BROTHERS Mark and John Kinnard began visiting Koh Samui 17 years ago. John was the first to come, and Mark soon followed. They were both working for Europe’s finest postal service, the Royal Mail, but longed for something that would give them more personal financial freedom.

Seven years ago they finally took the plunge, relocating on the island. “Back then the only business to open here was either a restaurant or a bar,” John said. Hence the Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant came into being.

The original location was across the street from where they are now, but three years ago they realized they needed a bigger and better place. The current location is situated at the main road leading to Bangrak from Bophut on the beach side just as you enter Bangrak. If you make it to Ghost Road you have gone too far.

I was lucky enough to visit these fine chaps one stormy afternoon in mid-July. I was welcomed warmly, and I quickly cozied up. The interior is done in a rich hardwood style with all the furnishings you would expect in a British pub. The layout of the building was smartly done with an outdoor foyer separating the front bar from the rear dining area. There is also a large patio next to the beach—a perfect place to enjoy some fine cuisine while relaxing.

Now for the food, oh the food!

Many people had told me about the quality of the food served at Elephant & Castle. Just that morning, a friend told me it had a chicken liver pâté that is phenomenal. Soon after I was seated I was served this dish. It was a very thick slice served with two large breads. I smeared one of them with a good helping of the pâté, and was instantly impressed. The flavor and texture were just what I had imagined after my friend told me about how good it was. I quickly finished it off.

“Everything on the menu, except the curry dishes, is homemade,” Mark boasted. This statement alone elevates the quality of the place a few notches. The reason they do not cook the curries themselves, he said, is that the supplier they get it from already does an excellent job.

“We serve what people eat in England. We cook it the way the people in England cook it,” John further explained. 

The dish Toad in a Hole listed on the menu caught my attention. Sounds interesting, I thought. I told Mark I had eaten frog legs before and really liked them. He laughed and said they served no toad meat and then I thought he whispered something about ignorant Americans. Anyway, this dish was placed in front of me and its smell told me I was going to eat it no matter what. The sausages were smothered in onions and gravy. It was very good, and I ate every single bite as my food horizon expanded.

Elephant & Castle serves customers from 9 a.m. till 11 p.m. It has an outstanding breakfast assortment. The “Big Elephant” breakfast has two eggs, three sausages, four bacon strips, fried potatoes, beans, tomato, two slices of bread and two mugs of tea or coffee, all for only Bt260. This is enough food to ensure you will not be hungry until dinner time.

At dinner time, Elephant & Castle serves such dishes as beef stew, curries and T-bone steaks. You can also order lasagna, burgers, spuds, salads and a slew of other favorites. I was fortunate enough to get to taste the apple crumb cake for dessert. It was a big slice, served warm with cream sauce. It had huge chunks of apples in it, and the crumb was nice and crispy. There are also cheese cake and bread-and-butter pudding for anyone who still has more room left. “We have dessert, but we do not sell too much of it because most people are too full to even think about it!” quipped Mark.