Chocolate… mmmmm. But did you consider it as part of a broader savory menu? I enjoyed an evening of chocolate-infused cuisine and, well, it really works!

Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket is treating guests to a new menu of savoury dishes with a sweet twist as Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts launches its ‘Chocolate on the Salty Side’ promotion.

In celebration of Swiss cuisine and the wonderful versatility of chocolate, the brand’s talented ‘food artisans’ have made Mövenpick chocolate the hero of seven dishes in its latest global campaign, which runs to 20 November, 2018.

From salmon fillets enlivened with dark chocolate to a savoury tarte tartin with a white chocolate flourish, each new creation offers up something distinctively flavourful and showcases chocolate in new exciting ways to guests dining at Movenpick Karon Beach El Gaucho Restaurant.

The seven chocolate-inspired creations include: marinated ‘beetroot salmon’ with root vegetables and 72% dark chocolate to enhance the meal’s rich earthiness; ‘tomato tarte tartin’ where ‘white lemon’ chocolate complements the goat’s cheese, pine nuts and coffee beans; ‘sea bass and green tea’ – a light foam of green tea, almonds, nuts and Mövenpick ‘Maple Walnut’ is the star; ‘minute beef goulash’, with a traditionally-made Hungarian goulash sauce, enriched with dark chocolate; ‘lamb shank and pesto’, slow-roasted and then refined with pistachio and hazelnut chocolate pesto; and ‘duck breast and potato pie’, with white chocolate, lime and pepper giving the pink-roasted meat a delicate yet spicy freshness.

Whilst the dishes have been infused with chocolate, it’s barely noticeable in most cases but makes for some subtle new tastes on European classics.

Less subtle are the exquisite desserts which are a blatant celebration of all things chocolate. Guests can finish their meal with a tempting ‘chocolate pavés au chocolat’, combining milk chocolate, crispy cocoa bean fragments, sizzling pecan nuts and slightly bitter matcha powder, all with a hint of green tea and paired with an espresso.

The quality of Swiss craftsmanship is world-famous and even the country’s chocolate is produced with legendary precision. Mövenpick chocolate is made in keeping with the tradition, as well as its own culinary values that date back 70 years, and is produced in Switzerland using 100% cocoa butter.

Make a booking HERE or find out more about the El Gaucho Restaurant HERE.

Tim Newton was a guest of the management of Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket

The annual Vegetarian Festival is back and promises to be a big year for the annual nine day celebrations starting next Monday.

Some of the rituals are based around self-mutilation and daring acts of fire walking. A lot of the processions and ceremonies can be quite scary, especially for the young or squeamish. There will be lots of noise, lots of people and people going into trances before undergoing different levels of voluntary mutilation. These days there are medical staff behind the scenes should anyone drop out of trance and need medical help, a luxury not afforded the devotees in the past.

The Vegetarian Festival is becoming a popular tourist attraction but it’s also observed by younger locals and some tourists as well. Observers and participants avoid eating meat, seafood, poultry or dairy products during the period of the festival. The belief is that observers will have better health, purer mind, and gain merits from taking vegetarian foods.

You will see many restaurants with yellow flag, indicating that they provide pure, vegetarian food. This is your chance to try delicious new food as the streets will be filled with food stalls serving up vegetarian dishes.

The annual festival kicks off with religious rituals which are held at the main Chinese shrines on the island – Seng Ko Teng Thiao. The Lantern Pole is supposed to attract the 36,000 gods of the Chinese pantheon.

All shrines will raise their poles between 3-5.45pm, except for Sheng Leng Tong (which holds their ceremony earlier).

The opening night ritual of the Koteng lantern pole raising will be held at the Juitui Tao Bo Keng Shrine, the ancient Chinese shrine in Old Phuket Town. Apart from Juitui Tao Bo Keng Shrine, approximately 30 shrines around the island will conduct the annual ceremony including Bang Niew Shrine, Samkong Shrine, and Kathu Shrine. After the ritual, the Masong (people who invite the spirits of Chinese gods to possess their bodies) will be parading around.

Processions in Phuket Town

The daily processions are something you will unlikely see anywhere else in the world, at least not as intense as the Phuket parades – noise, music, fireworks, smoke, masongs in trances, body piercings and mutilations. The parades are a complete assault on your senses. Whilst there are many local children involved in the event, the western tourist, and especially kids, may find some of the activities quite overwhelming.

(Times listed in the 24 hour clock)

Tuesday, 9 October | Sapam Shrine street procession from 07:00

Wednesday, 10 October | Samkong Shrine street procession from 07:19

Thursday, 11 October | Ban Tha Rue Shrine street procession from 07:30

Friday 12, October | Bang Neow Shrine street procession from 07:00

Saturday, 13 October | Jui Tui Shrine street procession from 08:00

Sunday, 14 October | Kathu and Yokkekeng Shrines street procession from 07:00

Monday, 15 October | Sui Boon Tong Shrine street procession from 07:00

Fire Walking Ceremonies

Thursday, 11 October | Jui Tui Shrine Fire Walking at Saphan Hin from 20:09

Thursday, 11 October | Fire Walking at Sui Boon Tong Shrine from 21:00

Thursday, 11 October | Fire Walking at Ban Tha Rua Shrine from 20:00

Thursday, 11 October | Fire Walking at Yokkekeng Shrine from 20:00

Thursday, 11 October | Fire Walking at Sapam Shrine from 21:00

Saturday, 13 October | Fire Walking at Bang Neow Shrine from 20:00

Saturday, 13 October: Fire Walking at Samkong Shrine from 20:00

Saturday, 13 October | Fire Walking at Cherng Talay Shrine from 20:09

Sunday, 14 October | Fire Walking at Kathu Shrine from 15:00

Other Ceremonies

Friday, 12 October | Bladed-ladder climbing at Bang Neow Shrine from 20:00

Friday, 12 October | Bladed-ladder climbing at Samkong Shrine from 20:00

Friday, 12 October | Oil bathing and tying children’s wrist at Ban Tha Rua Shrine from 20:45

Friday, 12 October | Bladed-ladder climbing at Cherng Talay Shrine from 19:59

Friday, 12 October | Nail bridge crossing and oil bathing at Sapam Shrine from 20:00

Final Day of the Festival

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

If you’ve been ‘purifying your body’ during the festival then it will be time for you to cross the bridge of purification set up at each shrine. The devotees will be ‘rewarded’ with a stamp on their shirt as proof of their commitment to the nine days. The crossing of the bridge of purification is held between 6-8pm.

Then, grab your ear plugs and don’t wear anything flammable – the last part is just NUTS! After 9pm all shrines join together in a mega street parade in Phuket Town. This is the Nine Emperor Gods Farewell.

Each shrine involved in the festival has their own Emperor God. The procession accompanies each group to Saphan Hin, from where the gods will depart Phuket (no Immigration queues!).

This three hour cacophony of noise, smoke and fireworks borders on dangerous so should be attended with an escape route in mind, safety goggles (really) and patience. The crowds are massive and YOU are part of the parade – there are spectator stands.

Then, on Thursday, October 18, each shrine will hold their own Lantern Pole lowering ceremony which usually run from 3-5pm.

ADVERTISING

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, part of the AccorHotels Group,  is celebrating Swiss cuisine and the culinary versatility of chocolate with a new global menu of savoury dishes featuring a sweet twist. In Phuket the promotion will be at the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach.

The brand’s talented ‘food artisans’ have made Mövenpick chocolate the hero of seven dishes in its ‘Chocolate on the Salty Side’ promotion, which runs from October 10 to November 20, 2018 at selected Mövenpick hotel and resort restaurants worldwide. From salmon fillets enlivened with dark chocolate to a savoury tarte tartin with a white chocolate flourish, each new creation offers up something distinctively flavourful and showcases the wonderful versatility of chocolate.

The seven chocolate-inspired creations include: marinated ‘beetroot salmon’ with root vegetables and 72% dark chocolate to enhance the meal’s rich earthiness; ‘tomato tarte tartin’ where ‘white lemon’ chocolate complements the goat’s cheese, pine nuts and coffee beans; ‘sea bass and green tea’ – a light foam of green tea, almonds, nuts and Mövenpick ‘Maple Walnut’ is the star; ‘minute beef goulash’, with a traditionally-made Hungarian goulash sauce, enriched with dark chocolate; ‘lamb shank and pesto’, slow-roasted and then refined with pistachio and hazelnut chocolate pesto; and ‘duck breast and potato pie’, with white chocolate, lime and pepper giving the pink-roasted meat a delicate yet spicy freshness.

Guests can finish their meal with a tempting ‘chocolate pavés au chocolat’, combining milk chocolate, crispy cocoa bean fragments, sizzling pecan nuts and slightly bitter matcha powder, all with a hint of green tea and paired with an espresso.

The quality of Swiss craftsmanship is world-famous and even the country’s chocolate is produced with legendary precision. Mövenpick chocolate is made in keeping with the tradition, as well as its own culinary values that date back 70 years, and is produced in Switzerland using 100% cocoa butter.