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VOL. 12.2

ARCHIVES:

By Sam Wilkinson
 

Hotel general managers can be a serious lot. The day-to-day responsibilities of running a top-class establishment can weigh heavily on merely human shoulders, and may bend the staunchest of backs. But Central Karon Village, a hillside establishment on the left side of the road towards Patong above banana-shaped Karon Beach, has no such problem. They’ve found a gem, with recently hired Englishman Mike Inman as their new GM. He’s an absolute fireball, with ideas and inspirations that are alive and contagious. One gets the feeling around Mike that he’s made for the profession.
 

Before arriving in Thailand to work first in Bangkok and then on Phuket, Mike was born in Malaga, Spain, raised in Nigeria, schooled in Surrey, England, and has lived all around the globe during the course of his training and catering career. He’s seen the world. Sitting over aperitifs in the boutique hotel’s The Cliff restaurant, he regaled us with stories more appropriate to an international adventurer rather than a hotel manager.



Michel Roche, executive chef at The Cliff, joined us in this striking, well- ventilated eatery. From Vende, West France, he’s been in Thailand for 11 years, most of it on Phuket. Michel and Mike, while from different backgrounds, are of one accord in that they’d like to avoid the East-meets-West fusion cuisine that seems to be influencing a lot of chefs these days. Michel went on to explain that he’s a fanatic when it comes to the freshness of his food. (He’s been known, in his polite but firm way, to refuse consignments from local producers that didn’t meet his expectations.) Nor does he buy any imported frozen meat which, he feels, ruins the tenderness and texture of an otherwise perfectly cut steak: “Only chilled is good enough.” And when it comes to seafood, he and Michel accept only the freshest of the fresh fish from Rawai Beach, on the southern end of Phuket, buying directly from the chao lay(sea gypsies, or “People of the Sea”).



Michel excused himself to disappear into the kitchen. A few minutes later we were eating some outrageously delicious coquilles St Jacques aux sauce de poireaux champagne et onions frites. Michel didn’t need to be at the table to make his personality felt. Top-class food. Next, we had soupe de poissons avec croutons et sauce rouille. This was a wholesome home-made fish soup “bouillabaise” style, with a spicy and nutty flavour to the red mullet.



For the main course we had pan-fried chicken breast, tiger prawns and diablo sauce. This was complemented by the grilled spotted grouper with fennel (yes, fennel!) and anise seed and carrot butter sauce. One of my companions tried the roasted rack of lamb with sauteed vegetables and dauphinois potatoes. It’s hard to describe the difficulty in finding a decent rack of lamb on Phuket. I’ve been disappointed time and again, even in some pretty upmarket establishments, but this time, at The Cliff, I was yet again surprised at the freshness, the delicacy and quality of the food on offer.

We finished the evening with cheesecake (monogrammed with a large “M”), creme brule, and Grande Marnier with jasmine tea. A great evening in great company, but the most outstanding culinary facet of the evening was experiencing Michel’s ability to create really great sauces for the freshest food I’ve had in a long time.