by Miss Terry
Diner
I have written before about the metamorphosis at the
Dusit Resort in Pattaya. The resort seems to have been given a new lease of
life. There is a vibrancy running right through from top management down to
the concierge staff. Dusit people seem to be enjoying living, and this makes
a visit there even more enjoyable.
We went to the Dusit’s The Bay restaurant, with Madame
and I joining Resident Manager Stefan Heintze and Cristina De Vera, the
Marketing Communications manager, to sample the new menu from their Italian
chef Maurizio Menconi. Maurizio is about as Italian as Rome itself, complete
with a large smile and suitably ‘Italianesque’ English.
For those who remember the ‘old’ Bay restaurant,
forget it immediately. A 10 million baht make-over has transformed The Bay
into the most modern and stylish restaurant, with a d?cor combining black
wood and sandstone. There are two distinct areas for dining, inside and
air-conditioned, or outside on the terraces with the sea breezes. It was
such a balmy evening we chose to sit outside, a decision we did not regret.
The new menu is elegantly printed inside a silver cover.
Antipasti are generally under B. 300, and the pasta and risotto likewise.
Fish main dishes are B. 420-690, while poultry and meat are in the B.
390-890 range. Pizzas are B. 220-300.
There is a separate dessert/coffee and liqueur menu, with
enough choices to allow one to indulge and be expansive afterwards.
The
wine list is interesting, in that the Bay has put together a very good
representative sample of the world’s wines, with Italian (naturally) and
French predominating. The vineyards represented are well known (Tyrrell’s,
Hawke’s Bay, Robert Mondavi, and Joseph Drouhin for example), and most
bottles are around B. 2000. Good choices from the cellarman!
We began with a pan-fried duck foie gras, perfumed with
raspberry vinegar and thin sliced pears and Parmesan shavings. The contrasts
between the smooth duck liver and the granular pears made this a most
interesting dish. While still in the Antipasti we also had a steamed prawn
tails with celery hearts, artichoke and Grano Padana, a fragrant, delicate
cheese that is grainy and fine textured, again a combination of delicate
flavors. With this course we drank the Sicilian Corvo Bianco 2003, which
fitted well with the antipasti, not overpowering them in any way.
We tried some pasta dishes, including the Nero and Oro
Risotto (brilliant) and then had a snowfish with anchovies and chilli and an
Australian grain-fed Angus beef tenderloin with the tasty morel mushrooms,
pine nut sauce and potato croquettes. Again both excellent examples of
high-end Italian cuisine. To accompany these we drank a Barolo Classico
2000, which was decanted at the table. This is a premium wine.
By this stage we were more than replete, but our hosts
insisted we try the layered chestnuts with vanilla and cognac cream, and at
the same time, their novel grappa in “cigar” tubes. Great taste and
great fun!
Quite frankly, the Bay restaurant has the best ambience
in Pattaya, sitting as it does on the point, out into Pattaya Bay. The sea
on two sides, and the expansive free form pool on the other. It is
magnificent. It is worth the visit, just to sit there and savour. The new
menu shows chef Maurizio’s creative influence. The risotto “Nero and
Oro” with the black squid’s ink risotto with the gold leaf topping
deserves a photo before you eat. Pure art! The prices are in no way
excessive for this level of restaurant, and in fact dining out at the Bay is
much less expensive than similar Bangkok establishments. And don’t forget
the ambience. Unbeatable. Madame and I are counting the days till we next go
back for dinner. Highest recommendation possible.
Go. You will not be disappointed.
The Bay Restaurant, Dusit Resort, 240/2 Pattaya Beach
Road (enter from the Dolphin roundabout intersection of Pattaya Second,
Pattaya North and Pattaya-Naklua Roads), Pattaya City, telephone 038 425
611, fax 038 428 239, email pattaya@ dusit.com. Open seven days, 11 30 a.m.
until 2.30 p.m. for lunch and 6.30 p.m. till 10 p.m. for dinner. Secure
parking in hotel grounds.
