September 2016

SAMUI

www.samuiholiday.com

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SEPTEMBER 2016

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

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

Low Key and Up Market

Samui has some of the finest food anywhere, but there’s no need to dress up for it!

What’s your style? I mean, is your idea of a perfect meal sitting on the beach at a BBQ, or are you happier with silver service and fine-dining? Well, this is Samui. And even the finest of diners don’t wear a necktie. For sure, everyone likes to dress up to go out, but on our island paradise a clean pair of shorts and a T-shirt is fine! Plus, happily, something more elegant for the ladies, maybe?

But keep it in mind that the best restaurants are hidden from view – which is of course where Samui Wining & Dining comes in. We’ll pick out some of the finest for you, especially those where you can enjoy a quality meal right on the beach, with a sky full of stars and the sea

whispering nearby. But if you’re more at home with the cool ambiance of low lights and air-con, have a look inside our pages, and then take your pick!

But we’re not just a tropical paradise; we’re a gourmet’s paradise too. So it’s not really surprising that just about everyone here likes to pick ’n’ mix. Maybe a degustation menu with wine pairing one night. Then a local Thai meal the next. Then out for an Italian spread or an Indian curry. It’s all very affordable here.

And that includes all the beach clubs and the brunches, too – in which case just swimwear and a couple of dry towels will do nicely. And that’s about as laid-back as it gets!

SAMUI

SAMUI

Seafood Beach BBQ Buffet, Mondays & Thursdays

www.samuiholiday.com

SEPTEMBER 2016

FREE COPY

Sareeraya Villas & Suites

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

Low Key and Up Market

Samui has some of the finest food anywhere, but there’s no need to dress up for it!

What’s your style? I mean, is your idea of a perfect meal sitting on the beach at a BBQ, or are you happier with silver service and fine-dining? Well, this is Samui. And even the finest of diners don’t wear a necktie. For sure, everyone likes to dress up to go out, but on our island paradise a clean pair of shorts and a T-shirt is fine! Plus, happily, something more elegant for the ladies, maybe?

But keep it in mind that the best restaurants are hidden from view – which is of course where Samui Wining & Dining comes in. We’ll pick out some of the finest for you, especially those where you can enjoy a quality meal right on the beach, with a sky full of stars and the sea

whispering nearby. But if you’re more at home with the cool ambiance of low lights and air-con, have a look inside our pages, and then take your pick!

But we’re not just a tropical paradise; we’re a gourmet’s paradise too. So it’s not really surprising that just about everyone here likes to pick ’n’ mix. Maybe a degustation menu with wine pairing one night. Then a local Thai meal the next. Then out for an Italian spread or an Indian curry. It’s all very affordable here.

And that includes all the beach clubs and the brunches, too – in which case just swimwear and a couple of dry towels will do nicely. And that’s about as laid-back as it gets!

Graeme Malley Editor

Individuality and Creativity RockPool Restaurant’s dishes have been crafted by a dynamic young chef to bring you amazingly good tastes.

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Akaphon Phongninlaarphon (Don) Photographer

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Dimitri Waring Feature Writer

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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. 2016

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A love of different foods and cultures, a passion for cooking and a desire to bring his guests exceptional tastes hallmarks Lucas Leonardi Varin’s quest as a chef who’s totally committed to bringing dining pleasures to all. Step through the doors of Kanda Residences Samui, where RockPool is located, and you're in for treats that meld the traditional with flavours from all round the globe.

An urban wanderer of epic proportions, after studying cooking in his native Brazil, Lucas worked in Brazil, the Caribbean, France, Corsica and Australia, before coming to Asia and seeing Vietnam and Japan. He’s visited no less than 20 countries in all, and knows what tastes go together, and can put ingredients together that come from such far-flung places that they might appear to be culinary mismatches. But when you try his dishes, you'll be seduced by flavours that are always vibrant and fresh. There are no

gimmicks here; nothing outlandish or risible – it’s simply about great tastes and food that’s been lovingly prepared. It’s not the work of a clever maverick either; Lucas has worked in classical Michelin-starred restaurants where, as he puts it, “You have to learn to not just do the very, very best, but also to be creative.”

If you come during the day, you can try the all-day dining menu which focuses on light, fresh cuisine with a generous array of salads, sandwiches, wraps and burgers and a mouth-watering selection of popular Thai dishes.

In the evenings, RockPool offers fine dining with a medley of dishes that are bound to please.

Some are more traditional, while others are more innovative.

being cooked on one side only. That one side is almost raw, as in the best sushi, while the other is seared. When you eat it, it looks like two different fish that have been prepared in different ways. It comes with black rice, familiar to all who’ve lived in Asia, then, an unexpected touch, chorizo from Spain and a mango sauce. The salmon itself is from Norway, making this a very international dish. It’s Scandinavian gone walk-about. It’s beautifully presented and a treat to dine on. If you're used to pan-fried salmon, you'll realize that this dish is a few steps ahead on most variations. You'll find it on the dinner menu, which is filled with dishes that take no note of borders and countries, but are composed of ingredients that complement each other admirably.

Highly recommended is the quirkily-named unilateral salmon (unilateral has nothing to do with disarmament by the way), so called due to it

For desserts, it’d be hard to think of delicacies that could be more tempting. Temptation Chocolate, for example, consists of dark

chocolate fondue, white chocolate mousse, sand chocolate, milk chocolate and bourbon vanilla ice-cream. There are other ingredients included, not on this list but you get the drift – it’s chocolate heaven. You'll also find a cheese cake, lemon tart, a sorbet fruit salad and simple but mouth-watering ice creams.

If you don't have a sweet tooth, you'll like that rarity on Samui, a cheese board with four different cheeses, served on a slate board along with nuts, dried fruit and toasted bread.

In addition to its à la carte menu, RockPool has some special promotions at various times, offering exceptionally good value. On Wednesdays, you can relax poolside from midday till 7:00 pm and enjoy a pizza fresh from the wood-fired pizza oven along with a choice of six ice cold beers.

Oysters & Bubbles is the theme on Fridays with a special price for ten oysters accompanied by sparkling cocktails or bubbly wine. The offer

A drink from Paradise...available on Earth

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

starts at 6:30 pm. The oysters, incidentally, are totally fresh, as they're flown in live from their place of origin, France.

On Saturdays, from midday till 7:00 pm, you'll find a delectable offer for mojito lovers, called Mo’ Mojitos, where flavoured jugs of mojito are served with delicious calamari – the combination’s an excellent one and with the seaside ambience, RockPool’s the ideal place to enjoy such tipples.

The restaurant is located above a wild and picturesque coastline; you can look north along a series of rocky bays towards Choeng Mon and south towards Chaweng with its white sandy beaches. It’s a wonderful setting and away from all the crowds. It exudes a timeless elegance, and once you're seated it’s very easy to let the cares of the world simply slip away.

You'll find Kanda three kilometres north of Chaweng. Simply drive along the beach road and keep on going northwards until you see Kanda Residences on your right. Once there, hop into a buggy and you'll be driven to the restaurant itself.

RockPool also offers a romantic dinner, which is set up on the sands of the unspoiled little beach that’s next to the resort. Because it’s part of a bay, the beach sees no visitors at all – it’s totally deserted. For the dinner choose between a western or Thai set. Either comes with a bottle of wine. Definitely reserve ahead for this to avoid disappointment. It also takes the staff a little time to set up something this special; you'll be seated at a decorated table that is inside a white-cotton gazebo. It’s definitely very romantic and shows how far RockPool goes to please its guests.

because of the food itself, but because you know you'll be looked after superbly. Staff always give you a warm welcome, and nothing seems to be too much trouble. They can also answer just about every question about the dishes and the wines that go with them, and can help you make an informed choice about what to eat.

Lucas is also in charge of training the entire culinary team, and has improved standards across the board. It’s a delight to eat here, not just

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

Enormously popular with island residents and holidaymakers alike, there are many reasons to choose RockPool for lunch, dinner or a simple drink. Whilst enjoying the beautiful views, you can relax and enjoy dining that’s inspired by an exceptionally talented chef and his team.

Dimitri Waring

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

Trouble with the Sweet Stuff Sugarcane has evolved from an obscure grass to the world’s number one crop, but it’s not all sweetness and light.

Next time when you set off on a journey, be aware of what you're casually given to take along with you for the ride. You might be getting more than you bargained for – and so might the entire continent that you're visiting.

“How about popping these spindly plants in the hold of your ship?” sounds like an innocuous suggestion, but can turn out to be the start of a mighty and wondrous adventure. Even more so if it’s the 15th century and you're Christopher Columbus, off to trade with the New World.

When he set off on his second voyage to the Americas, in 1493, Columbus interrupted his journey to take on food and water in the Canaries. It was to be a brief stopover of several days, or so he thought, but that was before he met the governor of the island, Beatriz de Bobadilla. He had a passionate affair with her.

If you visit her castle – it’s a beautiful hotel today – you'll see that it’s the kind of place where you might want to linger for a long, long while, even without any love interest to hold you back. Columbus was no doubt loath to get back on his ship, an entire month later. But already destiny was taking a hand in matters.

Beatriz gave him some sugarcane cuttings to take with him. It was hardly a romantic present, but sailing to unmapped territories called for practical items such as cuttings, and Columbus

was probably happy to receive them. While he was sailing, did he even think about the sugarcane? Who knows? What’s certain is that he was used to taking many things with him on board, and bringing back other things. It was definitely a two-way trade: back to the Old World came items such as potatoes, tomatoes, chocolate, tobacco, pineapples and chillies, none of which had ever been seen before in Europe.

cultivate, but it’s worth doing as sugarcane has two amazing abilities: it can create sucrose in large quantities. And it can then efficiently store it, until it’s ready to be extracted. Sugarcane was an obscure Asian perennial grass of the genus Saccharum, but news of its sweetness gradually spread east. And so did the plant itself. One of its first ports of call was India, where farmers began to cultivate it in earnest. This was round about 500 BC.

Meanwhile, he planted the sugarcane on the island of Hispaniola, today’s Haiti and Dominican Republic. He probably didn’t think too much of the consequences. But unknown to him, he’d just started off an entire industry in North, South and Central America – sugar production. He changed the lives of many, in good ways and in bad. Fortunes were made because of him; fortunes lost; lives uprooted and culinary habits changed forever.

Six hundred years later, an Indian chemist gave the plant a mighty boost. He found a way to turn the extract of the sugarcane, sucrose, into a crystal substance. This made it easier to transport and to trade. Sugarcane became even more popular, spreading still further, across Asia and then to the Middle East. Arab traders fell in love with sugar and took it with them when they conquered Egypt. Sugarcane reached Spain in the first millennium, and the Crusaders came across its sweet extract, sugar. They reported seeing caravans that carried what they thought was a type of ‘sweet salt’. A few tastings of this substance, and they wanted more of it. News spread and Europe began to buy sugar from the Middle East.

If he were still alive today and could see what he’d started, what would he think? He’d probably say: it would have happened anyway.

And he's right. We’re talking about sugar. And sugar is unstoppable. And it’s been that way since the first humans bit down into sugarcane.

The plant grew wild and was first domesticated in one of the world’s most remote places, New Guinea, around 8,000 BC. It isn’t easy to

Of course, it was cheaper to establish sugarcane plantations rather than buy sugar, and European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, tried to

do this. And that’s how Beatriz de Bobadilla could get her hands on the plant – it grew in the Canaries as it did in the Azores and elsewhere.

But the plant was to fare much, much better in the Americas, where the climate was more favourable and there were vast tracts of lands, ideal for the plantations.

There was just one drawback to those plantations. Endless acreage, endless possibilities for massive crops of sugarcane … but not enough people to do the planting, harvesting and processing. Yet there was a simple answer. It was one that was to further darken one of the most evil chapters in human history: the slave trade. Over the years, 12 million slaves were forcibly shipped from Africa, allowing sugarcane harvests and sugar production to reach unprecedented levels. Prices dropped because of this, and finally in the 19th century sugar became available to everyone.

Today, sugar, is cheap and available everywhere, and the amount consumed by many people has reached epic proportions. It’s estimated, for example, that the average American will consume an industrial-sized dumpster truck of sugar over a lifetime.

(Compare that to Elizabethan England, where an unskilled labourer would have had to work three or four days just to earn enough to buy a

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.

For reservations or more information call +66 77 234 500 www.rockpoolsamui.com Facebook: rockpool.kohsamui 4 www.siamwininganddining.com

pound of sugar. It was a substance that only the rich could afford.)

Sugarcane is now the world’s largest crop, if calculated by metric tonne. In 2010, it was estimated that over 23.8 million hectares of sugarcane were cultivated in nearly 100 countries around the world, with a worldwide harvest of 1.69 billion tonnes. The largest producers are Brazil, then India, China, Pakistan, Thailand and Mexico. Also, sugarcane represents a source for 75-80% of worldwide sugar production, with the majority of the rest coming from sugar beet.

Sugarcane’s certainly not set to go out of fashion anytime soon. But it’s going to have to deal with the unpleasant truths that have emerged about it; sugar is branded the single worst ingredient in the modern diet, and we all know that it causes a great amount of poor health, disease and death. So something will have to be done to curb its sheer popularity. It’s too good for its own good. If there's such a thing as moderation, it certainly doesn’t apply to sugarcane.

Natalie Hughes

Tempting Trio From breakfast to dinner Sun, Moon & Star at Silavadee Pool Spa Resort has you covered. And then there’s the romantic side too.

Often overlooked on travels around Samui, there’s a remote-feel headland that’s located just as you come into Lamai. Most people rush past, never realizing it’s there. It’s home to Silavadee Pool Spa Resort, which boasts a very fine and picturesque setting. As a get-away destination, it could hardly be better. With its beautiful views and lush gardens, it’s a wonderful place, and you could easily while away a good few weeks here. But you don't need to be a guest to enjoy the resort. A trio of restaurants are to be found here in a single building, providing great views and equally tempting food. Sun, Moon, Star is the name of this three-in-one restaurant, and just like the celestial bodies they're named after, each is quite different.

Sun dazzles with its barbecue food. You can expect amazingly good grilled seafood and meats while you look out over the sea as evening falls across the panorama before you.

The deck here is spacious and open-air, and dining is very casual and relaxed. There’s also a pool bar where you can kick back with a range of food and drinks during the long, hot days.

Moon, meanwhile, is an air-conditioned masterpiece of contemporary luxury. Spacious and with plenty of teak wood, it’s an all-day dining venue that starts early with sumptuous breakfasts that are a tasty mix between buffet and à la carte. In addition to the delicious early morning fare you'd expect to find at any resort of this calibre, there’s now a range of very

healthy breakfasts: choose between warm Asian and western dishes that use the finest organic products, all from Samui.

or Bophut) then the resort throws in a complimentary pick-up service, though you're advised to book in advance.

For lunch and dinner, Moon offers its extensive international and Mediterranean cuisine. Samui being an island, the restaurant includes plenty of seafood with a nice accent on fish grilled over charcoal. It features choices of lobster, tiger prawns, and white snapper.

Finally we come to Star. Just outside Moon you'll find some steps that lead upwards; follow them, and you'll come to a flat rooftop deck. There’s no roof or covering of any kind, so you can see the entire canvas of stars right overhead. And that’s not all. Star has an extraordinarily wide panoramic view allowing you to see virtually the entire seascape. You can enjoy some delicious cocktails up here, as well as a select tapas menu.

For mains, again there's a wide selection and everything’s cooked to perfection. Choose between grilled beef tenderloin, Asian-style duck breast and roasted pork ribs. And there are no less than 16 side dishes to accompany your choice. Chef recommendations include Japanese tuna, grilled salmon, and mixed grill seafood and sashimi lobster. Vegetarians, meanwhile, can enjoy lasagne, tortilla or spinach cannelloni. It’s altogether an exquisite experience to eat here and you'll be well looked after by some of the island’s best-trained staff: they're courteous, friendly and utterly professional.

You'll find the atmosphere very informal, and Silavadee does its utmost to promote a relaxed feel throughout the entire resort. It’s also very easy to get here. On the ring-road on the eastern edge of Lamai take the turning by the IT Centre and head up the small lane for about two kilometres until you come to the resort.

Incidentally, if you're coming from Lamai as a party of two or more, (or four if from Chaweng

And then there are the gourmet romantic dinners that Star offers. After enjoying a cocktail or drink, and watching the sun go down, you're escorted to your table, which is sunk into an infinity pool.

It’s a beautiful setting; from your table you can enjoy both the stars and the sea. It’s very minimalist in a way – there are no walls, ceiling or buildings to be seen. You can feel the balmy night surrounding you and hear the restful sound of the wave on the rocks beneath. Since there are just four tables here, you'll need to reserve in advance, and try to arrive early to take advantage of the sunsets. For couples, this must surely be one of the island’s finest romantic dining opportunities. It starts with a seafood dish of Baked White Prawns, Salmon and Red Tuna in White Wine Pernod Sauce. It’s accompanied by some very select Japanese caviar and comes paired with a delicious French white wine, L’or de Potiron. Then comes the Silavadee Seafood

Soup. Don’t let the name mislead you; it sounds disarmingly humble but turns out to be a rich and highly tasty dish comprising Andaman seafood with a herb and cream broth. The wine that it’s paired with is a Chilean sauvignon blanc, Paso Del Sol Central Valley.

Following these two dishes, you and your partner will be presented with an orange sorbet before moving on to the main course. And here you’ll have to make a decision. You can opt for Grilled Breast of Duck in Orange Sauce, accompanied by a Chilean cabernet sauvignon, also courtesy of the Paso Del Sol – it’s a highly delicious combination. Or maybe you would prefer fish? In this case, there’s Fillet of Salmon, in Pesto Mayonnaise Sauce, with spaghetti, and for wine, an Italian pinot, Cantine Atesine Venesie IGT. The evening closes with a sumptuous dessert, Raspberry & Vanilla Panna Cotta. After this you’ll want to linger over tea or coffee before while continuing to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere and the superb views.

Prices are extremely reasonable and you can expect an amazing evening.

Sun, Moon, Star aren’t the only dining opportunities at Silavadee; there’s a further option if you're more interested in eating Thai food – The Height. This restaurant has two air-conditioned sections as well as extensive out-door terraces that are very popular. It’s here that seriously good Thai food is prepared by an expert chef and served to discerning diners. You

can try some of the nation’s favourite traditional dishes, as well as some east-meets-west takes.

For example, massaman curry usually comes with beef or chicken – but how about one that’s made with lamb? The combination works extremely well. Most of the dishes on the menu are, however, keep to very traditional recipes.

The food here is delicate and satisfying, and there's no need to wonder if it’ll be too spicy for you – just tell the waiting staff your preferences.

People make a beeline for The Height on Tuesdays when the chef and his team put on a mouth-watering buffet.

At Silavadee there’s truly something for everyone, from Thai food to international.

Everything is beautifully made and presented, and tastes great. All of this is combined with a secluded, deliciously private setting with uninterrupted vistas of the sea and sky. It’s very beautiful and always romantic. Holiday memories are made of places like these.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7796 0555. www.silavadeeresort.com

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

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

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

Fisherman’s Village

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

Free Parking available at The

Wharf!!

www.siamwininganddining.com 5

Food Ahead Hungry? Take to the road and you'll find countless snacking opportunities.

Travel round the ring-road on Samui, or any other of the island’s roads for that matter, and you're never short of food. We’re not just talking about the many established restaurants and eateries that you'll see as you whizz round, but the hundreds and hundreds of smaller places.

To even see them, you'll need two people: one to drive and one to be the look-out. These places often seem camouflaged against the urban backdrop. Nobody has ever managed to count the number of food stalls and small eateries on the ring-road. And those are just the ones that are fixed in place.

To get started in the food business is no easy matter. The simplest form of vending is when a shoulder yoke is used, and the vendor walks along selling his or her food – as you'll often see on Samui’s beaches. It’s an exhausting business, as you can imagine. The next rung up this freewheeling ladder is, yes, a set of wheels: a cart that you push. Or better still, a mobile cart which is attached to a motorbike. Beyond this, wheels assume less importance: a fixed stall or small shop is next on the list. But some vendors like to keep things simple – or is it that they value their freedom? They keep to their carts and a fluid way of life. That’s why when you're driving round the ring-road, there are many other options besides looking for the tiny restaurant-shops. Things in Thailand aren’t so fixed.

If you're driving behind a mobile food cart, you'll realize it’s going at a much slower pace than the rest of the traffic. You may even see that there’s food cooking on the cart. I once saw a driver half turn on his bike, not to look behind him, but to flip over the sausages he was grilling on a barbecue placed over the rear wheel.

Dangerous? Certainly. There should be a law against cooking and driving. Vending transport may look rickety but it’s not cheap to buy. For a deluxe motorized cart, you might expect to pay about 30,000 Baht. But it’s cheaper if you make your own, and perhaps ask a friendly welder to complete it for you. A lot of carts aren’t in very good shape. They've stood the test of time – but only just! You'll often see that they wheels don’t meet the ground vertically, but lean over in a very wonky way. It may come as a surprise that all such vendors have to be licensed, even if their transport isn’t exactly roadworthy.

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With mobile carts you may hear them before you see them. Ice-creams are sold amidst catchy music blaring from a microphone, while the rattle of chopsticks on bamboo hails the noodle cart. Squeaky horns presage other vehicles, and local residents know which one it is, simply by looking at a clock: the same face, the same cart, at the same time. It’s all part of the Thai daily rhythm. Some people know when to get up, because the vendor’s sounding his horn outside the house, regular as clockwork.

Much of the roadside food you'll find comes from carts and many have been so long in the same place that the tyres have sunk down into the dust. Almost by attrition, the immediate area around the stall becomes annexed and you'll find nails driven into wall, pots and pans hanging there or signs that the vendor has put down their commercial tent pegs in the spot.

A favourite roadside snack is ‘moo ping’ or grilled pork, which is accompanied by sticky rice. You may well only be alerted to the presence of the vendor by the smoke coming off their barbecue, which is probably going to be right on the street or niched into a literal hole-in-the-wall. The pork is comes on a stick, like a miniscule kebab. What could be simpler or more delicious? You simply state the number of sticks you’d like. You may have to wait a couple of minutes, but usually, your food’s bagged up for you on the spot. Often vendors like this use carts which you'll see in exactly the same place day after day. If they've managed to secure a bit of a space, say in-between buildings, you'll probably also find an awning and maybe a chair for them to sit out on when they have no customers. The pork is all prepared at home, before they arrive, and is thus kept hygienic.

Look out for a couple of Chinese-style treats, such as ‘pedt toon’ or slices of duck that’s braised and served with chilli sauce and white rice, or egg noodles served with a mix of pork, chicken, and seafood or sometimes simply fried and then given a chicken topping.

You'll also find ‘khao soi’ or egg noodles in curry, a dish that has its origins in the north and is made with noodles, curry and then chicken or beef. It’s often served with shallots and a slice of lime.

At more established places that are big enough to support tables, you can indulge in ‘khao gang’ or curry rice. It’s a fixture on Samui, just as it is everywhere else in the country. You can have it not just for lunch but breakfast as well, but be warned that for some western tastes it’s quite spicy. To see what you'd like just lift the lids on the tureens that face out from the stall and check out what’s in them. You'll probably find a green or red chicken curry and one that has some kind of seafood in it, one of the most popular being shrimp.

Puddings can also be found and make a great snack, with various ‘khanom’ or cakes – often made here on Samui with coconut – and ice-cream, again often with a coconut base.

You'll also find jellies, desserts made with beans, and banana-based treats. If it’s a drink you’d like, many vendors sell all manner of brightly coloured soft drinks, and you'll still find some who sell ‘cha yen’ or ice tea, Thai style, and ‘kafee boraan’ or traditional style Thai coffee. If that’s not enough, you'll see fruit carts that sell watermelon, pineapple and papaya, which are cut up and placed in a bag for you – for many this is the most convenient way to get their daily fruit intake. For the vendor, it’s probably the easiest food to offer.

For cooked dishes, most vendors opt to sell food that they've been cooking for years. So you can expect great tastes at just about every place you stop off at. And everything’s prepared efficiently. Street food here on Samui, as in the rest of Thailand, has to be totally fresh, safe to eat, and ready to serve at a moment’s notice.

Even though such food faces steadily growing competition from malls, plazas and larger restaurants, it’s still a thriving though informal institution, and not an evolutionary dead end that belongs to some earlier time that’s going out of fashion. Street food is here to stay, in other words – and above all to be relished.

Dimitri Waring

Exceeding Expectations Nora Beach Resort & Spa excels when it comes to romantic dining on the beach.

For over a decade, Nora Beach has catered for Samui’s weddings, receptions and romantic beachside dinners with a mix of carefully thought out service and mouth-watering food.

The chef and his team have gained considerable experience over the years, and can handle every kind of request that they receive. They're also dab hands at reading the weather, which is notoriously tricky here on Samui, as the island has what amounts to its own micro-climate. What happens if things suddenly turn bad and rain is on its way? Guests can arrange another day to hold the dinner or it may be moved inside the restaurant. The set-up here is just as amazing as it would be on the beach; guests eat in an ornate roofed sala that’s very lavishly decorated. There’s no loss of privacy either, as this is a separate part of the restaurant and well away from the dining area. Indeed the entire resort has a very private feel, and is located just a couple of kilometres to the north of Chaweng, meaning it’s easily accessible but at the same time is far enough away to have a very secluded feel to it. To get there, just head north along the beach road as it leaves Chaweng, then follow the coast road until you see the signs for Nora Beach.

Whether you're dining on the beach or in the restaurant, the set-up is extraordinary: plenty of flowers and candles grace the scene, but the exact decoration depends on the couple’s choice; guests can specify exactly how the table and surrounding area should look. Often a special colour is called for, or a particular type of flower.

As you can imagine, there are many details to be taken into account but the overall aim is for the couple to be wowed when they see their table and its decor.

In charge of the private dining, you'll find the resort’s Executive Chef, Khun Sittichai Saephu.

He’s a very affable figure, warm-hearted and a veteran when it comes to pleasing his guests.

He’s been with Nora for 11 years, and was largely responsible for originally setting up these dinners in the first place. And he's also totally professional when it comes to cooking. He started out when he was 18, and has been a chef for over 30 years.

He’ll be making some of the dishes you choose right at your table. His approach isn’t just to deliver the food to you. He’ll first find out just how you like your dishes, and will explain the cooking procedures – this all leads to the dinner being very personalized. He naturally understands that not everyone has their own idea of how they’d like their food to be, especially if they're Thai dishes and perhaps not so familiar.

Sometimes though, his guests turn out to be more than familiar with dishes – they're chefs themselves, or are very much into cooking. So if they request, he’s happy to actually let them take over the reins; some diners like to do a bit of cooking right at the table and he’s fine with that.

(He also incidentally runs cooking classes at Nora Beach, where he focuses on getting people to cook professional-standard Thai favourites.)

If there's anything that unifies all these diners over the years, it’s the fact that for each of them, their private dinner will be a special experience, just for them, and one that will leave many a happy memory. In order to get things just right for each couple, Khun Sittichai explains that it’s more than just making sure the food’s great.

“There needs to be an element of spontaneity,” he says. “So I always ask a few questions about preferences before starting any cooking. It’s not a question of making repeat dishes in exactly the same way.”

It’s not an onerous process, either. It doesn’t take long and it pays dividends – the food will be exactly to the taste of the guests. And by the way, if they have allergies or are on a special diet the chef and his team can look after them and make sure that all their wishes and requirements are met.

If you've ever had the experience of having your own private chef, you'll realize how it alters the traditional dinner, where you simply turn up, browse through a menu, and then have your dishes cooked for you in an unseen kitchen by unseen hands – with no communication whatsoever. The chef therefore always starts off with a handicap; he or she can never know what your preferences are.

The prices for the romantic dinners vary according to what you choose, and range from 4,000 to 8,000 Baht. The price in each case is for a couple and includes alcoholic drinks, all taxes and service charges. There are three menus to choose from, a Thai and seafood barbecue menu, an international and seafood menu and a simpler one where you can opt for Thai or western dishes.

Each menu has many different choices, but don't worry if you'd like something else instead; simply inform the staff at the time of booking.

And of course, it goes without saying that you need to make a reservation – there's only one romantic dinner per evening at Nora Beach!

Each menu is filled with treats. Just to give a few examples, you can dine on rock lobster, salmon fish filet, rack of lamb, sushi, a green curry with king prawns or a sirloin steak from Australia – all depending on which menu you prefer. But naturally, let Chef Sittichai know exactly what you’d like and he’ll be glad to make it for you.

Couples have long been coming to Nora Beach for romantic times, and with great food and service, it’s not surprising that they leave feeling very happy after a wonderful evening. And with Chef Sittichai in charge, you're guaranteed a dependable and first-class experience from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 9400. www.norabeachresort.com

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Thailand’s Greatest Recipes Make it yourself: gai hor bai toey, or chicken wrapped in pandan leaves.

Although it might not look it, this dish, known as ‘gai hor bai toey’ in Thai, is very easy to make if you keep things simple. You'll need to work a little with a pestle and mortar – essential tools in any Thai kitchen – and to do a little folding of some pandan leaves, origami-style. It won’t be birds or animal shapes you'll be making, but one of Thailand’s abidingly popular dishes, with chicken featuring as almost the only ingredient.

But why make it at all, you might be asking?

What’s wrong with any of the thousands of great chicken recipes on the internet? Well, because this one looks and tastes very different. People have been known to fall in love with it, and so might you.

And that’s less to do with the chicken, and more because of the pandan leaves that are used.

Pandan is a type of long grass that you'll find throughout South-East Asia. When you walk past a clump of pandan on a hot and humid day, you'll be lured by its heady aroma. The plant is also known as screwpine, a medieval-sounding word which simply refers to the way its leaves spiral out and away from its stem. The leaves can be well over a metre in length, so when they're sold they’re generally cut into sections and then tied. Pandan leaves are used as a seasoning only, as they're too fibrous for direct consumption. In Thailand you'll find pandan is

often found with batter made from egg custard.

The leaves are tied into knots, dipped in the batter, and then kneaded again and again until the oils from the leaves are released. The effort’s well worth it as the results are delicious.

But it’s much simpler to make chicken wrapped in pandan leaves. It’s a dish that’s popular throughout Thailand, but you'll also find it in Malaysia and Indonesia. On Samui, you'll find it in here and there in restaurants, but it tends to be unknown amongst visitors from outside the country. That said, if you're cooking this dish back at home, you'll still probably be able to find pandan leaves in your local Asian supermarket. But what are those leaves even doing there? That’s because pandan is so often used as a natural flavour-enhancer in any number of dishes.

Pandan is perhaps more famous than it might be thanks to a curious case of fusion cuisine.

Chiffon cake became popular in the USA, and eventually the recipe made its way to South-East Asia, where it was given a real spin in the 1970’s; it was flavoured with pandan and caught on like wildfire. The cake’s new colour, at least in Asia, was a pleasing, vibrant green that was truly eye-catching. As some 50 pandan leaves are needed to flavour a chiffon cake, not surprisingly, manufacturers were ready to cut

corners and did so by using pandan paste that's artificial. The moral of the story is that you can’t beat the real thing, and buying pandan in a tube isn’t really going to work – it’ll have lost much of its distinctive flavour. And for making chicken, the leaves are essential; you can’t just stir-fry chicken with artificial pandan paste and get anywhere near the same tastes.

Pandan leaf by the way isn’t just tasty, it’s also healthy. It’s accredited with across-the-board powers, and has been used to treat inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. It’s helpful if you have a headache or earache and can be used to reduce fever. It’s also used as a laxative for children. Hopefully, though, you'll never need it to treat either leprosy or smallpox.

The delicious little parcels of chicken in pandan leaf are ideal for parties but can simply be every-day food. The recipe you use can be quite easy, like the one that you'll find underneath, or quite complex. But either way, the dish is sure to please.

Ingredients • 5 cloves of garlic • 5 coriander stalks and roots • Pepper and salt to taste • 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce • 1 ½ tablespoons of sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon of flour • Small pandan leaves for wrapping, cut into segments • Sunflower oil for frying •900 grams of chicken filet Preparation First, roughly chop up the garlic and coriander then grind using a pestle and mortar.

Alternatively, you can place them in a blender.

Either way, make sure you end up with a thickish paste.

Remove the skin from the chicken and cut up into about 25 small portions. Mix the chicken with the paste along with the salt and pepper, the oyster sauce, sesame oil and flour. Leave to marinate in a fridge overnight, or at the very least for three hours.

For the next stage, aim to make paper cups out of the pandan leaves. First wash the leaves, and then when they're completely dry, bring the base of the leaf up to the tip, thereby forming a kind of rough container. Into this, carefully place a single piece of the chicken, then make a tie. (By the way, there are plenty of instruction videos on YouTube showing you just how to do this.)

Or you can simply roll the chicken up in a bundle, securing it with a couple of toothpicks – this method is popular in Malaysia. You may

need a little patience at this stage but don’t even think about using a stapler, unless your dining guests have 20/20 vision and you warn them that you cheated slightly.

Now you're ready to proceed to the cooking stage. Using a wok, heat about six to eight centimetres of oil over a medium flame. Once it’s hot enough to sizzle a piece of leaf then place the chicken parcels into the wok and batch fry for up to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. By this time the parcels should feel firm.

Remove using a slotted spoon and allow to drain on some kitchen paper. The parcels can be eaten while still very hot or allowed to cool somewhat.

They'll taste delicious with slices of cucumber or with cucumber relish. The pandan leaves, by the way, should definitely not be eaten. Their function is simply to keep the juices of the chicken intact, resulting in very soft and juicy fried meat.

Dimitri Waring

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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Tables un der the Trees Samui Seafood Grill & Restaurant offers gourmet food in a lush setting.

Thirty years is a long time, especially on Samui where everything can change so quickly.

Buildings are pulled down, others go up and what’s here today is replaced tomorrow.

Chaweng moves in a blur that keeps even the most dedicated urban soul off-kilter. But not all the time. One of the island’s most popular restaurants is right now in its 30th year. It’s Samui’s original fish restaurant, and it dates back to the first wave of tourism. The road it was built on was just a dirt track in those days, and idly followed Chaweng’s sandy coastline.

The original premises were on the spacious side. After all, they could afford to be; there weren’t many other buildings around. The restaurant, simply called Samui Seafood, was as close to the island’s way of life as could be: it was run – and is still run – by a family whose job was fishing. Instead of selling at the market, they began to bring the fish to the restaurant and cooked it for their guests, who came in greater and greater numbers.

Visit the restaurant today and you'll find it in exactly the same place. It occupies one of the busiest spots on Chaweng’s beach road, but don’t expect to find a hectic eatery, all tight seating where you need to shout over the sound of the traffic. Just the opposite, in fact.

You walk into a garden setting filled with plants and trees. The mostly open-air restaurant consists of a number of pavilions, offering plenty of choice when it comes to seating. It’s a bit of a surprise to say the least, but a very pleasant one. Excellent as many Chaweng restaurants are, all but a handful on the street can boast a garden to sit and dine in. As such, Samui Seafood is unique. It also has a largish pond with its own fountain, waterfall, boulders, bridge and sections of lawn. Oh, and a lighthouse too. You'll find Samui Seafood just 200 metres down Chaweng Beach Road from the intersection with the lake road, right opposite Muang Samui Spa Resort.

Food at the restaurant is extraordinarily good.

That’s not surprising given that it’s inspired by Ajarn Amintra Dinakara Na Ayuthaya, a chef who comes from generations of cooks who

worked for the royal family. She inherited her family’s cooking skills, and is responsible for many of the Thai recipes that you'll find at Samui Seafood today. The person responsible for preparing these dishes is Executive Chef Ritthichai, a master of Thai and International cuisine. His years of experience have led him to become a maestro of the culinary arts, always striving to reach perfection. The delights of Thai cuisine have no secrets for him and rest assured that he will pass them to you, offering a memorable gastronomic experience.

At Samui Seafood you'll find over a hundred different dishes, and these can be broken down into the restaurant’s three specialities - seafood, Thai and Italian dishes. You'll probably need to spend quite a few minutes browsing the long menu, but you're bound to find something that'll appeal to you. This isn’t a restaurant where you have to make do with an approximate choice of what you'd like. Pretty much everything is on the list here. And there are great wines to go with everything.

Portions are on the generous side, and no matter what you order, the food is bursting with both freshness and great tastes. Samui Seafood is open from midday until midnight, with last food orders being at 11:30 pm. Be sure to book in advance if you'd like a particular table or are coming with a large number of guests.

Incidentally, children are particularly welcome here, and just as important, they even have their own space – a small playground where parents can watch them while dining.

If you've come to eat seafood, you'll find a very satisfying range at Samui Seafood. This is one place where you can totally indulge in lobster, for example. You can enjoy it baked in a creamy mushroom, bell pepper and wine sauce or Asian-style, with tamarind sauce or basil leaves. Or how about a tasty dish of oysters or king prawns? You'll also find scallops, squid, blue crab and so on. With freshly-caught fish and every kind of accompaniment to go with them, this is definitely a top-notch venue to sample seafood in all its forms. You can enjoy it

cooked Thai-style, or opt for an international preparation. For example, you could have deep-fried fish with Thai fish sauce and Thai salad, or a salmon fillet with béarnaise sauce.

For Thai food you'll find a full representation of the nation’s most popular dishes. Ask for the degree of spiciness you'd ideally like, and you'll find that staff will accommodate your wishes.

Beyond that, the food’s cooked to perfection, whether it’s a rice or noodle dish, a soup or curry, or even one of the more-ish desserts.

And by the way, in case you’re not a fish lover, there's no need to worry as the menu has scores of dishes that consist of meat or vegetables, or both. You can try, for example, the delicious lamb cutlets, a rigatoni with garlic, tomato and mozzarella sauce, or a chicken coconut cream soup or a crispy pork curry with pineapple.

The lunch menu is a little shorter than the evening’s, but should you not find what you're looking for, then the chef will be happy to cook anything you request from the fuller evening menu. Samui Seafood is a place where the staff will really try to make sure your wishes are fulfilled. Desserts are Thai and international, and in addition there's a range of Mövenpick ice-creams, and even a special air-conditioned room where you can enjoy them.

Since there's such a wide variety of dishes at Samui Seafood, and the setting’s so good, it’s not surprising that so many people choose to come here to relax and enjoy a meal, whether as a couple, family or a group of friends. With its unexpectedly green surrounds and a spectrum of gourmet food at reasonable prices, Samui Seafood ticks all the boxes. On the cusp of its 30th birthday, you can see that this is one restaurant that’s not just stood the test of time but looks forward to a bright future ahead.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 9700.

www.siamwininganddining.com

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Starring Full Moon

We take a look at what’s enticing so many people to dine at Anantara’s Full Moon restaurant in Bophut.

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Most of you won’t be familiar with the name ‘Anantara’. And yet it’s a well-respected brand name over here. Literally translated it means ‘water flowing without boundaries’ – ‘the infinite sea’. Or, more easily, ‘endless seascape’. It’s a memorable name. And the group behind these rather special 5-star resorts, Minor International, has been creating discrete, refined and quietly upmarket resorts under the Anantara brand since 2001, when their first property opened in Hua Hin. Expanding across Asia, the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Africa, Anantara now boasts a portfolio of 145 uniquely luxurious hotels and resorts, with 13 in Thailand alone. Each retreat offers distinct allures, and for Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort this is a blend of island magic, authentic Thai elegance and signature Anantara touches.

This luxury resort comes as something of a surprise, located right on the edge of Fisherman’s Village in Bophut. Running alongside for the next kilometre are some of the most sumptuously-landscaped resorts on the island.

These were all built at a time before the ‘Samui land-grab’, and before the maximum units needed to be squeezed into the minimum available space – back when ‘5-star’ meant acres of rambling greenery with towering mature trees, and the expression of style was being able to flaunt this

as a feature without the need to cram it full of little bungalows.

Indeed, driving into Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort, you’ll probably wonder where the resort actually is. There’s no sign of it as you trundle across the long wooden bridge over the lotus pond at the entrance. The ensuing avenue of enormous trees, dripping with hanging creepers and aerial roots, leads to another pond, this time adorned elegantly with a traditional Thai statue.

It’s only then that you’ll see the vaulted reception room on a higher level. The outlook from here reveals another huge lily pond, and it’s only as you stroll into the mature tropical courtyard garden that the rooms and balconies of southern Thai architectural style come into view.

Meandering on towards the beach you’ll emerge next to the resort’s signature fine-dining restaurant, ‘Full Moon’. Here, dining takes place on an al fresco deck with dual vistas of the shoreline infinity pool and lily pond garden.

Matching its stunning coastal setting, Full Moon’s ‘contemporary char-grill’ menu is essentially Mediterranean, with an emphasis on Southern Italian dishes, although you’ll find plentiful selections from France and Spain too. Needless to say, a great many of the ingredients are imported.

The pork comes from pedigree Japanese

Kurobuta pigs, and New Zealand and Australia are sourced for beef and lamb that has been organically-reared and grain-fed. More to the point, Executive Chef Christoph Linder is fastidious a about buying in as much of his seafood as possible that’s been certified as sustainable by the international Marine Stewardship Council. Even the bread here is outstanding; all made in-house, fresh every day, with non-industrial forms of yeast, and Christoph makes his own sourdough especially for this.

While the à la carte menu is impressive, a particular favourite among guests are the various set menu offerings. Full Moon always does things in style, and that’s never been more true than the simply splendid ‘4-course Set Menu on the Beach’. Not only is the menu exquisite, but you’ll also be allocated you own private gazebo (one of only 12 available) right on the sand. Candle-lit and oh-so-romantic, there’s nothing else like this anywhere on the island.

The modest description of ‘four courses’ doesn’t begin to convey the extravagance of what you’ll be experiencing, starting off with a generous Martini followed by an ‘amuse bouche surprise’.

Then take your pick from either ‘Pan-seared duck foie gras with mango chutney, beetroot reduction and pistachio crumble’, or ‘Seared Hokkaido

scallop, burned pumpkin mash, roasted bean purée and beetroot Carpaccio’. Proceed onto one of the following: ‘Oven roasted Mediterranean turbot, morel sauce, parmigiana and green asparagus’, or ‘Truffled Australian beef tenderloin, Portobello duxelle, roasted cauliflower and steamed carrot bruneoise’. And finally coast home with a chocoholic dream – ‘Chocolate sponge, white-chocolate ice cream, chocolate lava cake, chili jam and milk foam’. And if that little lot doesn’t entice you to visit Full Moon then, most certainly you must be tired of life – as the poet once said!

For diners preferring authentic local flavours, for some of the finest-quality Thai dining anywhere, the resort’s ‘High Tide’ restaurant offers a ‘Royal Cuisine’ kantok-set presentation, complete with all the trimmings, painstaking and artistic presentation, and traditional Thai filigree tableware. ‘Kantok’ is an ancient way of preparing food, in that a tray containing seven dishes is created and delivered to the table. There are four sets to choose from here, each increasing in exotica.

The pinnacle of kantok dining here is as follows: starting off with red chili dips, salted eggs together and fern leaf salad with prawns, you’ll move on to clear fish-soup with pineapple, and

red curry chicken with bamboo shoots. Then add to this the stir-fried pork with shrimp paste (southern style) and a dish of red curried pork belly with morning glory and tamarind juice, and combine it with stir-fried lobster with finger root herbs and hot basil. Mix in sweet noodles in coconut syrup. And complement it with a choice of traditional Thai mocktail drinks, alongside a choice of brown and jasmine rice.

Wherever you opt to dine, the main thing you’ll become aware of at Anantara is the level of care and attention that’s extended to you. ‘Customer care’ has just about become a cliché today; almost as if merely saying it enough times will do the trick all by itself. But discerning diners are not so easily fooled. And long after your dining experience, you’ll look back fondly on both the attention to detail of the meal, and the attentive, personalised hospitality.

Rob De Wet For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 8300. www.samui.anantara.com

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Rock Star Feasts Hard Rock Cafe opens in Chaweng offering delicious food and drink along with a gallery, store and plenty of music.

Hard Rock Cafe has been around almost as long as rock music itself; the iconic restaurant chain successfully combines two passions, one for food, and the other for music, and almost out of nowhere has crafted a global brand. Hard Rock Cafe kicked off in a former car showroom in London, some four decades ago. It was a debut that many thought was bound to fail. The landlord of that first venue was so unimpressed that he gave his new tenants just a three-month lease. They proved him wrong; there was potential for a restaurant that provided both classic American cuisine, and at the same time was an informal shrine to rock music. Today Hard Rock International manages close on 200 venues in over 70 countries, including not just cafes but hotels, too.

One of its newest cafes is right here on Samui.

Even though it’s only just opened, it’s already popular, and provides exactly what that first venue gave its diners – great food and an ambience that takes music seriously. Hard Rock Cafe is always more than the sum of its parts. If you've never before set foot in one of their restaurants, the first thing that strikes you about any of its branches is that it has everything you'd expect of a quality restaurant – the drinks, food and desserts are top-notch – while the setting itself comes with quite a few surprises.

First off, each restaurant doubles as a gallery for some pretty impressive rock memorabilia. In the Samui branch you'll see, for example, a guitar mounted on the main wall. Underneath it, this simple message: This line 6 Variax guitar was owned and played by Carlos Santana. He used it on the track ‘Mr Szabo’ from his 2012 album, ‘Shape Shifter’.

Well, you might be used to pub memorabilia that looks stagey and artificial but here at Hard Rock Cafe it’s the real thing – literally. Everything’s genuine. And there’s plenty of it. Hard Rock Cafe on Samui is large in area, and that means there's a lot of wall. Hence, there’s room for a huge array of curated pieces, mostly musical instruments and clothing. The clothing has all been worn by stars at one time or another. Some of it is vintage, some more recent. The latest item is a bright red top worn by Taylor Swift. How does any of this end up on a small island in South-East Asia? It’s all put together by Hard Rock Cafe HQ in the USA, which acquires the pieces and then ships them out to individual cafes the world over. The collection on Samui is impressive enough, but it’s fairly mind-boggling to think it’s just a small part of the overall business.

And still on the theme of music, at the entrance

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to the restaurant, you'll also find a touch-screen wall where you can check out all Hard Rock memorabilia world-wide. There’s a whole informal history of rock here, presented through the individual exhibits. And if you're dying not just to see clothing on the walls but wear some too, there’s a Hard Rock Cafe store, or ‘rock shop’ as it’s known. Here you can buy brand new Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts and other iconic mementos.

You'll also find a collection of pins that celebrate the company’s long and varied history, and many fans like to buy them at each Hard Rock venue they visit.

You quickly get the impression that the people behind Hard Rock Cafe take music very seriously.

And naturally, it’s playing all the time in the restaurant. It’s not background music either – it’s foreground; definitely meant to be heard, and perhaps best of all, diners get to choose what they're listening to. How does that work? Using a tablet given you by the wait staff, you log into the Hard Rock Cafe music system and then select from the on-screen music menu. There are hundreds of tracks to listen to, and everyone can help choose. The music all goes into a queue and sooner or later your choice will be coming up.

There's also live music too, every night, from 8:00 pm until 1:00 am. On Mondays, Baby Funk plays, a trio of Thai musicians bringing you Brit rock, dance music and funk pop. The other evenings, it’s the turn of resident band DV8, with classic rock, pop, reggae, dance and Latin tracks. Both bands play outside on the terrace on a professional covered stage. There's also informal eating and drinking here, too, with sun loungers and comfy seating.

But you don’t even have to be a fan of music to enjoy Hard Rock Cafe. There are naturally all kinds of beers and wines, and a long list of soft drinks. You'll find cocktails that are generously poured and deeply satisfying thanks to being hand-crafted by professional bar staff. Take Margaritas for example. You can have them classic or re-invented, the rim salted or unsalted, and can have any type you'd like thanks to Hard Rock having all the well-known brands of tequila, plus all the different mixers to go with them.

For food, there’s a very satisfying range of American-style dishes, and you'll always find something that's guaranteed to please. To give you an idea of what Hard Rock’s capable of, try the Jumbo Combo, which is a collection of their most popular appetizers and ranges through signature wings, onion rings and tupelo chicken, along with spinach artichoke dip with parmesan-flavoured flatbread. The combo is

served with honey mustard, sour cream and then hickory barbecue and blue cheese dressings.

Highly recommended is the haystack chicken salad combining fresh greens, carrots, corn, diced tomatoes, pico de gallo, and shredded cheese. It comes topped with tupelo fried chicken or chicken breast. It’s tossed with ranch dressing and topped with spiced pecans and tortilla straws.

Burgers are premium grade beef, combining the flavours of brisket and prime rib. Just to give one example, try the Original Legendary Burger, which is topped with smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, golden fried onion ring, crisp lettuce and vine-ripened tomato.

For main courses, you're truly spoiled for choice; no less than ten side dishes act as accompaniments to the scrumptious entrées.

Australian lamb chops, New York strip steak or grilled salmon are just three of the treats you can have here. Come hungry, as the portions are generous.

Smokehouse dishes get their very own page in the menu, with meats that are first marinated and then slow-cooked in an in-house smoker. Sample hickory-smoked ribs, barbecue chicken, or a sandwich featuring pulled pork or chicken or smoked brisket of beef.

Hard Rock Cafe is located on Chaweng Beach Road, just a few minutes’ walk north of Central Festival, where you can park your car. Opening hours are generously long. Rock Shop opens at 10:00 am, followed by the restaurant at 11:30 am.

Everything’s open until 2:00 am daily. The kitchen closes at 12:30 am, but you can order starters until 1:15 am.

Hard Rock Cafe has located its newest venue on Samui with a restaurant that offers hearty dining to an enthusiastic crowd. With its bold palette of food and music, injected with a playful vibe, it’s ushering in a culinary experience that's bound to please not just its long-time fans but is already spoiling newcomers with its vast and varied range of food and drinks. And then of course there's the music, too.

Dimitri Waring For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7790 1208-9. www.hardrock.com

The Passage, The Terrace, and You

Something really special is going on, tucked away on the north coast, at The Passage Samui.

Yes, it’s yet another one of those wonderful hidden gems! There are many hundreds of restaurants now on Samui, but our particular talent is to seek out those that aren’t obvious; the ones that are off the beaten track. And one that you’re just going to love is The Passage Samui Villas & Resort on the exclusive Laem Yai Beach.

It’s not so well-known, although it deserves to be. It’s over on the island’s north-western tip, not so far away from the landmark of Four Seasons.

It’s not as far as it seems, only perhaps a 20-minute drive once you’ve got clear of Chaweng. Head in the direction of Nathon, look out for the only steep hill and, coming down the other side, as it levels out, look for the sign for The Passage, the first turn on your right.

The name is pleasantly appropriate, as it’s a narrow little lane through the coconut groves.

But the resort’s very obvious façade is imposing, and you can’t miss it, even at night (as it’s brightly spotlit). The reception area is slightly elevated, offering a great sea-view, but look upwards, too – the roof is an impressively-high essay in timber and glass. Passing onwards towards the sea, head to the right and skirt around the large twin central pools, and you’ll end up alongside the resort’s signature

restaurant, The Terrace.

This is the usual style of tropical restaurant, roofed-over but open on three sides. There’s nothing showy or dramatic here, just a large, calm area with very solid and elegant tables and chairs. The dimensions are larger than they seem (there’s seating for 80) because of the many feature-pillars, plus another spectacular vaulted wood and glass ceiling. But the tables are gracefully spaced for privacy, not crowded together. There’s also an outer terrace that’s open to the stars, plus quite often you’ll also find tables right on the sand, too, depending on the time of year or the occasion.

This is an ideal place to drop-in during the daytime. Just about everyone goes around the island a time or two during their stay here, and now you know where it is, The Passage is easy to find. You’re also welcome to use the facility of the pool and sun loungers with umbrellas; there are even changing rooms and showers available, too. There’s no charge for this, although you’ll be expected to take a bite to eat while you’re there, which is no hardship at all and also very easy on your wallet. This kind of approach to guest relations always pays dividends; you can drop in on the way back from an outing, check

everything out, and then return another time to make the most of the sunset (spectacular here) and the most excellent evening dining.

Speaking of which, the menu, and the way it’s all offered to you, is really very special. You’ll be presented with a slim but colourful few pages which, at a quick glance, give the impression that there’s not much there. Wrong! It’s actually a very clever way of thinking about food and the way it’s all put together – ‘Menu Engineering’ is what Khun Atiputh Jaiplan, the resort’s F&B manager, calls it. “Start with the main ingredients,” he explained, “meat, poultry and seafood. Then collect a wide assortment of vegetables and salads. Next, decide on an extensive variety of cooking styles. Finally, put them all together so that you can pick and mix any of them in any combination you want!”

If that sounds a bit abstract, let’s put it into real terms. Start with, say, a whole sea bass. If you’re inclined towards a more direct diet, then ask for it to be cooked simply, boiled or steamed, and combine it with a selection of veggies or a salad.

Or go in another direction, and ask for it to be used as the basis of a red curry, with your choice of rice or potatoes in whatever style you want, with or without vegetables or a salad. You can

begin with beef or pork tenderloin, or a whole range of seafood, duck or chicken, and then have your selection as the basis for a tom yam or a clear soup, or have it chopped and stir-fried, built into a pad Thai, a curry, or a noodle dish.

There’s a big choice of different seafood, five sorts of stir-fries available and nine different vegetables, making for a wide range of vegetarian options, too. The portions are large.

And the menu is colour-coded to show mild, medium or spicy, plus all the vegetarian offerings.

But that’s only the half of it! As an alternative to the excellently ‘engineered’ menu that has an obviously Thai emphasis, there is also the ‘Western Fine Dining à la Minute’. And this is a form of custom-cooking you’ll only usually find in the very best restaurants. A live cooking station will be wheeled to your table, along with a personal chef. Firstly there’s a choice of starters. And then you get to select your main course. At which point the chef puts it all together right next to you, asking your advice on how you like your meat, getting you to taste the sauces, make them thicker or less so, sweeter or a little more sour, and so on. And the menu offerings are just great – ‘confit of duck breast with gnocchi pumpkin cream’; ‘grilled salmon

with asparagus puree and secret green peach sauce’, ‘spaghetti with scallops and green peach sauce’, to name just a few.

The atmosphere of all of this is exciting, the interaction engaging and the experience, unforgettable. But the best part of all is that everything’s quite amazingly affordable. And the price you pay is inclusive of both the government taxes and the tip, although once you’ve experienced dining at The Terrace, you’ll certainly want to add a little something extra to show your appreciation. It’s an unbeatable combination – The Passage, The Terrace . . . and you!

Rob De Wet For reservations or further information, telephone 07742 1721. www.thepassagesamui.com

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

GoingNative

Joining the locals at Spices Café.

Since it re-opened its doors, Spices Café has attracted quite a lot of attention thanks to its cool black and green decor. It serves excellent food along with beers, wines and cocktails, attracting holidaymakers and locals alike.

It gets really busy here in the evenings after 7:00 pm so it’s a good idea to book a table. The seating consists of wooden tables and chairs, simple yet comfortable. If you sit at the back of the restaurant, you'll be able to watch the cooks making the food. In the tiny space that's theirs, they deftly work as a team, moving round each other and coming up with dish after dish, all with an apparent effortlessness that’s the hallmark of true professionals.

The menu is mostly Thai, focussing on dishes that are the nation’s favourites, with all the regions represented, but there are quite a few European dishes, too. The restaurant is the brainchild of Khun Wanida Nuied, usually known as Khun Jeab, and has been operating in Maenam for almost five years. It originally opened a few doors away, and was much simpler in design and ambition. And a lot smaller, too. Then it moved, and just three months ago the restaurant was significantly revamped. It now looks brand-new. She’s now joined by her husband, Khun Sujin Butrajarn, an expert in the food and beverage business – he

14 www.siamwininganddining.com

was director of operations at Impiana Resort!

Spices Café is easy to find. It’s in central Maenam, about two hundred metres past the entrance to Santiburi Beach Resort as you head along the ring-road in the direction of Nathon.

You'll easily recognize it on the right-hand side of the road.

When Khun Jeab first opened Spices Café, she had little idea how rapidly it would become popular. “The first few days just a couple of people came to eat – and that was during an entire evening. But after that, it just started to fill up and got very busy.” Indeed, Khun Jeab could barely cope at times, especially since she was running everything herself. “I was waitress, cook and cocktail maker,” she says. “It was difficult doing all of that. Sometimes people even lent a hand.” She had to get in help and started employing others to help her out. She moved to bigger premises when guests started complaining about having to wait too long for a seat.

Her story shows how determined she is. It’s one of grit rather than luck. Khun Jeab got into cooking early, she says, citing her mother, who taught her a good many dishes. She was avid to learn more. At the same time, as a young girl, a chef used to walk past her house, resplendent

in his uniform and she realized she wanted to do the same work as he did; to know how to cook and to please guests with great-tasting food.

There was little chance to get training, but rather than wait for an opportunity, she decided to make one for herself. She asked an Italian chef to take her on as an unpaid trainee. He laughed at the idea but she wouldn’t give up, and he finally relented. He was a scary figure, she recalls, often shouting and occasionally he’d even throw pots and pans. She had to start with the very basics, right at the bottom – which meant cleaning, scrubbing and disinfecting.

cooking class, where she teaches her guests how to make food exactly as she does.

Only then was she allowed to even get near a chopping board. So it went on. “I worked for him for two years,” she says. “He taught me many things and I'm always, always going to be grateful to him for that time.” She managed to get into cooking school where she honed her culinary skills and then worked for ten years at prestigious Four Seasons in Bangkok and on Samui, where she became restaurant manageress. It was some time after that that she decided to open her own restaurant. By the time she did, she knew not just how to operate a restaurant but how to make a huge variety of dishes, both Thai and western. These days she personally trains her staff and also runs a small

Pleasing her guests is naturally all-important.

Says Khun Jeab, “If the dishes traditionally contain chilli, you can decide just how spicy you’d like the food to be. Just have a word with the person serving you.” The staff can also help you pick out dishes that you're bound to like; they'll explain the various styles and options to you. The menu, by the way, is in four languages, Thai, English, Russian and Chinese and there's also a brief description of the food, enabling you to get a good idea of what you might like as you browse the extensive menu.

It runs to three pages and has just about everything you could think of. On the Thai side there are starters, soups, rice and noodles,

And as food goes, it’s extremely good, just the type that might be found in a very sophisticated restaurant. A lot of care and attention has gone into the making of these dishes, along with all the exacting techniques that are required. Herbs and spices are ground in pestles and mortars, for example, a laborious process. The results are worth it, of course, with tastes that could never be equalled by using faster, corner-cutting methods. Just about everything on the menu is made from scratch.

curries and main courses, and naturally desserts, too. It’d be possible to dine here many times without repeating the same dishes. You could, for example, start with a green papaya salad with grilled prawns and then move on to a coconut soup with tofu (vegetarians are catered for, too) and then enjoy a main such as a braised shoulder of lamb in massaman curry or a deep-fried sea bass filet with a mango salad.

Roast duck is highly popular here, as are very traditional dishes such as beef with oyster sauce or yellow curry. Western dishes include a range of burgers, pasta, pizza and mains such as pan-fried salmon or tenderloin steak. They're every bit as tasty as the Thai dishes.

Incidentally, Spices Café has a range of affordable wines to go with meals, as well as a selection of both innovative and traditional cocktails.

With a gourmet chef at the helm and a newly refurbished venue, Spices Café is all set to do even better. Khun Jeab and her team have also just improved the menu adding on new delights that are sure to please both new and old guests.

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

Getting Legless Eating snake and drinking its blood is a must for some.

But first find your snake.

“I knew I wanted to swallow the snake’s heart whole. When I put it in my mouth it was still beating. I was savouring it and could feel it pulsing. And then it slowed.” Sharon, invariably dramatic when talking about her experiences abroad, paused. “It was still beating as it went down my throat.”

There are backpackers and flashpackers, but perhaps Sharon and her ilk can be called yuckpackers: when travelling, they seek out gag-worthy experiences that are guaranteed to shock.

Food features highly for travellers like her, and eating snake is decidedly on the things-to-eat list. And those who’ve savoured snake will be quite likely to have eaten monkeys’ brains, bugs, and vermin, too. You might think snake’s hardly a popular food item, but take a look at Google and you'll find that there many, many enquiries about where and how to eat it. Typical is this jaunty one from the Lonely Planet website: “Hi travellers, I'm going to Thailand in November for a couple weeks and I want to eat a live beating snake heart. Is there anywhere where I can do that? Or should I find a snake and take matters into my own hands?”

Generally, where eating snake’s heart is

concerned, taking matters into your own hands is an unwise course of action. Snakes, though mostly peaceable beings, have it in their blood to fight and bite back. And, as we all know, they're good at it. Very good. Consider the neurotoxins that are present in some snakes: research has shown that a single bite of the dreaded inland taipan has enough poison to kill 100 people. It’s an extremely fast and agile snake and can strike instantly with extreme accuracy. And then often goes on striking.

Vicious as it may seem, it’s shy, reclusive and has a placid disposition, always preferring to slither away – until trapped, that is. OK, it’s classed as the world’s most venomous snake, and in comparison, other types may be poor contenders – their single bite will only kill a modest 20 people – but you get the point.

Part of the reason why so many people want to eat snake is simply to get the better of these feared creatures. Seeing the creature about to be gutted, then eating it sounds to them like triumph. The snake, though, never meant them harm in the first place – even if it’s the most venomous in the word. A bit unfair then to go in search of a snake’s heart?

But sometimes the snake can wreak its revenge from beyond the grave. Back to neurotoxins. In two cases in Thailand, tourists have died

drinking tainted snake whiskey, and alleged snake meat. That’s because of the poison that’s still in the snake. Only the skilled know how to deal with the toxins. Knowledge of snakes tends to be passed down through the generations along with the necessary cooking techniques – not all diners are into raw snake.

Ready to take your place at the table? If so, then Vietnam is the place to be. That's where Sharon ate her snake’s heart and where you can, too.

There, some restaurants specialize in snake. But it comes at a price, especially if you’re a tourist.

One restaurant in Hanoi offers an entire snake for 50 US dollars or half for 25. Buy the whole snake and the cook guts it in front of you, pours the blood into a glass for you to drink. Then you eat the heart while it’s still beating.

You might also find that various tapas-like dishes are on the menu. You'll never forget eating snake cake, for example, and that’s nothing to do with the memorable rhyme. Or how about snake patty – yet to make its way into burger joints? And this being the Far-East you'll also find spring roll on the snake menu.

In Thailand, it’s still possible to eat snake and drink its blood. It was never really much on the menu anywhere in the country, and these days even less so. For a start, it’s illegal and then

there just isn’t the demand. But not so long ago, there were places where you could openly go and sit and eat all manner of unusual fare.

Snake had its aficionados. Writer Peter Bennett describes one such restaurant in his long out of print book ‘Flavours - Thailand's most interesting restaurants’: “Snake? Bat's blood? Bear salad? Elephant knuckle?” he writes glowingly.

“If such be your taste, Chockechai supplies the dishes! The game is fresh and much of it is prepared at your table from just killed animals.”

The book isn’t the work of a gentleman traveller in the 19th century, but was published in 1972.

Such restaurants no longer publicly exist in Thailand; nowadays they've gone underground, as has drinking snake’s blood.

For drinking, blood is mixed with spirits, often of the strongest kind. Not many westerners seem to enjoy the experience. Some locals however, are used to it and go right ahead. No standing on ceremony for them. Even if they don’t enjoy the drink, they’re not going to go without it. And that’s because of its famed properties: snake, especially cobra, is said to give you stamina in bed, and lots of energy.

People who eat the meat or drink the whiskey are believed to take on the snake spirit.

In Bangkok, close to Lumphini Park, you used

to be able to find cobra's blood mixed with lao kao, a type of extremely rough Thai liquor.

Snakes were meanwhile killed in a soi in Chinatown, and there were other places elsewhere. Profits weren’t so good, though, and since the activity was illegal the vendors moved on to other more lucrative things. But there’s still an underground market for exotic meat, and in 2012, a reporter for the UK daily, The Guardian, reported how Thai police entered a building and found four men chopping up a large male tiger. They also found zebra, crocodile, wild buffalo and elephant carcasses.

The meat was ready to be sold as food for human consumption and trophies.

In today’s Bangkok, only underground places will satisfy your tastes and you'll need to ask quite a few people in order to find them.

Vietnam is a cinch in comparison and restaurateurs will take much pleasure in holding up wriggling snakes ready to slaughter. But even there, snake’s going out of fashion and comes at a price that only rich locals can afford, if they even want to, that is.

Dimitri Waring

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

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

Sabeinglae Restaurant

The Wharf Samui, Fishermans’s Village For reservation please call 077 430 094-5 16 www.siamwininganddining.com

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

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

Mocktails, Cocktails, Coffee or Tea

New innovative flavours and ideas available from Boncafé.

Originally established in Singapore, Boncafé is a joint Thai and Swiss business enterprise which originally focused on the perfection and enjoyment of coffee. In this head on pursuit, they have also managed to create a customer friendly coffee superstore that provides a multitude of products and support for a wide range of customers, ranging from private individuals to hotels and restaurants. Their coffee beans are sourced and roasted right here in Thailand, and their coffee machines are imported from manufacturers in Italy, Switzerland, Spain and the United States, as well as other countries. But what really sets them apart from their competitors is their desire to help and advise their customers, as well as maintaining their products after each sale is complete.

In Thailand, Boncafé is the countries biggest coffee and associated products suppliers. The chances are that if you've stayed anywhere in Thailand for more than just a few days, you've already become acquainted with Boncafé in one way or another – even though you may not have been aware of it! They supply huge industrial machinery such as giant coffee grinders and roasters, as well as the sort of Boncafé capsule machine you would love to have in your kitchen! And in addition to producing world-class coffee beans, blends and roasts, they also market an entire range of chocolate drinks, butters, creams, frappes, juices and teas, as well as the exciting range of Torani syrups. These syrups are perfect for flavouring

coffees (think of lattes and cappuccinos), Italian sodas, mocktails and cocktails, as well as bakery items. They are the perfect choice to top off all sorts of sweets and desserts. Just smash up some ice and pour over as many colours and flavours as you desire - Almond Roca, Butterscotch, Cherry, French Vanilla, Mojito Mint or Raspberry, to name just a few.

Torani syrups are made in the USA, using purified water, cane sugar and the best selected ingredients available from natural sources.

Thanks to advanced production processes, their flavours are always harmonious, never too sweet, never too sour, and able to please most palates. The distinctive scents and flavours are fresh and appealing, not easily forgotten, and often leaving you wanting more. You may be happy to hear that Torani also produces sugar-free and low-calorie alternatives, and all syrups are produced without caffeine or alcohol.

There are two new syrup flavours from Torani available at Boncafé; Blue Curacao and Grenadine. The Blue Curacao has a lovely light orange flavour and a vivid blue colour, it definitely reminds you of warm sandy beaches and clear blue water, making you realise how lucky you are to be right here in Samui, right now. The vibrant and gorgeously bright red Grenadine syrup will delight you with the delicately sweet and subtle flavour of pomegranates. These two new flavours are a great way to make your dinner or party an even more memorable occasion. Take a look at these

recipes for some inspiration; Indigo Sky, hopefully you saw that with your sunshine today.

- ½ oz. Torani Blue Curacao Syrup, ½ oz. Torani French Vanilla Syrup, 2 oz. Cranberry Juice, 6 oz. Ginger Ale. - Pour all ingredients into a glass, add ice and mix well.

The Blue Lagoon, to remind you of the tranquil Gulf of Thailand that surrounds Samui.

- 1 ½ oz. Vodka, ½ oz. Torani Blue Curacao Syrup, 6 oz. Lemonade.

- Pour Vodka and syrup into a glass and mix well. Add the ice and lemonade.

Pink Lemonade, a refreshing drink anytime anywhere.

- 1 oz. Torani Grenadine Syrup, 8 oz. Lemonade.

- Pour ingredients over ice and decorate with a maraschino cherry.

Tequila Sunrise, yes that old favourite is making a comeback.

- 6 oz. Orange Juice, 1 ½ oz. Tequila, ½ oz.

Torani Red Grenadine Syrup.

- Combine Tequila and orange juice in a shaker with ice. Pour over more ice in a glass. Slowly pour Grenadine Syrup over the mix and garnish with a slice of orange.

In Boncafé's magazine, Bitter/Sweet, you will find lots of interesting information about their products, and many more exciting and

innovative recipes using Torani syrups. Reading that chocolate is not only good for you but ‘makes the world a happier place’, just made my day! And Boncafe offers you so many mind boggling ways to incorporate that chocolate fix into your hot drinks, cold-as-ice drinks and deserts; syrups, sauces and toppings, chocolate drink bases to add your own signatures or ideas to, and the ‘just add water and go’ variety. Visit their store and pick up your free copy.

Every three months on Samui, Boncafé hold a free one-day workshop for customers and anyone else interested in coffee and associated drinks and flavourings. Just call them to find the next available date, and book yourself a place.

It’s a fun day where you will learn the basics of coffee and how to make it more interesting. This could be just for yourself, or your customers.

You'll come away knowing how to make the best smoothies, mocktails, cocktails, iced coffee and tea.

Boncafé also has their ‘Academy’ which offers courses that can really boost performance for those running coffee shops, cafés or restaurants.

There is a diverse range; from how to open a coffee shop to how to make the beverages themselves. Their advice goes all the way from the overall ambience and service quality, down to the minuscule details of toned colours for furnishings, use and type of light bulbs and what to do about customers' special needs when it comes to sugar and sweetness. They can tell you what a 'signature' drink is and why it's good

to have one, exactly where to place items like cakes and freshly-baked bread, and why flavoured syrups are so desirable and fashionable right now.

The Samui Boncafé showroom and store is located on the ring road in Bophut, almost opposite the entrance to The Wharf shopping centre at Fisherman’s Village. Opening hours are Monday to Saturday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, except public holidays. If you have an interest in coffee or any of the other drinks and whether you are here on holiday or live locally, it is definitely worth dropping in. Khun Nicha Sriprom is the very friendly and helpful Assistant Manager, both she and the Samui team speak good English. They have a wealth of knowledge and would love to share it with you. And yes, you can get a cup of coffee as you peruse the other products and information in the shop or just sit and watch the world go by at one of the café tables outside.

Boncafé is not just Thailand’s biggest coffee company; it is a phenomenal success story, offering innovations, help, advice and so much more!

Karan Ladd For further information, telephone 0 7742 7486. www.boncafe.co.th

Relax@Samui

Discover authentic

Indian Cuisine

Thai food - Seafood - European food Romantic atmosphere Private seaview cottages The best seaviews on Samui Bang Por Beach, Tel. 0 7760 2228

Samui 2012 WINNER

2013 WINNER

2014 WINNER

Noori India Restaurant - Chaweng Center Chaweng Beach Road, opp. Chaweng Buri Noori India Restaurant - Chaweng South at Chaweng Cove Resort Noori India - Central Festival at Chaweng Beach Road Noori India Cooking Center - Chaweng South Soi Colibri, opp. Centara Grand Beach Resort For reservation (English) - 0 867 407 873 or 0 7741 3108 For reservation (Thai) - 0 813 960 283 E-mail: nooriindia_samui@yahoo.com www.nooriindiasamui.com

Fine Beachside Dining with Spectacular Sunsets

THE SIAM RESIDENCE B o u t i q u e

R e s o r t

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

www.siamwininganddining.com 17

The Wine Page Hungary for wine?

Do you prefer to stay in your comfort zone? If so, believe me I understand. At restaurants, I‘m always fighting the impulse to order a favourite dish again and again. And I have to struggle against sticking to customary territory in music, books, websites and especially, in wine choices.

Habit partly explains the appeal of the familiar.

The desire to drink nothing but Barossa Valley reds, for example (assuming you can afford such a desire) stems certainly from the titillating satisfaction derived from the wine. Like a laboratory rat touching a button wired to the pleasure cortex of the brain, you want to repeat the experience endlessly. For people who are just beginning to grasp wine, naturally the need to dive deeply into the nuances, and the resulting rewarding revelations, is irresistible.

And wine enthusiasts read such ardent descriptions of the thrills of wines that they are no longer willing to settle for second hand enjoyment. With experience, comes the desire to focus and learn about wine. And in the process, let’s be honest, combining inebriation-based pleasure! Who, but a non-enthusiast wine infidel, can argue with the notion that one can lose oneself, forever, in the

Manathai Koh Samui 18 www.siamwininganddining.com

dark mysteriously seductive red wines of northern Italy?

Yet no matter how alluring the desire to obsess on a particular set of favoured wines, experimentation has great virtues. And practically speaking, wines from lesser-known regions often offer far better value. But more to the point, drinking wine with blinkers on can deprive you of the unexpected, deeply satisfying surprise bottles. A perfect case in point is the dry white wine of Hungary. Who even knew Hungary made dry white wines? The country is best known for Tokaji Aszu, gorgeously honeyed, lavishly sweet wines of such balance and precision that they can accompany savoury meals. The history of this legendary wine stretches back centuries, and most likely, near the beginning, the wines were more dry than sweet. Now, in the 21st century, Hungary is making dry whites again, and some of the wines are stunningly distinctive and delicious.

It was by chance, last year that I first tried a dry white wine from Kiralyudvar, a winery known for wonderful sweet wine. But this dry white, made mostly of Furmint, the region‘s leading

Samui Ring Road

Lamai

grape, was extraordinary, with a gorgeous aroma of herbs and flowers, and the luscious vanilla texture that comes from fermentation in oak barrels. The wine was absolutely dry and balanced, with the waxy, lanolin quality that is so alluring in good white Bordeaux. Yet it had an indelible stamp of sweet richness to it, as if botrytis, the fungus that so beautifully intensifies the flavours of Tokaji (and Sauternes, for that matter) had somehow found its way into this wine as well, though of course, I knew it hadn‘t.

I‘ve had this wine since, and it never lets me down. Moreover, it has spurred a fascination with dry whites from Hungary that has led to a few highly satisfying bottles, a number that is only small because production of dry whites is still in its infancy in Tokaj, and only a few make it to Asia. Still, in an up-market Thai restaurant, I managed to find a bottle of dry Furmint from Tokaj Classic, and its delicate floral flavours complemented the spicy food beautifully. I also found (at a price) a 2007 Furmint from Royal Tokaji, with enticing aromas of exotic fruit, Asian spices and anise. All these wines come from the Tokaj region, about 130 miles northeast of Budapest, in the foothills of the Carpathians.

Telephone 0 7745 8560-4

But you can also find bottles from Somlo, in the western part of Hungary (near the Austrian border). The best examples of these intriguing wines have floral aromas with tangy apple, and mineral flavours, imparted on to them by blends of Furmint, Harslevelu and Juhfark (the three main Hungarian white grape varieties). Talk about leaving your comfort zone!

In some circles, Hungary is considered a new winemaking region, but only in the younger less traditional markets. Hungarian prowess in viticulture actually dates back a thousand years, but only recently started to expand, on an international level, after the communist period.

Before 1990, the wine industry was a state monopoly, and quantity was given priority over quality. Thankfully, this isn’t the case anymore, with smaller, highly focused contemporary producers taking over the winemaking. With its 22 official wine regions, Hungary is definitely a country to keep an eye out for in the future!

three main red grape varieties that are grown.

For the best red wines, head south to the region of Villany, often described (somewhat unimaginatively) as the ‘Bordeaux of Hungary’.

Indeed, the southern (hot) region produces the most complex and full-bodied wines. And northern Hungary has just as much to offer. Yes, I know it’s the home of the infamous Bull’s Blood, but the region of Eger is also home for some elegant reds, mostly from Pinot Noir. And it’s produced in big quantities there, so prices are reasonable, and most have completely sensible names!

To begin exploring the wonderful world of Hungarian wines, look out for the country’s most critically acclaimed producers: Istvan Szepsy, Kiralyudvar and Zoltan Demeter.

Peter Jones

The growing reputation of modern Hungarian white wines (both sweet and dry) does not, however, overshadow its red counterparts.

Kadarka, Kekfrankos and Portugieser are the

www.manathai.com

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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