Our dinner at Colours of the Garden was reserved for 6pm.
My travelling companion and I arrived at Soneva Kiri on Koh Kood earlier that day by the luxury resort's eight-seat passenger plane.
Given that we would be having a private, meat-free meal in an organic garden with nothing but nature surrounding us, no gastronomic affair could be more "altruistically exclusive" than this.
Colours of the Garden is a newly-launched dining theme that like six other F&B outlets in the 33-villa resort reflects Soneva's eco-friendly philosophy.
With an expansive, multi-coloured plantation as its setting, the experience is built around a cuisine prepared with the garden produce freshly picked on site. There's absolutely no use of meat or animal byproducts, including honey and dairy goods, in the meal.
Each night, a maximum of six guests from one villa are received. So the whole journey is more or less custom-designed for each party by the dinner host, who might be a Western or Thai head chef depending on the cuisine the diners choose.
The evening began with a casual walk through the garden, surrounded by a pristine tropical forest. We were encouraged to pluck, smell and taste various kinds of vegetables, fruits and herbs, including mulberry, lemon, tomato, curly kale, parsley, wild arugula, peppermint and Maldivian chillies.
Leading our tour was a duo of young and knowledgeable Thai chefs, who, other than being our guides and cooks, also acted as educators who told us about the medicinal properties and origins of many plants along the way.
After a short introductory stroll, we were invited to the thatched roof reception pavilion and treated to a series of refreshing welcome drinks -- both alcoholic and virgin, from mulberries.
The cocktails were accompanied by a bland-looking canape, or at least that's what an injudicious me thought.
In fact, the platter of warm and gooey flatbread with a trio of dips (basil pesto, sun-dried tomato coulis and chickpea hummus) and fresh green herbs turned out to be one of the most delicious and addictive vegan treats I've ever had. Complementing the canape was an assortment of fresh herbs.
We proceeded further inside the garden, discovering numerous edible plants and deciding which vegetables we wanted the chef to cook for us before we reached the second rest area. There, fresh spring rolls with avocado, carrot, cucumber and pumpkin seeds awaited us.
As the sky gradually darkened and the calling sound of crickets began to resonate, it was time for dinner.
The dinner table was set open-air on a sand floor so the diners could be as close to Mother Nature as possible. At the centre of the dining area was a fire pit where the chef would prepare most of the dishes right before our eyes.
The Thai cuisine dinner was served through a multi-course meal starting with a dish of goong sarong mushroom. It was a very light and brittle plant-based take on deep-fried prawns wrapped with vermicelli noodles. Substituting the prawn was a mixture of mushroom and caramelised peanut, which went nicely with a sweet plum sauce and fresh salad leaves.
Next up, yum som-o salad featured pomelo pulps tossed with Koh Kood's young coconut flesh and toasted coconut flakes as well as various herbs including lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, shallot and chilli. The salad was followed by a grilled tofu satay.
Dishes number four, five and six were represented by stir-fried aubergine with basil and chillies, mhok hed (herb-seethed mushrooms roasted in banana leaf packet) and stir-fried morning glory with green cabbage. They were all enjoyable.
The menu has been designed to provide diners with a nutrient-dense and visual and taste pleasure paired with natural wines. The price is 9,000 baht per person. Reservations are required at a minimum of 24 hours in advance.
