Coast is the main feature of the Centara Grand Hotel on Koh Samui. A modern beach club concept which welcomes the younger generation.
Phanganist went down to meet Rohit who is Director of food and beverage to find out more about this fresh and vibrant beach club and bistro…
Hello Rohit so what was the concept behind Coast?
It is part of the Centara which is a colonial formal hotel so we wanted to make a cool and modern place with trendy decor and a nice ambience.
It’s very cool here, you look around and can enjoy the best part of Chaweng beach. The sea is perfect with a nice white sandy beach. We have entertainment every day such as DJs and when you come in the evening it also has a different charm.
All of the Centara Grand’s will have a Coast Bistro and Bar in the near future.
What sort of things do you do at Coast?
Sunday has become a hub here for local residents, we are by far the best brunch destination. We have a cheese room and we are doing cold cuts, a magician running around playing with the kids and different segments of brunch like an unlimited champagne brunch for example.
There’s fun, family and excitement which excites all sorts of audiences and we are Informal about it.
Monday in the evenings we do a beach bbq, there’s something different each night, italian night, one hour to sundown there’s a discount and ‘jazz and flambe’.
There’s these beautiful day beds so people can walk in with swimwear, it’s not like other beach places, we can easily proclaim that we have spent hours putting effort into it.
It seems like the community is important to Coast...
Absolutely, we have a good base with locals and a local membership discount. We are happy with the success and most of these people come for sunday brunch. It’s a great locality, Chaweng is the hub of Koh Samui and here the beach is not so crowded, our stretch is still pretty nice.
Tell us about the food menu...
Our executive chef is Australian, he had a Chilean mother, an Italian dad and grew up in Australia so he is very much about his Aussie meat! He did a long stint with Marriott hotels and has lived in Thailand for eight or nine years so he understands Thai culture, he’s a young chap about thirty eight.
The menu is pretty cool, we have a massive burger with our Coast stamp on it and the pizzas are some of the best.
All of the menus are on ipads, it’s the digital age and it looks cool so for here it goes fine. It’s a big spread and the best part is the mix of setting, you can eat inside with the air con which can be good for the wet months or at the dining tables, sunken beds and pool beds, we have different kinds of setting all in one place here at Coast.
What makes Koh Samui special for you?
Personally from what I’ve seen I’m amazed by the beaches, I find a good mix of balance, secluded spaces where you can enjoy yourself and you can walk around Chaweng beach. Samui caters to each segment, something for everyone and each traveller is looked after, I’m amazed with some places offering great options.
Coast’s staff are very cool and friendly and they even help you cool down with Evian spray and cool refreshing towels which was very welcome for us on this hot sunny day.
It is a nice way to show that they know about service, they are different. The service is one of the highlights and Rohit tells us that many guests come back, bond and make good connections with the staff.
‘When I hire people there’s an inclination to someone with an outgoing personality, someone who can draw conversation. You need someone who’s chilled and we allow them to to be trendy and friendly, the modern thing’.
DJ Tommy who is one of Samui’s most famous resident Dj’s also plays at Coast Beach Club and Bistro which seems to be popular amongst guests and locals!
Coast offers a multitude of seating and lounging options for you to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner. We chose some nice large chairs which were super comfortable and although we had the shade of a small tree, the staff even brought us over a floor fan which was most appreciated on this very hot yet of course beautiful day.
We went for the classic lunch option, pizza and burger, plus everyone wants to know what a restaurant’s pizzas and burgers are like don’t they?!
But this was no ordinary burger, the choice itself is varied enough and we went for the ‘High-so Heart Attack’ which includes an Australian Wagyu beef burger, foie gras, brie cheese, arugula and tomato relish served with waffle shaped fries. You are given the option of how you would like it cooked and we went for medium rare which is was perfectly. To be honest it’s not greasy and over filling which was a nice surprise, the brie and foie gras give some nice delicate flavour to the delicious meat and the fries are well seasoned and earthy.
Our pizza was a ‘Carne’ with tomato, salami Milano, Parma ham, roasted chicken, Italian sausage and mozzarella which we accompanied with some wonderful chilli oil and herbs which you can put on yourself if you wish. The pizzas are done Neapolitan style and the base is soft and light with great quality toppings, we ate our meals very slowly indeed so as to enjoy them as much as we could whilst taking in the tropical and chillies surroundings of The Coast Beach Club and Bistro.
It was a lovely afternoon, some well spent relaxing time and lunch and the Coast, perfect for young people, families, friends and couples, every one can find their place here and we wish them all the best!
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