Dining: Phuket’s chef Garfield marries East and West with elegance at Zeascape

PHUKET: You’re probably familiar with the feeling of staring at a long menu, only to realize that everything looks delicious and you have no idea what to opt for. For Phuket foodies, it’s a daily struggle.

With the island’s immense variety of dining options, it’s best to choose wisely. Uzenmaya Hotel’s Zeascape

Restaurant is one wise choice.

It’s easy to overeat in Phuket, a place that delivers on all levels in the food department, from the authentic local eats to the sophisticated dining of gourmet restaurants. When there is an abundance of food, you should go for the best – light but flavorful, authentic and creative at the same time. All this can be said about what’s on Zeascape Restaurant’s menu, thanks to Executive Chef, Garfield Angove.

Having started his career as a chef almost 20 years ago in San Diego, California, Chef Angove found his inspiration in Asia and has spent more than a decade perfecting his skills in the high-end restaurants of Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. When asked why Asia stole his heart, he replies without a moment’s hesitation: “I love intensive flavors.”

The proof lands minutes later on my table. The lightly grilled scallops served on a bed of roasted corn, the swordfish steak with a side of silky coconut soup, even the classic creme brulee was elevated to a new level with a concoction of exotic spices, all of these dishes exploded with flavor leaving no space for boredom or monotony.

It’s difficult to pinpoint Chef Angove’s main inspiration. Even though he expresses an undying love of Japanese cuisine, elements of which are clearly present in his menu, the concoction of flavors and aromas resulting from his creativity and experience is more pan-Asian, with a touch of western tradition. Some would call it fusion. However, Chef Angove prefers to call it a perfect marriage of East and West.

Call it what you will, what matters is that while there is a lot happening on Zeascape’s tables, all these full-flavored dishes remain light and elegant, perhaps sparing diners the feeling of guilt that often comes after a hefty meal. On an island where the sin of gluttony is all too common, this rare blend is even more precious.

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— Maciek Klimowicz