- Hey everyone.
It's Mark Wiens.
Hope you're having an amazing day.
This is a completely spur of the moment trip.
But Ying and I were invited to Phuket
for this extreme like, full-on amazing food event
and it will be hosted at this really exclusive,
really high-end
hotel in Phuket and this is gonna be really a,
an opportunity of a lifetime, the combination of the food
and hotel and I can't wait to share it with you.
(upbeat instrumental music)
We're staying at a hotel called Sri Panwa.
It actually has it's own little mountain hill
and it's located at the very Southern tip
of Phuket.
So it's about a 45 minute to an hour drive
from the airport.
(upbeat instrumental music)
(splashing)
We've got our own private swimming pool.
We just arrived to Sri Panwa.
We got all checked in.
Ying and I got the,
this is the garden, family garden villa
so it has a garden view but we're somewhere
on the top of the hill.
The sea is surrounding us.
This place is gorgeous
and yeah, I'm gonna give you a full tour
of the room and also walk around
but I had to jump in the pool first.
Alright, so this is the whole outdoor area.
It's kind of the courtyard of this villa.
The swimming pool is down there
and that pool is amazing.
It's a salt water pool.
And I can taste a little bit of salt water
on my lips right now.
But if you come over here,
this is a little outdoor kitchen,
have the fridge and all the drinks are available
at your disposal.
We'll have a water right now.
(slow instrumental music)
Oh, I didn't see that step.
Hello, Ying and Mica.
- Hello.
- Oh, Mica's ready to swim.
- Hello.
- Mica.
(laughs)
But oh, okay check this out.
This is the sliding glass door.
Probably one of the coolest things
about this room,
the sliding glass door that opens
right into the pool.
And then over here is the,
it's a gigantic bed which occupies
the center of the room and then moving to the back
here is the bathroom area.
A huge bathroom area.
Whoa.
It's giant.
I haven't even come back here yet.
But we have double sinks
and we have a gigantic tub back here.
I don't even know where this door goes.
Oh, back to the room.
(laughs)
Okay, you can go around in a circle here.
And what's back here?
Oh, okay so the tub,
the tub is over here and then over here
is a shower but then there's also
oh yeah, there's an outdoor shower, too.
And oh, hello toilet with the garden view.
I think that completes this little tour
of our villa.
It's really self-sufficient.
There's everything you need in here.
Really nice.
It's really an honor to be invited here.
I'm very thankful.
We're on our way to a place
called Baba Nest which is a roof top
or a pool top bar
and area and we're gonna see the sun set there.
The designs at this hotel are incredible.
This is Baba Nest.
Oh, here it is right here.
Wow, the view is unbelievable.
You get full, at least a,
well it's kind of a 360 but at least
a full 180, 220 degree view
of the sea around.
I'm hanging out now.
This is my good friend, David Kalifa
and he is one of the ultimate
food lovers in the world.
He's an amazing guy.
He especially specializes on Instagram
and he's the Hungry Tourist.
And David is the one who master-minded
this entire connection of food and
at food pop-up at Si Panwa.
So I want him to quickly just
explain what's going on and you know,
what's even happening here.
- Yeah, what you do in my life is just travel,
meet a lot of people, and good food.
We have Wagyu Mafia bringing
40 kilos of prime, primest of primest of Kobe beef
from Japan and Satasan,
one Michelin Sous chef
brought fish.
Actually the fish was flown from (mumbles) this morning.
Tonight's sushi, tomorrow Wagyu.
- Cool, that's like two nights in a row
of like, the best food possible in the world.
(slow instrumental music)
Cheers.
- Cheers, man.
It's amazing (mumbles).
- Yeah, the have you is incredible.
(slow instrumental music)
As you can see, they have no chairs here.
Only bean bags.
- Yeah.
- And look who else is relaxing to the max right now.
Hey, Mica.
(upbeat instrumental music)
It is by far, the best time of the whole day right now.
It's time for dinner and here with David
and Juan and also.
- Todd.
- Kit and Lik.
- Hello.
- And we have incredible seats right in front of
sushi master, Hiro Sato and he is,
he's starting on the first course.
This is Omakasiya.
So the chef is just deciding what we're gonna eat tonight
and oh.
- Tuna hand roll.
- Thank you.
Tuna hand roll.
- Quickly, quickly.
- Eat it quickly?
- Yeah.
- Okay, this is the first one.
The tuna hand roll.
Right out of the chef's hand.
I gotta eat it quickly.
(laughs)
Oh.
- [Man] Wow, (mumbles).
- Oh, wow.
Oh, I can't even believe it.
I don't even, that's just, that's just like
melting tuna in your mouth with a little bit of rice.
An extraordinarily fresh seaweed that is just
this crisp, but really fragrant.
Oh, wow.
- This is the most amazing and we're starting
with it, just imagine.
- [Man] Yeah, starting with a.
- Mm, it's ice cream.
- Next course, is Bonito smoked mackerel.
It's just beautifully, artfully designed as well.
Sliced into thin strips
and then decorated gorgeously.
Oh, it's so pure.
Oh.
It's so delicate.
Oh, and look and next course.
(upbeat instrumental music)
- Ah, I want to put it on my face.
(laughs)
- The next course we have is Japanese Spring salmon
with dashi.
And this is like a, in a cocktail cup.
Oh, there's a chunk, a nugget, a nugget of salmon down here.
(chattering)
Oh.
I can really smell the dashi.
You can really smell the stock.
Yeah.
Mm, just a, like a roasted smoky but again,
very delicate aroma.
Wow.
Okay, I don't wanna over use melt in your mouth
but I can't help it.
Everything is melting in my mouth right now.
(laughs)
(upbeat instrumental music)
Chef has started on the sushi courses,
and the first one.
And it was just, it's just unbelievable to sit here
in front of him and watch him prepare the sushi.
Everything he does is just with incredible precision
and with amazing expertise and with passion as well
and the first one is flounder.
0h, the rice.
The rice is awesome
with a little bit of a sour taste to it.
Next step is squid.
(man speaks in a foreign language)
(laughs)
- I think so.
I hope so.
- Oh, that has this amazing crispiness to it.
Oh, so fresh.
Mm.
The texture, the texture is awesome.
So soft yet with a little crispiness to it.
- This baby snapper.
- Baby snapper.
Thank you.
- (mumbles)
- This one is baby snapper.
And just look at that, look at that ratio,
that fish, the little cluster, clump of rice
and then just the light seasoning,
but it's absolutely perfect.
It's so soft.
It's so tender.
(laughs)
- [Man] It's amazing.
- Yeah, that's a baby snapper.
- This is (mumbles) pen shell.
- For this one, it's a pen shell.
And he added on some zest of the yuzu
which is a citrus.
Oh, that is insane.
It sort of has the texture of a little bit of a scallop
but like more meaty almost.
And then you can really taste that sharp, citrusy flavor
of the yuzu.
- Golden eye snapper.
- This next one is Golden eye snapper.
This is a meal I never want to end
in my whole life.
I wanna just stay here for the rest of my life
and keep eating.
Oh.
(laughs)
Oh, I think that's bringing a tear to my eye.
Oh, that's butter.
Oh, that's so tender.
And I get a little bit of citrusy-ness in that
the, the ratios of ingredients.
And the balance of freshness is just insane.
Something I'd never experienced before in my life.
This is, this is unreal.
The next course is Akami, which is the lean tuna
that pure, red and it's just shining with a sauce
that he's brush over it.
(laughs)
I'm like actually whimpering right now in satisfaction
and anticipation.
Oh, I don't even want to chew.
Oh, I don't need to chew.
Ridiculous.
And as soon as you finish one best bite of your entire life,
another best bite of your entire life comes.
- [Woman] Michael.
- This one is the medium fatty tuna.
(mumbles).
Oh, it just like plays with your tongue.
Oh, oh.
It's turning to liquid right now.
What really fascinates me is how he works
both of his hands together
but doing separate tasks
he does it with just, like emaculate precision
and just pure love.
- When you eat this one, close your eyes.
(laughs)
- Okay, yeah.
- So talk to tuna.
- Here it is.
The Oturo.
The fatty tuna belly and this is one of the most
beautiful things that I, maybe I've ever seen
in my entire life.
(chattering)
(laughs)
I'm talking, that is undoubtedly, one of the single
best bites.
You can not explain that sensation in words at all.
And also, what's amazing about a
eating sushi this ways is the interaction
with the chef.
It's, that's really part of the experience.
We are halfway through the menu right now.
But, yeah, this is a meal I never want to end.
This one is the gizzard shad.
(upbeat instrumental music)
Marinated in vinegar.
Okay, really, really good.
You taste this sourness but it's subtle
but then it keeps on coming.
Next piece is Botan shrimp
and that is, that is just beautiful to look at.
(upbeat instrumental music)
Oh, the natural sweetness
and then that wasabi flavor in there.
Oh, it's a little bit like kind of
a gummy as well.
But so soft.
Oh, that sweetness just keeps on coming
as you keep on chewing.
Oh, it's like a lingering natural sweetness
to that shrimp.
Next up is the shrimp.
Oh, it's so sweet.
(speaking in a foreign language)
This one is the Tilefish marinated kelp.
Mm.
That one has a little bit more of a chewy texture to it.
- Yellowtail Amberjack
marinated to soy sauce.
The one is yellowtail amberjack marinated soy.
And this has a nice, little like golden yellow color
to it.
(chattering)
Spectacular.
Again.
Next up, this is a clam and chef has said that
this is a very traditional piece of sushi as well.
Mm.
Oh, it's very muscular and has a little bit of a
crunch to it.
And again, that natural sweetness
of that seafood is just awesome and so fresh.
- Thank you.
Next one, this is the Monkfish liver and
what he did is he took a little ball of rice
and then he wrapped it around seaweed,
then he added the monkfish liver
and then he, I think he grated on
maybe yuzu.
(laughs)
That tastes like pudding.
(laughs)
Like the best pudding ever.
(upbeat instrumental music)
It's time for uni.
And uni is sea urchin.
This is, it's just absolutely gorgeous.
This is one that you have to take a moment
of silence out of your time
to just admire the golden color,
the like, the shimmer of it,
the juiciness of it, okay.
(laughs)
It's unexplainable.
That is ice cream of the sea.
It's so delicate.
It has a little bit of a seafood-y flavor.
But the custardy texture
and the like, the Earthiness of that
is unbelievable.
I'm at loss for words.
Next piece is the Rosy sea bass.
And it does look kind of rosy.
Wow, even in my fingers, feeling it,
it feels kind of like,
feels kind of squishy, the fish.
Wow.
Oh.
Oh, that one is amazing.
Oh.
It's like, it's so fatty.
It tastes like pure fat.
It was as I expected because every bite
has been unbelievable.
But that was amazing.
Rosy sea bass.
Next bite, is sea eel.
Oh, and actually in your fingers.
You can actually feel how it's like
almost dissolving in my fingers
before I even bite it.
Oh.
(laughs)
That might be one of the softest things
that's ever gone in my mouth.
Eel that I've tasted is more buttery.
But this was actually more creamy.
(chattering)
We have come to the end
of this omakasi meal that is life-changing meal.
And the last one is a traditional omelet
and chef put some sugar on top
and then he blow torched it.
Oh, and here's chef now.
(laughs)
Thank you man.
This has been, this has been a life-changing meal.
- Really?
- One of my, the best meals I've ever had in my life.
- (mumbles)
- It's amazing.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
- You have to eat.
- Okay.
(laughs)
Alright.
One bite?
(laughs)
One bite, okay.
- What, two bites.
Two bites, two bites.
Yeah.
- Okay, two bites.
Mm.
Oh.
- Mm.
- Oh (laughs).
- Oishi.
(laughs)
It is a type of like egg custard.
Thank you very, very much.
- Thank you so much, That's amazing.
I never wanted this meal to end.
(laughs)
- [Woman] So cool.
- Chef, thank you.
(mumbles).
We just made it back to the villa.
And it's only right that I share
my ending thoughts about that meal
and this day with you
from the pool.
(slow instrumental music)
Oh, it's kind of cold now.
(upbeat instrumental music)
Oh, yeah.
Being able to swim at night
is one of the best reasons
to have a private villa.
Oh, I love swimming at night.
This is fantastic and it feels
oh, okay it is a little bit cold at night
but it's so refreshing and feels so good
after a meal like that.
So I wanna say a huge thank you
to Chef.
I wanna say a big thank you to David Kalifa.
And you've gotta go follow his Instagram.
He's the Hungry Tourist.
I'll leave his links in the description box.
And finally, I want to say a big thank you to
Sri Panwa, this hotel, and all the staff here
who have been really, really helpful and very friendly
and also to Kun Bawan.
Thank you all so much for watching.
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