So in the last post I promised you I would update you on my meal in what is the top restaurant in Kathu — the Royale Nam Tok. The name translated into English means the Royal Waterfall, very apt since it was pouring at the time which dampened the patio and swimming pool next to our table but not my spirits! The restaurant is run by two Belgian guys, who obviously have and still do have a great attention to detail, which is obvious from the moment you walk into the restaurant. The restaurant is situated on a small soi, towards the end of soi Nam Tok Kathu. For directions, you take the road from the Caltex petrol station in Kathu towards Loch Palm Golf Club. Just before the golf club, you turn left at the junction, which is marked with a sign for Sensive Resort and continue some distance straight up the road, probably a couple of kilometres, where eventually you will see a sign directing you to the restaurant down a very small soi just on the right-hand side as you turn in.

Cocktails and Appetisers - Part 1

As you enter the restaurant, and notice the decor, you begin to get the feeling that you’re in for quite a treat. As it was a birthday treat we ordered a couple of cocktails to start and took in the decor. The tables are nicely decorated and even have live decorative fish swimming in little jars on the table. On taking your seat you presented with some baby tomatoes served with a specially prepared mustard dip and a small rilette of pork served with home-made bread, butter and olive oil flavoured with herbs. I don’t much like tomatoes but the dip complimented them strangely but very well – they were all eaten.

Next up, a cocktail glass of tomato mousse served with ham and chive decorations, goose liver creme brulee together with a marinated salmon and pine nut concoction.

Mouth Wateringly Delicious

Beautifully presented, delicately flavoured and a delight. Ha ha none of this was ordered – you remember the good old cover charges you hated in Italian restaurants, and then pretty much every restaurant at home, which covered a couple breadsticks and little else? Well there is no cover charge at this restaurant and you certainly can’t compare the value of these accompaniments with a couple breadsticks. What a fantastic surprise – a great example of giving extra value and going the extra mile.

Room Decor

A Happy Customer

My wife ordered the lobster bisque which was served with meat in a small pancake set in the middle of the soup and decorated with dill. A splash of cognac added from a bottle brought to our table and some black pepper from what looked like a half sized wine bottle, paid the finishing touches. I had a taste of that soup and it was delicious. The owners certainly know how to make you feel special. For my part I ordered a set meal, the starter being smoked duck breast which was served with prawns, vegetables cooked in boullion. Again I couldn’t fault it.

Along with the starters came the wine. Now as part of my set meal I chose the option with wine which was about an extra 1000 baht. My wife wanted to drink white wine & ordered a bottle, but the waiter/owner advised me that as wine was served with my meal he would just open a bottle and charge us for half, or maybe it was carafe, but anyway it worked out cheaper. Now that is something you’ll not often find in Thailand.

A white wine is served with the starters and red wine with the main course it appears. The price of wine in Thailand is very high due to the luxury tax levied on wine, so if you are resident in Thailand you do not expect a fine wine for $35 or £25, in fact for that price you expect a very ordinary bottle of wine that may cost say £4 or $6 back at home. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised at a very drinkable and clean tasting, clean smelling white wine served with the starters. The wine had a slightly peachy, buttery taste with a touch of citrus and a bunch of grapes provided on the table were a perfect way to clean one’s palate whilst waiting for the next course.

As we sat awaiting the main course a fantastic lightning storm was playing around the hills that surround Loch Palm Golf Course and the waterfalls at Kathu. The lightning was skittering across the sky, outline the palm trees that were growing just beyond the patio area when a bolt of lightning shot to the ground with a crack, what seemed to be only 50 yards away but was probably much further, which rather unsettled my wife and resulted in the patio doors between us and the swimming pool being closed.

Prawns with Scollops Royale Nam Tok Style

For the main course I ordered duck breast which was served with a grain mustard sauce, leaks which I was told originated in Holland and shiitake mushrooms. My wife ordered Scollpps served with salmon, carrots and quail eggs. Both dishes were absolutely delicious.

However the red wine, a Merlot, served with the main course was rather raw tasting as opposed to the mellow soft taste you might expect from a Merlot, and did not complement the food at all well, at least to my taste. The food is delicate tasting and delicious and really needed a more gentle wine. I was also offered a secondary house wine, which was Cabernet Sauvignon, but I was not expecting this to be any better and indeed it was not – it was worse.  When I say this I mean that the wine just did not help the food at all, and the Merlot I think could be replaced with a better wine in a similar price range.  I know it is difficult finding half decent wine in Thailand to match a price that people are prepared to pay, but it IS possible and I hope that next time I go to this restaurant they may have found a red wine more complementary to the food.  Those are harsh words maybe but put them in perspective with the otherwise glowing words – it was just one thing!

The finale - a scrumptious dessert

For dessert, we were served with a strawberry and orange cappuccino with black pepper, pancake with chocolate paste decorated with Mango, madras curry ice cream, a Belgian chocolate mousse served in an eggshell with caramelised sugar decoration. An absolutely perfect finish to a perfect meal.

I know the owner was not too happy at my less than positive comments regarding the red wine, but given the obvious attention to detail and the enormous effort they go to to make everything perfect I can understand his feelings and I hope that I will be forgiven for mentioning that here.

This restaurant is a diamond and an absolute must for a visit if you want a fantastic meal and memory to take away from Phuket as a tourist, and equally an absolute must if you live in Phuket as it really is terrific value for money – a meal for two including wine, cocktails and a couple of beers to start weighing in at less than 5000 baht. It is not cheap but it is certainly value for money.

Just to be clear, please understand that these posts give my personal opinion for which I receive no remuneration for favour from the restaurant.  This restaurant will get 9 out of 10 stars when I put together the formal review pages.  It is also going in the places section too as it is a real memory setter.

Unfortunately I am not yet retired, and after a rather wearisome day and on Monday afternoon I found myself with the family down in Rawai, showing a friend around. After everything was done, we decided to take a trip back down to Rawai beach, this time taking the kids.

Rawai Beach looking South from Baan Rawai

At the end of Rawai beach there is a pleasant restaurant, that is setback just a little way from the beach and which is called Baan Rawai. The rain has come early this year and the clouds were rolling in once again promising another downpour and so we had to eat inside. I have to say that is less than half as nice as eating outside. So we spent a few minutes on the beach taking in the air before seeking shelter in the covered areas provided for guests when it’s raining.

My wife is rather partial to shellfish and I like oysters served up Thai style, which were promptly ordered. We also had some fried fish with lemon grass, mainly for the children and I fancied some pork cooked Hong Kong style and my perennial favourite Hor Mok Talay or seafood curry to the rest of you.

Oysters Thai Style

The views were once again pleasant looking over towards the islands just offshore and although Rawai is not the best beach in Phuket, when the tide is out the beach looks rather muddy, the sound of the sea provided a pleasant distraction from eating.

And I have to say that many of the dishes served at this restaurant taste better to me and are better presented at some of the other restaurants reviewed here. However, the prices at Baan Rawai are very moderate, and the food is really pretty good. Drinks prices are also very moderate, for instance you can get a large Singha beer for 80 baht or a large Heineken for 90 baht. A fruit shake for the children set us back 45 baht each and cocktails could be had for 120 baht. An example of some other food prices, pork served Hong Kong style (sweet-and-sour) 160 baht, Tom Yam seafood (spicy seafood soup), 110 baht or 160 baht for a large size, Hor Mok Talay, 160 baht, fresh oysters, 25 baht each. These are very attractive prices, and you can also buy wine at a sensible price for Thailand where the prohibitive luxury taxes on wine make even the plonk expensive.

Baan Rawai Restaurant

Whilst there a beach vendor came through the outside area but without disturbing anyone or causing any annoyance.  Dressed in typical Hill Tribe attire she made a bright spectacle compared to the rather dingy evening the weather was causing.

The general ambience of the restaurant is fine, after all, it is next to the sea, and on fine days, or evenings the outside dining is very pleasant. If you’re looking for a moderately priced restaurant Baan Rawai is not a bad choice if you’re in the area.

It’s been a busy day today. The kids have been flat out and it was intended that we visit the Phuket aquarium, but unfortunately that didn’t quite work out as planned. As time was short we decided to pay a visit to the play area on Patong beach so that the kids could work off some steam, and for a bit of relaxation.

Kids Play Area in Patong

Patong beach has been cleaned up over the last few years, in respect of the back part of the beach, which is near the main road running alongside the beach. The local authority has provided some play areas for children, and also some nice looking paths and some ornamentation.

I am left wondering why the powers managing the renovation didn’t think to provide some toilets. For a resort trying to maintain a top position as a favourite tourist destination this seems to me a rather glaring oversight. Attention to a few details such as toilets, control of parking, tuk tuk management and really the whole tourist transportation issue would reap very beneficial rewards given a little thought, willingness and determination to overcome entrenched practices especially those benefitting the local mafia to the detriment of the resort. Anyway I digress.

The beach itself still has rather too many sunbeds and umbrellas for my liking. You can find many quieter beaches, where the beds are cheaper and better spaced and the sea and your ears less innundated by jetskis, parasailers and the like. However, one has to recognize that Patong is the full on tourist centre where going to the shops, nightlife and tourist based attractions take centre stage.

Although it was late in the day the beach was really quite quiet, and the Beach boys had already started packing up the parasols and lounger cushions. after a little paddle in the sea, playing sandcastles and then messing around on the play equipment it was time for dinner.

Pan Yaah Restaurant - A little way north of Patong

As we were in Patong, we thought would go to a local restaurant. As it was coming up to sunset time, we made our way up to Pan Yaah Restaurant just outside Patong to the north on the beach road.

Now a number of the sea view restaurants in Patong are really very expensive and cashing in on the tourists. of course as a reader of this blog, you are more savvy than the average tourist or perhaps live here, joining those in the know, and finding the places that the average lazy tourist never sees.

Now I’m not saying that Pan Yaah is the cheapest restaurant on the island, but for Patong, it is pretty good value for money. The beers were 70 baht for saying and 85 for Heineken. The fish, crab and squidworked out at 80 baht hundred grams, cooked, and the tiger prawns were 200 baht per hundred grams cooked. There was also a western menu available.

Tasty Mussles - Check Out the Little Covers

As you can see in the picture our attempts at reducing the calorie intake were foiled yet again. Pan Yaah serves a few dishes in a manner that you won’t find in many other restaurants. The dish to the left is mussels cooked in garlic butter, and I have to say that the shape of little covers over the individual mussels rather appeals to me. Perhaps I have a rather active imagination, but no worries they tasted just as good!

One of the benefits to this restaurant is the panoramic views that you are treated to buy the slightly elevated position of the restaurant. I apologise in advance for the quality of the image below, but wanted to give you an idea of the sort of views, you can get from the tables overlooking the sea.

Panoramic View from a Table at Pan Yaah Restaurant

]]> http://www.phuketdays.com/sunday-patong-beach-and-pan-yaah-restaurant/feed/ 0 7.9166617 98.2842865 http://www.phuketdays.com/hey-hey-were-the-monkeys-part-2/ http://www.phuketdays.com/hey-hey-were-the-monkeys-part-2/#comments Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:17:47 +0000 slipper1 http://www.phuketdays.com/?p=52

So Wednesday is here and I was awoken by Monkey no. 1 coming in at 7.00 am for a cuddle. Well I enjoyed the cuddle – it made a pleasant change from the howling hordes of dogs at the back of the house. He might have waited until 8.00am though but beggers can’t be choosers eh? A little while later Monkey no. 2 came trotting in. No ‘Good Morning Dad’ – oh no! ‘Breakfast Daddy?’ was the question loosely translated as ‘Come on. Get Up! I’m hungry.’

So I hauled my sorry ass out of bed and after getting all showered and clean for the day we took off out of the house for breakfast. We were out of milk so the easy option of cereal and milk was out as was scrambled eggs (I use milk in mine to make them fluffy and moist – don’t you like your breakfast fluffy and moist? – I sure do!! Anyway easy option was a trip to the local outdoor restaurant.

On arrival we ordered Khao Man Gai. This is riced cooked with oil in the water topped with sliced chicken and served with a chicken soup with spring onion tip garnish and a sweet/spicy sauce to top off the chicken. All for the princely sum of 25 baht each. Pretty good value huh? Sitting at the table I had next to me some lovely orchids and a caged bird who seemed very happy chirping away to his friends dotted around the place. Whilst I don’t really like the caging of animals, it was quite a nice experience which did not hurt my wallet too much for a change.

Monkeys in Fuji

Mid afternoon I was cajoled into trapsing off to Central where there is a good sushi restaurant on the third floor called Fuji. Actually there are quite a lot of Fuji’s around Thailand and I have to say the food is well presented, reasonably priced and quite healthy compared to other fast food type foods which we try to avoid.

Having terrorised the rather pretty girl serving us and driven me crazy, we finally managed to exit the restaurant without having broken anything save the concentration of the young couple opposite, which I think posed a welcome distraction for the girl and a rather unwelcome one for the guy whose intentions were probably not centred on food – least not of the type we were eating!

The evening was spent playing The Simpsons and guitar Hero whilst I tended to a little house maintenance.  Another enjoyable day – thankfully mummy is due back later on.

Monday’s here and the temperature has been hot.  My wife is off to Nakon Si Thammarat tomorrow to help an aunt in hospital so I am going to be looking after little monkeys nos. 1 & 2.  To celebrate this event we decided to take a trip to one of my favourite restaurant’s in Phuket.  Now this place is not cheap but it is higher end and the food is of very high quality.  If you have been reading my posts from the beginning you will know dinner by the sea is near the top of my list of nice things to do, so it should come as no surprise that this place is also next to the sea.  The photo on the left is taken sitting at our table.

Taxi Anyone

Dinner consisted of a fairly average bottle of white wine (though very pricey relative to most other countries due to the very high luxury goods tax on wine in Thailand), accompanied by several dishes.  The Seafood curry starter was very tasy, the seafood pizza that is not a pizza was nice, a pleasantly zesty lemongrass squid dish and a favorite of mine, prawn & banana blossom salad.  Yum Yum.

Whilst sitting at the restaurant the storm clouds started to gather to the north and within 40 minutes the rain was starting to fall.  Fortunately they are well prepared at Kan Eng @ pier to cope with improptu downpours.  There are several semi-thai style rooms provided with fans and air conditioning where you can finish your meal without showering whilst eating.  We rejoined there are were treated to a fantastic natural light show with several strong bolts of lightening seemingly just a 100 or so metres offshore.  You can see the storm clouds gathering in the picture.

The rain was pretty torrential but the outside kitchens have roof coverings so proceedings can proceed.  The food is delivered under umbrella and protected by clear plastic trays and lids to keep the rain off the food.  All very professional.

Our seat was opposite the chef so there was additional entertainment watching him prepare the food – again the whole setup here is very well organised, the staff are very cordial too.

Chef Cooking at Kan Eng @ Pier Restaurant

It is interesting to note when I first came to Phuket about 9 years ago this restaurant was nothing like it is today, comprising a few bamboo tables and a straw covered hut in which food was prepared.  I remember the food being rather average and quite expensive for what was served up.  They have come a long way since those times and Kan Eng is now probably my favourite restaurant on the island for a special meal.

Anyway a very pleasant evening out. The last picture is not very good because the flash on my little camera is not so great. Unfortunately although I lugged the big camera and flash out with me I forgot the battery and the Memory Card so couldn’t use. Spare a thought for me forgetting my memory

After a frustrating start with B52 sized flying bugs attacking me while waiting for the family to get up again normal service was resumed and the bugs wrestled from the house and the doors secured. The kids need to blow off some energy so time to play with them on the Playstation 3. Guitar Tutor 3 is still the most popular game at the moment after an inspired Christmas present idea of mine continues to provide hours of fun. That, closely followed by The Simpsons game which I find very entertaining and the kids seem to enjoy too despite being only 4 & 5. The little one who isn’t yet 1 has yet to mastered the controls but at least is not bickering with the elder two and takes great pleasure in changing TV channels mid game much to the displeasure of the other two. He does it with a charming chuckle, actually it is rather a dirty chuckle which I think he must have got from me.

Nikita's Bar in Rawai

Anyway today wifey wants to go eat at the beach sans kids (what’s new – she is rarely far from food). So we are off to Rawai to a cute little bar called Nikita’s Bar. It sits right on the beach and you can look out across Rawai bay with the sea almost lapping at your feet.

We had a very pleasant meal there, some crab, mussels, clams and assorted other tasty stuff all washed down with Heineken (80 baht) for her and Lao Beer (95 baht) for me. Lao beer is a pleasant change from Singha and Chang or Heineken and there are not so many places that sell it so that was a pleasant treat. The evening was cool and the mosquitos not too busy.

Food at Nikita's in Rawai Phuket

I love the sound of the sea and the candles provided a lovely gentle and romantic atmosphere as the sun went down. There are some good views out across the bay and the tide was in which was good because the beach at Rawai is not the most beautiful when the tide is out – I am not saying it is not pleasant but let’s just say there are better bathing beaches around.

So if you fancy a trip out of Patong for a pleasant evening you could do a lot worse than taking a trip here.