Shimmer Phuket – Beachfront Restaurant at Twinpalms MontAzure Phuket
Words: Joanna Florento
Photos: Monica Tindall
Like light dancing across the water, Shimmer Phuket evokes the sun-catching playful rays of summer. Its relaxed, open setting allows us to enjoy our meal while being serenaded by the natural rhythms of the Andaman Sea. We stroll in leisurely while the last of the portentous clouds clear up overhead, and the sun winks playfully from the sky while the breeze murmurs a warm welcome.
Shimmer Phuket Menu
Appetisers
We start things off with a fresh and light Spicy Tuna Salad (THB 430). It’s packed with spring onions, tomatoes, sliced tuna, red onion rings, and cherry tomatoes on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce. The chunks of tuna are thickly cut and firm in texture. The lettuce is crunchy and refreshing. Shimmer Phuket thoughtfully provides the salad dressing on the side and dials down the spice significantly to accommodate our palates. We gleefully spear fresh tuna, tomato, and slivers of onion with every bite.
Main Menu
After polishing off the salad, we dig into the Tom Yum Goong (THB 460). It’s a hearty bowl filled with plump prawns, lemongrass, galangal, chillies, tomatoes, kaffir lime leaves, onions, and coriander swimming in a fragrant broth. Each spoonful is super tangy and citrusy, with just the right amount of salt. Once more, we’re grateful for the kitchen’s ability to tame down the heat to our preference.
Without missing a beat, we sink our forks into the Grilled White Snapper (THB 710). It showcases a fat fillet of fish resting atop a medley of sautéed red, green, and yellow bell peppers. After digging in, we are pleasantly surprised by capers bursting on our tongues in little tangy pops. The snapper is dusted with black pepper and garnished with a lemon wedge for added citrus.
Balancing out with carbs, our eyes are drawn magnetically to the Khao Pad Sapparod (THB 510). It’s a gorgeous mix of summery yellow rice served in a halved pineapple. Pineapple chunks, cashews, raisins, chicken floss, and strips of grilled chicken add texture, nuttiness and an addictive sweet and sour profile.
Finally, we slip our spoons into the Gaeng Poo (THB 760). Tender chunks of crab swim in a tantalising coconut milk curry studded with betel leaves, basil, and chilli. It’s creamy and tangy but not at all spicy (although this can be amended upon request). Served with a side of fragrant jasmine rice, it’s everything we want on a leisurely lunch by the beach. The crab is incredibly soft and almost sweet. Quite frankly, I would bathe in this sauce. How am I supposed to eat any other crab ever again after this experience?
Dessert Menu
Prior to our visit to Shimmer Phuket, we playfully bemoaned the noticeable absence of mango sticky rice in our lives. As if on cue, Shimmer’s Mango Sticky Rice (THB 250) arrives to rectify this injustice. The mango is scored into cubes for ease of enjoyment, and this we do with great enthusiasm. The sticky rice is drizzled with salted coconut milk, and I utter some exclamations of ecstasy that I dare not repeat here.
Drinks Menu
Throughout our meal, we toast with a chilled glass of Paracombe Trio Rosé (THB 1,800 per bottle, THB 450 per glass) from the Adelaide Hills, Australia. It’s fresh, light, and boasts a dry fruitiness that pairs well with our medley of seafood. We also enjoy a couple of fresh, chilled coconuts that instantly transport us to a delightful summer getaway – in other words, we stay in our seats at Shimmer Phuket.
Shimmer Phuket Review
With the rest of the afternoon stretching before us, we gather our bags and prepare to return to Twinpalms Surin Beach Phuket. The final rays of sunlight briefly skim the surface of the sea, glittering in their goodbye. The skies resume their ominous rumblings as we wrap up our meal. However, our time at Shimmer reminds us that wherever you go, with good food and great company, sunshine will always follow.
Reasons to visit Shimmer Phuket: Fresh seafood with a lovely view, a delightful open setting to catch the beachfront breeze, delectable mango sticky rice, and the Gaeng Poo and Khao Pad Sapparod are must-tries!
Shimmer Phuket – Beach Restaurant
Twinpalms MontAzure Phuket
29/86 Kamala Beach Road, Kamala
Kathu District, Phuket 83150
Link to Shimmer Phuket on Google Maps
+ 66 065 348 9835
*Vegetarian options available
Shimmer Phuket Hours
Daily: 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m
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