AND so the Hard Rock Cafe is here. Now that's off the list, what ''must haves'' are there next for Phuket?
Perhaps a decent theme park. Or a real public transport system. The list of ''Things Phuket Really Really Needs'' is not short.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. The Hard Rock is, for those unfamiliar with HRCs, an American institution.
We went for lunch and did not find a slice of fusion food, with nary a sign among the imposing collection of memorabillia of a Carabao headscarf or even a Tata Young skirt.
This is, when all is said and done, an all American statement, like ''Give me liberty or give me death.'' On the whole, though, we'd prefer our menu choices to be a less fixed and final.
Give us a tasty meal, give us some good music, and give us good service, too, although the last two can sometimes be hard to find on Phuket.
The 123 staff at the HRC, by contrast, have been fine tuned by a trainer brought especially from the US for three weeks, so there's a chance of a few other ticks against boxes on the list as well.
Our tasting team found the HRC offerings perfectly acceptable US fare, from the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich to the Red, White and Blue Burger, with Hot Fudge Sundae, Brownie, Apple Cobbler and Ice Cream to follow.
Prices, with the 10 percent service charge on top, are a little steep for all tastes. As the restaurant and shop are in a less well travelled part of Patong, the HRC's own Mer Chang band may need to sing up a storm nightly.
Live music begins unplugged at 6pm then goes electric sometime after 8pm. On Thursdays, after 10.30pm, it will be time for the weekly air guitar competition.
The service today, we thought, was excellent. We recommend that other restaurant managers on Phuket who are looking for better standards do it the easy way.
Find a copy of '100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do,' recently published over two weeks in the New York Times.
It begins with: '1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting' and ends with '100. Guests, like servers, come in all packages. Show a ''good table'' your appreciation with a free glass of port, a plate of biscotti or something else management approves.''
Phuketwan ate for free at the HRC so the good folk there clearly must have read the entire NYT list to the end.
We've been called many things. Now we are a ''good table.'' Shame about the legs.
Hard Rock Cafe, 48/1 Ruamjai Road Patong (at the far end of the Courtyard by Marriott, opposite the Holiday Inn in Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road.) Telephone: 076 340210.
Perhaps a decent theme park. Or a real public transport system. The list of ''Things Phuket Really Really Needs'' is not short.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. The Hard Rock is, for those unfamiliar with HRCs, an American institution.
We went for lunch and did not find a slice of fusion food, with nary a sign among the imposing collection of memorabillia of a Carabao headscarf or even a Tata Young skirt.
This is, when all is said and done, an all American statement, like ''Give me liberty or give me death.'' On the whole, though, we'd prefer our menu choices to be a less fixed and final.
Give us a tasty meal, give us some good music, and give us good service, too, although the last two can sometimes be hard to find on Phuket.
The 123 staff at the HRC, by contrast, have been fine tuned by a trainer brought especially from the US for three weeks, so there's a chance of a few other ticks against boxes on the list as well.
Our tasting team found the HRC offerings perfectly acceptable US fare, from the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich to the Red, White and Blue Burger, with Hot Fudge Sundae, Brownie, Apple Cobbler and Ice Cream to follow.
Prices, with the 10 percent service charge on top, are a little steep for all tastes. As the restaurant and shop are in a less well travelled part of Patong, the HRC's own Mer Chang band may need to sing up a storm nightly.
Live music begins unplugged at 6pm then goes electric sometime after 8pm. On Thursdays, after 10.30pm, it will be time for the weekly air guitar competition.
The service today, we thought, was excellent. We recommend that other restaurant managers on Phuket who are looking for better standards do it the easy way.
Find a copy of '100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do,' recently published over two weeks in the New York Times.
It begins with: '1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting' and ends with '100. Guests, like servers, come in all packages. Show a ''good table'' your appreciation with a free glass of port, a plate of biscotti or something else management approves.''
Phuketwan ate for free at the HRC so the good folk there clearly must have read the entire NYT list to the end.
We've been called many things. Now we are a ''good table.'' Shame about the legs.
Hard Rock Cafe, 48/1 Ruamjai Road Patong (at the far end of the Courtyard by Marriott, opposite the Holiday Inn in Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road.) Telephone: 076 340210.
its true menu is the same all over the world. The only place I found different local food was Malaysia and yes, they should definitely be involving local artists
Posted by michael on November 29, 2009 13:52