Acqua Phuket has been a Phuket favourite since forever, even before it's Plate distinction in the Michelin Guide Bangkok, Phuket and Phangnga.
Owned by Sardinian-born chef Alessandro Frau, Acqua is a recreation of the chef's memories from his childhood and life as a chef.
"All the dishes are authentic Italian, and I divide them into three different concepts: classics, which are simple Italian but with quality ingredients; modern Italian; and sophisticated Italian," says chef Frau.
The menu at Acqua is quite broad and is divided into two degustation menus and an a la carte, the former being incorporated into the latter. "The tasting menu began three to four years ago when our customers requested a tasting menu. The menu changes yearly but we keep popular dishes on it," says chef Frau.
Acqua has two Signature Degustation menus (2,500 THB ++ per person and 3,500 THB ++ per person), the difference being the inclusion of high-end produce in the more expensive menu. Tasting menus are a good way to get the best of what the restaurant has to offer.
I begin with an amuse bouche of black ink rice cracker with Scottish salmon and ikura, the cracker being inspired by shepherds who ate almost the same thing while tending to their sheep.
The yellow fin tuna tartar with burrata and smoked caviar comes in a brass bowl encased with smoke for that flavour, which was hidden. The dish was tasty, if not a tad difficult to eat because of the bowl. The scallops carpaccio served with black truffle, raw asparagus in olive oil, lemon juice and truffle essence is a signature Acqua dish (750 baht if ordered à la carte). The white balsamic pearls gives the dish the right amount of acid and sweetness. Who knew truffle and balsamic go together?!
Fifty-five-minute slow cooked egg on a Parmesan cheese fondue, fresh black truffle and crispy pancetta powder. Acqua Phuket
Next up is another Acqua signature: sous vide cooked octopus salad, marinated in extra virgin olive oil, lemon and vinegar, fennel leaves, celery and Taggiasche olives DOP (600 baht if ordered à la cart). "Most of my food is from memories like the octopus," says chef Frau. "My father used to fish for octopus and taught me how to fish for it. I even sold octopus to make pocket money while I was in school." Bold and fresh, you can almost taste the sea in the dish, and it is not hard to see why it is a signature.
"My main food concept is the 'evolution of Italian cuisine'. I take the stories, the culture and the taste and make it modern. Most of these dishes are no longer in existence. Ingredients have also changed and now we have produce that we never had 50 years ago. Farmers have also improved on their produce and can now supply the chefs with new products. This has also led to modern cooking techniques and created different textures and dishes," adds chef Frau.
If you love Italian food, you will know that in Italy egg, truffle and Parmigiano all go together. The 55-minute slow cooked egg on Parmesan cheese fondue, fresh black truffle and crispy pancetta powder (550 baht if ordered à la carte) is to die for, especially if you're a cheese lover. The Parmigiano Reggiano fondue is smooth as silk and is rich and creamy and the pancetta adds crunch to the texture. Yum!
Dinner gets progressively cheesy as I tackle the Saffron risotto with stracchino cheese, caviar and Sardinian sea urchin (900 baht if ordered à la carte). I absolutely love uni aka sea urchin and it went down a treat with the caviar, which cut the creaminess of the cheese.
The Alba truffle with fresh house-made tagliatelle was delicious. But then again, anything with truffle is delicious! "We want people who don't know fine dining to find something on the menu, so we have the simple dish as well, despite around 90% of my ingredients being imported to retain the real taste of Italy," says chef Frau.
I am unashamed to say I love foie gras. Though I eat it moderately and rather sparingly, if it is on the menu, I will order it. The pan-fried USA scallops with foie gras, chilli jam and truffle pumpkin sauce (750 baht if ordered à la carte) serves a generous portion of the duck liver and goes well with the chilly jam and scallops.
Another signature dish is the wood-fired roasted suckling pig, saffron and Violette potatoes, broad beans and its own sauce (1,100 baht if ordered à la carte). The heritage indigo-blue potatoes being served mashed was a good accompaniment to the crisp potatoes and the pickled onion on the side, giving the dish the acid kick it needed to cut the richness. The authenticity of the dish is further enhanced by the Sardinian shepherds folding knife made from lamb horn, also known as a pattada.
Though cannoli is a very heavy Italian dessert, it's not really suited for a tropical climate. But chef Frau's Sicilian cannoli stuffed with sweet ricotta cheese, candid orange, chocolate shavings in a Marsala-flavoured cannolo (450 baht if ordered à la carte) is a miniature of the real thing and is light. Five cannolo are served with pistachio ice cream made with paste with pistachios from Bronte, Sicily.
Moka (not to be confused with mocha) in Italy is something that everyone is in love with, says chef Frau. "So I chose the vanilla flan with moka coffee caramel [430 baht if ordered à la carte]." The dessert is served in a moka coffee pot or the little stove top or electric coffee pot.
Acqua signature lemon tart with mixed berries (450 baht) is from chef Frau's memories of working in London. For Acqua, he re-created it with one layer of lemon custard and one layer of lemon cream, so the texture is moist and enjoyable.
While feasting on this fine dining menu, I wondered if Phuket, unlike Bangkok, was ready for such a scene. "The niche for this kind of cuisine in Phuket is very small," answered chef Frau, "so you have to cater to everyone. Phuket will probably need to wait another five to 10 years to get to the level of Bangkok."
