by Miss Terry Diner
This restaurant came to relocate in Soi 5 almost a
couple of years ago. Miss Terry remembers sitting with Jose, the owner
(and carpenter and builder) celebrating the completion of the move from
Pattaya Second Road over a nice bottle of red wine. Jose is French and
does not need much excuse to open a bottle either!
This time we were a Dining Out Team of three and Miss
Terry was looking forward to Jose’s hospitality and wit, but
unfortunately Jose was ill and could not join us for the evening; however,
his charming young service girls really looked after us.
The restaurant is near the Beach Road end of Soi 5 and
is set in spacious grounds with plenty of parking. Fairy lights are in the
trees and it is quite a magical setting. The restaurant has a “Thai”
character, with wooden fretwork walls and bamboo predominating, and even a
small waterfall in one corner. The tables have white linen covers with a
northern Thai “sabai” shawl throw-over. At the far end of the
air-conditioned restaurant area is a small artists’ gallery with art and
photography that changes regularly. A “Paris Left Bank” touch! The
other Parisian touch was the gentle murmur of French voices all around us.
The French have definitely claimed this restaurant as their own.
The
menu is simple, with one laminated page covering everything on its two
sides. There are 11 appetizers (B. 80-190) including stuffed mussels and
snails for those who wish to go very French. These are followed by 8 meat
dishes (B. 180-320) which cover beef, pork, lamb, chicken and even a mixed
grill. For seafood there is another small special menu covering the fish
of the day and the Thai food selection if your dining partner does not
enjoy farang food. Finally on that side there are the desserts (B. 50-130)
with crepes and profiteroles as well as the usual ice creams and fruit
salads.
However, it was Jose’s 260 baht menu (which includes
VAT and service) we had come to try, which is on the reverse side of the
main menu. This has a choice of 4 starters, 3 mains and 3 desserts or
coffee. We decided to each choose a different dish to allow us to sample
most of the dishes on offer.
While making up our minds, we ordered a 500 ml carafe
of the house red, which was a Roncier vin de table. This turned out to be
eminently drinkable, so much so that we ordered (and drank) another!
During this “contemplative” phase, the staff also brought out some
crusty bread with butter and a spicy avocado dip.
We ordered a fish pate, a country pate and a beef and
potato salad as starters. The pate was more of the meatloaf style and a
hefty slab at that, while the warm potato and beef salad with onion and
vinegar was almost a meal on its own.
For mains we ordered the rib-eye steak, the pork
tenderloin and the fish of the day. The steak and the pork arrived on
wooden platters; a peppercorn sauce with the charcoal BBQ’d steak and a
mustard sauce with the pork. The fish was presented on a large plate with
boiled potatoes, asparagus, snow peas and baby carrots.
Miss Terry tried a little of everyone’s and I was
most impressed by the fish which had its own peppercorn sauce and as
Madame mentioned, the vegetables were cooked perfectly. “You can even
taste the carrot,” was her response. All three of the special dishes
were very pleasant and filling.
Au Bon Coin is not a pretentious restaurant in any way.
It has a warm ambience, and somehow is an extension of Jose’s
personality. The food was good, it was tasty and the serves were more than
adequate. What’s more, the 260 baht menu represents exceptional value in
today’s marketplace. We all enjoyed ourselves and can highly recommend
Au Bon Coin. The Dining Out Team missed you, Jose, and we all hope you are
better soon!
Au Bon Coin, Soi 5 North Pattaya, telephone 038 361 401.
