The al fresco dining experience is completed with panoramic ocean views across Nai Harn Beach and fine beverages hand-picked by global critic James Suckling.
Sous vide & chargrilled octopus, skordalia and gremolata
Tomato vierge recipe
Method
Place all prepared ingredients in mixing bowl, stir together and season with Maldon sea salt as required.
For best flavour result serve at a nice ambient room temperature.
Gremolata
Method
Add the herbs, garlic, lemon, salt, sugar and oil to a blender and blend slowly to make a coarse purée.
Check seasoning.
Potato Skordalia
Method
Boil the milk and garlic together and simmer for 1 minute (then keep warm on the edge of the stove).
Boil the potatoes until soft and steam in a colander until dry, then blend in a food processor until smooth
Whilst the potato is blending, gradually add the milk and garlic to the blending potato.
Then add the extra virgin olive oil slowly as if you were making a mayonnaise.
Season with only salt to taste and adjust the acidity with fresh lemon juice.
Octopus cooking technique
Method
To cook the octopus, place the lime juice, garlic and red onion in a large saucepan and add 3 litres of water. Bring to the boil over a high heat and add 1 tablespoon of salt.
Use kitchen tongs to dip the octopus 3 times in the liquid, then submerge and release it into the water – the dipping will help the tentacles to curl up in a pleasing way
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer the octopus for about 2 hours, or until tender. Remove, and allow to cool, then cut the tentacles to the size required.
Extra items required
To plate and serve the entire dish
Warm the skordalia in a thick bottomed pan on a low heat stirring intermittently.
Place a non-stick frying pan on a medium to high heat with approximately 40g unsalted butter and place the crushed garlic inside.
Once the butter is starting to foam and the crushed garlic has had time to infuse, place your tentacles of the octopus and sauté in the garlic butter to get some colour and infuse some flavour of garlic.
Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and season lightly.
To plate the dish
Place one spoonful of skordalia and spoon on your vierge as desired.
Drizzle the gremolata onto the plate around the skordalia.
Place your octopus on top.
Garnish with some pea shoots and a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Chef Mark
Originally from England, from the Gourmet capital market town Ludlow in Shropshire, Mark has been working the past 20 years in leading hotels and Michelin star kitchens in England and Thailand, spending more than a decade in 1 & 2 Michelin star restaurants. His passion for excellence and to create fantastic dining experiences is his priority.
He spent the last six years working in Thailand, firstly at Soneva Kiri and then as Chef de Cuisine at the award-winning Reflexions restaurant at the Plaza Athenée Bangkok, which was awarded ‘Customers Choice Best French Fine Dining Restaurant at the Thailand Best Restaurant Awards 2015.
Mark’s cooking style focuses on the product, extracting the best from the ingredients, focusing mainly on locally sourced produce as much possible. If something cannot be sourced to Mark’s high standards at the Nai Harn, then he and his team will make it from scratch themselves.
Mark describes his food as focusing on flavour extraction using classic, as well as modern, cooking techniques serving high quality, stunning food.