An Honest Food Review In Phuket?

Surin Gate Kitchen, Surin Phuket

The Surin Gate Kitchen of CHEF DANIEL ISBERG

I had been hearing a lot from a variety of people, about the quality of the food being served at the Surin Gate Kitchen on the road between Bang Tao and Surin. Many times, all the talk of great food leads to disappointment but off we went to find out what they had to offer. Chef Daniel Isberg met us between stints in the kitchen to welcome us to his establishment. We had arrived for the Chef’s Menu Night which takes place every Wednesday night. This menu is extremely well priced and always attracts a large crowd of Phuket residents who are known to pinch a penny on occasion. The setting is not luxurious or spectacular and would be described as three non-descript terraces that are each small enough to allow for a certain intimacy within each. It is a pleasant enough place to dine, although the sense of apartment balconies above gave some guests a slight sense of being watched somehow.

The staff is friendly, well trained and are prepared for most customer needs. We sat down on the middle level terrace and prepared for an evening of gastronomic curiosity with a drink, a well prepared dry martini, while we chatted with Chef Daniel about his prior experiences. Usually our time at the beginning would be spent joyfully arguing over our dinner menu selections, trying to get a balance between fish, meat and the rest, but this evening with the Chef’s special menu, that exercise was unnecessary. We would eat what was placed in front of us and that was that.

Born and raised in Sweden, Chef Daniel started work in his home country as a chef just after he finished culinary school. In a career that has spanned the globe, from Greece to Paris, Thailand to Monaco and locales in between, Isberg has studied the lifestyles and cultures of his host countries, a fact that becomes clear once you sample his unique, multi-faceted cuisine. During his extensive travels, Daniel has incorporated his cooking convictions and visions into notable jobs cooking at private parties for superstars such as Robin Williams and Alicia Keyes. The likes of everyone who have sat at Chef Daniel’s table, from Sean Connery to the Swedish Royal Family to Bill Gates, have come to understand what I did, that the passion that Daniel puts into the creation of every dish is born of his life experiences.

For the first course, we were presented with a California Style Ahi Tuna Tartar with Mango, Cucumber, Cilantro and a Soft Boiled Quail Egg. Everyone in our group happened to be big fans of tuna tartar. The flavours were good but we felt the amount of tuna in the dish was limited. This fact is understandable based on the cost of the complete menu but still was something that we noticed. The sauce seemed to overwhelm the tuna a bit as we worked our way towards the bottom.

Next we were presented with a Lobster Vanilla Cappuccino. This concoction served in a coffee cup and sipped up by our group almost instantly was fantastic. The flavour combination between the lobster and the vanilla was perfect, the light consistency was flawless and the remaining sense was our mouth watering for more. A very creative dish!

Next came a Beef Carpaccio with a Chimichurri and Pesto Sauce. The meat was excellent and the cut, while slightly thicker than normal, picked up the flavour of the pesto and the cheese perfectly. A good dish and appreciated by the group as a whole.

For the fourth course, we were offered a cool Cucumber Soup with Whipped Yogurt with Smoked Salmon Spring Roll, Herb Oil and Cilantro. This course was a good recovery from the heaviness of the prior meat course and was well seasoned and wonderfully textured. The group especially liked the Smoked Salmon Spring Roll which had a wonderful flavour.

For the last main course, we attacked a spicy Pomelo and Prawn Salad which was Chef Daniel’s interpretation of the Spicy Beef Salad available in Thailand. The dish was light, olive oil based and with well balanced flavours.

After a dessert round, a series of shots of Aquavit, a liqueur from Chef Daniel’s native Sweden, based in fennel seeds, and finally a coffee and shot of Mescal, the evening was judged a great success and we are happy to recommend this venue and special Chef’s night to all our readers.

Words: Michael Earle

Creative Director Think Design Magazine: Trisha Miller