Long Dtai Restaurant — Restaurant in Surat Thani Province

pros: getting to the resturant was a cool experience and the view was amazing. Flavors were good like this one beef skewer. The meat its self could have been a bit softer though but over all good.

cons: I travel & eat at a lot of different types of places I am rating these cons compared to other micheIin higher end resturants (not fine dining but also not walking resturants). I don't think the bar tender tastes the drinks to check quality. One drink I got was so sour that I didnt finish. Then I got the same one as my bfs because I liked his but when I got mine it tasted different. My bf agreed too that his was more creamier. I don't think they handled my allergy issue well. They hadn't told me before hand what was off limits so when they came to take my order they not only told me I couldnt eat that but that 90% of the menu was off limits. I wish they would have told me via email that would be the case or gave me alternives (they were told of my allergies before hand). My boy got the fish he said it was good but basic. Mine had so much stuff mixed in that was not edible like whole pieces or star anise, peppercorns, and etc. So, when I would bit into them I would get intense shots of those flavors and I kept having to dig it out of my mouth which was gross. I finally gave up after 5 bites and stopped eating. Service was ok they were nice when greeting you they let us stay by the bar while the sun went down a bit but after that they took forever for every little thing or just wouldnt come to see if we need water or anything else. I had to waved 2 serves over before we got the check I wasnt sure why since there were only like 4 other groups dining in the resturant.

I gave this place a two because I left hungry and went to another resturant afterwards and the service can be better for this level of resturant. I will say if you have no allergies, don't get the yam curry, maybe get wine instead of mixed drinks, you might enjoy this place more than I did. Since some dishes did have good flavores and beacuse the views...

As an overall experience, if money is no object, then I would recommend Long Dtai. Even if you aren’t rich, and you can’t really afford it, for a couple of hours you’ll feel rich, which is fun.

We saved it for a birthday special, and had really high hopes. After all David Thompson has an amazing rep in Australia. Come on Dave, please be good!

The arrival lounge, the “unique” transport in, the gold buggy up to the restaurant, the first view of the sky unfolding over the endless turquoise ocean, the outdoor cooking, and the beautifully landscaped dining and kitchen area are so stunning. The ambience is really special, it has a lovely feeling when you walk in. You feel like you’ve found a secret spot. I don’t know if it had a scent but it felt like it did, you know?

Before we get to the food, this isn’t a negative review, because overall I’m so glad we went and we were so desperately willing Long Dtai to be incredible, but there is a caveat to this review and it’s because the price is high and the chef’s reputation is so renowned so I think it’s fair to critique.

For the food and service it felt a little overpriced. The beef skewers, the deep fried fish and the five spice chicken were all quite overcooked almost to the point of being - dare I say - dry. The shrimp in Garuda was good for the first mouthful and then became bland and we didn’t finish it. Dinner though was saved by the blue swimmer crab curry which was the showstopper dish and genuinely one I would swim across oceans for, but overall, compared to other high end restaurants, across the world it lacked. And it was sometimes hard to get a drink - at that price, timing of service is everything. But the ambience was great and the view incredible, so still you should go. And maybe we just ordered badly.

At Long Dtai, all of the elements are there for an absolute showstopper but the food could...

This is not Michelin. I don’t know why it shows up on their search but this is far from it. We went for dinner, were greeted and told we could have a cocktail before dinner. Then we were told it was happy hour so buy one get one free for an hour. The drinks took so long to arrive and then they forgot about the buy one get one. We were then quickly asked what we wanted to eat. The menu is clunky, makes no sense and no direction was given. The table was full of little bugs when we sat down. It was extremely hot and although they had fans outside they did not use them or even offer to bring one over. Our drinks melted while waiting for someone to finally come back and take our order for another round of drinks. That too took a long time. The food was not great. I’ve had better at hotels here in Koh Samui.

The entire experience is based off this beautiful view. Which it has. However, if you are totally uncomfortable, hot, hungry and thirsty, the view quickly doesn’t matter. There is no order to the restaurant. They need help learning how to serve, share the menu options, explain various courses, and proactively attend to the tables and show people what they need to know.

If you are looking for a Michelin experience, this is not it. I don’t know if they ever had a star ⭐️ but if so, I am certain they are not on the list anymore and I can see why. Maybe at one point someone cared but now, it’s just a mess.

Also, I’ll add on the positive side the cake they made for our family member celebrating a birthday was delicious. That part of the night was done well but they came right out and asked, birthday now? So, no surprise for the guest of honor. The price was very expensive compared to other places in Thailand and was not warranted due to the experience and food along with lack of good service. Super bummed. We wanted this...