Courtesy of tourists and an expansive expatriate community, Phuket is rife with stereotypes. A Sunday in a pub means a traditional roast, while beach clubs specialise in brunches, mostly seafood-themed. Located on the renowned Western shore of Phuket, Coast Beach Club & Bistro is a game-changer shaking up these stereotypes, daring to fashion itself in a manner typical of pubs, rather than its fellow beach venues. Every Sunday the restaurant serves a beachside roast, artfully blending two dining formats to deliver a perfect family experience.
Upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised by the range of seats available on the ocean-front terrace and spent quite a few minutes picking a table with the best location and view. By the time we finally settled down, the food was ready and waiting to be devoured. Sunday Roast at Coast is not a sitdown formal dinner, allowing diners to freely explore the food stations and plan their meals according to individual tempos and tastes. Food is served from noon till 3pm, so time is aplenty. A DJ is also spinning some tunes for everyone to enjoy.
Before trying the main courses we filled our plates with a good selection of salads and starters that were also supposed to act as entr'actes between generous meat treats. I opted for some Caesar salad with fresh, crispy salad leaves and crunchy croutons richly seasoned with parmesan and what I guess were bacon bits. A really nice side-salad for proteins. My companions turned their attention
to the all classic Greek salad with feta cheese and black olives, and a tomato and fresh mozzarella salad with basil leaves and Italian dressing. Bear in mind, you can take separate bowls for every salad and set up a family-style meal for everybody to share.
Among the spread of grilled meats, the suckling pig on a spit is definitely the main attraction. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it's the best pork one can even dream of. You could hear the incredible crunch of the skin when the staff start slicing it into small flavourful pieces that literally melt in your mouth.
Beef lovers won't be disappointed too, as Coast serves a generous rib-eye cooked just to perfection and carved with extreme care. Being on the pink rather than the well-done side, I had to wait till the carver reached deeper cuts of the roast to get what I wanted. Being able to
choose my desired temperature of meat is something I really appreciated.
What excited us most was the lamb leg. Garnished with grilled vegetables, roast potatoes and homemade bread, it was a callback to my childhood when the whole family would gather around the table for special occasions and enjoy a good roast.
If lamb, beef or suckling pig is not to your taste, you can always feast on BBQ pork ribs, roast chicken and sea bass. As most guests opt for meats, the fish can be at your full disposal if you prefer (as well as the niçoise salad). Or try a little bit of everything. Don't miss the pepper sauce, which complements all the meats just perfectly. Having finished the first round of our Sunday Roast we decided to take a pause and enjoy Centara’s renowned swimming pool: complete with water slide and jungle river. The hotel is actually centred around several interconnected pools, and floating through them is a great alternative to relaxing on plush beds or sunbathing on the beach.
A must-have experience for those going out with kids, but adults will also find it fun to chill in the cool water after a satisfying brunch. Refreshed and revitalised, we came back to the table in an hour, just in time to enjoy dessert. This is exactly when you would do well to take a piece of advice from kids: they say that the ice-cream is the best option. Small ones will definitely love the mango or lime flavoured ones, while grown-ups can enjoy some Italian-style pistachio.
Fresh fruits and other desserts are also available, that’s if you have been wise enough and saved some space for them. I didn't follow either of the wiser dessert tracks though. Instead, I came back to the main stations and grabbed a couple of mini burgers plus a craft brew from the bar. A nice ending to what was a nice family Sunday afternoon.
As a Phuket resident, you can also apply for their COAST membership which is tiered from a free membership entitling you to a 25% discount and other benefits to a B8,000.