PHUKET: “If you don’t transfer ahead, eventually you begin to maneuver backward,” as soon as mentioned former Soviet Union chief Mikhail Gorbachev in a speech on the Harvard University. He may need been addressing the problem of nuclear disarmament however his phrases remind us of considered one of life’s nice truths – change is not solely unavoidable, it’s necessary and good.Owners of Angsana’s Bodega & Grill restaurant in Phuket Laguna perceive this, and as much as they respect their returning clients preferences, they aren’t afraid to experiment with their menu. They really do change it with nice regularity, twice each year, round June and December. And they be sure that each time it’s a change for the better. “The new menu is double the size of the previous one,” says Mirko Cappa, Bodega’s Executive Chef. “A lot of latest dishes have been added, together with additional decisions for vegetarians, some classic Italian pasta dishes and an prolonged steak menu. Some of the model new dishes on the menu like rigatoni amatriciana, penne arrabbiata or do-it-yourself pappardelle were requested by our returning friends.“The seasons change, so we alter the menu,” adds Executive Sous Chef Yi fan Chu. “For instance, you will note more recreation on the new menu, like wild boar or rabbit. This displays winter-time flavors,” he says.And a number of the new choices are already changing into guests’ favorites, such because the filet mignon from grain feed prime beef – a silky, juicy meat portion served in a rustic method on a hot iron skillet, the Bodega’s carpaccio of Porterhouse beef and Phuket lobster with artichokes and fennel salad, or the 18-month aged burrata cheese wrapped in San Daniele ham and served with caponata of kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes. Chances are, some of the items will stay on the menu for quite some time.What strikes me when reading the model new menu is the opulence and diversity of components used. From zucchini flowers and natural, sun dried tomatoes to rustic Tuscan bread and juniper-cinnamon home- smoked rainbow trout. “All of our ingredients are do-it-yourself, everything is produced from scratch. No sweat that is not locally grown in Thailand is imported from Italy, Australia, the US and Canada,” explains Chef Cappa. “I take pleasure in experimenting with new elements and dishes,” says Chef Cappa. “When suppliers introduce me to new produce, I create new dishes and serve them within the restaurant as a particular for a few days to see the suggestions from our visitors. If a dish receives great suggestions, it’ll certainly be added to the new menu.”It’s additionally up to the visitors to decide what is going to keep within the menu, like its core, basic dishes that have turn out to be irreplaceable favorites over time, just like the signature Tomahawk steak, 1.2 kilograms of top of the range beef.The meal I’m served on the Bodega & Grill is a formidable, balanced mixture of the old and the new. I rapidly establish my private favorites list, which includes such delights as delicate, yellow-fin tuna and Norwegian salmon tartare and the flavorful foie gras with slow-roasted Portobello mushrooms (the restaurant’s wine waiter does an excellent job of discovering a wine – medium-bodied Chilean chardonnay – appropriate for each, very totally different, starters).It shall be a pleasure to come back to Angsana to enjoy them once more, however I’m additionally looking ahead to the fun of discovering the model new flavors and surprises that Bodega’s future holds..