It was only after Dylan Counsel, the new
assistant F&B manager at the Pattaya Marriott Resort and Spa, suggested
joining him for a quick lunch at the Garden Cafe, that I realized it had
been a couple of years since I had reviewed that restaurant.
The Garden Cafe is really a misnomer. It is not a cafe.
It is a beautifully appointed restaurant alongside the Marriott Resort
itself. High ceilings with several forests of trees used in giving the
restaurant a wonderful Thai ambience, while much window area along one side
gives views out towards the pool. Opposite the window side, with its
semi-private alcoves, is the long open plan kitchen with live cooking
stations, and for the salad bar lunch there are rows of vegetables on
display.
The concept of the salad bar lunch is a B. 200 all you
can eat deal, with soups, salads and breads. For those who like a somewhat
heavier lunch, there is also a value-added deal, where for B. 100 extra you
can order a main course from the four choices, with selections of sauces and
side orders.
The salads on offer are certainly numerous, with a mixed
Indian rice salad, traditional Greek salad, creamy new potato salad, fresh
chunky tuna salad, Mediterranean vegetable salad, cauliflower and broccoli
salad, mixed melon salad, Thai sausage and vegetable salad, fresh spicy king
prawn salad, rich Roma tomato salad, asparagus salad and a live Caesar salad
station with homemade dressing and 10 condiments.
After the salads comes a selection of different breads,
then three large clay pot tureens of soup. One is of Asian heritage, another
European and the third will be Thai. These can alter at the whim of the chef
and availability of fresh produce. On my lunchtime these were a Chinese
style Schezuan soup, traditional cream of pumpkin or a spicy Thai style
seafood. Also included is a selection of fresh Thai fruits in season. Not
bad at all for B. 200.
For the additional B. 100 there is a choice of oven
roasted pork sirloin, pan fried chicken breast, sirloin of grain fed beef
done to your liking or fresh fillet of sea bass. The sauces to accompany
these included mushroom, peppercorn, gravy, apple sauce, cream and herb
butter sauce, while the side order included french-fries, steamed jasmine
rice or oven-baked jacket potato.
Having decided to go the whole hog and have the B. 300
lunch, but still looking at a time constraint as I wanted to see if we could
dine in these wonderful circumstances and still get out under one hour.
After ascertaining that we were going for the additional
main course, our orders were taken and we were informed that the mains would
take 15 minutes. A good selection of the salads then seemed to be in order
(very fresh), then I went for the Schezuan soup (sensational) and then a
lightly cooked fillet of sea bass with jacket potato and herb butter sauce.
So did I enjoy the healthy lunch? And did we get out
under the hour? The answer to both these questions was a positive ‘Yes!’
The freshness of the salad ingredients was more than obvious and the
Schezuan soup was ‘Schenzational’! The add-on main course did come 15
minutes after ordering, as promised, and we were out just under 45 minutes,
for a meal that never seemed hurried or rushed. I am still not sure how
restaurant manager Naiyaporn Hongskul managed it, but like the true
professional she is, she did!
I left the Garden Cafe impressed with the offerings from
this restaurant, and in the knowledge that time constraints were no bar to
having a healthy quick and inexpensive lunch. Highly recommended.
The Garden Cafe, Pattaya Marriott Resort and Spa, 218/2-4 M. 10, Beach
Road, Pattaya (though the Garden Cafe is closer to Second Road), free secure
parking under the Royal Garden Plaza (just remember to get your parking
ticket stamped in the restaurant). Open seven days with lunch 12 noon till 3
p.m. The Garden Cafe is also open for breakfasts 6 a.m. till 11 a.m. and
dinner 6 p.m. until 10 p.m.
