Kenting has boomed as a tourist town, but until recently restaurants had nothing to do with this. Even three years ago, the town proper only had one or two places that didn't serve either ridiculously overpriced seafood or Taiwan's oiliest, day-old lunchbox meals. And of those, it would have been pointless to review the best, a Thai restaurant called Didi's Warung, because it was almost impossible to get a table. You need a reservation to dine there even on weekdays in the off season, so to dine there on the busiest weekend of the year -- the Kenting Spring weekend -- is something of a pipe dream. But try your luck. Their number is (08) 886-1835.
New places have opened in the last two or three years, some of them by people who even know how to cook. Most of these -- The Cactus, Amy's Cucina, Oyster Blue -- are either well known or obvious fixtures on the town's main strip, so they'll also be packed next weekend. So instead, here are a couple of places you might actually be able to get a table at.
The Bossa Nova Cafe serves curries, sandwiches and simple meals and, greatly to its credit, is one of the few restaurants in the area that knows how to take advantage of overlooking a beach. It's located in Nanwan (南灣), which from Kenting is about two kilometers back up the main highway towards Kaohsiung.
PHOTO: DAVID FRAZIER, TAIPEI TIMES
The Nanwan hamlet consists of a string of houses and businesses facing a free, public, yellow sand beach, something its neighbors in Kenting proper haven't had since the National Park rented the beach there to a steel company. Removed from Kenting's corruption, Bossa Nova was able to put in a front patio with shaded tables and, for those who want to sit inside, big windows.
The menu consists of a few western standards that are good but come off like snack food: chips and salsa (NT$150), chicken burrito (NT$120), spaghetti with tomato sauce (NT$180) and sub sandwich (NT$120). Its real strengths are its Chinese and Thai dishes, which are simple, tasty and reasonably priced. Specialties include hot and spicy Thai chicken (NT$180), beef and peppers (NT$150) and squid with cabbage (NT$150). The curries are also good.
The restaurant uses a flavorful red curry that's fairly spicy, and set meals come with a choice of chicken, beef or pork, along with rice and vegetables. Bossa Nova is a good choice for lunch by the beach or a light dinner with cocktails under a pink evening sky. What's surprising is that in a beach resort area like Kenting, there are so few restaurants offering the same.
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