|
By Marie Moon
"Authenticity can only be achieved by using authentic ingredients
in a traditional way and the most important of these ingredients
is passion, the desire to serve the best." Sincere words from
a young chef who is so driven to succeed that he literally cooks
in his sleep!
I recently had the pleasure of dining at the Regatta restaurant
with Ms. Giada Pergolini, Quality Control Manager for Le Meridien
Phuket Yacht Club. Giada, an Italian beauty from Milan proved to
be a delightful dinner companion and provided many engaging tidbits
of information about the restaurant, life in Italy and the Italian
chef Nicola Coccia. "Nicola is so happy to be a chef. You can
tell by looking at him, that he loves his job. Actually he loves
it so much that sometimes he dreams about new dishes at night, then
he will create them the next day!"
We were subject to one such dreamy experiment on our visit; a canap?
of brasato with a garlic foam. Nicola confirmed that "tonight
was the first time for this canap?. It was an idea I had one night!"
The beef stew, brasato, contained a vegetable medley of onions,
carrots and celery as well as rosemary, sage and garlic and was
oven-cooked in red wine for some 6-7 hours. The pearly white, almost
fluffy garlic foam perfectly complimented the tender beef morsels.
 |
|
Of his cooking style, Nicola explained that he tries to create
his own interpretations of Italian food, focusing on authentic regional
cuisine and ingredients to develop an enticing and exciting menu.
The next item on our agenda was a good example. Chef prepared a
chilled tomato consomm? that was completely clear. "I try to
challenge eoples' expectations, yet retain the authentic tastes.
For example, I have a process to make my tomato consomm? clear.
When people order a tomato consomm?, they expect it to be tomato
coloured. When it arrives completely clear it is a surprise."
He then went on to describe a laboured clarification process involving
sieving all the meat and tomato shreds from the liquid. The consomm?
was served with a neat pile of deliciously sweet crab spread with
artichoke mousse, covered with a sliver of raw akami tuna and beluga
caviar. A Prosecco sparkling dry wine, selected by Nicola was a
delightfully bubbly compliment to the soup and helped to amplify
the sweetness of the fresh crab.
Chef Nicola is adamant, "Only the best products in season
from all over the world! The menu must reflect what is on the market
today and top quality seasonal products are essential in my cooking
style." He said that although he can now get most ingredients
locally, he still relies on a few very good international suppliers
to find some of the more obscure items such as truffles. Nicola's
recent campaign for white truffles however was not so successful,
as bad seasons in Europe have seen the value of this delicacy soar.
|
|
|
The spaghetti with chicken liver ragout that he prepared tonight
would normally have been served with pieces of white truffle tossed
throughout. Not one to be cornered by predicament and in the solemn
name of authenticity, Nicola compromised with white truffle oil,
which endowed the same distinct flavour without the exorbitant prices.
The spaghetti was but one of a trifecta of homemade pasta that came
piled atop beautiful green celadon plates. Ravioli was stuffed with
tender lamb stew and sprinkled with goat's cheese, tomato and basil.
The third pasta was trofie with pesto sauce. Originating in the
Liguria region of north-western Italy, the worm-size trofie are
handmade piece by piece. Nicola made a pesto sauce comprising a
basil mash with pine nuts, garlic and anchovy as healthy substitute
for salt.
During the meal, Giada asked me if I had had any preconceived ideas
about Regatta. I had to admit that from many a Phuket residents'
point of view, such a restaurant would generally be placed in the
only-for-special-occasions category. I am not sure where this opinion
comes from, perhaps the hotel's five-star reputation precedes it
and the restaurants within may therefore seem a little untouchable.
As Giada would very cleverly and tactfully point out, my notions
were completely wrong.
The stunning seaside location, simple and comfortable furnishings
and utterly congenial staff converge into a very relaxed atmosphere
and a live piano recital adds a touch of romance to any occasion.
Later, a study of the menu would confirm the point, as the prices
are extremely reasonable. In fact, having feasted on Nicola's creations,
I would go so far as to say that Regatta offers the best value for
money of any Italian restaurant I have visited in Phuket.
The next taste sensation to find its way to our table was undoubtedly
everyone's favourite. Two plump lamb cutlets had been pan-fried
then oven-baked with a crust of pine nuts and basil. The lamb was
deliciously soft and tender. It was served with a small stack of
sliced eggplant layered with mozzarella and a wedge of crunchy grilled
polenta. We savoured every bite before washing it down with a velvety
1999 Valpollicella red wine.
This is Nicola's second season at Regatta.This year, as the 2004
high season winds down, rather than returning to Italy as he did
this year, Nicola hopes to be able to stay in Thailand, a country
of which he has become genuinely fond. He likes Thailand for many
reasons but particularly the challenges that the tropical climate
poses in terms of cooking. "Making bread is very difficult
here but I like the challenge. The black olive foccacia that you
ate earlier is very difficult to make here because the humidity
is so much higher. I have to use chilled water." He speaks
of cooking with an air of calm wisdom far beyond his 23 years, always
with a gentle smile across his lips and with a certain amount of
authority. This young man's passion for the art and science of cooking
is blatantly obvious.
Dessert was, by this stage predictably, delectable. A fleshy apple
poached in passion fruit juice sat inside a delicate glucose shell.
The apple was soft, almost creamy on the outside but held its firm
texture and fruity flavour within. A spoonful of homemade mango
ice cream added another distinctive and usually strong flavour that
was tempered by the passion fruit coulis. For extra colour, a raspberry
coulis framed the entire sweet picture. It was a sumptuous treat.
Over the remnants of the wine and some strong Italian coffee, the
four of us relaxed in comfortable chairs and chatted about life
in Thailand, life in Italy and of course, food. Nicola comes from
Stressa in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy and characterizes
the regional cuisine as "traditional in taste but trendy in
appearance." Giada had earlier described this region as "where
all the good things come from!" and Chef Nicola's performance
tonight must qualify him as a certified "good thing" himself.
The basic truths are these: the location of Regatta, above the
scenic waters of Nai Harn Bay speaks for itself; the menu offers
a varied and sophisticated range of regional Italian dishes and
a solid wine list all at very reasonable prices and most importantly,
the young Italian chef Nicola Coccia is an extremely dedicated,
driven and duly talented individual. "The food of my native
country has so much to offer that you could dedicate yourself to
this cuisine for a lifetime and still discover new, beautiful dishes."
Chef Nicola will be "discovering" at the Regatta restaurant
throughout the 2004 high season and lovers of Italian food should
not miss the opportunity for a real gastronomical adventure.
|
