Barracuda – The Best Samui Has To Offer

If you ask people in Samui what some of the top restaurants are for fine dining, you will see a pattern, and that pattern always leads you back to Barracuda. Located in Bophut at the Wharf, Barracuda is a charming, intimate restaurant with rich wood fixtures, dim lighting and industrial accents. The open kitchen gives guests a peek into the fast-paced backstage action, as tables are fully booked nearly every night.

At first glance, Chef Ferdinand can seem very intimidating – think Gordon Ramsey on a busy day – but is actually just in deep concentration, making sure each dish is well executed and helping to guide his amazingly talented kitchen team create beautiful dishes that anyone would be proud of. And in reality, he is the super laid-back, welcoming face of Barracuda. Barracuda’s menu consists of beautiful marriages of flavor, color and texture, using local produce, fresh seafood and drawing influence from many Mediterranean dishes. The seasonal menu keeps everyone on their toes, always wondering what Chef Ferdinand will think of next. But the current menu in place is definitely worth the visit with items such as, Norwegian salmon tartare with crème fraiche, lemon zest, dill and pike black caviar; homemade tortellini with salmon, lobster tail, prawn, lemon zest and shellfish velouté; and beef fillet with potato terrine, parsley purée, Thai asparagus, shimeji mushrooms and a madeira sauce.

However, at the top of our list of things to try are the spiced crab rolls served with red chili, mango and pineapple salsa – very smooth with a nice crisp texture from the iceburg lettuce and a bit of heat from the chili – and Barracuda’s succulent duck breast served with bok choy, pomme purée and a port and dried cherry sauce. Easily the best duck we have ever had. The meat was tender, flavorful, the puree buttery and savory, and the cherries the perfect amount of sour to balance all of the flavors together. All in all, the ideal entrée. As far as desserts are concerned, Barracuda’s menu doesn’t disappoint with their lemon panna cotta and infusion of summer berries.

However, the dessert that most embodies the best of them all is the white chocolate and orange fondant served with chocolate ice cream – sweet, citrusy, warm, cool, soft and gooey – a beautiful marriage of texture and flavor. But don’t let dessert be the end of your evening. Barracuda is also mixing up vibrant and creative cocktails at the bar and offers a large variety of fine wine to relax with after a wonderful meal. One cannot fully say that they have experienced all that Samui has to offer without a visit to Barracuda at the Wharf. We can not recommend this restaurant enough!

Table bookings are highly recommended.