The usual format for the Dining Out team is to ‘hit and
run’; however, with this week’s review it was more of a ‘stop and
linger’. We went to the Cholchan Pattaya Resort as the guests of Prayoon
Chaitosa, the food and beverage director of the hotel, with the idea of
experiencing some of the features being offered by the resort these days.
Arriving
around lunchtime we first went to the beach, skirting around the beautiful
swimming pool, surrounded by shady palm trees. The beach was spotless with
golden sands and very inviting, with no unwanted wandering vendors.
Sometimes it is better to be just out of the mainstream!
Our next port of call was the Funtasea Fun Pub, which
during June is promoting the European soccer tournament, with all the
important matches on their big screen. Like any of the better pubs they have
facilities for pool, snooker (it has its own dedicated large table), darts
and other pub games.
Prayoon explained that in the pub they served snacks,
with the menu painted on a CD. Very novel, with the most expensive item
being deep-fried shrimps at B. 170, but most items, such as sandwiches,
chicken wings and fish fingers are in the B. 100-140 bracket. In the
evenings (from 9.30 p.m.) the pub has live music performed by the Motown
Band, covering jazz, Latino, pop and even reggae and is very adept with
customer requests. (The happy hours are 6-8 p.m. with a ‘buy one, get one
free’ offer.)
In
the evenings there is the poolside BBQ, which is B. 530 net, and a very
popular venue for dining under the stars, said Prayoon.
However, a very popular dining venue, open 24 hours a
day, is the Chaba Coffee Shop. This is actually much more than a coffee
shop, but a proper restaurant. We decided to try the food there, and entered
the air-conditioned luxury, choosing a table looking towards the pool out of
the atrium, which runs along one side of the restaurant.
Chaba has a full menu, beginning with appetizers (B.
130-190) which includes chicken vol au vent at the low end and Norwegian
smoked salmon at the top.
Soups and salads are next (B. 70-180), with a good range
of choices in both, including an interesting rock lobster salad and a duck
consomm้ ‘brunoise’.
Sandwiches follow at (B. 120-130) and covers the usual
hamburgers and BLT, but also items such as a croque monsieur, with a fried
sandwich of buttered bread filled with gruyere cheese and lean ham served
with french-fries for B. 120.
Pastas and omelettes (B. 130-150) are followed by mains,
covering pork, chicken, steak, duck, fish and crustaceans, with the most
expensive being B. 350 for a tenderloin steak. I was also taken by the
‘Weight Watchers’ items and in fact chose the boiled chicken breast with
tossed green salad at an advertised 120 calories for B. 150 for my meal. On
the ‘health conscious’ page there are also many vegetarian choices, all
at B. 120. After the desserts, there are several pages of Asian specialties,
mainly Thai favourites, with most around B. 120.
Madame had chosen the South Sea Omelette, which came
covered in cheese and paprika, with a side dish of french-fries, and she was
more than happy with her choice. My weight watchers special had a
delightfully fresh garden vegetable salad, with nothing limp or
yesterday’s leftovers, with a succulent dressing to go with it. I enjoyed
it thoroughly and felt proud of myself having had only 120 calories.
For families that want to find a tropical resort, within
ten minutes of central Pattaya, Cholchan provides a possible choice. Parking
undercover, pools and beach, many dining venues with reasonable prices, and
a fun pub for the afternoons or easy listening in the evenings. Cholchan
should not be forgotten by the weekend stayers as well as the day trippers.
Moderately priced ‘holiday’ venue for locals!
Cholchan Pattaya Resort, 19 Moo 1, Sukhumvit Road, Banglamung, telephone
038 702 777, www.pattaya re sort.com. Chaba Coffee shop 24 hours, Funtasea
Fun Pub 12 noon - 1.30 a.m. (2 a.m. weekends). Secure undercover parking.
