Dining Out: The Dusit Resort BBQ - for Gluttony with a capital G!
Is that an ice pick in your jacket? With Fun Town now starting to fill up with late-night revellers once again it may be timely to remind people that although this is one of the world’s safest holiday destinations, things can turn decidedly unpleasant for sometimes little reason. The rule of thumb for all foreigners, be they expats or tourists, should be to try and avoid becoming involved in verbal, and especially physical, altercations with the local Thai population, male or female. For example, a tall, strong Norwegian man recently upset the friend of one of the many snake handlers who pester booze bar imbibers. The man decided the Norwegian needed to be taught a lesson and if it wasn’t for the alertness of a foreign bar owner in Soi 8 he might well have found himself attached to a saline drip in one of the local hospitals or worse, cooling a slab at the morgue. The snake handler’s friend, having argued verbally with the Norwegian, employed a couple of glaze-eyed local hoodlums, armed them with ice-picks, and told them to lie in wait for the foreigner and then jump him when the time was right. Luckily, the local barkeep noticed these hooligans, warned the Norwegian and managed to keep him out of harm’s way, at least for the time being. Interestingly, just a night later the local peelers established a road block in Soi 8 and nabbed those motorbike riders coming down the soi in the wrong direction, also checking them for contraband. Unfortunately, a couple of Thai men aboard one bike refused to stop and, despite the efforts of one brave local copper in hanging onto the back of their bike for a few metres, they managed to elude capture and roared off down Soi 8 and made their escape into Beach Road. This was after knocking down a local working girl in the process. Luckily, she appeared to suffer only minor bruising, but it could easily have been much worse. Basically, exercise caution and restraint at all times because you never know just who you might be upsetting. A dry argument: Many revellers who saunter down Soi 8 would be familiar with Garrulous Gary’s plaintive wail, “Hey, come on in, buy me a beer!” which sometimes emanates from inside the confines of The Alamo beer boozer and occasional noshery. However, after being compelled to spend a couple of days in a local hospital due to a bleeding ulcer, he was told by the quack to lay off the hard liquor. As he said shouting, “Hey, come on in, buy me a water!” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. A Cosy time: The Cosy beer boozer (Soi 2) has a free buffet every Friday night of the year. The very popular boozer employs more than 50 serving women, but if you want to get a seat for the food then you have to come early. Must have been my aftershave: The Misty’s ogling den (Pattayaland Soi 2), run by Andy, the man whose blood type is not A or O but JD 49% proof, has developed a reputation for being more of a friendly local expat hangout rather than a perving palace, although the place does have plenty of easy-to-look-at chrome pole huggers. Draught beer at 60 baht and soft drinks at 70 baht are reasonably priced, while liver wasters are on the pricey side for a small play palace at 110 baht. Nevertheless, the playhouse is usually well patronised and the service is quick and efficient. Pork knuckle fanciers please note: The Berliner Bistro, situated in the Pattaya Beach Condo, about half way down Soi 13, has a daily menu consisting of around 10 special dishes at just 98 baht. The German nosh house has such mouth-wateringly exotic items as Schweinebraten mit Ratkohl, Ofenfrische habe mit Brot and Eisbein mit sauerkraut und kartoffeln on the menu. No, I haven’t a clue what they mean either so I just stick to the Cordon Bleu, even though I can’t speak French. I’m told the place is definitely worth a visit for those who like pork knuckle. My e-mail address is: [email protected]
by Miss Terry Diner Another Wine Maker’s dinner was held at the Royal Cliff Grand in the Rossini Restaurant last weekend. These have become spectacular affairs, and Miss Terry Diner felt honoured to be amongst the guests. The wines came from the Italian vineyards of Batasiolo Wines, with the managing director, Davide Vacchiotti in attendance. To assist with the explanation of the wines with the food that evening, Ranjith Chandrasiri, the captain of the Royal Cliff Wine Club had Ron Battori of Ambrose Wines on hand, a most erudite and delightful wine expert. The guest chef was Davide Scabin of the Al Combal Restaurant in Almese in Italy, a man whose business card describes him as “Flavor Creator”. Davide was assisted by the executive chef of the Royal Cliff, Walter Thenisch and chef Fabian Strutz from the resort’s Benjarong Restaurant.
The gustatory evening began with a cocktail reception, and right from the outset it was apparent that this was not going to be an “ordinary” evening. That afternoon, chef Davide Scabin invented a new “champagne” cocktail - Asti Batasiolo, plus Campari and a slice of ginger. The Campari took away the cloying sweetness of the Asti, while the ginger left a delightful tang on the back palate. The guests were raving about it before we even went in to dinner. We began with an item called Baby dave cappuccino with egg plant canolo and a touch of salmon caviar. This came in a coffee cup, a complete visual “pun” as it certainly wasn’t cappuccino, but it certainly was a taste sensation. The next item was another of Davide Scabin’s created flavours, with a plump oyster with Modena balsamic vinegar on a folded piece of Parma ham. Andrew Wood, the GM of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort describing it as “Japanese Italian”, and the two cuisines were truly evident, all in one dish. The next item was, for me, the dish of the evening. A lobster carpaccio with gorgonzola fondue, crispy basil leaves and squid ink. This was a dish of thinly sliced lobster meat with gorgonzola cheese melted on top. Taken with a piece of basil leaf dipped in squid ink, again the array of flavours was bewildering. With the first three courses we drank Langhe DOC Chardonnay “Serbato” 2000 Batasiolo, a delightfully crisp white, that many of the guests would have been happy to continue drinking all night, but we were there to taste more of the Batasiolo range, as well as being tempted with wonderful food. The following wines were all reds, commencing with a Dolcetta D’Alba DOC 2000 Batasiolo, a wine close to the American Zinfandel or French Beaujolais, to be drunk, as Ron Battori said, for refreshment and enjoyment. The wine of the evening, however, was the Barolo DOCG 1997 Batasiolo, complete with a wonderful aroma and a smooth palate pleasing finish. According to Davide Vacchiotti, this wine “Will go boom in six months!” And he should know - it was his wine! The main course (of the seven that evening) was a We followed the seven courses with a Chardonnay Grappa, which had a “nose” that could set you back on your rear, and was very powerful to drink, but showed the amazing range of wines produced by the Batasiolo winery, from delicate whites, sparkling Asti, light reds, heavy supreme reds and even grappa. The total package of the Wine Maker’s dinner was undoubtedly the best yet presented by the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, and it was obvious that the managing director, Panga Vathanakul, with husband Chan and son Vathanai (“Golf”) were of the same opinion. Chef Davide was a most approachable man, joining with chefs Walter and Fabian, the three receiving an appreciative ovation from the capacity crowd in the restaurant. It was also heartening to note chef Davide’s praise of the young Thai chefs, the men who will be feeding us all one day. Miss Terry Diner could not have been more impressed with the Wine Maker’s dinner. Do not miss the next one!
Updated every Friday. Updated by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek, assisted by
Boonsiri Suansuk. |
The
immediate feeling is the spaciousness of the setting. Tables and chairs
around the pool under the stars, or under cover but still outside, or
indoors and air-conditioned. The choice is yours. On our Saturday it had
been raining (we have had just a drop or two recently), so the under cover
and air-con areas were busy. As we were the guests of Ingo Rauber, the
Assistant Executive Manager, we did have a reserved table inside. Thank
you Ingo.
After
an unhurried starter (or two, to be perfectly honest) we moved outside to
the main course area. Again this is done in stations, with the first two
being large BBQ grills - one for seafood, including rock lobster,
barramundi steaks, prawns and shish kebabs and the other different meats
including steak, pork, chicken, sausages and chops.
(L
to R) Royal Cliff executive chef Walter Thenisch, Royal Cliff MD Panga
Vathanakul, Davide Scabin of the Al Combal Restaurant in Almese, Italy, and
Fabian Strutz, chef of the Benjarong Restaurant.