The Dining Room at Pacific Club & Spa
By Sam Wilkinson
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It seems there are two types of people in Thailand’s
catering world: Those who believe that quality domestic beef
is a real possibility and those who don’t and import
it at cost.
The Dining Room in Karon Beach’s Pacific Club &
Spa, however, swings both ways and does so successfully. The
restaurant’s philosophy is simple; create great dishes
at minimal price. And who in their right mind can argue with
that?
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WHERE IS IT?
On the only road heading up the hill opposite the lake in Karon
on the Patong-Karon Rd. Take a left at the “Bernie’s Bistro”
sign if coming from Patong (and vice versa if coming from the opposite
direction) then follow the signage for Pacific Club & Spa. There
is quite a bit of construction and the soi, after hanging a right,
is somewhat narrow but don’t worry, the climb is certainly
worth it. View The
Dining Room location map.
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DÉCOR
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| Mexican and Asian
Styles well combined |
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The Dining Room is built on a large scale with high ceilings, terracotta
floor tiles and wide spaces. Pastel and mustard-coloured walls and
fittings dominate.
The Dining Room depends more on breezes wafting through than on
artificial ventilation so it might be wiser to choose a table near
the open side or near the window. All in all there is a hacienda
feel to the restaurant and, except for the modern salad bar, it
could be in Texas or Mexico a century ago.
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ATMOSPHERE
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| With a view on the
mountain |
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This is a peaceful eatery with plenty of space for privacy and
romance. Soft, tasteful background music wafts through the night
air and there is an intimate atmosphere and no wonder – as
owner Eric Conger looks on the place as his own “Dining Room”.
The clientele is mostly hotel guests and there is no leaning towards
a particular nationality. The lighting is rather on the dim side
and may take some getting used to for those who aren’t that
sharp of eye.
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WINE
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| Tasty & inexpensive
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The wine list shows two whites and five reds, mostly Chilean, but
in fact diners can order house wine by the glass (125 baht), a demi
carafe (195 baht) or by the litre (495 baht) or bottle (495 baht).
The Chilean Shiraz Santa Alicia 2004 is especially recommendable.
Prices are astoundingly low and this is definitely one of the restaurant’s
many plus points.
Heineken, Tiger, Singha and Chang beer are all available. House
cocktails are also very inexpensive at 130 baht.
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FOOD
The Dining Room is supplied by Choice Foods, who import meat weekly
rather than in bulk. The same method is used by the top hotels in
Phuket so this means that what you eat at this restaurant, meat-wise,
is on par with a five-star hotel, only at a fraction of the cost.
The rib eye steak is an exemplary dish and along with the Thai beef
filet balsamico one can see that the chef means business in the
meat department.
The menu is incredibly varied, from Thai to Mexican to Italian
to Chinese – it’s certain that there will be something
for everyone. The salmon Florentine, a sensational creamy affair,
is another good example of the quality and inventiveness available
here. If this restaurant was in the middle of Patong it would shame
its neighbours into cutting their exorbitant costs and upping the
ante in the kitchen – it really is that good.
A further recommendation is the fettucine shrimp Alfredo, a scrumptious
sauce over black squid fettucine with giant shrimps. Like the salmon,
this is inventive and delicious seafood. All in all, definitely
worth hiring a car and searching out; there are not a lot of restaurants
of this caliber in Phuket and none that can top it, price-wise.
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SERVICE
The wait staff is made up of long time employees and exudes a friendly
laid-back manner. Several of them actually worked on the construction
of this 40-unit hotel!
The Dining Room in Pacific Club & Spa. 16 Soi 24 Patak Rd.
Karon Beach.
Tel: 076-398350-2
Email: reservation@karon-beach-hotel.com - office@karon-phuket-hotels.com
www.pacific-club-phuket.com
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