Iniala at its best: A magical journey of art, wine and fine dining

The resort is set on the beautiful Natai Beach, and there really is nothing that compares to it. Even after being fortunate enough to visit some of the most luxurious hotels on the island, nothing can prepare you for the extreme wealth that Iniala conveys and can only be understood when one enters these enchanting grounds.

Upon arrival of this exquisite heaven you are faced with a castle that exudes all the trappings of true opulence – a billionaire’s playground, if you will.

A gate shuts off the resort from the rest of the world, and on the inside sits Iniala Beach House, renowned for its acclaimed culinary offerings as well as its stunning architecture and distinctive art. Bringing a new level of luxury hospitality to the Phuket region with three beautifully appointed villas (each with three suites) and one spectacular penthouse suite.

The residence is a masterpiece of design fusing traditional Thai architecture with organic, contemporary forms featuring the work of world-renowned designers. Each villa comes with its own spa and personal therapist, as well as your typical unobstructed views of the beach and the Andaman Sea.

Within this admirable resort lays the most magnificent dining experience: Aziamendi restaurant. Just last month, I had the pleasure of attending a lunch celebrating the relaunch of the majestic restaurant for this high-season as well as a celebration and warm welcome to new Chef de Cuisine, Aisha Ibrahim.

The artfully designed Aziamendi is headed up by three-star Michelin Chef Eneko Atxa from Spain and he has worked alongside the new talented Chef Aisha (you can find a profile on her on thephuketnews.com) to produce faultless, impeccable dishes.

After a lovely drinks reception, my dining companions and I were were presented with our first course, which arrived in a picnic basket, in itself an artistic creation, featuring cured pork and eggplant on brick paper (toast); clam in crème fraîche; and king trumpet mushroom “mille feuille”; followed by a lovely hibiscus infusion with orange and pomelo. And yes, each one of these bite-sized nibbles tasted as grandiose as they sound.

Our next part of the journey was a pit-stop to the bonsai tree. Intricate and round cherry tomatoes, which had been injected with mango juice, were beautifully sat on the tree waiting for its guests to pick at. These creative starters though, were just the beginning of an adventurous dining trip.

Shortly after, we were escorted into the restaurant where we sat down at our tables and awaited the next course. Next to arrive was the amazing experience of eating “rock” – but delicious, edible rock; indeed, a unique form of bread. We used this to dip into the next course, which by the way was one of my favourites, a bowl of egg, hom nin rice, sprouted grains, and truffle. It wasn’t hard to recognise the incredible amount of intricacy and finesse that went into the creation of this, and the rest of the dishes, each resulting in a perfect balance of flavours and textures.

Aziamendi’s stylish, eclectic décor featuring art from various artists provide an appropriately luxurious setting for this kind of a meal.

Subsequent courses, each of them artfully presented, included crab, jamoin sauce with black olives; corn custard, uni emulsion and fungi; as well as prawn, romesco and chives, each as delicious as the next. And who could forget the tuna with a red pepper sauce, oozing with flavour, and a light-as-air potato soufflé ‘pillow’, which was the perfect carby side.

Another highlight to the chain of magical dishes was the duck, which was filled with alliums and surrounded by rice. The duck was soft and tender and was a decent portion size.

But, after all that, I have to say that the star of the show lay within the dessert courses. My favourite, of course, was the heavenly dulcey panna cotta, with burnt strawberry and vanilla. The burnt strawberry was something that I had never experienced before and was cooked to the utmost perfection. I started to expect nothing less from the culinary genius that is Chef Aisha. Just when I thought we were finished, more desserts arrived. I had to slightly put my foot down when it came to the petit fours, including delightful homemade chocolate macaroons. The pace and portions of the meal were perfect, so you don’t feel over-full, even if the continuous servings of bread that accompany each course start to push your limits.

Each course was paired with the finest vintages – and when I say finest, I mean it, but it’s no surprise considering the wine pairing was managed by one of Thailand’s best sommeliers, Fabienne Etienne, whose passion for viticulture has won him many awards.

Following the glorious tour of the whole resort, and since the day was a celebration of passion for gastronomy and art, we were then escorted into the in-house gallery where some of the most creative artworks proudly trumpet on the walls. Here you will see an array of unique and eccentric inspired art, and on this day collections from three different artists, all in the style of pop-art. But, with such few words left in this review, it would be impossible to give the art justice and it should indeed be seen for itself.

Overall, my experience of Iniala was nothing short of unbelievable. Indeed, what is clear is that the luxury doesn’t lie in just the design, it lies in the attention to detail. Each room, and moreover, each corner of the resort seemed to tell a story all on its own, and yet, everything came together in such a magical way. From the gothic-esque boudoir dressed in eclectic furniture, including the large and grandeur king-size bed shaped in the style and size of a cake, to the charming vanity mirror decorated with over-the-top wings, somewhat representative of a room that any Disney villain would happily inhabit in. And let’s not forget the extravagant penthouse designed by British architect Graham Lamb. No matter where, each room conveyed a theme that was as much a celebration of art and design as it was about cocooning the resident in luxury.

The intimate and homely feel of the whole resort, in spite of the opulence and luxury that one is surrounded by, makes the guest feel as though they are holidaying in their friend’s beach house abroad. Inialia’s philopshy comes to life in the sense that whatever you feel like, whenever, is made available to you. Not least the food, which is as personalised as anything else, but everything else that comes with it in such a magical stay. For those that couldn’t imagine such a stay, then I strongly recommend at least booking yourself in for a meal at Aziamendi. It’s a culinary experience that is simply unmatched in Thailand.