Phuket July 2015 Day 3 - dhatri spa, Thanoon Seafood, Vero Italian

Continued from
Day 1 - Heng Heng Thai Food, Pullman Arcadia
Day 2 - Pullman Arcadia, Kang Ean2 Seafood, Seoul Grill


As usual, woke up bright and early (the kiddo is an early bird) for breakfast. And as mentioned during the previous post, we didn't linger in the restaurant for long as we didn't enjoy the crowd. Opted for a simple and light breakfast as I had a spa appointment in the late morning, and also in anticipation of lunch.

Had been to dhatri spa before during previous stays and because of the excellent quality of the spa treatments, decided to have a scrub and massage. The treatment did not disappoint and I certainly felt rejuvenated afterwards, in fact I lamented to the HB that it was too short!

For lunch, we ventured to Thanoon Seafood, located near the Sarasin bridge that linked Phuket island to the mainland of Phang Nga Province. Dined there during the last trip and the food was not too bad with nice waterfront scenery.

We hardly get this type of seafront view in SG, so I guess that makes us yearn for such dining experience. Lol :p

The Tom Yum Seafood here certainly fared better than that of Kan Eang2 Seafood the previous day. Besides spiciness and sourness, the broth had a sweet undertone.

The Stir Fried Clams with basil and chilli was not bad, clam meat was quite fresh and overall the chilli and basil sauce very appetising.

This is a local vegetable, slightly fibrous, while I liked it, it was a tad salty.

The papaya salad was a tad too wet. I preferred the ones served at Koh Samui.

Ordered the Prawn Cake for the kiddo seeing how he enjoyed it the previous day at Kan Eang2. But he ate only one piece and didn't want anymore, which meant that this wasn't as nice as the ones at Kan Eang2. Well, he was right, I thought it wasn't as fresh.

HB really wanted to eat the the deep fried fish (butterfly style) in tamarind sauce, so we had a special order. We told the waitress that we wanted deep fried fish butterfly style (it was available in the menu but without sauce) and add a tamarind sauce for us (there's fried prawns in tamarind sauce in the menu).

Alas, don't know why the chef decided to change the style of the fish. Fail! Total disappointment.

When fish is sliced this style and deep fried, the fish became hard throughout and lost the tender texture. If fish is deep fried butterfly style, the exterior is crispy while interior will still remain tender.

After lunch, the kiddo and I simply headed back to the hotel for a rest and relax afternoon while the HB went for a massage at the Naithon Beach area.

For dinner, we decided to stay in to try the Vero Italian Restaurant at Pullman Arcadia itself. After so many stays, we finally got the chance to dine here.

The alfresco areas offer stunning views. But the tables with the best view were occupied :(

So we opted for indoors instead. The decor and furnishings were warm and cozy, mostly wooden furniture.

Complimentary bread basket, very nice breads with balsamic vinegar and EVOO dip.

The restaurant did right by offering the Kid's Menu and took orders for the kiddo first, so his food was served first and very quickly. It's wise to feed kiddos first so that the adults could enjoy a slow and relaxing meal thereafter. Most of the time, adult meals were served first and the kids got restless waiting and adults couldn't really enjoy as they had to entertain the kids relentless questions on "why my food is not here yet". This shows that this restaurant really pays attention to details. Thumbs up!

Anyways, the pizza was yummy, except that it was too big!

I had salmon which was nicely done, crispy skin and tender and juicy meat.

Whereas HB had lamb shank. The meat was bone tender and went well with the sauce and mashed potato.

Overall the meal was enjoyable with impeccable service by staff.

Basically this marked the end of our short 4D3N annual getaway to Phuket (day 4 was just breakfast and then to airport for our flight).

Not sure if we would return to Pullman Arcadia next year as I'm also eyeing other properties. But then again, I do miss the breathtaking views from the room as well as the excellent hospitality. Well, will leave the decision till next year then.