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By Sofia Rays
Where the rocks meet the sea at Naiharn beach, the view is inspiring.
With the peculiarly yellow lights of Cape Promthep shining in the
distance and the sun having long made his way to other shores, the
bay seems serene. Only the sound of the waves faithfully returning
to the rocks beneath them break the silence of the moment. It is
a place to sit outside enjoying closeness with the evening. I am
so glad to notice that the restaurant I am sitting in is almost
all open air. Regatta’s large glass doors that are kept closed during
stormy days are open today, allowing both sea breeze and the view
to seep in. If you arrive early enough, you may watch the magical
performance that takes place in the sky every single afternoon as
the clouds dance their way out of sight, leaving the stage set for
the starlight parade.
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I have to admit that Regatta is indeed a strange name for a Thai
restaurant. But, as the Food and Beverage Manager of Le
Meridien Phuket Yacht Club, Khun Sittichai explains, Regatta
was originally specializing in Italian delicacies. Only recently
has the hotel decided to offer Thai cuisine in this unique location,
hoping to attract people whose taste buds are either accustomed
to, or unfamiliar with, its pleasures.
Reminiscent of many sophisticated restaurants, the decor exudes
refinement and nobility. Lighting is subtle but effective and the
black fishing net covering the white tablecloth is of the very same
material fishermen use in their everyday efforts to satisfy our
appetite for creatures of the sea.
Khun Sittichai takes pride in the food of his country, rightly
so. For Thai cuisine has a variety of tastes to offer, much of which,
regrettably, remains unexplored by most tourists. Regatta’s menu
is extensive, but Chef Sopa, a lady cook that has been satisfying
people’s palates for 17 years, insists that it stays that way. You
will find treats like fragrant chicken with pandanus leaves, the
famous fried Thai noodles (Paad Thai), the alien stir fried asparagus
with prawns, the delicious-sounding stir-fried roasted duckling
with garlic and pepper, as well as a variety of seafood cooked any
style you wish: from the plain sounding, steamed with soya, to the
more eccentric, fried with tamarind and chilly sauce.
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With a menu such as this, it is a shame not to order a few dishes
and experience the different flavours. Thai food is made to feast
upon and feasting means literally digging your spoon and fork into
as large a variety of dishes as your appetite can accommodate. This
is definitely not a place to dine alone, as no Thai restaurant really
is. Of course, you can still do so, but the rewards of being in
a group far outweigh the bachelor mode.
Khun Sittichai explains that Regatta specializes in Southern Thai
food and not in royal cuisine -this was developed over years in
royal palaces and places equal emphasis on taste as well as presentation.
Southern Thai food is more savory than its friends in the rest of
Thailand,
perhaps because of its close contact to the Muslim Malay cuisine
that not only adds new ingredients into the pot but is ingenious
in their preparation.
Chef Sopa explains that the Nam Prik salad she has prepared for
us is testament to this marriage of Thai and Muslim culture. The
fragrance of Nam Prik’s herbs mixed with sun-dried prawn counterbalance
its pungent taste, making this a dish that Thais never tire of eating,
as Khun Sittichai observes. The wide selection of vegetable -among
others, the somewhat unusual asparagus and broccoli next to the
more common carrots and cucumber- serve as spoons to dip into the
Nam Prik paste and further add to the intricate flavours of this
distinctive dish.
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Curries, although one of the trademarks of Indian cuisine, assume
a different dimension in Southern Thai food. To understand the difference,
try the yellow prawn curry, for instance. Here, the fiery chilly
-usually the main ingredient of curries combined with lemongrass
and other difficult to pronounce herbs- is fried together with the
somewhat idiosyncratic tamarind and then poured over slightly cooked
prawns. The taste of prawns that have not released their juices
in the wrong pot is complemented by a taste that is more difficult
to describe than to experience.
Chef Sopa loves challenges and has represented Thailand in many
Thai food promotions abroad. Apart from being able to satisfy every
customer’s desire, she will occasionally create her own dishes,
such as the deep fried seabass with garlic, which is normally served
sautéed with a spicy sauce. Chef Sopa skips the spicy sauce part,
which can leave the fish soggy, presenting a crispy, fresh seabass
with touches of deep fried garlic around it.
The company of wine is indispensable with good food. Although some
believe that wine does not mix well with Thai food, you will be
surprised how untrue this statement is. An Australian white Chardonnay,
for instance, accentuates the fresh seabass without overpowering
it. Just consult the waiters. They are trained to recommend you
a suitable compliment to your food from the comprehensive wine list
of this hotel, to the menu. Do not be shy to answer when asked whether
you prefer your food spicy or not. Chilly is after all only one
ingredient of a dish and its presence, although essential to some,
can prove painful to others.
Fried chicken with cashew nuts is a dish that does not really require
chilly. The exotic flavour of cashews is best tasted unscathed by
hot spice, although sometimes a tinge of chilly can give it that
extra oomph. Again, be honest and make your preferences explicit
to the waiters. After all, they are only there to serve you and
are tactful and discreet at that.
Dessert is an area of Thai cooking that very few venture into,
including me. Banana fritters and ice cream topped with sweet corn
sounds rather fantastic, I agree. Yet, it is a battle of hot versus
cold and the winner is certain. Another balancing act is at play,
when the ice cream counteracts the sweetness of the banana. Mango
with sticky rice is even more peculiar an offering for many, but
if you knew that the rice was cooked in sweet coconut milk and that
the combination is nothing short of divine, then you would probably
plunge your teeth into it.
With the moon now shining above us and our taste buds excited and
pleased, we leave this fine restaurant with pleasant memories. In
the kitchen of my home, I realize that finding restaurants serving
home-made recipes is a rare occurrence indeed. Moreover, discovering
people who after 17 years in the kitchen still love the food they
were brought up with and are only too willing to both promote it
and create more varieties of it, is even rarer.
Regatta restaurant opening times: 7:00-11:00 p.m. (last order:
10 p.m.)
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