Chris & Julie's wedding at Point Yamu, Phuket

Chris & Julie's wedding - THIS was main reason why we were in Phuket. 

Alert: serious wedding envy here! I love love love small weddings that reflect the couple's personalities, as opposed to their parents' delegation of friends, acquaintances and long-lost cousins. Maybe I should insist on a destination celebration for our 30th wedding anniversary. 

The wedding ceremony took place at the lawn across the cutest wedding aisle and we were extremely lucky the rain held back till dinner. 

The bride with her father Papa Jang, who happens to look as if he was in his late 40s. Must be all that Korean ginseng. Amusing and effable guy. 

After a few short speeches and exchange of vows, the ceremony was done and we were off to selfies, wefies and them-fies. 

Munckin woke up just in time for the wedding vows

Amusing ourselves while waiting for the group photo

And another with the bride's K-posse

After a round of cocktails, we dived full-fledged into a superb meal prepared by chef Daniel Moran and his team from La Sirena. It might be a case of really low expectations but some of the dishes were very good, if not exceptional. 

Zuppa

Chilled tomato and watermelon soup with shelled crab

Ok, I'll say dinner didn't get off to a flying start. Cold soups aren't really my thing. Why do they even exist to begin with? If I wanted to drink something cold, I would get an iced drink. You get what I'm saying right?

Good thing, the olive bread rolls were a handful of savoury delight.

Antipasti

Mozzarella di buffala and grilled vegetables

Crudo of salmon, artichokes, lemon and parsley

Andaman shrimps, fennel, chill and dill

Prosciutto san daniele with melon, mint and Sambuca

The magic began with our melange of appetizers. Each component was lightly flavoured yet distinctively flavourful; and though there were four components, they sang a harmonious tune as I worked my way around the plate.

Mains

Black cod served on top of a spicy seafood stew of Andaman seafood OR

Salt bush lamb, chargrilled with artichokes, olives, tomato and basil

Tri-coloured salad, Brussell sprouts and hand-cut French fries

The main courses were impressive. My black cod was incredibly satisfying, matched by a robust seafood stew. After cleaning out my plate, I met with the horror of not taking a picture of it. Still kicking myself even after a week.

Juicy and succulent, the chargrilled lamb rack was equally, if not even more fabulous. It was a dish that I certainly did not expect from a wedding-meal kitchen line.

Our mains were stealthily accompanied by a trio of sides. If there is one thing I learnt on this trip about La Sirena, they do they French fries very well.

Dolci

Watermelon granita Siciliana

White chocolate semi credo with sweet corn, blackberries and pop rocks

The watermelon granita and sorbet, which I took as our palate cleanser, served its purpose well.

If our meal had ended there and then, I would have been mighty satisfied. But the next dessert was an absolute stunner.

White chocolate, popcorn, sweet corn and pop rocks? Sounds like a real kitchen nightmare but in fact, it was wonderfully dreamy.

 

And the wedding cake? Moist, cloud-like and again, absolutely clean-plate-worthy.

Thank you, Chris and Julie once again, for inviting us to partake in your joy!

Dinner at Nahmyaa Thai Restaurant, Point Yamu, Phuket

Apart from La Sirena, the only other dining option is Nahmyaa Thai Restaurant. Room service doesn’t count as that menu is simply a rehash of what you will get at the restaurant. I guess, it would be doing our hosts a major disservice if we didn’t have at least one Thai meal during our stay at Point Yamu.

 

Before dinner, we hang out with the pool for Happy Hour for the Mister while Munckin and I picked up mieng kam (betel leaves) and shrimp crackers with an addictive chill dip

Known as the “sister to the Metropolitan Hotel's Nahm Restaurant in Bangkok,” this little sister had big shoes to fill and certainty delivered beyond our expectations.

Starters included a delicious smoked duck and coconut pancakes as well as papaya salad with handpicked crab.

A tan-thai-lizing massaman lamb shank curry and pad thai fired up our senses more quickly than one could say, “kob kun kaa.” 

The special of the day – deep-fried garoupa with lemongrass and tamarind chilli sauce – was picked through its bony crunchy head.

Desserts such as durian crepes with ice cream and mango sticky rice with salted coconut cream offered sweet relief to the delectable heat from our mains.

Lunches at La Sirena at Point Yamu, Phuket

With a toddler on board, we frankly didn't feel like leaving the realm of the resort and roughing it out in the streets of Phuket. Though that limited our dining options, it was a trade-off we more than welcomed - and besides, the food at the resort was darn yummy anyway. 

A brimming bread basket that was irresistible on the first day but we quickly learnt our lesson. Are you on Team EVOO or Team Butter? I belong to the formal category. 

A very pretty smoked tuna salad that was light and refreshing start to our meal. If I had more discipline, this would have been my lunch over the next couple of days. 

I have a seriously weak spot for calamari. As soon as I see it in menus, I just pray and hope a kindred soul would ask for it so that I don't have to be the only noob around. A squeeze of lemon and mayo from the Le Creuset pot, it was good times with the calamari. Good times indeed.  

Littered generously with clams and vey al dente, the linguine vongole was quite sensational and I am not even a pasta person. 

Sending some of us into a mid-afternoon slump were two crispy and chewy pizzas, one topped with spinach and mozzerella, and another topped with sausage and fennel. 

Over the next couple of days, we were a wee bit too early for the lunch menu so we ordered off the Aqua Bar menu instead. This ain't no W Hotel club sandwich but the turkey club sandwich was still very respectable and mighty tasty. 

I never thought I would say the Yamu Burger was quietly frankly one of the best burgers I have had in a while (disclaimer: I tend not to order burgers as I am often disappointed by them). In fact, after KW ordered this on the second day, I decided to end my trip in Phuket with one big beefy bang by ordering one of this monsters. P.S. The chunky fries were amazing too!

Breakfast at La Sirena, Point Yamu, Phuket

One of the best things about vacations is undeniably the breakfast buffet. Sad to say, the breakfast buffet is often a disturbing scene of overpopulation with throngs of hungry folks juggling plates and kids, an incredible but wasteful array that stretches beyond your line of sight, and scruffy tables either carelessly or deliberately left uncleaned.

Thankfully, we were spared from that scene of chaos at La Sirena, Point Yamu’s Italian restaurant.

I loved how bottles of freshly squeezed juice and punchy caffeinated drinks greeted you upon arrival. They even had wheatgrass shots that I regretfully tried.

This was followed on with little cups of yogurts, jars of cereal and delicate slices of freshly cut tropical fruits.

Carbs including coffee donuts, Danishes and pumpkin cinnamon swirls rounded up the buffet line.

It was a tidy but plentiful variety. Nope, no cold cuts, crustaceans or an eggs-done-12-ways station that would stain one’s fresh start to the day.

That said, it wasn’t all rabbit food and liquid diet.

We were all provided with an a la carte menu that was more than sufficient, filled with delicious takes on your usual breakfast pickings as well as healthier-than-thou options.

A few of the dishes we had and some that were repeated included corn cakes with smoked salmon and feta...

Egg white omelette with braised spinach. The omelette with cheese and leeks was even better.

And this, my friend, was a revelation! Thai-style bacon and eggs – deep-fried soft boiled egg and chunky cut of sticky bacon drizzled with sweet-chili sauce served with sticky rice. Unbelievable.

As you can see, this was definitely a meal worth dragging the Man and Munckin out of the bed for.