“The philosophy at Acqua restaurant is based on premium ingredients - once you have them, why play around any more?” declares owner and executive chef, Italian born Alessandro Frau.

The statement sounds brazen or arrogant even, and as I walk around the clean and simple black and white décor before finally settling down in the outdoor section of this beach front restaurant, I wonder whether the ingredients alone will be enough to carry the sole weight of responsibility to compete with other ‘quality’ restaurants.

The ingredients though are undoubtedly of an exceptional quality; the majority of which are imported. The mussels are from the Mediterranean, the fresh artichokes from Australia, the lobster from Canada, the tuna from the Indian ocean, Parma ham from Italy, Veal Rack and lamb from Australia and NZ and the cod from Alaska.

Alessandro is an experienced chef who has worked all over Europe, including Paris and London and of course his native Sardinia in Italy before coming to Phuket five years ago. He was the executive chef at Laguna before deciding to open Acqua ten months ago.

For a restaurant so new and with such a wide variety of top class restaurants nearby, Acqua seems to be taking it in its stride and on the night that I was there, the restaurant that can seat up to a hundred, was almost filled to capacity, yet the attentive staff wizzed around with an air of ease and professionalism making sure every one of the diners was enjoying the Acqua experience.

“We offer three types of cuisine here; traditional Ital-ian, regional Italian (which focuses on local dishes from where he is from) and lastly modern Italian. Modern Italian is what the people are eating now.” Alessandro explained.

Italian cuisine - the attention to detail and nuances of good food - is followed to the letter here, from the bread that is freshly baked in an imported traditional pizza wood oven to the countless varieties of pasta which is also freshly made on site.

The black and white décor that matches the uniforms of the numerous members of staff is simple and elegant and is a clear backdrop or canvas on which to present the most important aspect of the restaurant; the food.

Alessandro continues “As it’s a beach front restaurant, everything should match. The word Acqua is fresh and clean and suggestive of the wonderful view that can be enjoyed here.” The said view is of the Kalim beach front just five minutes from Patong.

For the starter, I had a lobster salad, Catalana style complete with cherry tomatoes
and diced marinated red onions in olive oil and lemon sauce (500 baht). The preparation
was exquisite and the lobster meat light and fluffy. It was very sweet but also
very delicious.

The curious main course of Veal Rack (800 baht) wrapped in Parma ham and sage, with a white wine sauce and mashed potatoes forced me to call over restaurant manager Korn
for clarification; “First the parma ham is wrapped around the veal rack and then the meat is seasoned with sage leaves and pan fried.”

Korn speaks excellent English and has been the restaurant manager with Alessandro for over four years, he will be able to guide you through your selections on the menu and give expert advice.

The main course was really something special and was like a parcel of goodness that I like
to think of as gourmet eating for lazy diners who do not wish to use their knives and forks to cut different types of food.

An Illy coffee-flavoured tiramisu was the welcomed dessert. It comes with a few slices of strawberries which compliments the coffee flavoured icey dish excellently. The night was very modern Italian, with an exceptional attention to detail and gastronomic excellence in an elegant yet contemporary setting.

So, from what at first sounded at the very least bold, Alessandro’s explanation of Acqua’s philosophy now in fact seems apt, if not a tad modest as it perfectly encapsulate the effortless excellence that can be enjoyed at Acqua.