Discovering familiar flavors in new ways in Phuket

PHUKET: We all feel adventurous sometimes, eager to try new things, explore the terra incognita.

Yet, there are times, when all we crave is the well known, the familiar, the home-cooked. La Gritta’s new “Discovery Menu” is the right choice, no matter what your mood is.

Scanning through La Gritta’s new Discovery Menu is more relaxing than exciting.

It’s all familiar – antipasti of ciabatta with tomato basil salsa and Fontina cheese with smoked salmon, a selection of well-known cold cuts and grilled vegetables as a starter, mushroom risotto, beef steak and grilled king prawn for the main and a dessert comprising of tiramisu, lemon tart and pistachio gelato.

If you love food, you’ve tried all these before. In fact, most of these dishes could easily end up on the table during a family get-together somewhere in Italy.

Add to this the picturesque setting of the restaurant, with marvelous views of Patong Bay, a long list of wines with many well-known labels to choose from, and you’re in for one of these nights out, when you can truly relax and enjoy the food.

But where is the promised thrill of discovery?

It hides in the simplicity – a quality often forgotten in the times of laboratory-like kitchens, molecular foams and ingredients – the names of which you can’t even pronounce.

Rediscovering true and pure flavors – this is what the “Discovery Menu” is all about.

“When the ingredients are fresh and of high quality, it’s best to keep it simple, not overcook, not to use too much seasoning,” explains La Gritta’s Italian chef Patrizia Battolu.

And with mozzarella and tomatoes imported weekly from Italy, succulent Australian beef and
flavorful local prawns, chef Battolu has the best ingredients to play with.

Each dish delivers on the promise of keeping it simple and authentic. Juicy cut of tenderloin is served aesthetically on a slate of black stone; the only seasoning for the grilled king prawn is a dash of lemon sauce, a hint of garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper; the tiramisu is simply tiramisu, in other words – perfect.

With satellites circling the globe, drones spying in the sky and cameras on every street corner, there isn’t much left to be uncovered. With the age of discovery long gone, it’s going back to the roots and rediscovering true flavors that can be more thrilling than ever.

La Gritta Italian restaurant is located at the Amari Phuket at Patong Beach. The six course Discovery Menu is priced at 1450++ baht. For information and reservations call 076-292697 or email lagritta@amari.com.

— Maciek Klimowicz