by Miss Terry
Diner
It sounds a long way to go for dinner in Rayong, but it
is not so long if you combine dinner with a weekend away. With that premise,
we went to the Kanary Bay at Rayong to meet Martin, their GM and chef
consultant Philippe Belly to have dinner in their No. 43 Restaurant.
It had been a couple of years since we had made the
sojourn to Kanary Bay, and there has been much development since then, not
only in the Kanary Bay complex, but also in the area of Rayong, running down
to the Sangchan Beach which the serviced apartment building overlooks.
Getting there is simple - down Sukhumvit Road and as you
approach the outskirts of Rayong look out for signs on your right saying
“PMY” and “Kanary Bay”; turn right and follow the road till it comes
to Beach Road and turn right. Kanary Bay is immediately on your right side.
The restaurant, which calls itself the No. 43 Italian
Bistro, is really much more than a ‘bistro’, with sparkling clean smart
white and black tiles, glass-topped tables, pastel coloured walls with white
lattice-work, a sit up bar at one end, and even a music corner featuring
live musicians. You can also dine outside on the veranda section and enjoy
cooling sea breezes. The service staff is all turned out very smartly, and
our young lady had perfect English and even recommended an Australian
Stonehaven wine to go with our dinner. It was eminently quaffable and very
reasonably priced.
We were fortunate to have dinner with Philippe Belly (a
grand name for a chef, who is also a member of the Chaine des R๔tisseurs)
and who was proudly presenting his Mediterranean menu for the following
week. He has the responsibility of overseeing the menus for the other hotels
in the group, including Kanary Bay at Sriracha and the Cape Panwa Hotel in
Phuket.
It was a great dinner, and the set menu buffet was only
B. 395 per person, with children at half price. We enjoyed a salad nicoise,
some Chinese white asparagus, a pork chop Milanese style, a beef Bourgogne
which Chef Philippe says takes three days in preparation to make it as
flavoursome and tender as this one was, some grilled Angus beef from
Argentina and some sweet lamb chops from New Zealand. Unfortunately, that
particular promotion ended on the 7th of September,
but there is an Italian night every Wednesday, again at B. 395 per person
and children half price.
For those who wish to dine a la carte, the items are
again inexpensive, with fish and chips B. 140 and a grilled pepper steak B.
250, for example. Items from the Thai food menu are all under B. 100, other
than the steamed sea bass with lime and garlic sauce at B. 250.
There is also an Italian menu with the vast majority of
items between B. 200 and B. 300. This includes smoked salmon marinated with
olive oil, lemon, fresh dill and pink pepper (B. 290) or pan-fried pork
medallions in Marsala wine sauce, served with preserved onions and boiled
potatoes (B. 280).
The overall impression, both from Madame and myself, was
just how welcoming the ambience, and what a high standard, both in the food
and also the service. It was difficult to remember that this was all ‘up
country’ in Rayong, and not one of the better restaurants in Pattaya.
We enjoyed the dinner immensely, and made the resolve to
come down one weekend ourselves. With packages around B. 2,000 for two
persons for one night’s accommodation and several complimentary vouchers,
including a buffet or set lunch, it is a very inexpensive weekend away at
the beach. But GM Martin did caution and say that bookings are essential for
accommodation, they do not accept walk-ins, though it is fine for the
restaurant. Highly recommended.
Restaurant No. 43, Kanary Bay Rayong, 50 Beach Road, telephone 038 804
844, fax 038 804 888, email [email protected]. Open seven days from 6
a.m. for breakfasts, 12 noon for lunches and 6 p.m. for dinner (kitchen
closes 11.30 p.m.). Secure parking within the complex.
