Review: Trisara, Phuket – a feast for the senses in Thailand

What are the first two thoughts that pop into your head when you read the word “Thai”? If you’re like me, you’ll be picturing yourself flat on your front in the spa, your back being expertly kneaded as if it were a soft, pillowy dough by a masseuse skilled in the arts of Thai massage.

For the other thought, for me the word “Thai” conjures up a mental image of a banquet table, laden with fragrant dishes, incorporating all manner of Southeast Asian herbs and spices.

For me, these are Thailand’s greatest cultural exports. The more restless among you may be thinking of Thai boxing in place of either of the aforementioned two. We’ll come back to that one.

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I’m more of a “make dinner, not war” kind of chap, you see, and at Trisara, an upmarket resort on the island of Phuket, off southern Thailand, they do Thai massage and Thai food beautifully.

The name “Trisara” comes from the Sanskrit language and it means “the garden in the third heaven”. A stay here will certainly lift your spirits. Food and massage are, after all, both good for the soul.

So, an appointment at PRU is in order. This superb restaurant boasts Phuket’s only Michelin star. If that weren’t enough, it also has a second “green” Michelin star, which it has been awarded for its efforts in sustainability.

The “fourth wall” in the kitchen is absent, so you can watch the chefs tweezer on the intricate details to the assortment of small dishes that will make up your dinner from the tasting menu (priced at around £155 for “The PRU Experience”).

I won’t go into every dish, although all were lovely. But of note was the opener, billed as “The King of the Fruits”. And quite right, too.

If you have travelled around Southeast Asia, you might be familiar with this much maligned fruit from signs at the airport banning you from carrying it on the aeroplane, along with explosives and sharp objects. It is otherwise known as durian, infamous for smelling like rotting flesh. But not at PRU. Here, the flesh of the durian has been rendered into a delicate, creamy moose that has a pleasant nutty taste.

Chef Florian Desportes enthusiastically explained each dish as it was served. He is a native of Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France, so it’s not surprising the menu leans towards Europe. (The executive chef, Jimmy Ophorst, is Dutch.) But as with the use of durian, the menu has its feet firmly planted in Thailand.

The mackerel and Makwaen pepper (a Southeast Asian spice), for instance, is served with ant eggs – a delicacy in parts of the country. They look a little like Rice Krispies and taste like popcorn, lending a delicious toasted buttery flavour to the fish along with an ever so slightly crunchy texture.

The aged duck and tamarind is another standout dish. But it is in the dessert that you get a taste of how PRU earned its green credentials. Letting nothing go to waste, chef Desportes has concocted a sweet, dark and sticky sauce for the ice cream from the mackerel heads drying in the kitchen.

Trust your tastebuds. You don’t win accolades for being boring.

True farm-to-fork dining

Very much in keeping with the principle of sustainability, Trisara runs its own farm. You can visit it, and you should. It is simply lovely. Most of the herbs and many of the vegetables are grown beside the large lake, home to the ducks that lay the eggs for the restaurants.

Here, you will also find a second superb restaurant called Jampa, which is housed in a very stylish, modern building that has a slight safari-lodge feel. This is real farm-to-fork dining and the leg and breast of dry aged pigeon was a particular favourite. (Around £95 for the seven-course “Jampa Experience” menu.)

For more East meets West cuisine, head to restaurant La Crique, where the lobster and tiger prawns are juicy and fresh from the Andaman Sea.

Thai Library is the go-to for authentic local cuisine, done to a very high standard and don’t pass up the chance to try the excellent local wines at any of the restaurants. Thailand produces a wide variety and all the ones I tried were very drinkable, the viognier in particular.

Cielo & Spice is Trisara’s main restaurant, offering a menu of Asian favourites, and there is the bar, 7.8ºN, which is perfect for an aperitif cocktail enjoyed while gazing over the hub of the resort to the private beach, with its attractive swimming pool stretching off just to the side.

In the high, drier season, you can enjoy much of this outside, while listening to live music.

Not for the first time I’ve been distracted by the food and I’ve run out of space to talk about how indulgent the sea-view villas are – how they have their own private infinity pools overlooked by absolutely no one; the outdoor showers and the huge bath tubs. But then the food really is that good.

So, I can either finish at the resort’s Muay Thai boxing ring, next to the tennis courts. The friendly coaches will (gently) show you the ropes and, don’t worry, they were still smiling when I left. Or I can finish at Jara Spa. Trisara will soon be offering health plans tailored to individual guests, led by wellness practitioner David Melladew.

But for the time I was there, I was very happy to let my masseuse, Pai, untie the knots in my shoulders with her expert elbows. Hmm, I wonder.

Chris was a guest of Trisara. From $1,100 per night.

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