Jaras, Contemporary Thai Restaurant, Phuket

Jaras, Contemporary Thai Restaurant, InterContinental Phuket Resort

Monica Tindall

If you’re a foodie, no doubt you’ve heard all about hom at InterContinental Phuket Resort, hailed as the most beautiful restaurant on the island. With a recent kitchen takeover by David Zilber, Director of Fermentation at world-renowned Noma, the location garnered even more attention. As good and gorgeous as the restaurant is, InterContinental Phuket Resort has more outlets worthy of attention. Jaras, another Michelin-mentioned restaurant serving sustainably sourced contemporary Thai cuisine, could proudly stand next to any kitchen in the capital, getting full marks for deliciousness, service, plating and concept.

Contemporary Thai Restaurant Phuket

During the day, the glass-walled restaurant overlooks the InterContinental Phuket Resort’s beach pool. The environment is cosier at night, with soft lighting reflecting off the glass. The pine trees that were cleared to build the resort four years ago were kept and now line two walls of the restaurant. Grey stone features complement the natural materials, and the open kitchen buzzes with flames, pots and the sound of rapid chopping.

Jaras Menu

Chef Nui and his team are fervent fermenters, users of local, sustainably-produced ingredients, and huge advocates of not wasting a thing. They’ve earned a reputation for producing some of the best fish sauce on the island (if not the country) by treating what some might consider waste as potential for flavour. The first page of the menu is a walk-through of some of the providers of the restaurant’s core ingredients. All are local. All are small, artisanal producers. And all are committed to raising and growing their goods sustainably. 

Drinks

Even our wine demonstrates the team’s aspirations for a 100% locavore menu. Jaras x Granmonte Sparkling Rose Methode Traditionelle NV (THB 450+) is made in collaboration with a Thai winery exclusively for Jaras restaurant. The Champagne method of secondary fermentation in the bottle, which produces those fine bubbles, is utilised, but the dosage is a little higher than standard to temper the dryness and make a more suitable drop to pair with Thai spices. A berry nose, a hint of yeast, and light creaminess follow through with balanced fruit and a fine mousse. We’re not yet ready to compare it with the great bubbly houses of Champagne, but we appreciate the effort.

Starters

We start the meal with the prettiest and most elegant starters we’ve ever seen in Thai cuisine. You know the Thais are masters of fruit and veg carving but the presentation of these dishes manifests an extra layer of sophistication.

Phangnga Local Seaweed with Andaman Seafood Salad (THB 475) forms a ring inside a black bowl with a tangy, addictive fish sauce dressing pooling in the middle. Petite bouquets of Phangnga seaweed are deep-fried, adding a crispy crown to tiny green sea grapes, Andaman prawns, calamari and mussels. Thai herbs, tomato pearls, confit halved cherry tomatoes, and pickled cocktail onions add further layers of striking beauty and flavour. It’s fresh and highly moreish.

More elegance is found in the Mieng Kana An-Chan (THB 360++). Ginger, shallots, peanuts, chilli, lime and butterfly pea flowers are wrapped into small bundles with soft kale leaves. A bright orange snow of house-cured salted duck egg contrasts the green parcels and contributes a rich level of umami to the profile.

Soup

After the starters, we move on to soup with a bowl of Organic Tom Kha Kai Ma Kwaen (THB 365). The kitchen crew have even managed to make the soup look pretty. The solid ingredients of pressed organic chicken, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass and crispy chicken skin, along with coriander oil and makwean (wild pepper) powder, are arranged in the bowl first. Upon delivery, our server pours over the fresh coconut milk soup, filling our noses with its delicious aromas. The chicken in this soup is raised organically at Tan Khun farm in Nakornpathorn. The birds are 100% free-range and fed with the farmers’ own natural recipe.

Mains

We continue to be wowed with the mains. Grilled Seafood Curry Wrapped with Banana Leaf (THB 650) reminds us of Malaysian otak otak with its seafood mousse base flavoured with red curry paste. However, this recipe is topped with whole pieces of prawn and octopus, giving a meaty texture. A tangle of herbs on the side illustrates the diversity of flavours found in local greens – Brazilian spinach, spearmint, dill, green amaranth, mint, and sprouts. There’s a wonderfully fresh citrusy thread in these leaves, and fermented sweet coconut is the final balancing touch rounding out the dish. 

If you are only able to order one thing on the menu, make it the Massaman Pae (THB 995)! It’s the most memorable curry I’ve had since … forever. We’re not surprised that seafood and herbs can be found locally, but learning that goat, too, is raised on the island is exciting. Bang Tao farm raises goats for milk and meat and has garnered much attention from fine-dining chefs for quality and sustainable farming methods. The meat is slow-cooked until it’s incredibly tender, and along with onion and potato pieces, soaks up the full flavours of the curry. The thick, velvety-smooth curry is rich with coconut milk, yet tamarind and spice entice with a seductive tang, cutting through its heaviness.

Even the rice has a story behind it, and I encourage you to forego the usual steamed white option, and try the Berry and Sang Yod, instead. Hom Dok Hung, a community in Sakon Nakorn, grows chemical-free rice, educating younger generations and preserving traditions. The Berry rice is a delicious, purple, chewy grain packed with nutrients and flavour, while the Sang Yod is a native grain with a reddish-brown hue. Both are delicious, adding to the curry rather than just acting as a base to soak up the sauces of other dishes.

Dessert

Our meal concludes with the classic Mango Sticky Rice (THB 450). Our servers do their best to convince hubby to try one of many other sweets they’re proud of, but they have no sway. However, even the common at Jaras is no ordinary recipe or presentation. Decadently sweet, tangy and juicy cubes of mango slices partner with passionfruit gel, black tuile for colour and crunch and a mound of sweet sticky rice with the hue of blue butterfly pea flowers. The most decadently creamy and aerated house-made coconut ice cream and warm, sweet coconut sauce bid our evening farewell on a high. 

Reasons to visit Jaras, Phuket: YOU MUST TRY THE MASSAMAN PAE; a locavore concept honouring local artisanal producers; beautifully plated and incredibly delicious contemporary Thai cuisine.

Jaras – Contemporary Thai Restaurant
InterContinental Phuket Resort
333, 333/3 Moo 3, Kamala Beach
Kamala, Kathu, Phuket 83150, Thailand
+66 (0)76 629 999
[email protected]

Jaras Opening Hours
Daily 12 pm – 10 pm

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