Ficus Restaurant
in The Sarojin, Khao Lak
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By Sam Wilkinson - Photos by
Stephan Audiger
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If anyone could explain just exactly what it
is that makes a successful restaurant they’d
be able to retire a very rich person after writing
a book about the magical ingredients.
Some go for atmosphere, but if you want atmosphere
without great food you may as well stay at home,
right? No, it’s definitely a combination
of atmosphere, décor, fine dining and
location. Ficus, in The Sarojin, has all of
these ingredients and more.
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Where is it?
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| The Sarojin's
Ficus Tree & Restaurant |
Located in the leafy gardens of The Sarojin, 11km
north of Khao Lak centre, Ficus isn’t hard to
find as it is to the left of reception/lobby and in
a grove of trees – mostly Ficus…
View a location map below...
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Décor
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| A modern
décor |
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Open-sided with tall sliding doors and elegant vases
interspersed throughout, Ficus is a single room with
terrace tables outside. Inside, it’s well lit
and outside decidedly intimate.
There are white columns with Chinese motifs on them
as well as a clever ceiling of wood and stucco as
well as Chinese vases. Ficus does not strive to look
beautiful, it simply is and that goes a long way towards
setting diners at ease from the word go.
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Atmosphere
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| Formal
atmosphere, at first sight |
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The chirrup of frogs in the nearby pond and the steady
hum of cicadas provides Mother Nature’s soundtrack
along with carefully selected mood music. Even on
a rainy night this is a great place to dine.
Even though this restaurant looks quite formal it’s
also a place to enjoy your meal in a party atmosphere
as we did. Don’t worry, Ficus is multi-faceted
and is what you make it. A jolly good asset to an
eatery.
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Wine
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| An impressive
wine cellar |
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With some 450 labels to choose from there’ll
be that special wine for you here. We sipped a Cabernet
Merlot Cape Mentelle Red and excellent it was.
A word should be said about Ficus’s cocktails:
as simplistic as it may seem, restaurant critics often
gauge the effectiveness of the drinks list by ordering
a dry Martini beforehand. You would be surprised at
how many restaurants don’t know how to mix a
good one – Ficus passed the test with flying
colours.
There’s an all-day selection by the bottle or
by the glass and all the usual suspects are here with
representatives from every continent.
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Food
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| Herbed
lasagna with lobster |
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Adaptation and flexibility are the bywords in Ficus’s
cuisine. There is a strong Thai presence with dishes
from all over the country, all excellently executed
and presented. In fact you may be busier with your
camera than you would expect.
An Italian mixed seafood plate makes a welcome appearance
and acquits itself well, as does a small rocket salad
I order to keep my greenery intake up to par but the
best dish of the evening by far is herbed lasagna
with lobster in tomato basil sauce.
I swear the next time I’m at The Sarojin I
shall order this excellent and flavour-filled dish.
There are extensive dessert dishes and why not round
off the evening with a liqueur?
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Service
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| The Ficus'
terrace & pond by day |
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For such an impressive-looking restaurant the service
at Ficus is playful and light hearted.
There’s no pretentiousness or putting on false
airs; just the real Thai friendliness but delivering
the goods at the same time. Attentive and professional,
you’ll make friends here with the genuine and
genial Thai staff.
The Sarojin:
60 Moo 2 Kuk Kak (north of Khao Lak centre)
Tel:076-427900
The
Sarojin
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