Yuliya is Sweet as the Sweet Shell she bakes in

What is your Koh Phangan story?
I came with a friend to Thailand in 2011 and also had friends that were already here, on Koh Phangan. They called to invite us to visit and at first we thought that it may be difficult to get to Phangan, but after spending one and a half weeks in Pattaya, we realised that we were tired of the city and decided to go and see what kind of place Phangan was.

We arrived on the last boat at night and immediately went to a party where there were friends of ours.

We immediately liked it because it was in an open space, not smoky, people were dressed simply, there was no urban pathos.

On the island we liked everything - the atmosphere, the people, a house by the sea in which we lived with friends, nature, stunning sunsets and sunrises.
Since then we have wanted to come back again, not of their own and a voucher for a long time.

How did Sweet Shell begin?
I have lived on Phangan for three years, periodically going back to visit Russia.

In Russia I got acquainted with one of my friends (who I first met on Phangan) and almost immediately we realised that we wanted to be together and have children.
We got married, and I learned that I was pregnant. On returning to the island I always wanted a sweet, but high-quality pastries and sweets I could not find on the island. The only café which served homemade cakes and sweets by then had closed.

I shared my thoughts with a friend and she said she could bake something for me. I really wanted cinnamon rolls and they were very tasty!
We thought that a lot of people would want to try it too. Thus was born the idea of quality baked sweet goods being sold to everyone!

The first month we took a friend on trial, they baked and we listened to the opinions, criticism and suggestions. These buns were the starting point and we opened on December 18th 2014.

Why did you choose the name Sweet Shell?
The first option for the name of the cafe was ‘Tasty point’ and the second option was the ‘sweet spot’.

I went to see my lawyer and I was told that it was necessary to come up with another option.

My friend suggested the name ‘Sweet shell’, maybe a roll resembling the cochlea shell.

After two weeks, I was told that the third option was available!

What food and drinks do you offer?
I started to experiment with dishes (cakes) and assumed that it would be only a cafe with sweets. But whilst collecting the wishes and opinions of friends, I realised that people will want to eat not only sweet things.

We do not have many choices of dishes and they are constantly changing but we prepare very tasty homemade dishes without unnecessary additives such as glutamate, colorants for baking, flavouring, baking powder for the dough and so on.

Our menu is based on the principle of a trattoria - that they themselves want to eat something nicely prepared. Also, we can always order something special for you.

We collect requests for special pieces and people really like it because it is done by their wishes. We are only too happy to embody the idea of ​​our guests. Sometimes their ideas become a permanent dish. For example, our friend from Russia very much liked when we cooked the meat in french style - finely chopped vegetables, arranged in layers in the pan with chunks of meat.

We finished the meal and made it an option for vegetarians - the meat was replaced by eggplant with mushrooms. It was very tasty, this dish is made with mayonnaise, but I do not like it. My husband found a recipe for mayonnaise without eggs and it was delicious, light and not greasy. With such a dressing, I am pleased I'm eating this dish. Now, it is always present on the menu for all the guests - for those who eat meat and those who do not.

We make all of our sauces, cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt. We also make a drink from different fruits in Russia, it is known under the name of "compote".  It is very refreshing in the heat, and good for health.

In our cafe you can drink real Chinese tea, herbal teas such as real Russian ‘Alpine meadow’ and ‘Meadow grasses’ and red tea ‘Royal Hibiscus’. We have stunningly tasty coffee ‘Nespresso!’, Cappuccino, americano, espresso, latte with a strong dairy lush foam. They can also be made without caffeine.

As for drinks, we even offer delicious milkshakes with fruit and kambuchu from different varieties of tea.

For the main courses we have compiled the best of different cultures - from Anna's desserts is the apple pie with ice cream from Russia with Napoleon stunning custard.

From America and Europe we have cheesecakes with different flavours - raspberry, passion fruit, chocolate, strawberry. chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream.
Various sponge cakes with delicate cream and fruit souffle with berries, banoffi pie with banana and coffee. Cookies for every taste and vegan desserts.

Is everything homemade and what kinds of ingredients do you use?
All that we offer to our guests, we prepare ourselves, so we know exactly what it is made from and the quality of products.

Everything is prepared in high-quality stainless steel cookware, aluminum cookware is a no, it is not suitable for cooking!

All food is cooked in olive oil and for sweets we use only natural cane sugar or honey.
No MSG!

What do you hope for Sweet Shell in the next two years?
In  two years I imagine Sweet Shell will be even more comfortable, with perfect service, filled with guests who become like friends and with the same friendly and family atmosphere.

What do you like to do in your free time?
In my spare time I love to stay at home with my small little boy. Sometimes I take a trip to the beach and visit other restaurants to try new dishes. I cannot say that my husband and I have one favorite place, every point on the island has its own charm.

What is your life philosophy?
Everything is given to us for a reason. You have all you need.
Even though it seems now ‘bad’ this will lead to something very good. What we want, we get.