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| The Restaurant, The Andaman, Langkawi |
The Restaurant, The Andaman, Langkawi
Healthy, Sustainable and Earth-Friendly Options - Yay!
The beautiful grounds of The Andaman, hold the unambiguously named, The Restaurant. Both indoor and outdoor seating allows guests to choose fresh rainforest air or chilled air-conditioned comfort. Our favourite spot is al fresco, next to the pool and adorned with verdant shrubs and shady trees. Birds chirp, butterflies flit, frogs croak, hornbills soar across the treetops and waves lap the nearby shore. It’s all the ambient music we need.
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| Al Fresco Seating |
Breakfast
It is here, at The Andaman’s all day dining restaurant, where breakfast is taken. Either a Continental brekkie or full American style buffet are served between 7 and 11am. A wide spread of quality local and international cuisine is on offer. I enjoy the fresh fruits, nuts and low fat yoghurt. Hubby is happy with the bakery section, pancakes made a la minute, and hot western dishes. Coffee is by Bristot, their Rainforest Alliance label, which means beans have been sourced from certified farms who meet standards for conserving natural resources and ensuring the welfare of workers and their local communities.
Lunch
I’m super excited to see a V Integrated Wellness Healthy Cuisine menu. There are loads of vegetarian, sustainable, raw, macrobiotic, fair trade, vegan, gluten-free, organic and locally sourced options. Yippee! My excitement rubs off onto hubby and he even skips to this section to consider his choices. We have lunch here on two occasions.
Entrées
I start with the Watermelon Salad (RM23), which holds bright red slices of melon, young feta, pumpkin seeds, locally grown longan, and micro cress salad. Olive oil and a faint hint of grainy mustard dress the mix. The fruit fills the mouth with juice, while the feta provides a hint of saltiness. It’s refreshing and clean. Love it!
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| Watermelon Salad |
Mixed Cameronian leaves, creamy perfectly ripe black Hass avocado, soft feta cheese cubes, and thick tomato slices make up La Habra Salad (RM35). A lemon dressing lightly coats the top. It’s another fine example of how fresh quality produce is all you need to pull off a tasty dish.
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| La Habra Salad |
Steamed Asparagus (RM29) is bolstered up by fava beans, tomato, red onion, fennel, fine strings of carrot and rocket, forming a volcano like structure on the plate. It’s another model of freshness. While the dressing matches well with the prime ingredients, it’s the same as the first two salads we tried, and for nuts like me who like to always eat from the healthy section, I’d like to see a little more variety in choice of seasoning.
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| Steamed Asparagus |
Hubby tries a signature dish on the second day with the Sup Ekor Mami Tanjung (RM32). This traditional oxtail soup is seasoned with Indian straits spices and bulked up with potato cubes. The clear broth is mild in flavour and hubby savours it with a trickle of lime juice and a sprinkle of salt.
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| Sup Ekor Mami Tanjung |
Mains
Grilled Salmon (RM68) is seared golden with a crispy skin crowning the top. The flesh is coral hued in the middle, juicy and flaky. Pomelo pulp is mingled with red quinoa giving both a nutty texture and bursts of juiciness in the fruit and grain salad under the fillet. A whipped avocado and soymilk sauce spreads across the base providing a third layer of complexity.
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| Grilled Salmon |
Hubby’s happy to see steak on the wellness menu and so Char-Grilled Tenderloin (RM98) is his order. Sautéed English spinach is a vivid green, capping the whole dish. Pan fried polenta cake bases them both. It's a good combination of meatiness and garden goodness.
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| Char-Grilled Tenderloin |
The second day I continue with vegetarian with the Pumpkin Ravioli (RM49). Huge al dente pasta pockets hold bright orange mashed pumpkin. Currants, tomatoes and olive emulsion add seasoning, and garden crisp rocket leaves gently cleanse the palate with their freshness and hint of bitterness.
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| Pumpkin Ravioli |
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| Loads of Pumpkin Inside |
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| Poached Chicken Breast |
Desserts
Yoghurt Panna Cotta (RM22) takes hubby’s fancy for a sweet ending, also from the V Integrated Wellness menu. The dessert is clearly flavoured with real vanilla, evidenced by the teeny black specks in the white whippy cream. Honey-roasted walnuts and crunchy granola are fun to mix in furnishing a direct contrast in texture, and a light lemon syrup in a separate bowl can be used for a pat of tartness.
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| Yoghurt Panna Cotta |
I’m thrilled to see some raw desserts on the menu and request the Cashew Orange Tart (RM22). It’s sweetened with agave, and an orange spice white tea sorbet is a spoon of chilled refreshment on the side. This is one for serious nut lovers. The base is made of crushed nuts and the casing is stacked so high with cashews that it makes it a challenge for just one person to finish it. A sticky syrup holds it all together.
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| Cashew Orange Tart |
Shaded by 10 000 year old rainforest, cooled by sea salt infused ocean draughts, and serenaded by local fauna, the setting is a nature lover’s paradise. Healthy food and sustainable options are even more so appreciated in this environment. I’m ever so happy to see some efforts being made towards conscious eating. Returning, I'd be sure to order from The Restaurant’s earth friendly options and further support them on their path towards socially responsible practice.
Reasons to visit: nature lover’s paradise; lots of healthy and sustainable options; Watermelon Salad; Grilled Salmon; Pumpkin Ravioli; Yoghurt Panna Cotta.
The Restaurant
The Andaman
Jalan Teluk Datai
Langkawi
07000 Malaysia
+6 04 959 1088