Not all smoke and mirrors

The Smokaccia Laboratory in Phuket started out selling a filled crispy sourdough created by chef Luca Mascolo, which was perhaps incorrectly, named as “smokaccia”. 
In the last year or so, Smokaccia has evolved to a restaurant where modern techniques are integrated to preserve flavour. Molecular gastronomy, plant-based offerings and sustainable efforts come together in a nine-course menu served at lunch and an 18-course tasting menu for dinner. 
“We have a lot of modern techniques, a few classics that changed to suit the times we live in. I love challenges and complexities, so I concentrate on the flavours and textures of the dishes. Timing between courses is also important to ensure the diner gets the full flavour of the dishes,” explains chef Mascolo. 
Though his roots are not forgotten and the tasting menu includes an ode to how it all began — with a mini version of the smokaccia. 
“Laboratory” reflects his love for food inventions and his custom-designed cold-smoker. The restaurant offers counter seating from which the laboratory kitchen action can be seen, should this be your thing. 
Though at times it seems like there is too much going on in one menu, be it sustainability, enhanced flavours or zero waste initiatives, which has led to the creation of “The Smokaccia Garden”. “I do not think that there is too much going on. No one is doing it. I love it and I swim in the pressure. I really like to work on new dishes, like the lasagna bites,” says the chef, emphatically.  
“When we opened Smokaccia, we were selling only the bread and I was making 300 dough balls by hand. I was already thinking about my dishes and started working on it. The place we have now is already a year and a half old and we were waiting for the right moment to expand. We opened the fine dining restaurant with a menu that was a year in the making. Once that happen, the dishes started evolving, the presentation changed and even the right team came together,” says chef Mascolo. 
The salad is the perfect representation of the way the chef thinks. He “hates” salad and every time he eats a salad in Thailand he always thinks it’s too big. At Smokaccia, the salad is taken in a different direction and is one of my favourite courses on the menu. 
There is also an egg dish involving the chef and his partner’s pet chickens, a pure flavoured bell pepper memory and a unique presentation that represents a goose gliding through a misty morning pond with a surprise that is revealed when the dish is cut into. 
It would be a waste not to mention what accompanies these dishes. Beverage director Massimo Zoz has created a wine pairing, a beer selection and a laboratory-inspired alcohol-free pairing that includes a home-distilled alcohol gin, creating a hangover-less gin and tonic, along with home-made light breeze mocktails that goes hand-in-hand with the courses. 
The Smokaccia Laboratory is also one of the few places in Phuket to do an entire vegetarian/vegan menu and I find it better than the meat option. The menu features a vegan foie gras parfait and a “guilt-free” chocolate desert, all designed to be dairy-free and sugar-free, showcasing chef Mascolo’s culinary practices. “I challenged myself and want to show that wonderful flavours come from natural ingredients. This results in food that is easy to digest, completing the overall experience.”
Regardless of the choice of menu, expect a dining experience filled with smoke, surprises and new flavours, which are anything but boring. Though a few may draw comparisons to chefs and their dishes around the world, chef Mascolo says, “I am not copying anyone, I am a chef with my own creations and different style. What we chefs may have in common is a passion for new fine dining techniques and pushing boundaries and surprise elements.”