Floyd in Thailand

Travelling TV chef Keith Floyd sets sail on his latest adventure - a new restaurant in Phuket

Published on December 22, 2007

Floyd in Thailand

Keith Floyd at Burasari Phuket

Remember Keith Floyd? You've probably see him in the cookery shows he's done for the BBC or perhaps you have one of his cook books - "Floyd on Spain", "Floyd on Africa" and "Floyd's India". But to get a fuller flavour of the man, you can now try his food. The iconic chef is cooking in Phuket at his latest culinary venture, Floyd's Brasserie.

"I like Phuket. It's an international crossroads where locals, people from all over Asia, Americans and Europeans all share the place together," says Floyd, whose travels for his TV shows have taken him all over the world.

Opened early this year, Floyd's Brasserie is located in Burasari, a small boutique resort on Patong Beach. Huddled together with the resort's cocktail bar in a charming garden, the brasserie has plenty to offer for romantics and foodies alike. According to the ebullient Floyd, most visitors are reluctant to leave when their meal is over - preferring sometimes to snooze (or pass out) at the table.

"To me, cooking is giving," says the 60-something chef, who always cooks for his wife when he's back home in Provence, France. "You make people forget their trouble when you're making them good food. You will find it's so true at my restaurant."

Though most chefs these days rave about fusion cuisine and futuristic flavours, Floyd's Brasserie takes an uncomplicated and unpretentious approach.

"My food is simple food, but it has got real reverence for its fresh ingredients," says Floyd.

On the table in front of us are several starters to test that assertion - Phuket fish and lobster soup, traditional French onion soup au gratin and poached eggs Burgundy style - and we're eating the Thai way, sharing every dish. First to meet the palate are the poached eggs, which, I can report, were simply sensational in their rich red wine sauce. Next came the onion soup au gratin, a popular dish that has its roots in the rustic traditions of French cooking. This is the real thing - the concoction of beef stock, onions and red wine is simple and powerful and makes for a tasty transition to my soon-to-come lamb cutlets.

In the flesh, Floyd is quieter than the enthusiastic, straight-talking humorist we get on TV. He seems to be more worldly-wise traveller than celebrity chef.

He's spent more then 40 years as a "gastronaut" (his own coinage), always eager to learn new things about his trade along the way. He began his working life as a journalist, before joining the British Royal Tank Regiment for a big dose of adventure. After leaving the army, his introduction to the catering world came with spells as a barman and a dishwasher before going on eventually to run his own restaurants in Bristol in the southwest of England. It was here that he was spotted and offered a role as a presenter of a BBC show, which entailed travel in Africa, India and Europe to cook the local dishes. It's not for nothing that Floyd has been dubbed the Ernest Hemingway of the culinary world.

"I used to have restaurants in Bristol. Then I sold them, purchased a boat and cruised the Mediterranean for a few years," says Floyd. "The problem is I can't stay put in one place. I've got a strong passion for cooking and discovering how the rest of the world eat, so I keep travelling."

In fact, for fans of the peripatetic chef, Floyd's Phuket restaurant is the only place in the world you can sample his cooking. You won't find it in Europe - not even in his beloved Provence.

"I want to serve classic fare, dishes that I've gathered roaming the world over the last 40 years. Thai dishes, too, though it definitely won't be fusion," says Floyd.

Soon enough, my lamb cutlets arrive. I have to admit that I've been avoiding red meat for quite some time, but it's a resolution that I'm prepared to swap for what Floyd has to offer. And it's worth it: After one bite, vegetarianism has just lost a potential convert forever. The strong flavour lingers, then bursts out again after it's washed down with a mouthful of Shiraz.

Wined and dined, we manage not to succumb to sleep at the table. Burasari is located on Phuket's liveliest beach and we decide it's too early for a snooze. So after dessert, we stroll along the beach road to Soi Bang La, where, from the many bars with live music, the nocturnal life springs back to life.

Phoowadon Duangmee

The Nation