There are six Centara Hotels & Resorts in Phuket, with a seventh to open some time in the new year.

The newest and perhaps most distinguishable from the other Thai hotel chains is the Sino-Portuguese styled Centara Grand Beach Resort.

Also known as the ?Pink Palace?, the five-star hotel is located at the most secluded part of Karon with direct access to the beach.

There are two onsite restaurants: The Cove: a restaurant that serves a mixture of international dishes and The Mare.

The Mare is the signature Italian restaurant of Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, overlooking the beach, serving pizza and pasta during the day, and classical Italian cuisine in the evening.

Considering the resort has not yet been open a year, the recent appointment of German-born Andreas Hameder as Executive Chef and Italian-born Fabrizio Crocetta as Chef is a perfect marriage of efficiency and gastronomic flair.

?Everything is fresh; nothing is pre-cooked, including the pasta. Fabrizio does very traditional Italian cuisine, it is fine dining at its best,? said Mr Hameder.

Executive Chef Hameder also stated that Fabrizio was a perfectionist, understandably so considering the Italian national?s 15 years of experience in Michelin star restaurants.

The design of the menu has been created with the very simple aim: of being the place in the Kata/ Karon area for Italian fine dining.

There is nowhere else really in the area, ?There is a huge difference between pizzerias and Italian restaurants. There are not so many Italian restaurants in Phuket but many pizzerias: places you can go to get a pizza and lasagna,? explained Chef Fabrizio.

?Pizzerias serve simple Italian cuisine from 30 years ago. You?ve got to do a lot more than just add a special vinaigrette for it to be considered modern Italian cuisine.

Italian cuisine has changed a lot since then and now has many more influences, including French and owing to recent African and Arabic immigration, some Arabic flavours.?

The menu has a strong seafood influence and contains a delectable selection of traditional and modern Italian dishes including a delicate antipasto selection, sampler platters and stone baked pizza from a traditional wood fire oven.

Such dishes include a Sanwich Croccante Di Pesce Spada con Pepperoni arrositi: Crispy sandwich of swordfish with roasted mixed bell peppers. (350 baht) The sweet of the plum sauce mixes exquisitely with the understated heat of the bell peppers makes for a great mixture of flavours.

One of the dishes that Executive Chef Hameder is perhaps most pleased with is the Spaghetti Al Pesto ? Spaghetti pasta with Italian pesto sauce (350 baht), ?I eat this at least twice a week, the way Fabrizio makes it is really special. The pesto is made from Italian basil, but how he manages to give the spaghetti its green colour is a secret.?

Boiled al dente, of course, Fabrizio has made the spaghetti look and very much taste like a new basil-infused variety.

There are also a wide variety of main courses, all Italian favourites with a slight modern and Fabrizio twist. Substituting mayonnaise with white lemon cream gives the Medallion of chargrilled Australian veal tenderloin, seared yellow fin tuna, and caramelized leeks, a fresh and airy taste.

All of the aforementioned dishes are on the Signature Chef Menu, a list of recommendations that changes every month depending on what is seasonal.

Centara regularly puts on special themed nights; a fois gras night for example. Taking advantage of its extensive wine cellar, Centara also hosts a monthly wine tasting evening.

The exquisite location, ambient setting and five-star dining is sure to up the ante for other aspiring fine dining restaurants in the Kata/Karon area.