Atmosphere and decor

Silk is a sight for sore eyes...

Still, even on a rainy evening, Silk is a sight for sore eyes. Soft, tasteful lighting illuminates the spacious 30-table air-conditioned interior with a central concourse lit by a row of tubular overhead lamps. Two chao fa sculptures oversee the dining space and the overall décor is predominantly of wood and glass... and silk of course. A show kitchen stands to one side and dominating the whole west side of the room is a bar easily taller than my house.

On the balcony, several floor-based candelabras provide intimate balcony lighting and the overall ambience it has to be said - both inside and outside - is one of unpretentious luxury. I say "unpretentious" because the restaurant's friendly and efficient service and atmosphere would disarm the snobbiest and most affected diner.

Drinks and wines

Silk Restaurant in Surin Beach...

At the huge bar I count at least six vodka choices with an even larger range of whiskies. "How many liquor bottles are there?" I ask Angkana Jamsrikaew, the General Manager. She laughs and shrugs her shoulders, saying that, as yet, no one has counted them all. Still, she adds that Silk has a wine list comprising over 60 fine old world and new world wines.

FYI the restaurant's most popular reds are Frankland Estate Shiraz, Arrowfield "Show Reserve" and Wolf Bass "President's Selection". Topping the white wine categories are Sherwood Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio Osvaldo and Chablis Premiere Cru. All wines on the list are reasonably priced - from 1,600 baht to 4,000 baht.

We sit at a balcony table sipping our drinks (one of the best dry vodka martini I've tasted in Phuket) while the thunderstorm disappears over the nearby hills with an angry rumble and a final flash. As for our choice of wine for the evening, a bottle of Arrowfield 2003 red went beautifully with the meal and we later sample the house wine - a perky New Zealand Pinot Noir St. Clair that goes for 1,300 baht a bottle.

Food

Silk describes its food as "Gourmet Thai" and with an executive chef late of the world-famous Amanpuri Resort it lives up to its label. We sample pomello salad and laab neu poo - a blue crab meat dish with roasted jasmine rice and mint. Along with a delicate plum dipping sauce, the crab is delectable. The pomello salad is served with deep-fried shallots and peanuts over the top and is another interesting flavour-and-texture combination. There is a small bowl of prik naam pla (spicy fish sauce) on the table but only one of us dips into it. These dishes easily stand up on their own.

We sample a phad thai goong and, for a fried dish, it is surprisingly light. The tamarind sauce lends an almost toffee-like flavour and the accompanying prawns and spring onions add up to a dish that richly deserves to be recognized around the world.

But what of Silk's desserts? Maybe this is the area in which the restaurant excels the most. My dining companions certainly concur. Silk's Belgium dark and white chocolate mousse is without comparison in Phuket and the raspberry sorbet as rich as an ice cream.

Silk's clientele is largely made up of return expat customers and visitors staying at local hotels. These are five-star hotels with an impressive array of restaurants themselves, by the way, so for guests to venture out to another it has to be worth their while. The proof of the pudding is obviously in the eating; glancing around, I see many satisfied faces.

In short, Silk lives up to its name, with excellent service, outstanding cuisine, fabulous décor and an extensive wine list, to say nothing of its tasteful background music.

Location

Silk: at The Plaza, on the road from Cherng Talay to Surin. Tel: 076-271702