Brunch with a bang at Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort

PHUKET: Tucked away in scenic Kamala you will find the Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort. With a beautiful view of the Andaman from up in your room or from the refreshing infinity pool down below, it’s clear that luxury is only steps away.

This quality carries over to the resort’s newest attraction, the Sunday brunch, which kicked off on March 29.

Head Chef Alessandro Martinelli’s attention to detail and flavor is apparent throughout the experience, with the food being as appetizing to look at, as it is to eat.

To kick off the meal, head over to the free-flow bloody mary bar where the bartender throws in the perfect amount of spice while you pick out your olives, lime and other condiments. Not a bloody mary fan? No problem. There is also free-flow white wine sangria served at the optimum temperature and with the right amount of sweetness.

The buffet-style setup makes it easy to view every beautifully displayed selection available. One of the brunch’s centerpieces was the wood-fire pizza oven. Made with fresh dough, buffalo mozzarella, ruccola and fresh pomodorini, the pizza was the perfect amount of salty, gooey, chewy goodness with the added crispness and freshness of the tomatoes and ruccola. It was enough to make you want to set up shop next to the oven all day.

That is until your eye wanders over to the fetchingly arranged table presenting salads, imported European cheeses, meats and a fresh assortment of breads.

I piled my plate full of focaccia and Caesar salad with crisp bacon, along with a few slices of Asiago and Parmesan cheese as well as porchetta.

The bread was fresh and perfectly seasoned with olive oil and salt, and adorned with roasted peppers. The salad was nice and crisp with just the right amount of dressing, and the porchetta practically melted in your mouth.

For the main entree section, you are riddled with choices, such as wok-fried blue crab with chili, garlic, and ginger; traditional pad see ew; and kiew wan gai (chicken with green curry). Also featured was a lasagna bolognese and snapper fillet with asparagus and saffron sauce, both exquisite and full of flavor. The snapper and asparagus were cooked to perfection and the saffron sauce complemented them exceptionally. The lasagna bolognese had the ideal sauce-to-cheese ratio and the pasta itself tasted freshly made.

Finally, for the last hoorah, head over to the dessert counter, which offers everything from bowls full of fresh fruit, lemon meringue tart, vanilla creme brulee, mango sticky rice and chocolate mousse (just to name a few), to a crepe station and soft-serve ice-cream machine.

The fruit tastes like it was cut within minutes of your decent upon it. And the ice cream? It tasted like vanilla cake batter, the kind that you beg your mom to let you lick off the mixing spoon. It was a shame not to be able to fit in second helpings.

Although it is nearly impossible to try every single dish offered – and believe me I tried – the fresh seafood looked larger than life, the eggs benedict with smoked salmon and proper biscuits, impeccable; and let’s not forget the grill, barbecue and carving sections, where the meat looked so tender and succulent that it gave air of a still-life painting.

The Hyatt Regency’s Sunday brunch is something that Chef Martinelli should be proud of, and one you will certainly talk about for years to come.

— Sylvia Joy