|
By Marie Moon
Chef Wanlapa, of Gecko's Restaurant, at the Sheraton Krabi Beach
Resort is a self-confessed epicure. "Good food is like a lady.
You look at it and it makes you hungry. You taste it and it makes
you want more." This philosophy guides him in creating his
sumptuous range of seafood and Mediterranean dishes that are, like
any good lady, not only wonderfully prepared but also thoughtfully
presented.
On a recent visit to the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort, my colleague
and I dined at Gecko's with Ms. Kritchaya Kiattiwut and Ms. Umaporn
Boonchanawiwat of the Marketing and Communications department. We
had all been looking forward to dinner, my companions had had a
long day of photo-shoots, myself, a long but leisurely day at Mandara
Spa and on the beach, such is the hectic lifestyle of a travel writer!
As the menus were distributed, I was interested to note the zeal
with which the girls poured over the pages. They radiated a true
sense of appreciation although they eat here regularly and this
got me excited.
Chef Wanlapa described the Gecko cuisine as "fusion, contemporary
Mediterranean with a dash of Thai." He also vaunted "the
menu will satisfy any craving!" There is a very good range
of dishes, including most meats and seafood and each item on the
menu provides you with just enough information to get the taste
buds watering. It is a clever menu that seems to create the cravings
that it later satisfies. Lacquered baby chicken stuffed with a vegetable
batonette served with salty egg on roasted pepper coulis is a good
example, or what about lemon coriander crust tuna with burnt apple
in light yellow curry sauce? For the appetizers, we decided to share
the spinach salad with quail egg and warm bacon dressing and the
thin sliced salmon and sea bass with basil and wild lime dressing.
 |
|
While Chef Wanlapa glows with professional confidence, he is the
first to admit that the brilliance behind the menu is the hotel's
Executive Chef, Mr. Jerome Case. All staff praise him for his highly
creative and innovative approach to all areas of the resort's food
and beverage operations. General Manager Mr. Glen Findlay said,
"Jerome is a real strength, he creates exciting menus and ideas."
Ms. Kritchaya said, "Jerome is so creative in every area. He
designed the interior decoration of all the F&B outlets right
down to choosing the coordinating place mats, plates and pepper
shakers."
Our selection of main dishes sounded delectable. Two-way cooked
duck with red wine risotto and parmesan souffl?, pan-fried Pacific
swordfish with fennel and olive and pappardelle with lobster and
baby tomato tossed in pesto. We all wanted to feast on Gecko's signature
dish simply called Sea and Land; three enormous skewers of barbecued
lamb, beef and prawn, thread with mushrooms, zucchini, green, red
and yellow bell peppers, red shallot and cherry tomatoes. Chef Wanlapa
explained, "The tender cuts of lamb and beef are simply marinated
with olive oil, salt and pepper. The prawns are lightly marinated
with lime. The two dipping sauces are a salsa, which goes very nicely
with the prawn and the red wine gravy suits the meat. There is also
a dish of new potatoes, rosemary and garlic lightly saut?ed in olive
oil."
|
|
|
A glass of Semillon Chardonnay from Penfold's Rawson Retreat, Australia
was a wonderful accompaniment to our appetizers. The spinach salad
may simply be described as a tastier variation of a Caesar salad
with a dark, balsamic dressing providing a biting compliment to
the spinach leaves. The salmon and sea bass were highly flavourful;
the wild lime dressing seals the chilled fish and allows the aromatic
Italian basil to infuse every tasty morsel.
An adequate amount of time passed before our entrees arrived. We
had enjoyed the first samples of Chef Wanlapa's craft and unanimously
anticipated the next taste sensations. We were not disappointed.
Generous strips of glazed duck lay atop a steaming bed of risotto,
the red wine flavouring emphasised the tasty parmesan souffl?. The
duck was tender and the bite-sized pieces allowed speedy consumption.
The Sea and Lamb was simply delicious, the red wine gravy complimenting
every bite of lamb or beef and Chef Wanlapa was right about the
salsa and prawn. My colleagues shared the enormous prawn, both stating
that even half of it was satisfying enough. The swordfish was served
on a pile of dark greens and the fennel added a nice herbal finish
to the soft, extremely juicy white fish. The lobster pappardelle
was reportedly delicious however perhaps the plainest of our selection.
|
|
During the main course and while waiting for the sumptuous desserts
we had ordered, Ms. Kritchaya and I enjoyed glasses of the Ernest
and Julio Gallo Cabernet Sauvignon and the Vina Luis Felipe Chile
Merlot Reserva. The Sheraton Krabi presents an impressive beverage
and wine menu including new and Old World wines plus the Starwood
chain's prestigious Wines of the World selection.
For dessert, we ordered the roasted pineapple with selected spices
and frozen ginger yoghurt, and the creamed panacota on a flood of
berries. The pineapple was thinly sliced and wonderfully savory,
nicely accompanied by the spicy ginger yoghurt. The flood of berries,
with which the panacota was served, donated a deliciously fruity
tang to the sinfully creamy dessert.
Gecko's Restaurant is scenically located in the beachfront area
of the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort and the open pavillion style
of architecture allows the balmy tropical elements to dance right
into the dining experience. The remoteness of Gecko's within the
resort indicates that patrons would generally be limited to resort
guests and local Krabi residents. However, if you happen to find
yourself in this famously scenic province, and fancy a classy meal
in laid-back surroundings I highly recommend Gecko's delectable
range of Mediterranean and seafood cuisine.
|
