Hidden away in a small cove on the west coast of the island is another of Phuket?s hidden gems. In fact so well hidden it is, that if you had not looked at a map, or had someone tell you to drive over the hill at the south end of Kata Beach, you would not even know this place existed.

We are talking about the Katathani and its six restaurants, two of which, Chanadda and La Scala, are in the Privileges Corporate Rewards program. This time we selected Chanadda for our review and its Royal Thai cuisine and sampled some of the excellent fare whilst talking to executive chef Khun Thavee and food and beverage manager Khun Siriphan.

We started off by asking what was the difference between Thai and Royal Thai cuisine.
?Royal Thai cuisine is about original flavours and taste but also about presentation. It is small portions cut finely and very much about preparation. It is mainly Central Thailand cooking, with subtle flavours. Not the hot and spicy like you would find in the North or South of Thailand?

?Dishes such as green curries, chicken curries and goong phad pong garee are part of what we prepare. We use fresh prawns from the Andaman region and only use river prawns, not farmed, so we get better flavours. These are unique to Chanadda. All of our products come from local markets and each item is checked to ensure its quality. We like to use local Sea Bass. The only import is our grain-fed Australian beef.

Chanadda is a small and well laid out restaurant with excellent service seating a maximum of 30 people at a time. ?We like our guests to feel like they are at home.? Another uniqueness about Chanadda is the staff. Chef Thavee has over 27 years of experience in the catering business with over 20 hotels to his name from as far afield as Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. This is his second spell at the Katathani and says ?I came back because I liked it here so much. It?s a nice place to work and be free to create food in your own style.?

Although working at the Katathani for over nine years in total, Khun Thavee has worked there only for a short period compared to other members of staff. Out of 255 staff over 50 have worked there for more than 10 years. Food and beverage manager Khun Siriphan exemplifies this having notched up 19 years at the resort, and she is not the longest serving. Looking far too young to have been there for so long she explained ?I started as a waitress in student training and worked my way to where I am now.?

A lot is said about how a restaurant and hotel treats its staff. The comfortable atmosphere of Chanadda reflects the respect that the owners have for its staff, and the respect is returned.

We asked Chef Thavee for his favourite menu ? goong hom sabai, cho muang savoey, tom yam goong nang, gang ped yang ros ded. You will just have to go along to Chanadda to find out what these dishes are but be prepared for a visual feast.

Boasting the longest 'private' beach in Phuket, 850 metres, the Katathani offers a great opportunity to walk off that meal before wending your way home.

Chanadda is open 18:30 ? 24:00 and telephone reservations are required.

Chanadda is a member of the Privileges Corporate Rewards Program and offers discounts on its standard menus, including alcohol, to holders of VIP Passports. For more information on how to obtain your VIP Passport visit phuket-post.com or www.phuketprivileges.com.


Chanadda
Katathani Phuket Beach Resort
14 Kata Noi Road, Karon, Phuket.
Tel: 0 7628 4096.
www.katathani.com.