The Cliff, Koh Samui

Our choice to stop at the famous Cliff Bar and Grill on the island of Koh Samui was definitely not by accident. The restaurant has won a huge number of awards and accolades over the years including Tatler's Thailand's Best Restaurant in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011 and the hospitality Asia's platinum award for dining experience.

We decided to be a bit adventurous on this particular day and hired a little moped between the two of us (taxis on this island in particular are ridiculously expensive) because we really wanted to see the whole island in a bit more detail before leaving. After a day of dusty travelling we were feeling rather peckish and decided to make our way (and hopefully get in) to the restaurant for a late lunch.



The breathtaking view from our balcony table.

When we arrived (at around 3pm) the restaurant was really quiet and to our absolute joy that meant the waitress - who was so lovely and friendly, could sit us prime position over looking crystal bay on a balcony table. Bearing in mind we were sweaty, dusty and not dressed particularly nicely either, I was completely bowled over by how hospitable the staff were, there wasn't even an ounce of pretencion in this restaurant which I absolutely loved.

Because it was the afternoon we were given a choice of both the a la carte and the tapas menu to choose from, so effectively we were completely spoilt for choice. Being a seafood lover I could have possibly devoured the whole menu, however, as it was nearing the end of our time in Thailand (unfortunately) we opted for a slightly lighter 'tapas' style lunch/dinner snack...wishing we had more days to come back and try the full menu!

Amuse Bouche

Because we opted for tapas we couldn't really leave without trying their Sangria, which was absolutely gorgeous - especially after our long day on the road, and while waiting for our mains the waitress bought us both out a bruchetta to wet our appetite. This was a lovely and unexpected touch, which really did leave us with high hopes for the rest of the meal. The tomato, onion and garlic salsa was bursting with flavours of the Mediterranean and the salted crispy bread underneath was the perfect combination.

Spiced Lamb Kebabs with minted yoghurt dip.

Controlling ourselves the first dish we ordered was the spiced lamb kebabs, with a fresh and creamy yoghurt dip. The spices worked perfectly together - it really reminded me of the kind of flavours you would find in Moroccan food. The meat itself was tender and juicy, so the real flavour of the lamb could shine through - a lovely surprise after being so used to seafood and chicken throughout the rest of our holiday.

Spanish Salad with Garlic Bread

 To go with the lamb we also ordered a salad containing roasted peppers, sun dried tomatoes, lettuce and manchego cheese. This was lovely and fresh, just simple flavours (something we were craving after all the complex spicing in Thai cuisine) and two more chunky slices of that crispy bread to fill us up a little more!

Finally came the show stopper really, The Cliff offered three tasting plates on the tapas menu, each with three of the chefs favourite dishes in a smaller portion to sample. I think there was one with meat, one vegetarian, and the fish plate - which is what we ordered. This came with calamari, gazpacho shots and battered king prawns, and mussels with chorizo.

Fish tasting plate

It really was far better than it even looks...and that was a mean feat! The dish really had the 'wow-factor', and each individual component tasted divine - I could have easily polished off one to myself...maybe even two (but maybe that would be a little too greedy!)...The calamari were great, in an extremely light batter and cooked to perfection, and the gazpacho just exploded with tomatoey flavour in your mouth as soon as you took a sip. The prawn, which sat proudly on top of the shot glasses, were not only absolutely huge, but so juicy and sweet, which went perfectly with the crispy smokey paprika batter. Finally, in my opinion the star of the show were these little shells filled with Spanishy delicious-ness, the meaty mussels and chorizo just popped when put together and the tomatoey sauce they were cooked in balanced the whole thing perfectly - I could have eaten 20!

 

Homemade Tiramisu

 

Because we had loved everything from the service to the sangria, to the food so much, we felt it would be rude to not sample one of their desserts - which all sounds really good actually (another nice surprise in Thailand, where many places just offer ice cream)! We opted for their tiramisu, sticking on the whole Mediterranean theme, and it didn't disappoint. The cake layers were filled to their limit with booze, to which the cream perfectly counter-balanced, so much so - I was even tempted to lick the plate clean (and I don't even like chocolate sauce!).

I loved this restaurant. My only regret is that we didn't have chance to go back again and try a real selection off their a la carte menu, it really wasn't too pricey either, I think if my memory serves me, our meal with the jug of sangria and two bottles of water came to around £40 - not bad for one of the best restaurants in Thailand...

I would suggest if you wish to visit (and I highly recommend you do) it would be wise to book, the phone didn't stop ringing while we were there and I really think we were extremely lucky to catch them at their quietest - but don't forget to ask for a balcony table...

I will never forget my trip to Thailand, it really was a magical experience, and most definitely a place I wish to visit again, even if only to sample a fish platter from this restaurant, and dine in a few more highly acclaimed eating establishments! I not only saw an extremely beautiful country, but also spent time with some very lovely residents, and it is true what they say about Thai people being the world's smiliest!

Thai Cookery School, Paradise Resort - Khao Sok

As part of our whistle stop tour of Thailand we were also desperate to do an elephant safari and Thai cookery course before we left. I had heard incredible things about Khao Sok National Park (a night trains distance away from the city of Bangkok - towards the famous Thai Islands) so we thought this would be the most perfect place for a real getaway retreat and a chance to see Thailand as nature intended.

We decided to stay in the Khao Sok Paradise resort, in a luxury tree house, which was well worth the money and as part of our stay we booked ourselves onto an adventure package which included the accommodation for 3 nights, an elephant safari, canoe trip, an over night lake stay (the highlight - as it was completely beautiful) this particular cookery course, and all our meals throughout the stay.

Our Ingredients!

When you opt to do a cookery class at this resort their resident chef intructs you on the different spices, oils and vegetables most commonly used. You also select one of three menus, we opted for the menu which included stir fry vegetables, chicken with cashew nuts, masuman curry, and two different types of prawn soup (one coconut based, and the other spicy tom yum).

The lady who took the class (unfortunately I cannot remember her name) was absolutely excellent. She spoke very good English, was really great at explaining all of the chopping techniques - and even showed us some great things to do to show off vegetables on the plate and whats more you could really tell she was passionate about Thai cuisine.

All prepped and ready to cook!

Before we began to cook all of the different dishes it was explained that many of the curry pastes could be made from scratch and chilli can be added to taste (which we were quite relieved about!!)...The dishes only took a matter of minutes each, just enough to cook the chicken or prawns and little enough time to keep the other ingredients still crunchy - 'leaving in all the goodness' as it was explained.

The finished dishes!

The finished dishes were delicious. All had a unique flavour - despite using many of the exact same ingredients, and were so simple to do. We tucked in, and enjoyed everyone, especially the chicken and cashew nuts with vegetables - made takeaway versions seem awful and processed! Our only regret is we couldn't finish it as it was only lunchtime - I would suggest either doing this in the evening (if possible) or indeed having a very light breakfast that day!


Above Eleven and Nest, Bangkok

We only had two nights to soak up the city of Bangkok so we decided one of them should be spent down on the party street of Khao San Road, and the other living the life of luxury by trying a couple of Skybars in the Sukhumvit area of the city. The only slight issue upon deciding this was that there are about 25 different sky bars to choose from and they are scattered around the city and not exactly within walking distance of one another! Being huge sushi lovers, and feeling rather peckish I had heard good reviews about a relatively new Skybar called Above Eleven so we headed there first to check it out.

Above Eleven itself is situated on the 33rd floor of the Fraser Suites, and despite being nowhere near the tallest of the Skybars on offer, the views are still breathtaking! On a windy night like the night we visited I'm not sure I'd have wanted to be much higher!



Our View

On arriving at the bar you have to take a lift directly up to the 33rd floor, and you are then in what can only really be described as a garden...beyond the mini-maze a waiter greets you with a welcoming smile - as was received in many of the Thai places we visited. Despite being a Sunday night, and relatively early we were told that there was no space to eat and we could only enjoy a cocktail at the bar (which is not really near to the edge of the building)...after much more persuasion the staff were so kind and gave us, quite possibly, the best table in the house with a warning that the table was reserved for another couple in an hour...being speedy eaters we jumped at the opportunity and took in the view!

Our Cocktails

I opted for the Park View cocktail - purely because it said something about elderflower...I'm always sold on cocktails containing this in spirit or cordial form! It was surprisingly refreshing, not sweet as is sometimes expected with an elderflower drink but yummy, and worked wonders in what was relentless humidity.

We then ordered a few dishes to try, to wet our appetite, however knowing we only had a short time we figured we could eat here, and then have another snack later if he remained hungry (which we did!). Our first choice was left down to the chef as we opted for the 14 piece Above Eleven Roll mix.

Selection of Four different types of roll

Please excuse the picture, it really was a beautiful platter of food and this photo does not do it justice at all...I wish I could remember all of the different rolls but unfortunately I cannot. I know we definitely had the spider roll with crispy soft shell crab - absolutely divine and one (pictured closest) which had calamari on top - possibly the best calamari i've ever tasted, light, not greasy and perfectly tender.

Tuna Tartar with Wonton crisps

We also ordered the 'chef special' (as denoted by a star on the menu) tuna tartar. It was clean and fresh just as it should be so the real flavour of the fish can be tasted, with a kick of spice, I think possible wasabe, and the wontons added texture, and served as a great way to eat the tartar like pate!

Finally we ordered a chefs special - the 'Cebiche Above Eleven'. A combination of Sea bass and prawns in Leche de Tigre, accompanied by some excellent calamari and orange glazed sweet potatoes.

Cebiche 'Above Eleven'

Now I thought this dish was absolutely to die for, loving the fresh Peruvian flavours, and the raw sea bass just worked perfectly with the sweet potatoes, however the flavour of coriander really came through which, unfortunately was my partners 'arch enemy', it really was our fault for not asking the (very helpful) wait staff, but nevertheless, it is a beautiful dish!

To top everything off the manager came around towards the end of our meal, and had such a lovely chat with us about the food, and our table (which he liked to call the Titanic View) as you can see pretty much all the way around unrestricted. This made our night extremely special and definitely worth the pestering at the start of our evening! I would recommend making a booking if you plan to eat here whilst in Bangkok!

Whilst sitting admiring the wonderful view I happened to notice a terrace with nice lighting and sofas below, strangely this was the Snack and Cocktail bar 'Nest' which was incidentally on my list of possible bars to try, so given our full bellies we decided to make our way back to ground level and onto here.

Our Cocktails in Nest

Situated in a bustling neighbourhood and only a few floors above ground Nest does not deliver on the breathtaking views expected of some other Bangkok bars, however it really is the atmosphere that made us fall in love with this place.
We were lucky enough to find a seat/bed area with a table so we could lounge around, and enjoy our cocktails, it was extremely comfy - despite having a pillow which would have rather been on the floor than behind our heads, it made for the perfect end to our night of luxury. I ordered the 'apple crumble' cocktail which was quite possibly one of the nicest concoctions I have ever tasted, and the good old mojito didn't fail to impress either.

Mushroom Dumplings

After a while, and a free welcome Sangria style beverage (as pictured above) we decided to ordered another couple of plates of foodie tapas. The first was the mushroom dumplings, crispy on the outside but bursting with flavour in the middle. They came with a sweet soy like dipping sauce which worked with the earthy mushroom flavours extremely well. Secondly we ordered their Prawn and Mango salad.

Prawn and Mango Salad

This was also lovely and fresh, the salad made for a nice change from the endless amounts of rice and noodles we had already experienced, and the prawns we huge and bursting with flavour. Unfortunately the salad leaves were a little bitter, but the gorgeous dressing and the sweet mango worked perfectly with the fish so it didn't really matter!

All in all, our evening enjoying a couple of the upmarket Bangkok bars went down a treat! Had we stayed another night in this incredible city we would have definitely checked out some of the more famous (and somewhat taller) establishments - such as the hotel seen in Hangover 2, but if you are looking for two lovely little places within two minutes walking distance these are the two for you!