Fantastic! Wonderful! Great food! Terrific value for money! These are a few of the comments made about this restaurant. But are they warranted? Is Kantara really that good?

Well, they say, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” So I visited there one night, with a friend, to do just that.

The restaurant is in Blue Lagoon; one of Chaweng’s top resort hotels. And being on Chaweng Beach Road, slightly north of Time Square, next to Amari Palm Reef, it’s easy to find and within a short walking distance of the central area of town.

The resort is very attractive, with its ornate Thai-style roofs dominating the entrance façade. And especially so at dusk, when floodlit alongside the swaying palms. After a short stroll through the picturesque hotel gardens, and past the freeform swimming pool, we arrived beachside at the restaurant.

Kantara is very striking, with its teak-wood Thai-styling and high vaulted ceilings. And it’s in two parts. There’s the 70-seat, open-air interior with its views across to the swimming pool on one side and the sea on the other. Then there’s the 60-seat outside terrace, on the upper reaches of the beach itself. Any further out and you’d be touching the water!

And this is where the only problem of the evening arose – what to choose for dinner! There’s international cuisine, seafood, and Thai food on the always-available à la carte menu. And every night (except Fridays) there’s also live entertainment in the form of classical Thai musicians.

Everything seemed so tempting. But we had to make a choice. I picked the Coconut-Crusted Calamari to begin our evening’s culinary journey, whilst my companion ordered the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with wild mushrooms and truffle oil. The speedy waiter was back at the table in no time with our dishes. They looked so good that we took a couple of moments appreciating the presentation before giving in to our appetites. And were they as tasty as they appeared? In a word – yes!

If the starters were impressive, then the main courses were a knockout. My friend had Pork Tenderloin with mustard fruits, eggplant, bell-pepper rolls, spatzle, and port reduction, whilst I had Braised Lamb Shank with onion tempura rings, garlic mashed potatoes, spinach and tomato-infused sauce. The meat just melted in my mouth as the flavour of the sauce had my taste buds praising the chef.

“… and if you were any further out on the beach,
and you’d be touching the water!”

And that’s Steven van Duyn. He was previously the Executive Chef at La Brasserie (see review), the highly-renowned beachside restaurant at Blue Lagoon’s sister hotel – Beachcomber – in central Chaweng. And after being head-hunted by a top Bangkok city hotel and working there for two years he was asked to return to Samui and take over the whole food and beverage operation for both resorts as the Executive Chef. Steven’s also currently responsible for preparing Blue Lagoon’s next fine-ding venue – Top Ten – for its eagerly-awaited opening later this year. And if the other two restaurants under his watchful eye are anything to go by, this too should be a runaway success. 

But let’s get back to this evening’s culinary adventure. And as a final test of Steven’s skills, we ordered our desserts. For me, White Chocolate Rice Pudding with candied citrus peel, white chocolate ice-cream, sesame tuille and orange sauce, and for my companion, Vanilla Bean Cream Brûlée with passion-fruit, fresh fruit and cream. The pudding was eaten – now we had the proof. And the conclusion? The man’s a genius.

So, were the superlatives used by previous diners justified? Is Kantara as good as I’d been led to expect? In truth, the answer has got to be, “No. It’s even better!”

For reservations and further information, telephone 0 7742 2037.