The new wave in Phuket
Chef Kla at Trisara Seafood does magical things with the bounty of the deep blue
A cooling sea breeze at sundown wafts over the new seashore restaurant Trisara Seafood at the Trisara Luxury Resort Phuket, whetting appetites for Mediterranean platters of slow-cooked meats and desserts that bubble with the tricks of molecular gastronomy.
Opened last November, it has executive chef Chalermchai “Kla” Prakobkit at the helm, a former apprentice to Michelin wizards like pastry chef Jordi Roca of Spain’s famed El Celler de Can Roca.
The decor evokes a beachfront restaurant in Italy, sailboats drifting across walls of cerulean and white in the spacious dining room and shaded surfside terrace. Up to 80 diners enjoy leisurely meals in comfy sofas and rattan armchairs with striped cushions.
Chef Kla brings in marine delicacies from around the world – seabass from Spain, king crab from Alaska and scallops from the US mainland, lobster from Canada and black mussels from New Zealand. Local markets provide the herbs and fruit.
“Our concept is to offer light and healthy food,” Kla says. “I use some molecular-gastronomy and slow-cooking techniques to preserve the original flavour and the presentation is very modern. We get the best ingredients, mainly from France and Spain, but I stay close to the ways of Thai cuisine.”
For starters, Kla recommends his kingfish (Bt550) served ceviche-style, in a cold salad marinated with olive oil, lime, ginger, chilli and mint, and burrata (Bt950) of smooth mozzarella cheese topped with rocket lettuce and tomato. Alaskan crab sidles into a salad of apple, pumpkin, lime, pomelo and tomato with mayonnaise and a fluffy mache sauce (Bt850).
The main dishes include a moist red mullet cooked very slowly and served with tomato, onion, zucchini and cockles and an avocado-rhubarb sauce (Bt650) and a delectable grilled tiger prawn reclining on pink Himalayan salt alongside aromatic rice pilaf prepared with white wine, spinach and onion (Bt1,200).
“Himalayan salt is the purest salt of the world,” restaurant manager Janjira Wiwatwittayawong explains. “The prawn absorbs the saltiness.”
Finally there’s Coconut Culture (Bt450), in which Thailand’s favourite nut is celebrated in sorbet ice cream, jelly and another gel served in a sake sauce made with kaffir lime and lemongrass.
Also for Bt450 are two desserts, one called simply “Asia” that combines guava mousse, basmati rice, sorbet ice cream, coriander, crumbled green tea and Filipino calamansi jelly, and the other named “Raspberry” in which the berry flavours mousse, sorbet ice cream and rose jelly in a passion-fruit sauce.
>>SURF’S UP
<< Trisara Seafood is at the Trisara Luxury Resort Phuket on Srisoonthorn Road in the island’s Thalang district.
<< It opens daily at 7pm and last orders are taken at 10.30.
<< Book a feast at (076) 310 100, www.Trisara.com or the “Trisara Seafood” page on Facebook.
