Black Ginger | Thai Restaurant | The Slate, Phuket

My family and I had a lovely experience at Black Ginger on Thursday night. The service was attentive and the food was fantastic—each dish was a thoughtful nod to local ingredients and flavors. It’s clear the kitchen puts a lot of focus on authentic Thai flavours and the chef even came out to check in with us after our meal. Of course, the atmosphere and method of arriving at the restaurant make it very special and different to anything else on offer in Phuket. I like that you can enjoy a delicious cocktail on the deck before heading into the Lanna-inspired dining room. Overall, Black Ginger is a standout for both the food and the service. It was the perfect place to take my family who were visiting for a high-end and unique experience.

Perks: The restaurant is well-designed, and the atmosphere is extraordinary. The way they showed you to your table is quite an experience. But here’s why I wouldn’t recommend this place, Food: As a starter, the chef’s complimentary dish was a watermelon with dried fish. Honestly, this traditional dish is way too easy to make, and it was poorly presented. This already had me worried about the rest of the meal. The next three snacks and wagyu beef salad came, and while they tasted decent, there was nothing special or memorable about them. Moving on to the mains: the veggies, fish, and sweet pork were all pretty standard—stuff you can find at any Thai restaurant for a better price and quality. The prawn curry is what I really need to complain about. The prawn was mushy, like it had been dead and frozen for way too long in the fridge. The chef came to our table to ask for feedback, and we pointed out the curry. And they made another curry with grilled prawn was slightly better but still clearly not fresh. (We’re in Phuket, a place with plenty of fresh seafood! How hard is it to get fresh prawns?!) This should not blame on the chef but rather on the purchasing team, who clearly don’t know what they’re doing. The desserts were okay, and the taro ice cream was refreshing. Service: Aloof and a bit below average. For the price I paid, I expected at least someone to pour water when our glasses were empty. The introduction to each dish felt robotic and no engagement or enthusiasm whatsoever. My friend called during operating hours, and one of your staff confirmed they received her note, assuring her they would deliver me the message. However, no one approached me with the greeting throughout the evening, and I only found out the next day when I talked to her, thought she have forgotten my birthday. If there isn’t time to prepare a card, a simple verbal birthday message delivery would suffice and would be a thoughtful gesture for a guest celebrating their birthday at your restaurant. Overall, the experience was not very good. I have shared my feedback via email and their team acknowledged it. I hope they will make some improvements to the food and service.

This place has a very calming vibe. You feel transported back in time. I love the ambiance and the service was outstanding. The drinks and the Black Ginger Tasting experience was outstanding of this world.

Black Ginger was truly an exceptional dining experience. The ambience was sophisticated and inviting, setting the perfect tone for the evening. Their menu offered an impressive selection of food and drinks, with every dish we tried being absolutely delicious. The staff was attentive, friendly, and provided top-notch service throughout. I highly recommend Black Ginger for anyone looking for a memorable dining experience!

Spectacular and ambience accompanied by delicious food. We enjoyed the black ginger experience set more compared to the phuket indulgence, with the latter focusing more on thai cuisine. We were seated outdoors as the indoor seats were all reserved in advance. There were mosquitos, but they do provide mosquito repellent if you ask for it. Ultimately, you are paying for the experience more than the food itself as it is quite pricey but it’s definitely still worth trying!

Atrocious service. Beware that reservations are not honored here. Since they don’t have an online reservation portal I called a week in advance to reserve, the reservation was confirmed verbally over the phone and no deposit was requested. On the day itself we drove all the way to the restaurant and were turned away as it had been booked out for a private event. They claimed that if a reservation had been made we should have made a deposit. (But who would volunteer to make a deposit when not asked to make one???) They neither admitted their mistake nor offered any compensation for the inconvenience caused.

Poor standard of service because it lacked có-ordination between front of house and the kitchen. Which was apparently the customers fault when the Maitre d was challenged. She not understand the customer is always right when paying 300 USD for dinner for 2 adults and a child. She could have instead apologised and then it would have been overlooked with 5 stars all round! It does explain Black Ginger is not in the Michelin Guide.

The experience on the vibe is great, however my recommendation don't take the set menu, cause most of the plates and the set menu it's very normal when you try it