"It’s Alive" is one of those restaurant names that is catchy and vaguely clever at first, then just gets more and more obnoxious as it swirls around in your head. I realized this as I kept being reminded of the restaurant as I swam in the ocean, stared out on the Andaman Sea sunset, and whenever I thought of seafood. What can I say? To use an awful pun, It’s Alive "lured" us in with its name, then "hooked" us with its always fresh, always kicking and fighting fare.
Now I’ve been to seafood restaurants before and I have had some great fish. After all, when living in Japan one quickly becomes a seafood sensualist. I love everything about it--the textures, colors, aromas, varied preparations-- but above all else I love its fresh purity. There is no other meat on this planet that tastes so clean in the mouth than fresh seafood.
The over-the-top naming of It’s Alive had set the bar pretty high. My partner and I were curious if the joint could live up to the promise of its name.
We started with a mixed seafood salad. The greens were fresh and crisp and were topped with a delicate chili-infused oil dressing. Standing out front and center was the mixed shellfish and flaky white fish. Though just a salad, the flavors were really vivid and the fish was really fresh.
For a main course we went with the live Phuket Lobster, which runs at the reasonable price of 200Baht per 100 gram. Preparations are flexible, so we went with half-raw sashimi and half-garlic steamed. The sashimi was served just moments after having the lobster pulled from the tank. The meat was expertly cut, though should have been chilled slightly more atop the bed of crushed ice. As one would expect, the fresh lobster literally melted in our mouths and was truly a delectable experience. As the tail continued to flap with muscle spasms on the plate off which we ate, we tried not to think about the role we played in the fate of our helpless dinner guest.
The steamed portion was served in a light garlic butter sauce. Again, it was very spicy and very full in flavor. Lastly, the head was used in the Tom Yom soup. This is a hallmark of southeast Asian cooking--nothing goes to waste.
Though inexpensive by Japanese or U.S. pricing standards, please keep in mind that the menu prices are comparatively high with those of typical Thai food. There is no question that for the food quality and experience, It’s Alive has a very reasonably priced menu.
Drinks are sold at a premium price, though are well done and dangerously agreeable with the food. Lastly, the serivce was efficient, attentive, knowledgable, and conversant in both Japanese and English.
Here's a link to the restaurant's website: click here.