The Sugar Hut is part of Dr. Sunya Viravaidya’s PIC
group, which recently celebrated its 30 year anniversary. For the last 20 of
those years, one arm of the group has been the Sugar Hut Resort and
Restaurant, so it was to the very well established restaurant that we
directed our attention.
The venue is quite spectacular and in many ways
unbelievable. Tappraya Road is a very busy thoroughfare, but when you turn
down the leafy laneway to the Sugar Hut, the outside world just disappears.
You are suddenly driving through a tropical forest which has signs to advise
you to watch out for rabbits! So if you see a little furry jumper, don’t
be surprised! At the end of the lane is a semi-circular car parking area,
complete with security personnel, armed with torches. When you alight from
your transport, you still do not realize what awaits you, until you walk
along the softly lit, but well marked path through the ‘jungle’ and
suddenly you come across a collection of teakwood salas. You have arrived at
the restaurant compound.
As
we were a group of five, we had arranged to meet in the bar before dinner.
This is the Memory Music Bar, and it certainly was. Remember Buddy Holly and
the Crickets? ‘Peggy Sue’ was coming over very clearly as we walked into
the air-conditioned bar, to be met by two happy hostesses.
After meeting the others, we were escorted upstairs to
the three high roofed salas set up for dining. You are asked to remove your
shoes before entering, and in the Thai way, this seems all so natural. You
forget about being in a commercial establishment. It is, after all, a Thai
experience.
The
menu is very comprehensively Thai too, covering appetizers (B. 150-220),
rice dishes (around B. 140), noodle dishes (B. 150-210), fried items (B.
140-450), steamed dishes (B. 195-450), curries (B. 145-275, soups, spicy
Thai salads (B. 150-250), pan fries (B. 95-290), some ‘typical’ Thai
dishes, charcoal grills (B. 160-490), hot and spicy soups (around B. 200)
and desserts. Some interesting items on offer include the northern Thai
hanglay curry pork (B. 195), a British Raj chicken curry (B. 225) and the
gang liang mixed vegetables and pepper soup with shrimps (B. 225).
Being a party of five, we tried several of the dishes on
offer. There was a uniformly high standard with them all, without going
‘over the top’ in presentation. The degree of spiciness was not such
that overseas visitors would immediately make for the swimming pool and
attempt to drink it dry, but with each dish there were appropriate sauces
for the diners to add by themselves.
We chose the ‘house’ red, a shiraz cabernet from the
Butterfly Ridge (Australian) wineries, and this was well accepted by
everyone. With such a total Thai experience, perhaps we should have been
looking for one of the newer Thai wines like Monsoon Valley, but I must
admit I did not see one on a quick perusal of the wine list.
The evening was one of total harmony with nature. Wood,
wood, wood and more wood, with rattan, woven bamboo and other natural
materials. You are sitting in a sala looking out at palm trees, banana
shoots and tropical foliage while northeastern Thai music (on our evening,
the ‘Ponglang’) wafts past you. You are eating Thai food, served to you
by Thai people in Thai costumes. Is this the total Thai experience? It must
come close.
It is not an inexpensive outing. You do pay for this
experience, but for someone wishing to impress visitors from overseas, it
would be difficult to find a better venue. It has everything a visitor might
hope for, other than elephants strolling through the jungle. I am sure that
if Dr. Sunya felt that was necessary, he would arrange that too!
The Sugar Hut Resort and Restaurant, 391/18 Moo 10, Tappraya Road, (top
of the hill between South Pattaya and Jomtien, on the left), telephone 038
364 186, fax 038251 689, website www.sugarhut.co.th, email [email protected].
Secure parking in the grounds. Open from 6 a.m. (breakfasts for those living
in the resort) until midnight.
