Our table is so close to the luxury motor yacht, at rest here in the slip, that I feel almost as though we’re on deck.
Over highly-recommended passion fruit margaritas, I’m losing a debate with my girlfriend about the superiority of
sailboats. “You could actually sleep on a motorboat like this,” she says. “Besides, you don’t have to mess around
with those annoying sails. And this is prettier than any sailboat I’ve ever seen.”
A lifelong sailor, these might strike me as fighting words if it were not for the high degree of contentment
that I’m now enjoying. Was this a lesser location, a slighter restaurant, I might stomp out in disgust.
After all, she’s championing the very boats that my family has always derided as “stink pots.” I am fairly
certain that I’ve broken up with women for lesser offences, but I’m not going anywhere tonight. Tie me to the
stern of that sleek, white, power whale and give it all the gas it’s got, nothing’s moving me from my table,
not until I wipe that last crumb of dessert from the corner of my mouth. Hardly a dent in my cocktail, I still
have four courses before I reach that juncture of the evening.
Actually, my girlfriend does have some valid points. These yachts really are quite pretty, shiny white and chrome.
At dock here beneath the curved white roof high above, they have a very futuristic feel, as though they’re spaceships
resting in hangar. Watermark restaurant feels like an enlargement of this ultra modern world, an extension of sleekness
and opulence. The sun is low, on the verge of setting over on the other side of Phuket, and its light slits filtered
through slate gray skies, illuminating the still waters of Boat Lagoon. We are in the heart of the island’s largest
marina, enclosed by boats. If not for our servers’ unobtrusive accents, I could easily believe that this is San
Francisco or Sydney. As the name suggests, this restaurant is without a doubt the real deal, home to truly authentic
world class cuisine.
With the basket of sundry delectable breads arrive the menus, single sheets of translucent plastic that have the
feel of reflections in the water. Our host, manager Stewart Bird, has recommended the salads, the fishcake appetizer
and the snapper, which is one of the chef’s contemporary Thai creations. The emphasis at Watermark, he said, is on
fresh quality ingredients, lighter meals. “We’re the opposite of heavy French cuisine.”
Watermark opened to rave reviews in November, 2002 and has already become “something of an institution” on Friday
evenings, where their happy hour kicks off the weekend for many in the yachting circles and beyond. Dining is al
fresco, beneath these towering ceilings. The bar is located in a corner that definitely feels more inside, though
it is framed by only the back two walls. Bird said that they wanted to create a nice atmosphere without the
formality of traditional fine dining. “It’s more like a Sydney cafe or brassiere.”
Indeed, the chef is Australian, from Perth. His cuisine is modern, taking advantage of the many opportunities for
fusion in the East, but plenty of established favourites are available as well, such as Australian beef and lamb.
A full menu of traditional Thai dishes is offered along with a number of imaginative inventions which are firmly
rooted in Thai flavour.
Our first two dishes perfectly exemplify this creativity. Fishcakes, a staple dish of any local market, have been
taken to a whole new level. Instead of arriving in boring little patties, they’re wrapped around slender stalks of
lemongrass and served in banana leaf cones with a side of pomelo and sour mango salad. Prawn tempura blends in a
Japanese influence; they’re crispy, not oily and come with an amazing sweet and sour tamarind sauce.
I’ve practically forgiven my girlfriend for her stance on motor yachts. Darkness has settled in over the lagoon and
the boats are reflected upon the perfectly glassy surface of the black water. Since we are on the east coast of
Phuket, we missed the sunset, but watching the light change on the boats and the lagoon has been beautiful in
its own right.
Salad is a dish that I rarely bother with here in Thailand, but at our host’s recommendation, I ordered one.
I could not be more grateful for taking his advice. My lettuce is jazzed up with apple, walnuts and grilled pumpkin,
dressed in gorgonzola. A Waldorf with a sublime twist. The pumpkin is probably the biggest surprise and what a treat!
I’m definitely going to return for another helping of this!
For the main course, my girlfriend has followed Bird’s recommendations and chosen the snapper, another of the
contemporary Thai delights. Its flavour is based on gaeng som, the yellow, sour, incendiary soup popular throughout
the south, but it has been refined. The fish itself has been conveniently filleted and steamed to perfection, served
with the shoots of young coconut and steamed long beans.
Though unintentional, my choice of lamb tests the range of main courses and I’m not disappointed. My girlfriend usually
rolls her eyes when I order lamb in Phuket, she thinks it is gristly and gamey. Now she understands that it is usually
just not that good. “This is really tender!” she crows with amazement.
“This is the way it is supposed to be.”
The presentation is lovely, the atmosphere can’t be beat and the service is nicely paced. We don’t feel rushed,
yet I haven’t had to look around for my waiter. It is a Monday evening in the so-called rainy season and most of
the fifteen tables have filled up. This strikes me as fairly extraordinary given the impact SARS and the US occupation
of Iraq have had on tourism. On the other hand, with the quality of dining we are experiencing, somehow I’m not surprised.
Our night winds down with another East meets West choice for dessert. My strawberry tart with vanilla ice cream;
her fresh mango and sticky rice in sweet coconut milk. The water remains glassy and still and the boats shimmer
under soft white lights. Beyond the luxury motor cruisers, the tall, aluminum masts of sailing yachts protrude
into the blackness. I’m looking forward to an after dinner walk along the docks, to having a look at boats that
I truly covet, to reopening our debate. I’m in no rush, however, for I haven’t tasted strawberries in nearly a
year and when they’re prepared properly, as they are tonight, they’re an event to be savoured.
By Kit C. Cauw
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