Paying homage to another ever-so-slightly sordid era, Coolies Club is an elegant new dining destination at the heart of Phuket Old Town.
Tin miners had it hard. While mining is no piece of cake today, back at the turn of the century, it was very dangerous work, from the threat of landslides burying you in the pit you were digging, to heavy metals in the waste water, not to mention the long hours, the poor wages, and the big companies squeezing every drop of energy from your soul.
So, we might forgive Phuket’s tin miners past, who looked for respite in the island’s notorious Soi Ramanee red light district, an enclave of opium dens, poker games and brothels, and now, with the opening of the Coolies Club, you can take a step back to those heady times.
The creation of acclaimed, eclectic designer Bill Bensley – you’ll know him for his work on the likes of Shinta Mani Wild, Capella Hanoi and Bangkok’s The Siam, among many others – and sister venue to The Slate Phuket (owner Krystal Prakaikaew Na-Ranong’s great grandfather was one of those miners), the new dining destination takes a leaf out of Old Phuket Town’s sultry, salacious past.
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Of course, Soi Ramanee has changed a lot over the years but at the same time it’s also retained much of its architecture and smoky, sinful vibe – making it one of the island’s most Instragrammable spots – and the new venue, which pays homage to the miners (known as Coolies) and their extracurricular activities, bridges the two eras to perfection.
Visitors can expect bohemian extravagance, the preserved architecture of a shophouse built by Chinese workers in 1883, and bright, bodacious colour schemes – think ornate wooden doors, intricate Chinese fretwork and a striking façade in white, turquoise and antique red.
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Inside, Bill Bensley has created a moody, sexy interior that harks back to the area’s famous opium dens using antique furnishings and a coral, turquoise and jade green colour palate across the public spaces. These include the elegant downstairs cocktail bar, where signature libations include the including the Mama Twist, with mixed berry tea-infused vodka, lemon juice, and rosemary syrup; and the Courtesan’s Kiss, a bittersweet symphony as Chinotto Orange in Campari that echoes the tales of forbidden love.
From the bar, take the stairs up to two ‘bedrooms’, which are now private enclaves where ‘Opium Den Dining’ experiences take place and a rustic yet innovative six-course menu of fire-smoked dishes – another ode to the lives of the miners – is presented to small groups.
Because discrete celebration is something Soi Ramanee knows a thing or two about.
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