Blossoming Bakery

Just two or three minutes from the Central Festival Phuket intersection south along Chaofa Road, a new French bakery and pastry called Au Des Lys sits pretty on the right hand side, right next to House & Home. Parking is around the back, and after a walk through the garden to the front, the inside of the bright orange house has a cozy, airy atmosphere. The decoration is classic European with touches of Chinese: a perfect place for an early morning stopover for coffee or tea and a pastry.

Owner Khun Garcia recommended we try the tropezienne (75 baht), a famous French pastry and a favourite at the shop. The crisp concoction is rich and creamy, not overly sweet but a little tart from fresh pieces of strawberry. We also tried the raspberry mousse (75 baht), also made with an easy hand on the sugar to bring out the tart fruit flavour. It was also smooth and melt-in-your-mouth like yoghurt. The mousse disappeared from our plates very quickly!

Prices of the pastries are reasonable, and so too on the hot beverages. Chocolate fondant is 75 baht, tarte fruitti- fruitti is 70 baht, trate fruit is 240 baht, and so on. The bakery also has many original breads available and always features warm welcomes from the staff.

Au Des Lys, 83 Moo 2, Chaofa Rd., Wichit. Daily, except Tuesdays, from 7.00am to 7.00pm. 08-6470-1853.

? W.K.

All the Angles at Les Anges

Oo la la, c?est magnifique, tres bon ? smashing, mate! Just a few of the comments overheard during the latest culinary venture between Peter Webber of Les Anges and Steven Roberto of enVision Phuket. The two are known to throw some of the best wine dinners on the island. Their latest affair, titled ?Une Soiree de Vie en Rose? and described as ?an evening in the life of the Parisian way?, had nothing to do with roses, as my schoolboy French had suggested. Instead it was another one of those gastronomic delights that had the taste buds tingling at the start and the buttons popping at the end.

Where else in the world except Phuket would you be able to have an eleven-course meal (yes, eleven) with wine for under 3,000 baht? Faced with such a feast, you would expect all to be daunted, but the 43 people, with many others disappointed on the waiting list, were treated to a parade of superb dishes perfectly matched to the wines.

Whether it was the steak and fries served with the Chateau Balac, Crus Bourgeois Haut Medoc 2003 or the sole meuniere served with the Joseph Mellot la Troncsec, Pouilly Fume 2007 that was your personal favourite of the night, not a single thing could be criticized. The first of these wines was a powerful red, yet not overpowering, matching the steak perfectly. The Pouilly Fume was just sublime. Full of flavours that made the mouth water with a nose not normal of a Sauvignon Blanc, this wine had to be the best of the night, paired with a sole cooked to perfection.

All of the wines were drinkable on their own. But it is the sign of a great sommelier (and chef) that allows for each of these to be better when enjoyed together with the correctly paired food. Diners were even able to purchase the wines at a reduced rate on the evening for consumption and reflection at a later date.

Everyone leaving was also presented with a CD of the music played during the night ? a nice touch that is sure to evoke memories when played. Watch here for more such nights to come from both Webber and Roberto.

? R.V.

A better breed

So-called Kobe beef got its name from sailors who sampled the fantastic meat during a stopover in the namesake Japanese city. The beef comes from the wegyu breed of cattle, up until recent decades a protected national treasure. Australian cattleman David Warmoll of Jack?s Creek Marketing now has some 8,000 head in Australia waiting to delight diners in Phuket.

Warmoll met with a select group of the island?s finest executive chefs and food and beverage managers on 30 July to promote his beef. On the menu were a short presentation and a long dinner sponsored by Choice Foods, a local speciality foods distributor.
In tartare, wegyu is buttery and light, and in strip loin and burgers it?s robust and flavourful. The kitchen staff at host Mom Tri?s Boathouse in Kata outdid themselves featuring wegyu in an unbelievable repast, including one of the finer prime ribs ever served on the island. Look for wegyu beef on the menu at Phuket?s best restaurants.