Further on down the road is the Holiday Inn logo and you know somehow that a worldwide chain that is trusted by millions can’t be a bad thing in Patong.

Where is it?

Sam's logo at the restaurant's entrance

Inside the Holiday Inn Phuket is where Sam’s Steaks and Grill is located. Sam’s is a byword for great steaks in Phuket and many an expatriate is to be seen there chomping down a top-quality cut and enjoying a good bottle of wine with it.

The Holiday Inn is situated on Soi Ruam Jai and on Patong’s Beach Road. Sam's is located near the lobby.

View Sam's Steaks & Grill location map.

Décor

Beautifully appointed salle à manger

Sam’s had a complete makeover three years back and the décor nowadays is slicker than olive oil on aluminum foil.

The tiled floor segues into beautiful wooden parquet and back; the walls have a tactile theme with a blue-with-white combination; there’s a low-slung under-lit serving bar in the corner with tasteful beaded hanging lights throughout and everywhere highly polished wine glasses wink and glint in the subdued light.

A beautifully appointed salle à manger flanks the main dining room and is used for private dining and functions and centre-right is a walk-in glass wine cellar.

Atmosphere

"Elegant dining"

‘Elegant dining’ could be the phrase best used here. Sam’s is certainly a place to dress up for. After all, in such chic surroundings you’re going to look a little out of sorts dressed in too laid-back attire. No; think smooth, think silk, think subtle, think Sam’s.

The well-balanced background music at Sam’s is no accident; a Bangkok-based music company has set the tone for different times of day with a choice of thousands of tunes, mostly in a jazz mood.

In other words, it’s upbeat music during happy hour and if you hear Frank Sinatra crooning ‘One for the Road’ guess what? It’s closing time.

Wine

Air-conditioned wine cellar

Well, you didn’t expect the folks at Sam’s to provide marvelous décor, great music and otherwise unattainable steaks and then serve up cheap booze, did you? I thought not.

The air-conditioned cellar contains some 100 labels – some of which have been suggested by diners. Even though there’s a worldwide general swing toward New World labels, Sam’s retains a healthy balance of both Old and New World.

Our Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon Rapel Valley was excellent.

Food

Filet steak

Here’s an interesting statistic for you: 80% of Sam’s clientele is from outside the hotel. Here’s one more: Sam’s is near capacity every darn night. The reason becomes obvious in perusing the menu. Where else can you get Argentine steak on the same menu as prime US beef and a crocodile steak, not to mention ostrich?

Attention to detail is what stands out here as well as a bold attitude towards trying new combinations and dishes; the Argentine steak being an example. Personally, I find attacking a 700gram steak a bit daunting so I opted for a beef stroganoff but soon discovered that there was enough beef in it to make up a fairly hefty steak in itself. My partner ordered a fish steak and that too was a pretty robust affair but Stephan the cameraman dug into his pepper steak with mucho gusto and pronounced it wonderful.

The menu is admirably varied, catering for most tastes and I dare say that vegetarians can be looked after here, given the wide culinary repertoire. It should be mentioned that people don’t go to Sam’s for its cheap prices, they go for the quality; ergo Sam’s is not for the economy minded diner.

Service

Serving Irish Coffee

This is one of the big draws at Sam’s. The experienced staff makes sure you are catered for in every sense of the word. Order a Caesar salad and they will make it tableside, likewise Irish coffee, which is a lesson in indoor pyrotechnics.

Subtle, yet friendly and joking, service at Sam’s sets a benchmark for other top-end restaurants in Phuket.

Sam's Steaks & Grill: 52 Thaweewong Road, Patong. Tel: 076-340608
www.holiday.phuket.com/