Dining on the Rocks, Koh Samui

Apologies for my long break from the blog. I ventured out to South East Asia, Thailand to be exact, and had the most wonderful time exploring all the country has to offer, from city scape's, to rainforest treks and the crystal clear seas on the eastern islands. Although the trip was not supposed to be steeped in gourmet cuisine (instead I tried to enjoy as much freshly cooked Pad Thai from the street vendors as I possibly could to save a little money), I couldn't say goodbye to Thailand without sampling a few of its most loved and highly regarded eating establishments!

Pad Thai Street Vendor, Khao San Road - Bangkok

The first restaurant I am going to blog about, Dining on the Rocks (Koh Samui island) was the most extravagant choice, but when we read a couple of reviews, and then subsequently scouted out the menu on line we couldn't resist trying it's innovative, and somewhat peculiar interpretations of classic dishes we had to book immediately.
Dining on the rocks is situated in the Six Senses resort on the Northern tip of the island, and the restaurant itself, as the name suggests, is built into the rocks, on wooden platforms looking over the ocean. It really is beautiful and the tables, lit only with candles, seem extremely private, with the noise of the ambient music, gently lapping waves and buzz of cicadas in the background.

Dining on the Rocks

Looking through the various menus on offer it amazed me how much choice there was. There was the option on choosing 3 courses from any of the set menus available, or indeed having one of their set menus all with differing names such as Umami (for the fish inspired menu), Pure (for the vegetarian option) and Experience - the menu we opted for. Upon reflection I think this was rather ambitious as it was a 10 course feast - and the plates were not small at all, but each course, as you will see, was beautifully presented and so imaginative also, we definitely had no regrets.

Breads with roasted garlic and spiced dip.

Once we had both ordered a cocktail, the waiter bought over the bread plate, with homemade ciabatta and also the best tasting cheese straws I have ever eaten - sorry Grandma! They plate also had a whole clove of roasted garlic which could be spread onto the bread, alongside a mild spiced peanut dip which was also delicious both individually and as a combination.

Amuse Bouche - Prawn Cocktail

Then the amuse bouche was bought to the table and we were told it was the chefs take on traditional prawn cocktail. This, 'chefs take on...' came to be a pretty familiar saying as we made our way through the courses, and despite being explained the dishes in great detail I struggle to remember much about the components, other than the fact they tasted great together. The amuse bouche was excellent, really zinged with the flavours of tomato, Tabasco, and fresh prawn and was the perfect start to wet our appetite for the courses which followed!

Oyster 'rock' efella

Next came my favourite course of the entire meal, and once again I cannot even begin to remember all of the components (this will become a regularly theme throughout this blog due to the complexity of the dishes served, and quite possibly the strength of my cocktail)! It was an interpretation of the traditional Oyster Rockefeller, with a tempura battered oyster, sat on top of a creamy rocket sauce. There was also a rocket mayonnaise, and bacon snow, as well as a crisp twiglet to give the whole dish crunch. In my opinion it was faultless, full of texture and taste, and I could have eaten about 10 more and still not grown tired of it.

Hamachi zushi

To follow we had hamachi fish, in the style of deconstructed sushi, with concentrated soy, sea vegetable, fried rice and lime and wasabi 'air'. The fish was delicious, I'm not sure if I've ever tried hamachi before but it was lovely, very delicate and buttery, but meaty and rich. The rice added a necessary crunch, and the wasabi was there to give it that kick so often associated with Japanese cuisine.

Salmon Teriyaki

The next dish was purely titled 'salmon teriyaki, simply', but it was far from simple. The wonderful sweet teriyaki flavour burst in your mouth, but also the salmon was cooked to absolute perfection.

Paella

 Paella followed, or at least 'the chefs take' on it! And it was another stunning dish. All of the seafood (prawn, squid, and clams) were cooked to perfection, you can tell eating seafood like this, that you are near the sea, as it was juicy, and sweet. There was also a saffron and tomato puree, which was strongly flavoured, but just like a concentrated version of the paella I tried on my many visits to Spain in the past, delicious, and finally a bit of chorizo and saffron risotto which again gave the dish the perfect amount of spice without over powering the stars of the dish - which of course was the seafood.

Hot Dog

The next dish, some would say is one of the reasons Dining on the Rocks is so highly acclaimed, but I do think its a marmite dish. You'll either love it or hate it, luckily I decided I loved it, but it definitely made me question my tastebuds a few times! With an onion power, a tomato jelly and grain mustard ice-cream it certainly pushes boundaries, but the sausage was absolutely scrummy, tender and perfectly spiced, and really, thats what a hot dog should really be about at the end of the day!

Duck and Coke

Duck and Coke followed, which really was exactly as the name suggests, moist, pink duck breasts served in a coke marinade with coke jelly. This also came with lightly spiced popcorn and beetroot puree. For me, this was actually my least favourite dish, and not because of the duck, that was cooked brilliantly and went with the sweet earthy beetroot really well, I just found the coke to be an unecessary addition, although, my boyfriend loved it, and thought it made the dish, so it just goes to show that you can't please everyone!

Pomelo CO2.

We were then given the palate cleanser, which was a fruit native to Asia called pomelo, similar to grapefruit. Now I'm not a huge fan of grapefruit as its so bitter, but the addition of rock salt to the dish really made the flavour much more palatable. Despite this i'm a sucker for a sorbet, and I think i'd have preferred one, but it definitely did what it was supposed to do and it really wasn't as horrible as I thought it'd be!

Wagyu beef rib eye in adobo

Unfortunately by this point the light food had clearly caused my stomach to shrink over the previous week or so and I was really feeling full! Nevertheless, the main course came out, and it was huge! Three chunky strips of wagyu beef which literally melted in the mouth, marinated in the adobo sauce (similar flavour to smoked paprika), was accompanied by not only roast potatoes but also a mash, wonderfully vibrant vegetables and a crisp spring roll. I regret to say I had to leave some, but I can assure you that it really was some of the best beef I have ever tasted.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

The first of our desserts followed, and it was kind of like a sweet, nutty fruit crumble. Supposed to represent the idea of peanut butter and jelly, I could definitely pick out all of the necessary flavours, and the tart fruit worked really well with the sweetness of the caramelised nuts.

Reference to a campfire

Upon the arrival of our final course, I have to admit I did let out a sigh of relief (told you I was a little over ambitious) but this dessert was a real showstopper. The description likened it to a campfire, and I can completely appreciate where the inspiration came from. It was more like 3 deserts in one, but all as delicious as each other. The toasted marshmallow worked perfectly with the sharp sweetness of the passion fruit cream and the crunch of the honeycomb, and the smoked vanilla ice cream went very well with the brownie and chocolate sorbet. I could have easily shared mine, but it was scrummy all the same!


My experience in Dining on the Rocks was outstanding. The dishes were really all beautifully executed, and the staff were quietly bustling around you yet knowledgeable about the food being served. At just under £200 for the two of us including a couple of cocktails, this restaurant was extremely pricey by Thai standards, but if you were to transport the setting, quality and creativity of the food, and the service provided by the staff, you would pay at least double this amount anywhere else in the world.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Dining on the Rocks and would recommend it to anyone travelling to Koh Samui with an open mind when it comes to food. If the science and strange combinations behind food from chefs such as Heston Blumenthal fascinates you, then this restaurant should definitely be on your to do list...even if only for the lift from the entrance of the resort to the restaurant in a privately chauffeured golf buggy!