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Dining Out: Café et Gateaux - almost a sidewalk café in Paris
by Miss Terry Diner
The very French sounding Café et Gateaux (coffee and cakes) is one of those places it is easy to miss. Adjoining (and part of) the Sunbeam Hotel, it
is in Soi 8 about 30 metres from Second Road, and being elevated above street level it is one of those cafes where you can sit and watch the world go by, but the world never
looks up to see you.
 It has been open for two years and it had been that length of time since we had done a Dining Out review, and this time the team was invited to come and
try the two new promotions for this month. These are a Mongolian BBQ and a Rambutan promotion.
From the outset it should be understood that Café et Gateaux does not pretend to be a “grand” restaurant, but is rather a sidewalk café in
the Parisian style. It is a place to sit and sup, and is not expensive in any way. The previous month’s promotion for example was an E-san food month where the average
price was around 60 Baht for each dish.
The café can seat around 40 people at small wooden tables and matching chairs, with cushions, Miss Terry was pleased to see. Along one side there is
a bakery section with various items on display. These range from almond and chocolate chip cookies (10 Baht), to various rolls such as cheese, ham, stuffed pork, chicken and
pizza (B.12) and the expensive one being a sausage roll at B.15. There is also a refrigerated cake cabinet, with all sorts of wickedly indulgent calorie laden chocolate cakes
on offer.
While discussing what we should eat, with Theerapong the F&B manager, and Khanitta from the Sunbeam’s PR and marketing department, Madame had a white
wine and Miss Terry supped on a Singha Gold while we looked out on the motley collection of Soi 8 walkers and gawkers. There was a very pleasant cooling breeze coming through
the area, and the elevation lifts you above the motorcycle taxi exhausts as well. Mention should be made here of the very pleasant waitresses who could not do enough for us
and did everything with large beaming smiles.
 Since this was a BBQ promotion we went to see what was on offer. There was a selection of fish, prawns, squid, chicken and pork, to which you could add
vermicelli noodles, julienned carrot, chopped shallots, ginger, bean sprouts cabbage and lettuce. Theerapong suggested we try a little of each, so we left the chef in charge
of the open air BBQ just outside the café.
After much flame and theatrical tossings, the dishes arrived - one seafood and the other meat. The first impression was the sesame seed flavour and hints
of ginger that came through in the beautiful sauce in which the BBQ vegetables were stir-fried. The meats and seafood were not overdone either and the Mongolian BBQ promotion
certainly got the thumbs up from both of us. And the price? Around 100 Baht. This place will certainly not break the bank!
While the rambutans were there, as well as all the cakes, we were filled by the BBQ dishes and turned down offers of coffee and cakes, despite the name of
the restaurant.
This place advertises itself as, “The most romantic open-air restaurant in Pattaya” which is probably pulling the longbow a little far, but it is
certainly a cheap and fun eatery, with a little more than just standard side of the road café fare. It is probably the closest to a Parisian street café that you
will get this side of Marseille. Recommended for those who would like a quick, flavour ome and inexpensive meal in clean surroundings and be looked after by some very
friendly service staff. By the way, they also have happy hours every day from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Café et Gateaux, Soi 8, Central Pattaya, telephone 427 120.
Nightmarch
Moving the goal posts: Some time past I mentioned the fact that ‘High Season’, a flighty and precocious little thing, had come
and gone faster than a playground flasher with a bag of lollies.
Well, if some of the reports I’m getting from various boozing and other recreational establishments around town are anything to go by, then the recent
month of April was one of the best on record, despite the insanity and inanity of Songkran.
For example, without naming names, the managers and owners of a couple of ogling dens, beer boozers and lounging taverns spread between Naklua and South
Pattaya were sporting large bulges in their respective money belts (at least I think that’s what they were; or maybe they were just happy to see me) and waxing lyrical about
an improved bottom line.
Again, judging by the comments, it seems as though the beginning of High Season is now more towards the start of December rather than November, with the tail
end of April signifying the end of the bounty, instead of March.
Nevertheless, the overall boozing business here in Fun Town is a long way from the time a dozen or so years ago when, in a story related to me about one
Pattaya ogling den operator, who it was claimed wouldn’t bother to make the acquaintance of any person who spent less than 15,000 baht in his play palace. Nowadays, any
imbiber who lets around 5,000 baht slip through his fingers is treated like a revered deity.
Mind you, back in those halcyon days, the number of available boozers was significantly less and restricted in area, so cashed-up bar crawlers had less
choice of venue in which to splash about the grey and purple notes.
In the Hot Spots: The Pussycat ogling den is now the one and only chrome pole palace still operational in an area dominated by people for whom lederhosen
and oompah bands are the hallmark of cultural excellence.
Despite the recent tax imposts, the Naklua-based den is still offering 60 baht drinks all night on Sunday’s, including lady drinks. Well worth the trek as
(last time I looked) there are a couple of luscious lasses cavorting on the small stage and for those on a tight budget who enjoy a quiet ogle every now and again the place
deserves support.
Meanwhile, Pussycat’s former rival, the Lovely ogling den, is closed and available for rent.
For a good read: Not too long ago, as reported extensively in this fish and chips wrapper, the Irish author Stephen Leather spent some time back in the
Land of Outrageous Storylines and made an excursion or three into the wilds of Fun Town.
The author of 12 thrillers, Stephen has one book that his publisher’s consider just a little too hot to handle and have apparently baulked at putting into
print.
The novel, set in Bangkok and called ‘Private Dancer’, recounts the story of an affair between a foreign walking wallet and a young chrome pole hugger.
It is told in Leather’s chop and change racy style and is, without doubt, semi-autobiographical. I personally found it just a little too negative with respect to the working
girls.
Anyway, to make up your own mind you can read it in full via the wonders of the Internet. Just go to either www.freelancerbar.com or www.thai-live.com -
definitely worth a look.
From a famine to a feast: If ever proof was needed that the night scene here in Fun Town is like an average day of London weather - that is, all four
seasons in the space of an hour or two - then a recent experience I had in the Playpen ogling den (Soi Yamato) should serve as an example.
Accompanied by two friends...oh, all right, by two people who were really desperate for someone to talk to, I went into the bar around 8:30 p.m. The place
had around 10 girls, a number of who were very easy on the eye, and no other imbibers. Over the next hour or so, the joint attracted maybe three others. However, in the half
hour or so after 10 p.m. the chrome pole palace suddenly filled up and by the time we left, prime seating space was at a minimum.
This sudden influx of boozers transformed the atmosphere of the den. Instead of exhibiting all the ambience of a morgue at a midnight, it became more like
that of bordello on New Year’s Eve.
The point of the story is that it is unfair to pass judgement on a place after just one or two visits. In my own experience, there are some places that are
always good and some, unfortunately, that are always bad. For the vast majority, however, it’s a roller coaster ride night after night and sometimes, as was the case with
Playpen, hour by hour.
My e-mail address is: [email protected]
Cellaring Secrets
by Ranjith Chandrasiri
So if you’re tired of seeing your favourite Cabernet sitting under the sink, and it makes you cringe when you have to move those bottles of detergent out of
the way to get at your Riesling, then it’s time to get serious about wine storage.
 Controlling the environment you store your wines in is very important, but it needn’t cause either a headache or a drought in your wallet. Storing wine
properly can be as easy and affordable or as complex and expensive as you allow it to be. Whatever your preference, don’t let the worries of wine cellaring take the fun out of
wine.
To help you on your way to perfect wine cellaring, I have rounded up some of the most commonly asked questions and helpful tips.
Where can I store all these wines?
There are few recommended places to store your wines:
Wine cellar
Self-contained temperature-controlled unit
Coolest, darkest and least dry closet in your home
Unless you have been blessed with a beautifully cool, not-too-damp basement, which is not very common in Thailand, you’re going to need to buy, rent or create
a storage space. Buying or fixing up a cellar can be anywhere from a small to grand expense.
Can’t I just use a refrigerator?
For short-term storage, refrigerators are acceptable. But for true cellaring, it is definitely not your best bet. The temperature of refrigerators on the average
reach no higher than 45 degrees F, the highest temperature to safely keep perishable foods. This temperature is fine for wines that will be drunk in the near future, but it will
not allow for proper aging in wines looking for longer cellaring periods. Additionally, refrigerators generally do not maintain a high enough moisture level for storing wine. This
will not adversely affect wine stored for a few months, but it eventually may dry out the corks, which might allow air to seep into the bottles and damage the wine.
Does the temperature really matter that much?
Wine should be stored in a 45 to 65 degrees F climate. People disagree on ideal temperatures, but 55 degrees F is accepted as a close-to-perfect temperature.
Maintaining the correct temperature is the most important aspect of wine storage, but minor fluctuations in temperature should not be a concern. Extremes in temperature or
prolonged variances will damage wine, though. Prolonged temperatures above 70 degrees F may damage the wine’s freshness and subtleties or may cause the wine to cook, robbing it
of its fruitiness and flavour. Temperatures lower than 45 degrees F may cause the wine to freeze, expand and push the cork out.
Will wine survive a few hours journey in a hot car?
A few hours of heat above 70 degrees F should not damage your wine. Temporary fluctuations in temperature won’t affect your wine. If you are transporting wine
by car for more than a few hours, you may want to look into a small cooler or other method to keep the bottles out of the sun and heat. And never leave wine in the car’s trunk.
Could my cellar be too humid?
Too much humidity can cause mould to grow on the bottles. As long as the mould stays on the cork or around the bottle’s lip, this should not affect the wine.
Mould may cause label damage, though, which may decrease the resale value of the bottles. A humidity level of no more than 80 percent is recommended.
Could my cellar be too dry?
Not enough humidity may cause corks to dry and shrink prematurely. This can allow air into the bottle, oxidizing the wine. In drastic levels of dryness, this
damage may cause the ullage (the empty space in the neck of a bottle) to increase. The importance of humidity is a topic of debate in connoisseur circles, but keeping your wine at
average humidity levels is suggested.
Does light damage wine?
Coloured glass is used for most bottles as a preventive measure against the potential heating and aging influences of the sun. Some wine collectors believe
fluorescent light adversely affects wine, but there is no evidence to prove this theory. Still, keeping your cellar dark in between visits is a wise idea.
Will vibrations disturb my wine?
Even if you live above a train station, vibrations should not adversely affect your wines. The worst vibrations can do is disturb the sediment. You should not
concern yourself with the vibrations caused by refrigerators, storage units or from a frequently used staircase.
Is it necessary to store bottles on their side?
It has long been believed that bottles should be stored on their side. This allows the wine to keep the cork wet, preventing it from drying out. There is no
evidence that keeping the bottles on their side is going to keep the wine any better than setting them straight up, but there’s no harm in remaining conventional here.
How will I know when a wine is mature?
Unfortunately, there is no magical way to know when a wine should be drunk. The best way to find out is to try bottles periodically. This is why I suggest
purchasing more than one bottle, preferably a case, of a vintage you enjoy. To obtain a rough idea of ideal drinking times, look for suggested drink-by dates in a reliable vintage
chart. I usually list a range of years because pinpointing a specific year for ideal drinking is difficult, if not impossible, due to personal preferences that vary from person to
person.
What is the best way to keep an opened bottle of wine?
The foes here are oxygen and heat. If you simply re-cork the bottle and place it in a refrigerator, the wine should stay in drinkable condition for at least two
or three days. Another option is to pour the remaining wine into an empty half-bottle and close it tightly. This reduces oxidation and the deterioration of the wine. Also, there
are devices available that will fill an opened, part-empty bottle with inert gas, such as nitrogen or CO2, and others designed to suck the oxygen out of the bottle, creating a
vacuum. These should be available in any wine-accessory catalogue or specialty store.
Ranjith Chandrasiri is the resident manager of the Royal Cliff Grand, Royal Cliff Beach Resort Pattaya, Thailand. E-mail: [email protected], or [email protected]
Croaky Karaoke
One of Pattaya’s attractions passed into the realms of history last week when Fred Wilson closed the doors of Sing a Song Karaoke for the last time.
Citing “economic reasons” Fred was singing till the end after a thirteen year reign as the king of the karaoke lounges.
 While some have said that the karaoke craze was Japan’s retribution for Hiroshima, Fred begs to differ, saying that the start of karaoke was brought
about by American TV with the very popular “Sing along with Mitch” series. After this there were “Minus One” audio tapes where the singer’s voice had been removed
so the listener could add his or her own. It was only after this that the Japanese perfected the concept with the advent of modern electronics.
Whatever the history, there was no doubt that those who attended the final night thoroughly enjoyed their moments of “stardom” on the karaoke stage.
There are many who are now waiting for Fred Wilson to pick up the microphone again and let Pattaya know where he is setting up his next “Sing a Song” Karaoke. Wherever it
is, there will be a gentleman with a beaming smile and a booming voice called Fred Wilson to welcome the warblers!
The Doctor is in at the Captain’s Corner!
The famous Danish Jazz band, Doc Houlind and the All Stars are back in Pattaya for a whirlwind two night gig. They will be playing at the Captain’s
Corner restaurant on Friday the 17th of May and again on Saturday the 18th. These are both dinner concerts and since the Doc and the group have been a sell-out everywhere it
is advisable to book your seats on (038) 364 314. Like all these popular events, it’s first in best dressed as far as tables are concerned.
 Doc Houlind is probably one of the best known Danish New Orleans Jazz exponents and really was a doctor of psychology before the lure of the music and the
bright lights dragged him away. The first international Danish Jazz band was Papa Bue’s Viking Jazz band and Doc Houlind travelled with the group for ten years as their
drummer, before forming his own band and heading back to the world-wide music concert scene.
Having heard Doc Houlind before, I can assure you that if you enjoy New Orleans Jazz, you will be happy with the Doc’s prescription!
Copyright 2001 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co. Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
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