about them.

Which is where the ‘snake’ connection comes in.

Snakes do this too; but everyone seems to know it. When it comes to crabs, everything become a bit more confused. Particularly when you take

into account that crabs from temperate and tropical climes react in different ways.

But this is the same with plants, too. In Europe there are seasons. The hours of daylight and the temperature dictate that, after the cold winter, the warmer spring causes new plants to germinate. They come to fruit in the autumn and die as winter comes around again. But that doesn’t happen over here. Not in the same way.

The life cycles of plants and animals are triggered by small shifts of temperature and by marginal changes in the flow of the tides; or by the amount of water or sunlight they receive. It’s a lot more subtle. And that’s why countries like America have a soft-shell crab ‘season’ and we don’t.

In countries with temperate climates there are only a couple of months where, in the cusp between spring and summer, the rising sea temperature triggers all the crabs to break out of their shells. And in these two months there are cargo planes loaded to the scuppers with tens of

tons of fresh, chilled, live soft-shell crabs, heading daily to every city throughout America.

But this is Thailand. We do things at our own pace, with a shrug and a smile. And one of the things we do (and people say it’s the best in the world) is to farm and harvest soft-shell crabs.

But we do it at any old time we feel like it!

The crabs that are farmed commercially in Thailand are sea crabs – those with a salt-water habitat. The most common of these is the blue crab. Fortunately this is one delicacy that’s bountiful – you’ll find them everywhere, just sitting around waiting to be plucked from the sea bottom. Farms like this follow a formula: a small strip of coast with a shallow depth of sea alongside: no more than a metre or so. And then a method of keeping all the crabs until their cycle changes due to a shift in the tide or a slight rise in temperature. You watch them closely until they shed their shells. Then you pick ’em and ship ’em!

Well, that’s simplifying things a bit. Thailand is

one of the world’s leaders in soft-shell crab production – although it took a bunch of foreigners to let them know this! The industry was founded by American ‘crabbers’ who stayed here after the Vietnam War and realised the country’s potential. It’s mainly centred around Rayong, on the Chon Buri coast between Bangkok and Pattaya. Here it’s all very streamlined, with the crabs warehoused in small boxes in floor-to-ceiling racks, and with employees to monitor their shedding (or not) every three to four hours. But down here, in the rustic and more laid-back south, we do things differently.

its shell, it’s removed and put into a tank of fresh water. Usually, in only a few days, the new hard shell starts to grow again. But in fresh water the crab goes into stasis and remains soft and alive for several weeks. And you’ll find farms such as this all the way down the coast from Chumpon to the Malaysian border.

Many of the best restaurants on Samui feature soft-shell crab on their menus. You won’t see any knights or snakes, but once you’ve tried it you won’t be looking for them anyway!

Rob De Wet

Every day the local fishermen bring the crabs in.

They also are able to rid themselves of their ‘tiddlers’ – the tiny fish in their catch that are too small to be of use. These are taken in as food for the crabs. And then, in just a few feet of water, hundreds of old, discarded water bottles are strung together as floats, in long lines, each with a tiny crab cage hanging beneath it.

Whenever one of the crabs is seen to have shed

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Tropical Pick June’s Fruit of the Month – The Zalak.

There’s a lot of fruit in Thailand – lots of different kinds, too. Weird ones, tiny ones, spiky ones – all sorts. It’s one of the fun things about being in Thailand. Particularly when you realise that for a couple of baht, you can buy, say, a dragon fruit that will cost you two or three Euros back home.

And all this fruit isn’t just refreshing and tasty to eat. You wouldn’t believe the things people do with it – particularly if you include the wood of the trees, the bark, sap, roots and leaves. For instance, did you know that cashew nuts are used in the making of Madeira wine? Or that the wood of the jackfruit tree is used to make the saffron-coloured dye that Buddhist monks use to colour their robes? And talking of dragon fruit, they contain lycopene – a natural anti-oxidant that combats cancer, allays heart disease and lowers blood pressure. But I digress.

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This month’s fruit wears a number of different hats. In Indonesia, it’s called salak, although the more proper spelling is zalac. In Thailand, the same word has slipped a little and become sala – although it’s more commonly known as ra gam (say it ‘ra-GAM’). More grandly, the scientific name is the rather wonderful salacca zalacca – and no, it’s not a Tunisian rap singer (repeat it to yourself a few times and you’ll see what I mean!).

This strange little fruit was originally found growing in Indonesia. And it was somewhere in the 16th century that it began its journey around the tropics, promoted by the many Portuguese traders of that period. It can be found in southern areas of India, the Philippines, down through Malaysia and Singapore, and with some varieties taking kindly to life in the warmer parts of Australia. In Thailand, it favours the wet, and flourishes in the rainy season.

The ra gam has been wittily described as the ‘fruit accessory most favoured by the fashion-conscious traveller’. If that seems a bit obscure to you, have a close look at it. It looks just like it’s covered in snakeskin – a deep red snakeskin, with the tips of the scales ending in harmless, tiny black points. And it’s therefore, quite obviously, just the thing to match your chic designer luggage – even the name, ‘salak’, means ‘snake’, in Indonesian. Well, it would be cute to have some to go with your luggage, except for one small thing. It doesn’t smell so wonderful.

Have you experienced durian? I mean, have you ever been within ten feet of a peeled one? If you have, you’ll know what I mean, as the stink is beyond description. Well – the ra gam is a kind of scaled-down, mini durian prototype. It has a positive odour, although nothing quite as frightening as that of the durian. And, in line with this, although it’s sweet, the durian’s so much

sweeter. Actually, the ra gam is not really that sweet – it’s an odd mixture of sweet and sour. It’s really quite pleasant. Mostly, it’s eaten at room temperature – usually straight from the shop or stall. But when kept in the fridge, the chilled ra gam is much more refreshing, particularly with a cup of coffee at breakfast time.

It’s a particularly easy fruit to eat. Simply pinch off the pointed end and peel back the skin to reveal the firm flesh. You’ll find there are two or three segments, and the largest of these will contain a big, shiny, black seed, which is inedible. Incidentally, you can always tell when you’re sitting where someone has recently eaten some ra gam. The table will be covered with what looks like black dandruff. As you handle and peel the fruit, those tiny black tips at the end of the scales flake off and drop to the nearest surface!

Actually, the salacca zalacca is a member of the palm family, but this particular branch doesn’t get to be too tall. And like all families, it has its brothers and sisters. Many of these have adapted to cooler climates, and are often grown as ornamental houseplants. So when you get home, take a good look around. You might be able to spot one in a neighbour’s house, or in a nursery or a hothouse somewhere. It should be easy enough to identify – just take a look underneath.

If the ground’s covered in black dandruff, you’re on the right track!

Rob De Wet

The

h c u o T l a n o s r Pe

Relaxed beachside dining at Buri Rasa’s The Beach Club.

When you think of beachside dining, what do you think of? A table for two set up on the sand while the ocean waves lap gently beside you?

Or do you think of a restaurant close to the beach where you can feel the gentle sea breeze but have your feet on solid ground? The Beach Club at Buri Rasa Samui can offer you both.

Buri Rasa has been here since 2005 and the onsite restaurant became ‘The Beach Club’ after first being the Italian themed ‘Green Olive’ and then ‘Betelnut’. The aim here is for a chilled, laid-back environment where you can sit and relax, while the cool sea breeze carries your stresses and strains away. The decor is simple, in neutral colours, and the water features that surround the restaurant help to create an atmosphere of tranquillity.

The Beach Club offers a breakfast buffet (from 7:00 am - 10:30 am), a lunch menu (from 10:30 am until 6:00 pm) and an a la carte dinner menu and barbecue (from 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm). You’ll never go hungry here!

The breakfast buffet has the usual cold food selection such as home-made yoghurts, cheeses,

meats, Bloody Marys, home-made breads and jams, to name just a few. It also offers a choice of hot options that are still part of the buffet, but are ‘cooked to order’ to ensure absolute freshness. A selection of coffees and even fresh honey on its natural honeycomb will complement your meal nicely. Some guests are known to spend as long as two hours savouring their breakfast while enjoying the gorgeous views. After your meal, you can take just a few steps and flop onto your sun lounger on the sand. This really is beachside dining.

‘Lunch’ is served throughout the day but the restaurant really comes into its own at dinner time. Once the tables are set up on the pool decking and on the beach, the atmosphere changes. Pretty white lights hang from the trees, and the whole beachside dining area takes on a somewhat magical atmosphere.

The most popular choice for dinner is the seafood barbecue, with the choices available changing almost daily, depending on what was swimming in the sea that morning. Now that’s absolute freshness.

The restaurant’s menu is predominantly European/Mediterranean, but a good selection of Thai dishes is also on offer. In order to keep customers happy, the emphasis is on value for money, and this is nicely illustrated by the ‘Happy Hour’ each night from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm - 11:00 pm, where you get a ‘buy one, get one free’ offer on every drink except champagne.

Occasionally in high season, the restaurant puts on some form of entertainment such as fire displays or even an Elvis tribute show. (Yes, Elvis is alive and well, and living on Samui!)

Even though they offer great value for money, this doesn’t detract from the service. In the restaurant, they’re able to recommend drinks or wines to accompany your dinner, or even organise a romantic evening meal with a personalised menu.

The personalised service is what makes this beachside dining experience a truly memorable one. General Manager, Bernd Schillig, takes great pride in telling us about the large number of repeat guests they have in both the resort and

the restaurant. The staff are all regularly trained, encouraged and supported to learn from other hotels and restaurants, and even have ‘Employee of the Month’ and ‘Employee of the Year’ awards. They’ve all learned to understand and recognise their customer’s needs. The main customer-facing staff are also given the authority to deal with any matters or complaints that arise immediately. No waiting to contact the manager or supervisor. The issue is addressed on the spot with your absolute satisfaction in mind. All customers are really looked after here and treated as if they were the only ones in the resort or restaurant. The staff here have all been with Buri Rasa for many years. They have a well-established team who are all well trained and well-motivated. It’s easy to see why so many people return.

Because of the restaurant’s location, there are sometimes occasions when bad weather threatens to ruin your meal. Never fear, large electronic canvas screens are quickly lowered to protect you and your food from any sudden showers, which never really last long anyway.

When asked what made this beachside dining experience unique, Bernd, with no hesitation, replied with a smile, “The atmosphere, the personal service and the value for money.”

Really, what more could you ask for.

Colleen Setchell For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7723 0222. www.burirasa.com

The personalised service doesn’t stop at the restaurant either. The staff looking after customers on the beach will not only remember your name, but remember what time you came to sunbathe and where you liked to sit. You might even find your sun lounger set up before you arrive. I don’t know about you, but that would certainly make me feel special. It’s a nice, personal touch.

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Alice Cooper

Frankie Valli

Jack Lemon

Happy Birthday

Morgan Freeman

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We highlight some of the more curious events of the month of June.

1st – It’s been around forever, but this was when whisky first appeared in written records.

Attributed to Friar John Cor, its creation was noted in the Exchequer Roll of Scotland, on this day in 1845.

2nd – Bureaucrats are weird – this was the day, in 2003, that the American authorities declared that frozen, battered French fries were, in truth, ‘fresh vegetables’! rd

3 – Wit or what? On this very day, back in 1964, TS Elliott replied to Groucho Marx, “The picture of you in the paper, saying that one reason for your London trip was to meet me, has greatly enhanced my standing in the community – particularly with the greengrocer across the street.”

4th – Staff at Cardiff Airport were surprised to discover a 10lb frozen turkey hidden in an outgoing passenger’s hand luggage, on this day in 2010. The reason? Spanish turkeys were “garbage” and “… it’s not like it’s going to suddenly thaw at 30,000 feet!”

5th – Alice Cooper rocks! But not according to his pet 8-foot boa constrictor. This was the day, in 1977, that the snake was attacked by its breakfast, one angry brown rat, and died soon after.

6th – A homeless Taipei man who’d just been released from prison, on this day in 2008, promptly stole a box of cheese snacks just to get arrested again because he was “ . . .unable to forget the police department boxed lunches”.

Police commented that they often saw repeat offenders under similar circumstances. th

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7 – This was the day, in 1939, that giant hailstones the size of grapefruits suddenly came down upon Minnesota, driving themselves into

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the ground, slamming through roofs and killing hundreds of cattle.

being offered in the form of livestock – and one thing just led to another.

8th – Lassie The Wonder Dog ‘appeared’ for the first time, on the radio, on this day back in 1947.

Well, she didn’t actually show up in person, as her whines, woofs and other doggie noises were provided by animal-imitator, Charles Lyon. (The show was sponsored by Red Heart Dog Food, just so you know!)

14th – This was the day, in 1988, that a class of students in a New Jersey high school kept a black bear at bay by hurling cheese sandwiches at it. It had strayed from a nearby game reserve – but the students couldn’t understand why it kept coming back . . .

th

9 – Nucking Futs to you! This was the day, just a year ago, that Australia trademark-regulators finally approved the snack bearing this name and, at the same time, also said a reluctant yes to ‘Nibble Nobby’s Nuts’! th

10 – Keep an eye on the skies today– it’s International Black Cow Day! 11th – This was the day, in 2008, that the director of the Berlin Zoo lost one of his fingers, deftly bitten off by Pedro the Chimp. “Pedro is the boss of the group so he has to demonstrate a certain dominance to prove it,” said Director Blaszkiewitz, wagging his finger at the chimp reprovingly.

12th – This was the day, exactly a year ago, that Edward Archbold won a South Florida cockroach eating contest, but keeled over afterwards and was pronounced dead on arrival at the local hospital. A hospital spokesman said: “Unless the roaches were contaminated I don't think that they would be unsafe to eat. We’ll have to wait for the post mortem. It may have just been sheer excitement.”

13th – Police stationed in Kathmandu were officially reprimanded, on this day in 2009, for running a butcher’s shop from their station house.

It seems that money was scarce and bribes were

15th – It was today, back in 1963, that ‘Sukiyaki’ became an immediate hit on both sides of the Atlantic. It was the only hit outside of Japan for singer Kyu, but it was on everyone’s tongue, back in the day.

16th – Don’t you just love grease!? Well, ‘Grease’, anyway. This was the day the musical opened on Broadway in 1978, and the Four Seasons’ Frankie Valli went on to sell two million copies of a song about it, too. th

17 – England’s first King Edward was born on this day, in 1239. He had an undistinguished reign but became renowned for his funeral, with a feast that contained 278 hogs of bacon, 450 pigs, 460 oxen, 340 sheep and 22,600 chickens.

18th – Another song, this one far more . . . cheesy . . . than the last. The wondrous ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ was recorded on this day, in 1952, by Jimmy Buffet, and actually managed to smear its way into the US charts, finally hitting a high at number 84!

19th – One certain ginger, lasagne-loving, hip-cat was born on this day, in 1978, courtesy of cartoonist, Jim Davis, who modelled Garfield’s character largely on himself, including his own tastes in food. th

20 – Roger Hamilton of Oklahoma City was

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attacked for his cheese and bologna sandwich, on this day in 2008. He was sitting on a bus station bench and about to put mayonnaise on his lunch, when another man punched him in the mouth, grabbed his sandwich and ran away. Police valued the theft at 78 cents. st

21 – ‘Bigwigs Nail Down Cheeses’. This might have been the headline following the ‘International Convention on the Use and Designations of Origins and Names for Cheeses’, otherwise known as The International Cheese Treaty, held in The Hague on this day, in 1957.

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American President, John F Kennedy, informed all of Germany that he was a ‘jelly donut’. He had intended to announce that he was a Berliner at heart. But ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ actually means something quite different!

27th – Actor Jack Lemon died on this day, in 2001.

Amongst others, he starred in films such as ‘Fortune Cookie’ and ‘Days of Wine and Roses’.

22nd – This was the day, back in 1626, that a large cod, sliced open at a market in Cambridge, England, was found to contain a small book of religious treatises by theologian, John Frith. His contemporaries noted with satisfaction that his work had always been hard to digest.

28th – At last! The mystery of Crop Circles in the poppy fields of Australia’s southern island state of Tasmania was solved on this day, in 2009 - stoned wallabies were eating the poppy heads and hopping around in circles. “We have a problem with wallabies entering poppy fields, getting as high as a kite and going around in circles,” spokesperson Lara Giddings announced. “Then they wander away and fall over, leaving everyone mystified!”

23rd – Rural oddity, as a man was arrested in Fresno County after he broke into the home of two California farm workers, stole their money, rubbed one in the face with spice and whacked the other with a sausage before fleeing, on this day in 2009. Maybe he couldn’t find any cheese.

29th – This was the day, in 1967, that actress Jayne Mansfield died. The only beauty title she ever refused was that of Miss Roquefort Cheese. “I read it was discovered in some mouldy old cave in France,” she quite possibly might have been reported as maybe having said.

24th – A general American oddity this time – today is National Creamy Pralines Day in the USA.

30th – America’s longest-missing person (he’s still not been found), High Court Judge Joseph Force Crater, vanished without trace on this day, in 1930. He dined at a restaurant, went on to see a show, took a taxi home, never arrived and was never seen again!

25th – “Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such fun . . .” this was first published on this day, in 1766. Although supposedly a children’s nursery rhyme, it is full of political reference and scandal, and refers to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and the reputed lover of Queen Elizabeth.

Rob De Wet

26th – Another headline rant – “US Head Is Giant Donut!” This, on the day in 1963 when the visiting

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Reside –Siam Style If you’re after a good meal in the Nathon or Lipa Noi area, look no further than the Pavilion Restaurant at Siam Residence.

Tucked away at the northern end of Lipa Noi Beach is Siam Residence, a resort that has, as the saying goes, stood the test of time. Siam Residence has been open for 25 years –just longer than the island’s airport. For a resort to last that long they must be doing something right.

Siam Residence is Austrian owned and under Austrian and Swiss management, but the furnishing in the one and two bedroom villas, is a combination of classic European and Asian style.

The villas are generously proportioned to say the least, with the one bedroomed being 80 square meters, and the two bedrooms being a spacious 130 square meters. They’re spread far enough apart in the lawned garden that residents don’t feel on top of each other, and the atmosphere is more that of a villa development than a resort.

Taking centre stage near the beach you’ll find the swimming pool, large enough to do laps. But if you’re less energetic, there are more than enough loungers flanking the pool and in the shade of giant pine trees on the beach. And if simply relaxing with a book under the trees or by the pool is not enough for you, try one of the massages in the glassed-in sala located next to the restaurant, with views across the bay.

But it’s the Pavilion Restaurant we’re focusing on here, and the resort welcomes outside guests to dine, either inside or on the beach. Chef Lamyai has been heading up the kitchen for an impressive 22 years – again, with a record like that, she must be keeping customers happy. If you find yourself walking along Lipa Noi Beach and fancy a drink or nibble, pop in and give the Pavilion a try. It’s open from 7:00 am, so good after a sunrise beach walk, through to 10:00 pm.

Breakfasts range from a full American, to lighter options such as fruit platters, cereals, pancakes and French toast.

If you’re in the area for lunch and fancy a bit of local seafood, you’ve hit the jackpot with Chef Lamyai – as this is her speciality. Rather than keep seafood on hand in the kitchen, if a guest orders a seafood dish, she hops on her scooter and pops to the local market and back in ten minutes. Now you couldn’t get fresher if you caught it yourself. And, she’s more than happy to let diners tag along to the market to see their lunch selected directly from the fishmongers. The fish or shellfish is cooked to your liking with a variety of options including barbecued, deep-fried, curried, or stir-fried with Thai-style sauces.

Carnivores will enjoy the selection from the grill, with options of grilled chicken, pork chops, beef tenderloin, or a mixed grill, all accompanied by seasonal vegetables and a choice or rice, French fries or fried potatoes and add a choice of sauce if you prefer too. And if you need to carbo-load before the walk back along the beach, there’s a choice of classic pasta dishes.

For lighter lunch options, choose from the selection of sandwiches, burgers, salads and soups, and of course all the Thai favourites too.

Lunch guests are more than welcome to use the swimming pool and beach loungers, so why not make a day of it, staying for cocktails to enjoy Lipa Noi’s famous sunsets. The beach is kept clean by the resort, and the sea is calm, clean and good for swimming.

set out on the lawn and beach, candles are lit and silverware and glasses twinkle in the moon and candlelight. The mood is quite romantic with the sounds of soft music and the water lapping the shore only metres away. According to Group Consultant, Manfred Stark, at night they get expats and residents from other resorts walking in from the beach. They’re seen coming from far by the beam of their flashlights as they walk along the beach.

The staff are friendly, and all speak English well – some even speak German. With only nine villas, the setting is intimate and it is management’s goal to let every guest, both in-house as well as those visiting the restaurant, feel welcome and relaxed.

So if you’ve tired of the east coast’s crowds, and are in the mood for a drive to Lipa Noi along Samui’s unspoilt west coast, a relaxed meal or sundowners at the Pavilion Restaurant may just be what you are looking for.

Rosanne Turner For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 0008. www.siamresidence.com.

At night the restaurant comes alive as tables are

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

(Fisherman’s Village) 16/16 Moo 1, Bophut, Koh Samui, Suratthani 84320 Tel: 077 430 030, 077 245 035 Free Parking!! Opposite the restaurant

www.siamwininganddining.com

7

Stick it to Me A close look at rice, Thai rice – and sticky rice in particular!

It was only a generation or two back that the potato was the staple of Western cuisine. The humble spud was to be universally found in dishes as diverse as Irish stew, German kartoffel salat, Lithuanian grated potato pudding, Silesian szalot, Peruvian salchipapas; and then there were chips, fries, and more fries. You could boil ’em, you could roast ’em, you could bake, grill or toast ’em – it seems that there was no way you couldn’t cook a potato. But, somewhere in the ’70s, Chinese and Indian restaurants began to flourish in the West. And, somewhere in the ’90s, it seems that the entire First World went all health and diet-conscious at around about the same time.

Which meant that more and more people turned to rice as a healthy alternative.

Quite rightly so. Untreated brown rice contains 11 minerals, eight vitamins and is 10% protein.

Whereas the average uncooked potato is 79% water to begin with, has only 2% protein, and barely a trace of anything else except for potassium, plus just a tad of vitamin C. Notice I said ‘uncooked’ potato. Rice and potatoes share two things in common – all the goodness is on the outside, in the husk or the skin. (The other thing is that under the skin both are more or less entirely composed of carbohydrate, in the form of starch.) Thus baked potatoes with the skins intact

are quite good for you – but peel them and then cook them and there’s nothing much left behind, only bulk. And it’s the same with rice.

Today every health-conscious individual puts brown rice high on their dietary lists. Even when boiled the husks retain their nutrients and are high in fibre. However, over here in Thailand, there’s quite a different outlook – the entire culture is different. Here, for instance, something as simple as a healthy suntan is to be avoided at all costs. It’s only the farmers and the labourers, who have to go out in the sun all day, who end up with a tan. Thus being white is a symbol of social standing. Continuing this thinking, white rice that has been milled and had the husks removed is more expensive than the plain brown rice – plus it’s nice and white and ‘clean’. (It’s only the prisoners in the jails and the poor people who have to eat the ‘cheap and dirty’ brown rice.) So when you hunt on the shelves of the shops and supermarkets in Thailand you’ll only ever see milled white rice.

And it’s something of an irony that Thailand, one of the world’s biggest rice-producers, does sell long-grain, multi-grain and wild rice, but it’s all imported! And vastly more expensive than the local (milled, white) stuff.

So there we have it. Thailand is a nation of white rice eaters. Go into any Thai supermarket and you’ll see gigantic ten-kilogram sacks of white or off-beige rice – sometimes even bigger, up to 25 kilos – stocked and waiting to be bought. But what isn’t so obvious is that not every bag contains the same sort of rice. In the same way that we have 50 different sorts of spuds, so there are different strains of rice. But when you realise that, to a Thai person, one potato is much the same as the next (and will probably be only ever eaten as a French fry anyway) then you’ll appreciate that there are dozens of subtle shades of rice. Some people prefer one; others are drawn to another. It’s merely horses for courses and all grist to the (rice) mill. Which brings us on to the subject of sticky rice.

Over here we have plain boiled rice – khao plao – khao being the word for ‘rice’ and plao meaning ‘plain’ or ‘ordinary’. And then, speaking on a day-to-day Thai restaurant basis, we also have the universal sticky rice – khao nee-ow (this one meaning ‘sticky’ or ‘glutinous’). Plain white rice is what you’ll get everywhere with your food.

But sticky rice is different. It’s a different strain of rice, it looks different, it’s used differently and it tastes different. It’s very-often used along with fruit to make khanom – snacks, sweets or

desserts. And you’ll never, ever see it along with the main dishes – unless you live in the northeast . . . or visit an Issan restaurant.

The people from Laos share a great many cultural elements with the people of northeast Thailand – a region known as ‘Issan’. It’s a poor area, a region of farmers, drought, and comparative poverty. It’s a region from which nearly all of the young people want to get away– it’s no co-incidence that the majority of Thai workers on Samui (and all the other tourist areas) have come here from Issan to find work. In Issan the culture is quite different. The language and dialect is different. So is the music and the instruments. The diet – dare it be called ‘cuisine’? – is far more basic. The approach to dining is different. And the sort of rice and the way it’s used is different, too.

People sit on the floor to eat, around a central mat onto which a variety of dishes is placed.

(You’ll see this happen with the Issan in-laws of a Westerner, in a fitted Euro-kitchen, complete with all stainless-steel machines and a polished teak dining table and chairs that have been pushed to one side – this has been known to occasionally drive men to the pub, if not to the point of insanity.) No utensils are used; people sit cross-legged and eat with their hands. They use

the sticky rice as a kind of ‘wrap’, rolling it into a ball, banging it flat, and using this rice-pad folded between their fingers to scoop up the food (soups excluded).

But here, on Samui, even in an Issan restaurant, you won’t always see this kind of rice used in this way. It’s nearly always mixed in with fruit and sometimes ice-cream – mango or/and coconut flesh is common – and eaten as a sweet dessert or snack. And it’s quite delicious. The gummy texture of the rice is offset by the smoothness and flavour of the fruit, which blends into the whole ‘mouth feel’, making it something to be experienced whilst here. So give it a try. Whether with fingers or using a spoon, it’s a memory which will cling to you long after you’ve left Thailand!

Rob De Wet

SUNDAY SESSIONS: 11.30AM TO 3.30PM FEATURING THE ULTIMATE SUNDAY BRUNCH CLUBTM. LIVE DJs ‘TIL SUNSET. OPTIONAL FREE-FLOW FINE WINE & BUBBLES. SOULFUL SATURDAYS POOL PARTY: 1PM TO SUNSET LIVE DJs. SPECIALS ON FOOD & DRINKS ALL DAY LONG. OPTIONAL FREE-FLOW WINE & BUBBLES. WEDNESDAY PRESIDENT’S ASIAN BUFFET: 7PM TO 10PM A HUGE SELECTION OF MOUTH WATERING ASIAN CUISINE. EVERY DAY - 10.30AM TO 10.30PM ALL-DAY GRAZING AND DINING. FEAST ON FINE TAPAS, MEDITERRANEAN, AND THAI CUISINE. EVERY DAY - 5PM TO 7PM SUNDOWN SALUTE HAPPY HOUR. YOU KNOW THE DRILL - 2 FOR 1 CHILL.

LAMAI BEACH, KOH SAMUI . RESERVATIONS: +66 (0) 77 458 100 . BEACHREPUBLIC.COM 8 www.siamwininganddining.com

Non-golfers are equally welcome at the restaurant and clubhouse of Santiburi Samui Country Club.

Santiburi Samui Country Club has a reputation as being one of the top golf courses on the Asian circuit. Perhaps a lesser-known fact is that the clubhouse offers great local food at reasonable rates, and it’s fast becoming a popular place for lunch, even for those not up to a round of golf.

Being part of the well-established Santiburi Group that has several locations on Samui, and also in Hua Hin, Chiang Rai and Khon Kaen, it’s no wonder they know how to run a clubhouse well and keep players happy and well-fed. On Samui, you can experience Santiburi’s fine-dining at The Santiburi Samui Golf & Resort in Maenam, as well as at their sister resort, the Bo Phut Resort & Spa. And if you’re after a romantic beachside setting in the cosmopolitan Fisherman’s Village, then do give Krua Bophut a try.

But it’s the clubhouse at the Country Club that we’re focusing on, and here it’s all about wholesome local dishes and ice-cold drinks at reasonable rates – just what a golfer needs after a few hours of swinging clubs in the hot sun. Of course a view worthy of printing on a postcard just adds to the appeal. Now while this view could be quite distracting while playing a round, relaxing in the clubhouse after a game lets you take in the full panorama and truly appreciate it

without compromising your score.

Non-golfers who are looking for a lunch spot with a view are more than welcome to enjoy a meal at the attractive open-air clubhouse which overlooks the course, as well as the bay of Maenam and over to Koh Pha-Ngan. Either relax while you wait for your golfing partner, or drive up just for lunch. The road is concrete all the way, and is well sign-posted.

But don’t take our word for how great the clubhouse is. Here are a few snippets from the tried and tested review site, TripAdvisor: “We liked the great view from the restaurant. The food is great and burgers are made of a patty of real ground beef. Presentation is of a standard that would show up more expensive places. A mixture of Thai and European food is offered and the service is excellent.”

“Even if you don’t play golf, the view from the clubhouse is just stunning! The food was really good and for such a location, at a fair price!”- Well she sounds like a happy golf widow who doesn’t mind waiting for hubby to finish a round.

So looking at the menu that everyone is raving

about, the appetiser selection will tempt you with favourites such as spring rolls, prawn or fish cakes, deep-fried chicken wings and pork or chicken satays with peanut sauce, to name but a few.

Soups include tom yum goong (hot and sour clear soup with prawns) and tom kha gai (coconut milk soup with Thai herbs and chicken), and then there’s a selection of spicy seafood and noodle salads to get the taste buds going.

Favourite main course dishes include phad Thai, noodle soups, various curries and noodle dishes as well as stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts.

If you’re not in the mood for Thai, look on the specials board for burgers and sandwiches, or try the English-style fish and chips, German sausages served with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes or French fries or German pork leg with mashed potatoes and gravy. The menu offers a good choice whether you’re looking for meat, seafood, chicken or vegetarian options. And the fully-stocked bar helps whether you need celebrate or commiserate after the game.

Other facilities at the clubhouse include a fully-equipped locker room and dressing rooms, as well as a driving range and practice green to sharpen skills before a game. The pro shop sells anything a golf enthusiast may require, from

branded clothing to the latest equipment. Here you may also rent equipment, so unless you’re touring several locations to play golf, it’s not necessary to travel with your clubs. And if you feel you need to brush up on your swing, pro lessons are available on request.

So a satisfied appetite aside, what can you expect from the course itself? Well, this five-star, 18-hole, par 72, championship course was designed jointly

by Pirapon Namatra and Edward Thilele, who were able to make the most of not only the mountainous landscape along Samui's northern shore, but also the sweeping views. The terrain stretches from 30 metres to 290 metres above sea level, with greens and fairways strategically positioned between waterfalls, creeks and ravines.

It's estimated that an 18-hole game should take about four and a half hours to complete. That's a long time in the tropical sun, especially with hills to climb and clubs to carry; one reason why carts and caddies are compulsory. For players teeing off from the correct tee, the course rewards accuracy, not a distance shot. Now most golf courses have tee boxes for men and for ladies, changing the distance appropriately. Santiburi has four – all marked by coloured coconuts. There are the gold coconut markers for professionals, blue for those

with handicaps of four to ten, white for players with a handicap above ten, and ladies tee off from the red coconuts. This appeals to the pride of male golfers with high handicaps, who, at this course, don't have to use the ladies tee box! There is no handicap requirement to be able to play on the course, but beginners should start on the slightly easier nine-hole variant of the course due to its less demanding nature.

A good clubhouse in an integral part of any golf course worth its name. “All I've got against golf is that it takes you so far from the clubhouse.” ~Eric Linklater, Poet's Pub, 1929.

Rosanne Turner For reservations or further information, telephone: 0 7742 1700-8. www.santiburi.com

Pure Asian Experience

Monday Beach Barbeque Held in front of Chom Dao beach restaurant, the buffet comprises a wonderful selection of fresh seafood such as prawns, fish and squid, as well as grilled and roasted meat including New Zealand Lamb and Australian Beef, plus sushi, salads, main dishes and delicious desserts.

Only 1,100 THB per person.

Children under 12 half price. Children under 6 free.

178/2 Moo 1, Tambon Bophut, Koh Samui, Suratthani, Thailand, 84320 Tel: +66 (0) 7724 5795 www.bandarasamui.com E-mail: stay@bandarasamui.com Hotline reservation 089-653-6199, 084-357-9597

www.siamwininganddining.com 9

Princess S Super Super seafood seaffood BBQ BBQ buffets buffets att Chef’s Chef’s Table Table.

There are few people who come to Samui only once. There’s an allure to our little island, and this brings people back again and again. It’s partly the climate. It’s connected to our rustic charm. It’s a lot to do with the superb range of cuisines available here. But, even with all these things together, it’s mostly because we’re a lovely tropical island. And that means endless dining out under the stars – and particularly on the beach.

There are many wise managers and owners who understand this. And therefore there are lots of resorts and restaurants that will shift off their daytime terraces and create a whole new ambiance at the edge of the sea every evening.

Most people who are visiting Samui do the obvious thing: they take a stroll along the sand each night to see what takes their fancy. But this is a process of trial and error – not every attractive eatery fulfils its promise when it comes to quality and service. But those people who’ve done this a few times (including the ones who live and work here) have narrowed their options down to a handful of excellent beachside

restaurants. And one of these is Sareeraya Villas & Suites in the northern part of Chaweng.

‘Sareeraya’ means ‘Princess of the Sea’, and although it’s positioned right on the main road, just across from the Samui International Hospital in North Chaweng, it’s not an edifice which catches the eye. And deliberately so – it’s a resort which is happy to understate its luxury.

The frontage is unassuming: a high, plain grey wall with discrete gold titling. And the décor throughout is in the same vein: not exactly minimalist, but with a simple and uncluttered elegance that’s offset by the sheer quality of the fittings and fixtures. As you stroll through reception towards the beach there is little evidence of the 36 suites and 13 pool villas– all 5-star quality throughout – which are discreetly located on either side of the main walkway. But there’s one thing that will strike you right away, and this theme ties in again with the name.

The water-theme is echoed everywhere you go, from the gigantic wooden feature at the entrance, to the terraced layers of cascading lily

ponds that reveal themselves as you go.

Everywhere there’s the gentle sound of tinkling water. Even making your way towards the resort’s signature restaurant, ‘Chef’s Table’, the route is gently overlaid with rivulets and ponds.

And then, of course, as you near the restaurant, the nature of the sound shifts, this time to be woven into the whispering of the waves.

It’s all really pretty, and it’s all quintessentially ‘Samui’; this is the reason you came here. But, as I’ve already pointed out, not everything that glistens is gold, and not every picture-postcard beachside restaurant lives up to its promise.

This is simply not an issue at Chef’s Table. Yes, the interior of the open restaurant is enticing: the slatted dark wood floor; the sculpted curves of the wall; the strong dark tables and chairs; the antique rattan fans and the warm, glowing lights. But this isn’t where you’re heading. Moving past this upper terrace you’ll be guided onto the sand, where a veritable gourmet fairyland awaits. Although Executive Chef, Steven van Duyn, has created an outstanding à la carte menu, he’s also put

For reservation please call: 077 246 222 Bang Rak Beach, Koh Samui www.punnpreeda.com info@punnpreeda.com

10 www.siamwininganddining.com

Sareeraya

together a seaside extravaganza on two special evenings of the week.

These events happen every Monday and Friday. This is when you can indulge yourself in one or the other of Sareeraya’s seafood beach barbecues. On Monday there’s the Seafood Thai BBQ, followed by the Seafood Asian BBQ on the Friday. And it’s fairyland in every meaning of the word. The dining tables are nestled together on the sand amidst pools of softly glimmering coloured lights. A little way away from this intimacy it’s all business: the live cooking stations are clean and brightly lit, with the white-clad team of chefs scurrying to prepare your seafood and meat just the way you want it. (Yes, it’s not only seafood, there are meat dishes, too.) And when it comes to the actual food itself, these are no ordinary offerings.

If you’ve ever tasted an authentic Thai recipe but made with prime, top quality imported meat or succulent cuts of chicken or duck, you’ll understand what I mean. Some of the seafood is caught locally, the fish, for instance. But the

best mussels come from New Zealand. And Chef Steven imports his scallops from America, although the king prawns, lobster, rock lobster, blue crab and soft-shell crab all come from the Andaman region around Phuket. There are soups and salads and nibbles and finger food.

Plus several sorts of rice, prepared in different ways. And all you do is decide on what you want to begin with, select it, ask one of the chefs to cook it, pick and mix a couple of plates of whatever takes your fancy to go with this, and then return and sit back down. A few minutes later your seafood (or prime steak) will be brought sizzling to your table.

whole new gourmet level. Plus, of course, if you come along with the family or your children, you can always opt for one of the à la carte menu items rather than the full buffet barbecue option.

The Friday night Asian BBQ experience runs along much the same lines. Although, here, there’s a more indulgent selection of dishes to pick from. There’s a wide choice of both Japanese and Chinese offerings, together with a selection of various popular Thai platters. But, as with all the cuisine prepared at Chef’s Table, the recipes might be traditional but the quality of the ingredients isn’t! This isn’t just Thai or Japanese ‘food’ – it’s all taken up a notch to a

Rob De Wet

It’s unlikely that you’ll accidentally stroll past this culinary event – Sareeraya isn’t in the centre of the bay, after all. But it’s easily within walking distance, only about ten minutes along the sand and even less if you stick to the road. And that’s a small concession to make for dining with royalty. After all, not everyone gets the chance to sit-in with the ‘Princess of the Sea’!

For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7791 4333. www.sareeraya.com

www.siamwininganddining.com 11

A Unique Koh Samui Experience at The Farmer The Farmer Restaurant & Bar is the only restaurant on Samui offering a unique natural ambience, set amid paddy fields and green meadows. It is perfect for a relaxed lunch, or dinner under the twinkling stars.

Visit The Farmer and experience the real meaning of “Back to Nature” whilst enjoying the best of local Thai, Western seafood dishes.

Farmer’s Duck

Exclusive Lunch Promotion at The Farmer

Pizza Margherita

Crispy fried duck served with herb sauce, rice, gourd soup, fresh tropical fruit, 1 bottle of water.

299 Baht

12:00-15:00 daily

1 scoop ice cream, 1 bottle of water.

250 Baht

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Ta o.1 N rm ’s Fa amui S d te o V

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The Farmer Restaurant & Bar 1/26 Moo 4, Maenam, Koh Samui Tel: 077 447 222, 077 247 979 www.thefarmerrestaurantsamui.com email: info@thefarmerrestaurantsamui.com Free transfer for dinner guests Nathon - Maenam - Bophut. Other areas 300 Baht return. Для гостей из районов Nathon - Maenam - Bophut - трансфер бесплатный. Гостям из других районов острова мы возвращаем 300 батт от стоимости такси.

12 www.siamwininganddining.com

TOP TEN 2011 www.tripadvisor.com

Expanding the Circle The Samui Culinary Circle co ntinues to flourish.

Samui keeps on getting bigger. It’s not just about more houses, villas, shops and resorts – although these are the things which are immediately obvious. There’s more to it.

There are things going on under the surface. Things you can’t see, things which most people don’t know about. Put it another way. Fifteen years ago, there was only one bakery on Samui. It was in Nathon. That was the only place on the island where you could buy bread. And there was only one sort of bread available; bleached white sliced, Thai-style, soft and fluffy and full of sugar.

Around about this time there was just a handful of elite resorts on the island. And the one thing they had in common was they all had quality restaurants with top European chefs. There might have been only white sliced bread in the shops, but these resorts baked their own. They all brought their potatoes, peas, carrots and tomatoes, and even strawberries, down from the cooler northern regions around Chiang Mai. And, at great expense, they imported their meats, cheeses, truffles and other gourmet items from appropriate locations around the world – there was nowhere to buy items like this locally. This wasn’t cost effective, to say the least. So it wasn’t long before they began to club together to share the costs.

Over time, more hotels, restaurants and chefs appeared.

Regular meetings were arranged between them. Resort managers and their food and beverage managers became keen to be in the picture. And, just after the peak New Year period of 1998, the situation became formally organised into the Samui Culinary Circle (SCC). Andy Meuller, Brice Borin and Curdin Schaufelberger, the leading chefs in Samui at the time, were the driving force behind it all, and it was actually quite a small affair to begin with. But, with the turning of the new millennium, and then the appearance of Samui’s first importers of wines and ‘exotic foods’, numbers soon grew to around the 50 mark.

Stepping back from it all for a moment, this type of gathering is nothing new – it’s been happening the world over for a very long time. But, elsewhere, it seems that such societies are often notoriously short-lived! Chefs are a sensitive and creative breed on the whole, and personality

clashes are not unknown. But maybe it’s the weather here, or the easy-going island lifestyle. But, for whatever reason, the simple fact is that the SCC has always seemed to be harmoniously cheery and, as the years have passed, it has grown in both stature and numbers.

Today the whole basis of the organisation has gradually morphed into a completely new animal. No longer is the purpose simply to swap information and supplies – in fact several of the island’s leading suppliers of wines and foodstuffs are members themselves. For the last five years, the president was Don Lawson, in his role of Executive Chef at Anantara Resort & Spa in Bo Phut. But last year saw him move across to the sister resort in Koh Pha-Ngan, Anantara Rasananda, allowing Reuben Kimber, the executive chef of YL Residence in Lamai, to assume the top spot.

“The essential aspect of the SCC is that we are a non profit-making organisation,” Don explained, “meaning that we have to be completely self-funding. Some part of this comes from members’ subscriptions but we also attract some small degree of local sponsorship too, and organise fund-raising events. Although it has to be said that when this happens it’s usually either donated to local charities or other deserving causes, such as The Samui Rotary Club, The Samui Hill Run or to events like the fund-raising circus, ‘Spark!’. We’re keen to support our junior members, too.

And here we’ve helped young chefs and bartenders (with their travel and accommodation) to take part in national and regional cooking competitions, bartender shows and fruit and vegetable carving competitions.”

beverage products – wines in particular – can present their cases (boxes, tins and bottles too!) to the majority Samui’s F&B community all in one fell swoop. It’s a simply marvellous opportunity for distributors to place their products in an advantageous context, in the knowledge that their foods or their wines will be presented or cooked in a gourmet setting – a vastly different effect from simply viewing rows of cans or bottles on a warehouse shelf.

This is just one of the enviable spin-offs of living on a tropical island – having a fun and yet gaining useful insights and information at the same time. But every now and then, all of this gets taken to a higher-level altogether, and every year you’ll see a lot of bags being packed in preparation for the SCC annual getaway. Disney World perhaps? A few days skiing? Hardly! These dedicated professionals can’t go far without one aspect or another of food or hospitality being at the core. So one time it was a visit to the Boncafé bean roasting factory in Pattaya, another time just a weekend break to look at how they did things at the lovely island resort of Paradise Koh Yao, near Phuket. It’s always pleasure combined with business at the SCC! If you’re a visitor here, then the Samui Culinary Circle won’t be much in evidence. But its workings will never be far away. These are the experts who are content to beaver away in the background If they’re not actually cooking your food then they’re supplying it or running the kitchens. You won’t get to see any of the workings, but believe me, it’s not only flourishing quietly behind the scenes but it’s getting bigger every year!

Rob De Wet

But once again we just can’t avoid the fact that Samui is a very informal and relaxed place to live and work, and not a small element in the success of the SCC is the pleasant and social atmosphere that it generates. Every month this is more than evident when many of the (current) 50 members, plus the further 50 or so associates, get together on the last Thursday of every month. Each time a different member (resort or restaurant) hosts the event, giving freely of its time and expertise, and often highlighting a particular element or product. This is where suppliers of food and

For more of an insight into the SCC, check out their Facebook page – samui.culinarycircle

Enjoy your lunch or spectacular sunset dinner at the open air Pavilion restaurant overlooking the sea and the intimate atmosphere of a small luxury villa resort.

Discover authentic

Authentic Thai and international cuisine and wines.

Indian Cuisine

Join us for a relaxed and unforgetable dining experience!

Samui Noori India Restaurant - Chaweng Centerr Chaweng Beach Road, opp. Chaweng Buri Noori India Restaurant - Chaweng South at Chaweng Cove Resort outh Noori India Cooking Center - Chaweng South Soi Colibri, opp. Centara Grand Beach Resort ort

Open daily from 7.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. (ask for free pick-up service) Santi Beach – Lipanoi Tel: 077-420008 – Fax: 077-420009 e-mail: samui@siamresidence.com www.siamresidence.com

For reservations (English) - 0 867 407 873 or 0 7741 3108 For reservations (Thai) - 0 813 960 283 E-mail: nooriindia_samui@yahoo.com www.nooriindiasamui.com

www.siamwininganddining.com 13

Absolutely Snookered

Some humorous anecdotes about drinking and drunks.

weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.”

(Frank Zappa); and “Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams.

If I didn’t drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, it is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.” (Jack Handey).

Sometimes we do it to relax. Other times it’s to be sociable. On occasion it’s a crutch and other times we just do it because we want to. Drinking alcohol and getting drunk are traditions as old as humanity itself. And many a story of the exploits of inebriated friends and family are happily shared, where else but, down the pub. But most of them are far too risqué to be repeated in print.

Tales of alcohol-induced errors abound on Samui: the number of unfortunate chaps who’ve awoken to find that ‘Beautiful Betsy’ was actually ‘Big Bob’ are numerous. And the source of a multitude of witty quotes, but you’ll have to meet me down the pub to hear them!

Wine also features in many a quote: “Wine is a turncoat: first a friend, then an enemy.” (George Herbert); “Bacchus: A convenient deity invented by the ancients as an excuse for getting drunk.”

(Ambrose Bierce); “New wine, a friend’s dinner and the music of amateurs are three things to be feared.” (Grimod De La Reynière); “A hangover is the wrath of grapes.” (Unknown); “This is one of the disadvantages of wine: it makes a man mistake words for thought.” (Samuel Johnson) and “Everyone should believe in something, I believe I’ll have another wine.” (Unknown).

Instead, let’s take a look at how some notable wits have described drinking. And end with the top five ways to get drunk for less than 100 Baht.

First up is W.C. Fields, who once said, “A woman drove me to drink and I didn’t even have the decency to thank her.” Another of his is, “I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake – which I also keep handy.” Beer has been the topic of countless quotations. Among my favourites are: “24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case, coincidence?” (comedian Stephen Wright); “Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.”

(Dave Barry); “You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline – it helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear

Another altogether more potent brew has been the drink of choice with generations of artists, writers and poets, Absinthe. It is the inclusion of wormwood which provides it with the notorious hallucinogenic properties that have led it to be banned in a host of countries. “That opaque, bitter, tongue-numbing, brain-warming, idea-changing, liquid alchemy that is Absinthe.”

(Ernest Hemingway); “Absinthe makes the tart

grow fonder.” (Ernest Dowson). However, my favourite quote on this is a corruption of the last one and came about after several Absinthes had been consumed. “Absinthe makes the hand Jane Fonda!”

A few other quotes which I love are: “I drink to make other people interesting.” (George Jean Nathan); “The first thing that dissolves in alcohol is dignity.” (Unknown); “I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.” (Frank Sinatra among many); “I envy people who drink, at least they know what to blame everything on.” (Oscar Levant); “When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.”

(Henny Youngman); “How come if alcohol kills millions of brain cells, it never killed the ones that made me want to drink?” (Unknown); “I saw a notice that said “Drink Canada Dry”, so I did.”

(Brendan Behan); “A drunk was in front of a judge. The judge says, “You’ve been brought here for drinking.” The drunk says, “Okay, let’s get started.” (Henny Youngman); “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” (Hunter S. Thompson); and one of my all-time favourites, “Instead of warning pregnant women not to drink, I think female alcoholics should be told not to have sex.” (George Carlin).

There are, of course, numerous ways in the English language to describe an acute state of

inebriation. I’ll give you 20 and it’s a fair bet you’ll be able to come up with a lot more: fuddled, muddled, tipsy, pissed, rat-faced, half-cut, seeing-double, sloshed, trolleyed, pickled, reeling, smashed, sizzled, nailed, paralytic, squiffy, lamped, snookered, spooned, and my personal Scottish favourite, blootered.

And so, onto the top five ways in which you can achieve these states for under 100 baht.

At number 5: Lao Khao; translates as white spirits and is lethal. Pop into any convenience store and pick up a bottle for around 80 baht. Its alcoholic content is off the scale and it would be an insult to a paintbrush to clean it with the stuff but it does exactly what it says on the label, it gets you blootered.

At number 4: Sickness and sleep deprivation; if you find you’ve eaten something dodgy and are rather ill as a consequence, force yourself to stay awake for three days. The combined effect along with two bottles of strong beer should hit the mark.

At number 3: Medication; rake through the medicine bag of any female and you’ll come across a plethora of drugs that say, “Do not take alcohol with this drug”, swallow a few and refer to number 5.

At number 2: Scavenge; go to any busy bar,

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www.impiana.com 91/2-3 Moo 3, Chaweng Noi Beach, Koh Samui, Suratthani 84320 Thailand [ T ] 077 448 994 [F] 077 448 999 [E] info.kohsamui@impiana.com 14 www.siamwininganddining.com

preferably with a dance floor, and you’ll see lots of alcohol that people don’t want. Most often these finds will be at empty tables with chairs with jackets on them that people also don’t want.

Grab the booze, and the jackets, and leave. Do so stealthily though, you won’t believe how many losers will pretend they really wanted their cast-offs.

And at number 1: If it ends in ‘ol’, drink it!; Alcohol isn’t the only intoxicant ending in ‘ol’.

Methanol, Butanol and Propanol are all fine and do the business, often at bargain prices. But do stay away from aerosol, cholesterol and drool.

Enjoy your drinking here safely; if you do then you can do it all over again the next night. I’ll leave the last words of wisdom to Ernest Hemingway, who knew a thing or two about drinking. “Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.”

Johnny Paterson

Kitchen King and Queen If you’ve just driven down the hectic Chaweng Beach Road, your nerves might be more than a frayed. But as you enter Poppies Samui and little frayed walk through their lush, tropical gardens towards the restaurant, you feel a sense of peace come over you, like you’ve stepped into another world.

The wooden restaurant pavilion was actually built in Ayutthaya, the old Thai capital, and then re-assembled on Koh Samui. You would never guess though, the structure is rock solid and looks like it could weather a good few sea storms without so much as a scratch, and yet it blends in so beautifully with the gardens.

After meeting the General Manager, John Ens, I was looking forward to meeting the restaurant’s chef and was surprised to be told that they had not one, but two head chefs. Here at Poppies, they’ve ensured that both the Thai and International dishes are something to write home about. But stop before you think it’s some weird mixed-fusion menu. Each chef has a different area of responsibility. Khun Wan, who has been with Poppies for over 18 years, is responsible for the Thai menu and Khun Noi, who trained for many years under chefs of various nationalities, and has been with Poppies for 12 years, is responsible for the International menu. This length of employment for a chef is rare, and it just shows the level of dedication and loyalty these two chefs feel for Poppies and the customers that dine there.

Having an International menu doesn’t just mean adding an omelette here and a quick fish and chips there. Khun Noi has created dishes such as roasted duck breast with plum and strawberry sauce, feta cheese and a rocket salad; chargrilled snow fish with light coconut sauce and pumpkin potato cake; or how does catch of the day steamed with a mango, pomelo and mizuma salad sound. I absolutely love Thai food and am sometimes surprised when people come all the way to Thailand and eat only Western food but I’m very tempted to sneak back and try that duck breast.

you have three different Kantokes to choose from: the Traditional Kantoke, the Seafood Kantoke and the Vegetarian Kantoke.

Kantoke Khun Wan explained that southern Thai food is very distinctive, and differs from other regions of Thailand. For instance, it mainly uses coconut oil rather than sunflower or corn oil. The abundance of coconuts in this region means that parts of the fruit are used a lot in the cooking. Only local ingredients are used in all the Thai dishes. And starting from next month, Khun Wan will offer a cooking class. What a great way to learn how to create that southern Thai taste at home.

East meets West - but you won’t find any fusion at Poppies Samui Restaurant.

Both Khun Wan and Khun Noi work continuously to improve their cooking skills by travelling to Bangkok to attend courses, watching cooking or food programs on TV or surfing the internet for new ideas and styles. Between them, they head up a team of 15, who all help contribute to the delicious dishes that are served to guests in the restaurant. Their love of cooking and the need to share this love was shown recently when they trained four staff members, who were previously on dishwashing duties, to become cooks.

So, share in that love and head down to Poppies.

You’re sure to find something on either menu that’ll tickle your taste buds.

Colleen Setchell For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 2419. www.poppiessamui.com

Khun Noi previously trained under four expatriate executive chefs at Poppies. In 2009, he was promoted to head chef of the ‘Western Kitchen’ and quickly made his mark. He uses only locally grown or sourced ingredients (except for the lamb chops and steaks from Australia), and you won’t find any additives or preservatives in his food. He’s perfected his Italian dishes to such an extent that recently some Italian customers caused a bit of a stir, because they were convinced that the restaurant was hiding an Italian chef in the kitchen.

Originally from the south of Thailand, Khun Noi worked previously at Silver Sands for six years but is now very obviously enjoying his time at Poppies. Besides his love of cooking, Khun Noi gets a lot of enjoyment out of training his staff to improve their skills. Working long hours takes its toll and even though Khun Noi still cooks at home, on his day off he can be found bobbing around in the bay doing some fishing, thinking of new and exciting ways to tweak his current dishes or create new ones.

Khun Wan was taught to cook by her great aunt and cooks the very dishes and recipes that she learnt while growing up on Samui. Her style of cooking is classed as ‘southern Thai’ and you’ll find a great variety of authentic dishes to suit all tastes on her menu. She worked at Samui Paradise before joining Poppies at the tender age of 17, and has been creating mouth-watering dishes ever since.

The specialty on Khun Wan’s Thai menu is the ‘Kantoke’. Described as ‘A balanced selection of small Thai dishes served on a rattan tray – perfect for sharing’, it just shows again how the chefs here have catered for their customers. The Kantoke gives you and your dinner partner an opportunity to taste more than just one main course each, and

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Occasional

FOOD In Thailand, special occasions mean special food – and special ways of doing things, too!

Everyone loves a party.

And that’s true the world over. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Birmingham, Bremen or Bangkok – there’ll be people ready to jump in and boogie at the drop of a hat. And that goes for a spontaneous get-together after the pub, as much as it does for a fully-planned wedding with hundreds of guests. And then there are traditional celebrations and festivals, too – although some of these are more about respect than revelry.

But even the most serious occasions share one thing in common. Food. Sometimes it’s offered as a sombre refreshment, at funerals for instance, and at other times it’s a rollicking banquet. And most weddings are a good example of this – joyous occasions that call for celebration, with lots of food a not a lot of sobriety!

These festivities, however, fall clearly into two camps. One the one hand, there’s the event – traditional or occasional – where it’s customary to also eat, drink and be merry, such as weddings and birthdays. But there are other occasions where the associated food has a special or symbolic meaning – the Christian hot cross buns at Easter-time, for example.

But we’re in Thailand. And this is a country that proudly celebrates its culture and traditions. And, here, you’ll find that celebrations are plentiful, with customs running deep. And, stirred in with the festivities and the food, there’s often a rich vein of symbolism and meaning.

Take the festival of Loy Kratong that takes place throughout the Kingdom in November. This centuries-old tradition centres around illuminated boats made from bark and banana leaves that are floated on the water. The initial intention was to give thanks to the goddess of water. But it has now come to mean more than just this, today being tied to personal luck and harmony, too.

Families – and loving couples – add their own ‘mojos’ to their boat. A lock of hair, nail cuttings, photographs, incense sticks, sticky rice. The sticky rice symbolises the bonding together of the family or couple. And good luck in their relationship is assured for the coming year if their two boats drift away without separating. And should they sink, heaven forbid, it’s the worst of bad luck.

And then it’s off to celebrate with lots of food and drink – a vital element in all Thai ceremonies – even if you are drowning your sorrows because your boat’s gone down!

One curiously regional festival worth mentioning here is the Surin Elephant Festival, held in the North East Region of Thailand also in November.

All the local elephants are dressed-up and decorated, and then paraded impressively through the streets. After which they’re fed vast

amounts of fresh fruit as a ‘thank you’ for all the work they’ve done. And then they’re packed off to bed whilst the real banquet begins!

something that lasts a long time and is not easily broken. They also stand for co-operation and harmony, as they’re difficult to make and lots of patience is needed.

you’ll find a red heart, made out of sticky rice (khao neeo dang) which, hopefully, will promote love, unity and fertility in the years to come. But, oddly, nothing’s allowed to be written in red anywhere as, in this case, it’s also considered to be the colour of death. Hmm ...

And you’ll always find the mild massaman curry included, because of its name. The final syllable, man, means ‘firm dedication’ and ‘achieving goals through diligence and persistence’. Again, the dish is not easy to make, requiring time and effort, and so also symbolises harmony and patience.

There must be about a dozen other traditional wedding dishes like this, each with its own symbolism and meaning. However, whatever other goodies might be piled on the table at the wedding feast, there’s a couple of things that are not. They’re banned. For example, you’ll never see sour and spicy salads or soups such as that otherwise great favourite, tom yam gung (sour and spicy prawn soup). Because the word ‘yam’ suggests the Thai words riyam or rayam, which, roughly translated, is a low slang for ‘despicable’.

Likewise, the lesser-known, bland, soup-like dish called tom jued is similarly avoided, because

But, when it comes to colours, you’ll see lots of red. Red is the colour of blood, and is symbolic of fertility. Thus, at every wedding,

blandness is something that should have no part in married life. And quite right, too!

Of course, just as in rural areas of any other country, Thailand’s also got lots of interesting and curious regional folk festivals and events, and all of them tied-in with particular dishes in some way. But the examples here are the ones you’re most likely to come across.

But, it really doesn’t matter what country you’re in; special occasions and food go hand-in-hand.

And, whether you call it a ‘celebration’ or a ‘gin liyang’ – a party is still a party, in any language!

Rob De Wet

But there are lots of more day-to-day events across Thailand that give rise to festivities.

Weddings, anniversaries – and even funerals. Thailand is a country where there’s an active religion which runs constantly through all levels of society.

And so occasions such as the annual presentation of new robes to the local monks (thod kathin), the building of a new Buddha image-hall, or honouring an abbot who has been elevated in rank, are joyful occasions and celebrated with much ritual and feasting.

But there’s one occasion where tradition, religion, symbolism and food are all woven together – plus a jolly good party, too. It’s possibly the most common celebration, and it’s just crammed with symbols, portents and omens.

There are more good-luck charms here than there is on sale next door to a lottery ticket shop –and that’s saying something. I’m talking about a Thai wedding.

At the beginning of the ceremony, there’s a range of special dishes that are expected, and the bride’s family won’t accept the groom unless he’s brought these. According to tradition, there are three things that make the food suitable for such an occasion. The first is simply its name. The second is the symbolic significance that the dish has. And the third is its colour.

For example, amongst the savoury dishes there must always be khanom jeen nam yaa – round white noodles served with a spicy sauce. The noodles are important for their symbolism – they are long and have a chewy texture, and represent

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SIGNATURE

DISH

This month we tantalise our taste buds at X2’s laid-back restaurant 4K.

quality eateries for themselves. The other has evolved from the age of reason. It’s more scientific.

It relies on technology, the internet and research – visits to TripAdvisor and a study of Samui Wining & Dining included! And it’s this method that highlights those hidden gems that you won’t just somehow stumble across, those gastronomic treasure houses that are off the beaten track. Such as, for example, ‘Fork at Cross To’.

Last year, a poll taken around a number of resorts discovered something interesting. Visitors were asked to put in order of preference the reasons why they chose to come to Samui. The top reason was ‘the climate’, with ‘friendly people’ coming a close second. But in third place came ‘quality of dining’. This had several options that could be ticked-off and the most popular response was ‘top international cuisine’, with ‘traditional Thai food’ coming only half way down the list. It seems that the majority of folk who come here really enjoy their food.

But how do you find the best places to eat? Well, there are two ways of doing this. One is cored in the pioneering spirit, with word of mouth and the sense of adventure driving gourmets to discover

Well, yes, I suppose I am talking in code – a bit – as it’s a cunning play on words. The name of the resort is X2 . . . said as ‘Cross To’, although the resort’s full title is ‘X2 Samui’, subtitled ‘ . . . cross to a new dimension of luxury and design’ – you get the drift. And, in line with this, the resort’s very chic, airy, low-key and high roof, open-plan restaurant is simply titled ‘4K’. (No prizes for working out how this is intended to be said.)

This is a resort where the design flair lies in the lack of it – minimalistically speaking. Today the cutting edge of boutique hotel chic is in subtle understatement, usually offset by an elegant flair that incorporates highlights of natural woods and fabrics together with the contrast of scrubbed concrete and living greenery. And this is X2. And

it’s also very much evident in its signature restaurant, 4K. The restaurant is open on three sides, but the thing that slows you down and makes you gaze around is the combination of the dramatic seascape and the immensely high ceiling. It’s perched on several lofty pillars, and there are different levels in the wooden flooring, making for natural space-breaks in the layout. But it’s the manner in which the furnishings relate to all this – it’s more like a lounge than a restaurant, with huge and comfortable loungers that are almost like daybeds with a backrest. For those who prefer to be sat-up rather than laid-back, there is a range of very individual but traditional seating, too. And all of it with that dreamy, almost surrealistic, 180 degrees of golden sand as a backdrop, complete with distant islands, little fishing boats and a landmark coral reef that obligingly provides a sense of scale. Never mind the food: it’s worth it just for the sunsets!

“But we do mind the food”, I hear you murmuring, your appetites already fired up and whetted. So, then, down to business, and therefore an introduction to the man behind the menu. Enter Executive Chef, Julian Fernandez.

Julian is no novice to the international culinary scene, having previously served his time at 5-star restaurants in Spain, Columbia, Argentina and Turkey, amongst other locales. He has a refreshingly delicious approach to his cuisine, favouring a creatively different interpretation of local dishes, but with very much the influence

and approach of someone raised with South American cooking. It’s quite unique and has resulted in a menu you just won’t find elsewhere on the island.

“South American cuisine uses a lot of grain and different pulses, beans and so on,” Julian explained, “but these are used together in dozens of different ways. Wherever I find myself I always spend months exploring the local dishes. Then ideas occur to me, and I combine different elements and approaches from the local dishes with some of the South American techniques. So here you’ll find Italian pasta dishes with rich Madeira sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms and cream. Or bruschetta topped with cheese, apple, walnut and honey. Or a traditional northern Thai dish like laab moo (spicy ground pork) in a Mexican taco with tomato, onion and coriander. I’m an advocate of flavour. I don’t believe in the culinary philosophy that flavours should be tuned down, or that sauces should be thinned and diluted. I think flavours should be rich and full, and my art is to tailor them so as to add complementary textures and aftertastes to the dish.”

simmered with carrots, onions, celery and rosemary for 24 hours until it’s all dissolved together. Or that the long marinade has been in red wine and bay leaves. But the first mouthful halts you in your tracks. The sauce is sublime and just packed with flavour, wonderfully offsetting the crispness of the lightly grilled potato slices.

And the meat is prime New Zealand cutlet. It’s all too wonderful for (more!) words.

Get yourself across to X2 around the sunset time of 6:00 pm. Enjoy the happy hour with half-price cocktails. Nibble a plate or two of the equally super selection of tapas, while you watch the gold of the sky spread onto the sea. And then pay homage to the lamb cutlets, courtesy of Chef Julian. But don’t forget to book your place – this is one signature dish that needs prior notice!

Rob De Wet For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7723 3033. www.x2resorts.com

Which brings us to the unique signature dish of 4K. It’s lamb chops! But looking at what you’ll find on the plate gives no clue at all as to what’s just about to set your taste buds tap-dancing. Not even the menu listing does this: ‘Lamb Chops – cutlets marinated in herbs and wine with grilled vegetables and lentils’. There’s no mention that the sauce is a reduction of thick beef stock that’s

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17

10 Reasons Why I Love Wine…

I often refer to myself as a wine lover. And I don’t believe it’s too strong a term, because I mean it. Without wine, my life would be much poorer. A deep chasm would be left in me that no amount of Cornish real ale, delicately blended Scotch whisky, Bombay gin and tonic, or naturally sparkling mineral water from Switzerland could ever fill.

Here, in no particular order, are just some of my reasons for preferring wine to any other libation on the planet: 1. Food accompaniment.

Wine and food are made for each other. Like Lennon and McCartney, the two together add up to more than the sum of the parts. Char-grilled rib eye steak with a robust Aussie Cabernet Sauvignon, roasted duck salad with Californian red Zinfandel, or delicately poached lemon sole with Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, all perform together to make sweet music on the palate.

2. The tactile nature of wine is irresistible.

The perfect-quantity-for-two-people chunky wine bottle, the gleaming tall-stemmed balloon glassware, the ritual of opening and tasting, all give wine an edge over other beverages. It has to be the most romantic drink known to mankind.

Who, in their right minds, ever toasts relationship milestones, like engagements or silver wedding anniversaries, with frothy cans of lager?

3. Diversity.

The old adage goes that variety is the spice of life. Well look no further. There are hundreds of grape varieties worldwide. And just about every country in the world, with a suitable climate, is now cultivating wine, and with that come all the varying methods and traditions. Two wines made from the same grape (or blend) and similar geographical conditions, can taste intriguingly different when made by different countries. And happily, despite the best efforts of the self-appointed French wine police, there is no right and wrong in style and methods of production. It is completely up to the winemaker to express his personal preferences in characteristics, flavours and blends. Other beverages display boringly stringent consistency.

4. Health.

There is agreement amongst most health professionals that moderate wine (red wine in particular) drinking is beneficial. The exceptionally long life expectancy in some parts of the Mediterranean was a mystery until late last century, when wine consumption was proven to be a major contributing factor. Wine is very a natural product, made from fermented grape juice and very little else. And stands alone as a healthy alcoholic drink, no doctors have seriously suggested drinking beer or spirits for their health benefits, as far as I am aware.

5. History and culture.

Wine is the oldest alcoholic beverage known to man. Even today, a bottle of wine can convey a rich history. European vineyards have treasured heritages, going back hundreds of years. The cultural process of wine making is one of nurture, from beginning to end, done in highly focused, small amounts by talented wine masters on site. Although it’s true that mass production has now become more common in new world countries, like Australia. It’s a relatively new phenomenon, and does have the added advantage of sophisticated technology and economies of scale.

6. Aroma.

I love the aromatic qualities of wine. I know it looks a little affected to continually swill and sniff a glass of wine, but the wine’s bouquet is one of its hidden pleasures. The more you practice, the more expert you become at detecting the nuances of a fine wine. Some professional tasters say that the aroma is more useful to them, when assessing a wine, than actual taste.

7. Colour.

Second only to aroma, colour is an important non-taste signal of a wine’s condition. Simply put, the more radiant and lustrous the colour, whether it’s red, white or rosé, the better. And holding up a one-third filled glass to the light, to

At The Sea Koh Samui, Bang Por Beach

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examine the maroon and purple hues of a vintage Barolo, is one of the small pleasures that make a wine lover’s life worth living. (Sad, I know.)

8. Alcohol content is just right.

These days, most red wines average about 13% alcohol content, and whites around 11%. This means one can drink comfortable amounts, without the bloating and resulting frequent trips to the bathroom experienced when drinking beer. And equally importantly, you don’t have to worry about getting drunk too quickly, as with spirits. Wine’s happy-medium alcohol level allows you to savour its taste, and other endearing characteristics, without the fear of losing control over vital bodily or cerebral functions.

9. There is always an occasion for wine.

As far as any wine lover is concerned, it never needs to be a special celebration to warrant the opening of a bottle. Maybe it’s Wednesday night pizza dinner and that Chianti is calling you. Or a friend drops in unexpectedly and you crack open a crisp Cava. That simple glass of bubbly transforms the evening on the terrace into an impromptu party. Or it’s your anniversary and it’s time to break out the Opus One from 1997 you have been saving for a candlelit dinner. Perhaps you had a horrendous afternoon at the office and the only thing that

will save the day is Spanish tapas, and several glasses of Rioja!

10. Wine is like women.

I remember attending a wine dinner where, whilst drinking a gorgeous South Australian Shiraz, a fellow wine buff commented that a good wine was like a good woman, because it needed tender loving care, and a stable home environment. That started a wine-fuelled slightly sexist (but hopefully forgivable) all-male conversation about the similarities between wine and women. “Because there are so many to choose from”, was the first suggestion.

Followed somewhat ruefully by: “The good ones are all taken”, and “They cost you an arm and a leg.” Someone else got a laugh with: “Some age more gracefully than others.” But I think the most astute and wonderful remark was that: “Exotic ones are intimidating, but ultimately more exciting, whereas readily available ones are safer and more reliable.”

Peter James

Free flow delicious THApas (Thai Fusion Tapas) paired with 2 glasses of fine wines

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Fine Beach & Hillside Dining at Samui's Newest Venue Quality Thai, Seafood & International Dishes The Ultimate Samui Dining Experience!

No visit to Samui is complete until you have dined at The Barge

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

Chaweng Beach Road Chaweng North Tel: 0 7742 9400 Fax: 0 7742 9498 E-mail: reservation@norabeachresort.com www.norabeachresort.com

It’s all happening at Nora Beach Resort & Spa Monday Night Buffet Dinner with South-East Asian Cuisine With live cooking Teppanyaki and entertainment by Flair Bartending Show Wednesday Night Enjoy our Beach BBQ with entertainment by Samui Dance & Fire Dance Show Saturday Night BBQ Seafood Buffet with entertainment by “The Beauty Cabaret Show” Daily Cooking Class & Fruit Carving Class Learn to cook 3 Thai dishes - Baht 1,500 net / person Fruit Carving Course - Baht 1,400 net / person Prices are inclusive of chef hat, apron and certificate Advance reservation required Happy Hour Buy 1 Get 1 Free at Pool Bar 3pm - 5pm & at Lobby Lounge 7pm - 8pm and 10pm - 11pm Private Romantic Dinner Only you and your loved one dining on the beach with private chef and waiter/waitress Available daily. Advance reservation required For further information please telephone 0 7742 9400

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