I love the word spa, and then, I hate it. It evokes reactions and sensations so mixed. It can mean the most lilting experience for your senses, a serenade of tranquillity and relaxation, and then, it also almost implies a state of well-being, which abhors alcohol and food, something at the very core of my existence and existential pleasures.
Places that portray themselves as spa retreats almost always seem to carry the unclaimed fine print that food will be mostly the kind that is plucked off a tree and eaten raw. Either that or that the calories in every meal will be so precisely calculated.
Maybe I am generalising, mixing spa with wellness and treatment centres, but how many spas have you seen today which are simply, a salon per aqua, as they were originally intended to be, the three words from where this acrimonious acronym is derived? Spas are all about overall health and conditioning, mind, body, and even soul?hence a cleansing of the most rigorous kind is imminent. But why go chaste on food and wine? They too can be someone?s salvation. They can deliver sensations unparalleled and also have a relaxing effect. Yet, many a retreat chooses to serve food that is almost a stark contrast to all the pampering they promise in the aromatised rooms.
Recently, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience to fantastic spa properties in Thailand, one in Bangkok and the other in Koh Samui?both under the Banyan Tree brand.
Sure the spa experience is unparalleled, what with tropical rain shower imitating showers and all, but it was the food that was truly my temple. I love Thai food, but given my intolerance to all things spicy, what begins as sighs at the beginning, turn to gasps by the end of the meal. I have great difficulty pairing wines with Thai food. Chillies is something that I just can?t wrap my palate around, and when they are combined with flavours like pandan leaf, coconut and kaffir lime, and shrimp paste, I find pairing to be one huge task.
Saffron is their signature restaurant brand for Thai food. Saffron at the Samui property is a great exhibition of all the classics, done and presented neatly and meticulously. The wine list is expansive and paired well. They have chosen a great Chilean mix of wines to complement their food and label them the house wines. The Bangkok property, on the other hand, does a slightly contemporary take on the classics. The flavours are a lot more focused and although, one can always be sure that they are eating Thai, it is finesse of execution that is almost startling. From the wine pairing point of view, this makes pairing a lot simpler. They had a lovely Thai rose which went rather well with the meal, course after course. The local wine was a Syrah-based derivative and was pleasant to sip, in spite of the very apparent yet gently-handled spice component. That said, it wasn?t the best pairing but I wouldn?t blame either food or wine entirely; my palate is also partially to be pointed out here.
But that wasn?t the only point I started out to make. I was trying to highlight that there exists a lot for whom food and wine is also like a spa for their senses. It isn?t just the physical that relaxes them but the tactile as well. How then, or why then, do places feel it alright to leave it out when trying to seduce our senses? Take a cue from the Banyan Tree and if you wish to truly rejuvenate, make a trip. Actually wait, they are coming to Kerala soon, Spa, Saffron, Sriram, et al. My senses are already (relaxingly) tingled.
The writer is a sommelier