Everyone loves a success story. And Captain Kirk seafood restaurant on busy Chaweng Beach Road is just that. Being a leading Chaweng eatery for over ten years amongst fierce competition is no small thing and it surely proves that they must be doing something right

It's just across the road from the Tops supermarket complex (where there's plenty of handy parking spaces) and is immediately recognisable by a huge red fish sign facing downwards towards its entrance. And here, there's always one of Captain Kirk's pretty waitresses in their attractive red uniforms ready to greet diners and lead them upstairs. Upstairs? Yes, for this is a rooftop restaurant, which actually started out as a disadvantage in the early days as people tended to walk straight past without realising what they were missing!

However, it wasn't long before the delicious food and unique ambience on offer were discovered by Samui Dining Guide, and we immediately included Captain Kirk as one of our recommended restaurants. And from then the place took off, which not only resulted in many new customers coming to the restaurant, but also attracted the attention of numerous other guidebooks around the world including the famous Lonely Planet and the French Guide du Routar.

So what's all the fuss about? What makes Captain Kirk stand out from other eateries along Chaweng Beach Road? Well it's certainly not a fine-dining restaurant, although the food is excellent. And the huge portions are egendary. But what it does have is a rustic charm that typifies the Samui of early days: bamboo tables and chairs; a veritable garden of tropical plants and even trees in pots; a casual chilled out atmosphere; and loads of novel design touches. For instance, the glass-top tables encase fascinating ollections of seashells and memorabilia that the restaurant's Belgian owner, Gillou Leroy, has gathered on his numerous trips and adventures around the world (and there's a great collection of original photos of Southeast Asia spanning the last 60 years – in the bathroom!).

There's room for many up here and groups or 20 or more can easily be catered for. What with the Bohemian ambience of the restaurant combined with the entertaining sights and sounds of the passers-by on the street below, the stage is set for the food, of which there's plenty of choices with over 80 items on the tempting menu. Seafood, as you might expect rom seafood restaurant, is predominant throughout both the Thai and Mediterranean sections and you can be guaranteed that it's all 100% fresh.

" ... and seafood, as you might expect from seafood restaurant, is predominant throughou both the Thai and Mediterranean sections."

A recommended starter from the Thai menu would be the Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls with shrimps and vegetables, and from the International menu, the Sesame and Wasabi-crusted King Prawns with Indian tomato sauce. For a Thai main course, it's got to be the hugely popular Plate of Mixed Grill Seafood, with its massive selection of white snapper, barracuda, shark, king prawns and crab. And as for the top choice for mains from the Mediterranean section, the New Zealand Grill Lamb Skewer with 'old fashioned' mustard sauce is the favourite.

The desserts at Captain Kirk are pretty special too, and both the Ice-Cream Nougat with caramelised cashew nuts and strawberry coulis, and the Double Choc Brownie with vanilla ice-cream would be hard to better, even in a top fine-dining restaurant charging 3 of 4 times as much.There's a good selection of both New and Old World wines here and it's all very reasonably priced, with no bottle topping the 1,000 baht mark. And that just about sums up the dining experience at Captain Kirk. Good wholesome food in convivial surroundings at fair prices. I'm so glad we took that short walk up their stairs all those years ago!

Captain Kirk is open from 5:00 pm until late.For reservations and further information, telephone 0 812 705 376.