Su Va Na Phuket – Fine Dining Underwater Restaurant at Central Phuket Floresta
Monica Tindall
I don’t often find myself dining beneath the sea, but at Su Va Na Phuket, that’s exactly what happens. Tucked inside Aquaria Phuket, this underwater restaurant turns fine dining into a mesmerising spectacle—25,000 marine creatures glide past as we savour dishes that blend European technique with Thai soul.
Fish are not the only part of the show. Mermaids perform a nightly aquatic ballet that’s as unexpectedly elegant as it is disarming. It’s tempting to dismiss Su Va Na as just another themed tourist draw—style over substance, spectacle over skill. But the food? The food is exceptional. Gimmick, this is not. This is Phuket, redefined: playful, precise, and unexpectedly sophisticated.
Founder Dax Lee, known for his creative hospitality ventures in Malaysia, explains that Su Va Na (meaning “heavenly gold” in Sanskrit) is not about replicating any existing formula but rather inventing a new one. “We wanted to create a space where food, theatre, and nature collide,” he says. What could have easily tipped into novelty instead feels polished, quietly luxurious, and surprisingly grounded.
A Dive into Su Va Na Phuket’s Menu
The restaurant offers five tasting menus to accommodate varied preferences: the full seasonal menu, currently themed around Spring (THB 7,500++), along with pescatarian, non-seafood, vegetarian, and vegan alternatives. Each is available with a thoughtfully matched wine pairing curated by sommelier Yeasin, whose cellar favours fresh labels and interesting storytelling.
The current Spring menu, led by Chef Atanu, is a composition that leans heavily on contrast—between richness and acidity, texture and temperature, east and west—while never losing its narrative thread. Each dish is highly detailed, often whimsical, and always layered.
The Spring Menu – Dish by Dish
Japanese Hamachi
The opening plate, Japanese Hamachi, arrives cloaked in dramatic flair. The fish is served atop a glowing sphere, balanced in a paper-thin shell that cradles avocado, lime, and Vietnamese muối ớt xanh—a green chilli sauce traditionally used as a dip for seafood. A few tiny edible flowers sit poised on top, suggesting fragility, but this is no tentative start. It’s punchy, acidic finger food that disappears in one sublime bite.
Hua Hin Caviar
Next, the Hua Hin Caviar proves both playful and cerebral. The dish is visually reminiscent of a mini cheesecake, with a base of Hokkaido scallop marinated in fresh wasabi stems (kizami) and a silky topping of local Thai roe. Sweet notes from passion fruit and coconut hum beneath the umami, and there’s a whisper of Japanese ginger (myoga) that brings the whole thing into balance. It’s designed to be eaten by hand, but unlike the hamachi, this one requires two thoughtful bites.
Bibinca
The Bibinca is a nod to Malaysia via Goa, and it’s where savoury and sweet begin to dance. Traditionally, a multi-layered coconut dessert, here it’s been reinvented with earthy black garlic, heady truffle, and the dark, smoky caramel of gula Melaka. Served on a glass dome, the dish hovers between dessert and main—a clever reflection of the menu’s refusal to play by convention.
Gambero Rosso
Gambero Rosso is a striking dish, visually and texturally. A deep black coil of squid ink spaghetti is plated with delicate Italian red prawns, cooked just to the point of tenderness. It’s dressed in salsa di cacciucco, a robust seafood stew hailing from Tuscany, and crowned with bursts of caviar that pop against the pasta’s inky base. It’s a classic rendered new again through restraint.
Kamchatka King Crab
From the Tuscan coast, we travel north to the Pacific with the Kamchatka King Crab, where a neat red rectangle of crab meat is bathed in a gentle amazake foam—fermented rice milk that lends a subtle sweetness. A smear of kanimiso, or crab tomalley paste, adds depth and funk. The dish is minimal yet indulgent, like sea foam whispering secrets onto the shore.
Toothfish
Toothfish, that luxurious cold-water species also known as Chilean seabass, comes dressed in a warm, comforting XO sauce, with undertones of fermented garlic adding intrigue. The result is complex but not overpowering—something we want more of, and immediately.
Chiang Mai Sorrel & Kefir Gelato
The Chiang Mai Sorrel and Kefir Gelato is next—a verdant scoop tucked into a lassi-like foam, bright with elderflower and sharpened by compressed Granny Smith apple. Frozen cucumber lends a vegetal crunch, and the dish as a whole is a study in refreshing acidity—green, clean, and awakening.
Klong Pai Farm-raised Thai Red Label Chicken
The first of the mains, Klong Pai Farm-raised Thai Red Label Chicken, takes the humble bird to soaring heights. A French breed raised on a Thai organic farm, the breast meat is astonishingly tender—creamy, not dry—and served alongside a rich awadhi shorba, a northern Indian soup fragrant with spices. Crimini mushrooms, cut to resemble fish scales, top the chicken, while foie gras adds a buttery foil. A mushroom sauce laced with Arabic herbs is poured at the table, completing this cultural mosaic of a dish.
Japanese Wagyu
Then comes the Japanese Wagyu, served in an ensemble of contrasts. Chargrilled broccolini and shiitake mushrooms add smokiness and umami, while a vivid green nori pesto brings salt and tang. The standout, however, is the humble-looking brioche, which conceals wagyu bulgogi inside. It’s a savoury surprise—rich, fatty, and irresistible. If this were served à la carte, I’d take three.
The Ocean Recedes: Dessert
Oscietra Prestige Caviar from Kaviari Paris
Desserts begin with the unexpected: Oscietra Prestige Caviar from Kaviari Paris, not on a blini, but resting atop a scoop of white miso ice cream. A drizzle of toasted kombu oil and a delicate shard of nori tempura complete the illusion. It tastes like the final sip of a miso soup—sweet, saline, deeply umami. It also acts as a palate reset, nudging us toward sweeter waters.
Parsley Financier
The final plated dessert, a Parsley Financier, leans into Mediterranean flavours with a creamy pastis ice cream, a lightly sweet fennel zabaglione made from Austrian Zweigelt and Riesling, and a streak of saffron gastrique that adds complexity and visual drama. It’s not the kind of sweet that dulls the palate, but rather reawakens it – one we want to linger over.
Petit Fours
To close, the petit fours are served theatrically atop a glass box filled with sand and shells. There’s an earthy beetroot and coffee creation; a floral aged Parmesan and rose jam bite with pine nuts and cardamom; and a miniature chena poda, the caramelised milk dessert from Odisha, here reimagined with sea salt and banana. Each is small, but none are forgettable.
Su Va Na Phuket Review
Su Va Na provides what so many themed restaurants fail to deliver—authentic culinary artistry in a setting designed to astonish. It’s “eatertainment” that respects the diner’s intelligence, refusing to rely on novelty alone. With top-quality ingredients, smart international technique, and a distinct sense of place, it manages to be both unforgettable and surprisingly refined.
Reasons to visit Su Va Na Phuket: an awe-inspiring underwater setting; beautifully composed tasting menus that celebrate both Thai and international influences; exceptionally friendly and humble service (thank you, Pang!); a fantastic choice to create memorable vacation moments and to celebrate special occasions – let the team know the milestone and they’ll arrange for the mermaids to make it unforgettable.
Su Va Na Phuket
199, B01, B Floor, Central Phuket Floresta,
M.4, Wichit Sub Rd, Muang Phuket, Thailand
Link to Su Va Na Phuket on Google Maps
@suvanaphuket
+66 (0)6 33 088 262
rsvp@suvanaphuket.com
suvanaphuket.com
Su Va Na Phuket Hours
Thursday to Tuesday: 7:00 pm to 00:00 am (Thu-Tue)
Wednesday: Closed
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