Wine connection Porto de Phuket — Restaurant in Choeng Thale

Firstly, the staff were very tired and seemed edgy. This is a non season week and I am surprised at how snappy and weird they were. Their sense of hospitality was bad. Nobody would come for mins to take an order or even respond. Definitely something to look into.

Next came the person who I will refer to as Karen. Karen is your typical white trash - who has no doubt come to Asia since European economy is sinking. She made sure our entire evening was ruined. She kept sending comments - we had two kids and she apparently could not be bothered to seat next to kids in this “fine dining” restaurant. For context there were dogs and teens in this restaurant but Karen had a problem with the Asian family with kids. What is ironical is long after colonialism has died, white trash like our Karen think they are allowed to decide how Asian families function. She had the balls to come and give us parenting advice and proceeded to insult our parenting skills. The restaurant staff did nothing to deescalate the situation (obv white skin rules) and they watched on as Karen insulted us and our kids. I would avoid the restaurant for sure. But more importantly can we start a petition to send Karen’s back to their prosperous economies ? Why even come to Asia ? Oh wait no money in your land. And if you do come here, pls understand how the land and culture operates. We don’t change...

I have had the pleasure of visiting a Wine Connection in Thailand before, and I guess it was a little presumptuous to expect the same level of service I had previously encountered. The food speaks for itself and is reasonably priced when you consider that a seafood pasta dish will set you back a mere 400 Baht. That’s the equivalent of £8. Not bad at all. Also, a glass of Pinot is a mere £3 and it’s fairly decent considering the price point, so what’s not to like? Unfortunately for me, the poor service was what dominated the evening. I was only seen three times: the first time was when I was seated, the second time was when my order was taken and the third was when I was given the bill. There was no additional dialogue whatsoever and this meant many missed opportunities: additional dishes, an empty plate to place the shells, the option of desert, an extra glass of Pinot perhaps- the list is endless. I could almost forgive the mediocre service if the place were heaving, but unfortunately this was not the case. Very...

As I said below, Wine Connection is a favourite. But we went tonight - 3 December 24 - and I have to say it was quite disappointing. My steak with fries was tough and tasteless. My wife’s duck was barely warm. The new menu is very comprehensive and the service is friendly and attentive. But sadly it has deteriorated significantly. I don’t like making a fuss at restaurants, but should we go again I certainly shall complain loudly. The bossman should get a grip and smarten things up.

We have been going to Wine Connection since it started up in Phuket. Excellent food, service, and prices are reasonable. Tonight we had dinner at Porto - the steak was quite tough (first time in over a decade). The Maître D -Khun Din - was extremely nice and concerned. He offered to get me a new one! I refused, but it’s typical of the staff and service in this super popular establishment.During Covid they were a Lifesaver and we...