SIGNATURE DISHES

Seafood platter Caesar salad Spicy tuna salad Tiger prawns with garlic butter Rack of lamb Deep-fried sea bass with Thai herbs

SETTING: Oriental Spoon serves as the main restaurant for the stunning minimalist Twin Palms Resort, on the northwest coast of Phuket. The music is cool and the decor ultra-modern, with large areas between tables ensuring intimacy in a generous space.

FOOD: Oriental Spoon is one of Phuket's favourite Sunday brunch locations, with people queuing to get inside. As for nocturnal fare, caesar salad is an impressive starter and a house favourite. Spicy tuna salad is nothing short of excellent with hearty chunks of freshly seared tuna complementing a balance of herbs and spices that show a masterly hand in the kitchen. However, it is in the main courses that Oriental Spoon falters slightly; deep-fried sea bass in Thai herbs is markedly too tamarind-based. Rack of New Zealand lamb, on the other hand, is cooked to perfection and complemented by delicious roasted vegetables.

WINE: Generous wine list, grouped under the signs of the four Zodiac elements.

SERVICE: A friendly, can-do feeling pervades throughout the restaurant.

PRICE: Two people can dine for 1,400 baht excluding wine.