ABSOLUTE THAI Boathouse Wine & Grill
Boathouse Wine & Grill w o r d s : L a u re n c e C i v i l
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or the past two decades, Boathouse has been the sanctuary of culinary excellence on the picturesque southern end of Kata beach. It was designed for those who didn’t like staying in traditional hotels and were looking for a more personalized service. Boathouse Wine & Grill was the first restaurant on Phuket to win the Wine Spectator Award, and is said to have been responsible for introducing the art of drinking good wine to the island. Now that it has had a change of ownership and undergone a face-lifting renovation. I checked into discover how the past was being treasured as they sail into the future.
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I was met at the Phuket Airport by the resort’s representative, and the drive to Boathouse took about an hour. Returning after a decade, the external image remains familiar, but when I got inside the new look was a comfortable modern chic. Check-in is casual, minimal and effective; I just had to sit at a business desk for no more than 30 seconds to sign the registration form as all the other necessary information was on file. Through an access controlled door runs a corridor from the lobby at one end and direct access to the new beach club RE KA TA at the other.
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My ground floor beach access room again reflects a new look for Boathouse; yacht sail white walls, wooden floors, sandy beige interiors accentuated with navy blue capture the spirit of the surrounding beach environment. No matter how excellent the level of service we have privacy moments when we just want to make tea or coffee and indulge in personal time. My room not only had a coffee maker but also a kettle and tea pot for a fresh brew. The lockable patio door gave me not only access to the beach but also a direct route to the restaurant. Thought had clearly gone into not only guests’ physical comfort but also ease of their mobility. Boathouse’s change of ownership came about as M.L. Tidhosuyth Devakul, better known as Montri, (soon to be 70 years old) felt it was time for him to retire and dispose of some of his Phuket assets. In Narong Pattarmasaevi, Chairman of Montra Holdings Co. Ltd. owner of the luxury development Trisara, he found a buyer who shared his vision for the future development of Boathouse.
My ground floor beach access room again reflects a new look for Boathouse; yacht sail white walls, wooden floors, sandy beige interiors accentuated with navy blue capture the spirit of the surrounding beach environment. Bali based French designer Fredo Taffin, the architect of KU DE TA, was engaged to rejuvenate the resort combining existing classical architectural symmetry with modern chic giving a more contemporary overall feel. The result is a new modern open kitchen that was installed with the Captain’s Table in front. Oasis was converted into the über chic beach club RE KA TA with a spa, large boutique, and a gourmet café; mission accomplished in impeccable style. Boathouse Wine & Grill has tables either out on the terrace or in the main dining room. I decided to sit inside. With the glass panel doors open, the setting was perfect; I had air-conditioned comfort compliments of the ocean breeze. The sound of waves crashing on the beach while looking out on the floodlit palm trees that fringe the beach. My table was laid with a full length silver cloth overlaid by a smaller gold cloth set on the diagonal. From where I was seated the marine blue and white colours of the bar appeared more vibrant at night. In the daytime, service staff wear silver jackets, for dinner they change
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ABSOLUTE THAI Boathouse Wine & Grill
to black. Having placed my order the waiter changed the cutlery appropriate to the three dishes. For my starter, I had two generous sized slices of foie gras perfectly cooked, served on a bed of pan-fried chanterelle mushrooms with a balanced vintage port sauce. The plate was garnished with a dusting of chanterelle mushrooms at the four corners to balance the presentation. My bottle of mineral water was on ice throughout the meal to maintain the right temperature, only a slice of lemon was added to my glass. Risotto is a dish demanding culinary precision; their black truffle risotto was faultless. The rice was al dente with a generous amount of black truffle.
With my espresso, I thought the choice of either brown or white sugar cubes a touch of class enriched by a plate of four petit, pink and white marshmallow dark chocolate truffles, coconut biscuit and a strawberry tartlet. With my espresso, I thought the choice of either brown or white sugar cubes a touch of class enriched by a plate of four petit, pink and white marshmallow dark chocolate truffles, coconut biscuit and a strawberry tartlet. After dinner, Executive Chef Jean-Noel Lumineau, the only Maitre Cuisineur de France in Phuket, joined me at the table. He came to Phuket in September 2008 as a consultant chef for all four of Montri’s restaurants; he was appointed Executive Chef in November 2010. “I am a classic chef; always wanting to work with the best produce I can find and will always use Thai produce when they meet my expectations. The majority of our meats come from Australia, but I do order lamb and duck products from France,” Jean-Noel said. We were then joined by George Ciret, Director of Wine. “I joined the team in 2003. The 2004 tsunami swept away 60% of our total wine stock. We rebuilt and restocked sufficiently to win Wine Spectator’s Best Award of Excellence in 2006. The latest renovations gave us the show wine cellar in the restaurant and another two cellars to store 780 labels. As we serve a lot of fish and seafood we are pouring 65% white wines, which is the opposite of Thailand’s overall pro-red preference.” The sound of crashing waves was my wake up call. Drawing back the curtains I looked through the corner
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of Wine and Grill onto the ocean’s beautiful range of turquoise tones of the ocean. Breakfast is served on the terrace directly above the beach; all cooked items are a la cart. I opted for a robust eggs benedict served with quality bacon, sausage and grilled tomato. What a perfect start to the day. Looking out onto the tranquil Kata Bay, earlier risers were already on the beach, long-tail boats with colourful flags flying ready to take tourists to explore the island, gentle waves lapping at the shore. At mid-morning, I dropped by Cafe Richard for a scoopof caramel Movenpick ice cream and a perfectly extracted cappuccino For lunch I went to RE KA TA to taste Chef Brian Burger’s Living Cuisine menu. “Living Cuisine suits the beach lifestyle,” says Chef Brian. “I use a lot of local ingredients, especially seafood which I cook at low temperatures to maintain taste and texture integrity. I substitute zucchini for wheat in my spaghetti which I slice as thin as wire, soften with lime and salt. I then refresh the pasta in an ice water bath. My sauces have ground young coconut and a macadamia base to which I add the likes of sun-dried tomato and sweet corn. My lasagna is made with wafer thin sliced zucchini with a rich earthy walnut paste. Tropical sunshine dehydrates the body so our customers benefit from our organic living cuisine in that they feel full but not lethargic so they can function fully throughout the day.”
Looking out onto the tranquil Kata Bay, long-tail boats with colourful flags flying ready to take tourists to explore the island.
Boathouse Wine & Grill at Boathouse Resort on the Beach 182 Koktanode Road, Kata Beach, Phuket 83100, Thailand T: +66 76 330 015-7 F: +66 76 330 561 E: info@boathousephuket.com www.boathousephuket.com
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