To the casual reader there is only one and I know who you are
- this nothing more than an excuse for a series of free meals
at luxury resorts around Phuket's shores. This is a fair assessment,
but I do occasionally venture inland, even into town and to smaller
restaurants, if the mood takes me. I happened upon the charming
Kopi de Phuket during a recent nocturnal amble around the
city and found myself in company which, if not quite hi-so, was
certainly more than so-so.
Back for a lunchtime appointment, I and two Gazette colleagues
are welcomed to the stylishly old-fashioned Chinese coffee house
by Nannapas Nimpitakpong who - in a similar vein to Christophe
Rodriguez Lopez from The Mangosteen - has a secret talent.
My travel around the island have convinced me that a Phuket restaurateurs'
version of the old television show What's My Line? could be a
real possibility. K. Nannapas - who loves to sing - is none other
than the voice of "Belle" from the Thai-language version
of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Alongside this
achievement my rather sexy portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, many
years ago in a student production of the Rocky Horror Show, pales
into insignificance...
Kopi de Phuket, which opened some three months ago, is halfway
between" The Books" and the Tourism Authority of Thailand
office on Phuket Rd. It is in fact the second Kopi; the first
is a tiny coffee shop in the On On Hotel on Phang Nga Rd that
has been open since 1999.
The new Kopi remains at heart a coffee house, a place for people
to chat and indulge in traditional Phuket-style drinks such as
the black-as-hell kopi O brewed to a generations-old and,naturally,
secret recipe from beans grown in Northern Thailand.
Kopi de Phuket also offers a range of juices and smoothies but
the real selling point for me is the food. The menu of traditional
Phuketian food is small, but the dishes themselves are lovingly
created - surely all that counts- and each day a special is offered.
Prices are ridiculously reasonable; a sidewalk-stall 45 Baht a
dish.
K. Nannapas next brings to our table Moo Hong Phuket, a
rich pork-and-Chinese-mushroom stew with the aroma of star anise
and cinnamon. The gravy is so robust that it's almost enough simply
to spoon this over the rice. In fact, that's exactly what we do
when the pork and mushrooms have been devoured, although one could
also mop it up with a nice chunk of bread with equal success.
Fusion food?
Next to the table is pla pad takhrai, deep-fried fish fillets
with lemongrass. It's slightly sweet, has just enough "bite"
to it and, by virtue of the lemongrass, has a delicate, soaring
taste. Having enjoyed three of my favorite scents - lemongrass,
fresh coffee and cinnamon - in as many minutes, I'm fast approaching
ecstasy.
We squeeze in dessert, namely pong tai hai, a jelly- like
mix of Chinese herbs and Gingko nuts. The seed of the Gingko tree
is thought to offer medicinal benefits; the trees themselves can
live for more than 2,500 years, so there must, presumably , be
something life-enhancing about them.
Some reports even suggest that Gingko seeds have aphrodisiac qualities.
I couldn't possibly comment.
THe at mosphere at Kopi de Phuket is relaxed, the range of refreshments
is intriguing, it's cheap and it offers an insight into a culture
that seemed, until the shop opened, to have all but vanished.
Best of all, Kopi de Phuket is not Starbucks, nor part of any
other coffeeshop franchise business. What better compliment could
there be?
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Kopi de Phuket is open from 9:30 am to 11:30 pm daily except
Sunday when it closes at 9:30 pm. The restaurant is at 61 Phuket
Rd. Talad Yai, Phuket City, Tel: 076-212225,website www.kopidephuket.com
