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| Wild Orchid |
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| Written by Frankie Miller-hellobalimagazine.com | |
| Monday, 18 August 2008 | |
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text by Frankie Miller - image by Foued Kadachi With so many independent fine-dining restaurants on the Island, I wonder why anyone would choose to go to a hotel for dinner—apart from the hotel guests—somehow it seems a bit unadventurous. Unless, of course, the hotel restaurant is right beside the beach; there's something so romantic about beachside dining.  Wild
Orchid, (Jl Abimanyu, T: 0361 737 773) is just footsteps away from the
Indian Ocean at Seminyak's Anantara Resort. I went there at lunchtime
and couldn't find it. No problem finding the towering Anantara, but
where was Wild Orchid? I was told to return at 7pm. I couldn't find the
car park either but that's another story.In the evening all was revealed. Wild Orchid isn't always present. Think of it, perhaps, as a 'concept'. During the daytime, Anantara presents a bistro-style café known as 'Paon', positioned poolside, serving buffet breakfasts and lunches. At night, however, the restaurant takes on a different persona, metamorphosing into 'Wild Orchid' and offering a culinary foray into the unique flavours of Thailand, harmonised with throne-like chairs, pink Thai silks, and the striking purple and black uniforms of the waitresses. Candlelit tables spill out on to the timber deck, fire bowls create elongated shadows and gnarled frangipanis frame the picture. Good Thai food is predicated on freshness and authenticity. At Wild Orchid the cuisine is traditional with a modern twist, while still including that unique balance of hot, sour, sweet, salty and bitter flavours that strike every taste bud on the tongue. In fact, let's cut straight to the chase, the dishes I sampled were sublime; I was certainly not prepared for the force and vibrancy of the ingredients. Settled comfortably with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, my senses were tickled with an amuse-gueule of crispy noodles with tofu, followed by one of my old favourites, Som Tum Thai, a spicy salad comprised of green papayas, with the unripe fruit shredded and mixed with fresh green chillies, carrots, tomatoes, long beans and a dressing of tangy lime juice, palm sugar and fish sauce. It proved to be refreshing, crunchy and fabulously lip-zinging. The highlight of my visit was the Phad Thai, with egg, jumbo prawns, beansprouts, peanuts and tamarind sauce. It's a much overworked dish, so I guess I wasn't being particularly bold in my choice, but you can't beat a good Phad Thai. This one also featured raw cabbage, beansprouts and lemon waiting to be mixed with the contents of the condiment tray—dried chilli, sugar and sweet-sour chilli sauce. To entertain my sweet tooth, I opted for the Mango Sticky Rice. A truly amazing dessert of mango chunks served on coconut-flavoured sticky rice. It was sweet but not too heavy—a great finale to a hearty meal |
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