by Miss Terry
Diner
Food, hospitality and dining are dynamic parts of this
city’s lifestyle, and the newly opened Symphony Brasserie is a good
example of these dynamics.
A few months ago the Mata Hari restaurant was a seemingly
unshakable part of the Dining Out scene. It had been at the Pattaya Second
Road location for many years, but suddenly it disappeared (but for the Mata
Hari enthusiasts, it will be re-opening shortly on Thappraya Road at the top
of the hill on the way to Jomtien).
However,
the building did not sit empty, new owner Hugh Millar taking over where
Louis Noll left off, renaming and repositioning the restaurant, now called
Symphony Brasserie. Despite much of the d้cor being as it was, make no
mistake, this is a different restaurant. Hugh Millar is not a novice in the
restaurant business, having begun as the dishwasher’s understudy over 30
years ago, and has been a member of the prestigious Chaine des R๔tisseurs
gourmet organization for the past 10 years, these days being the ‘Charge
de Mission’ for the local group.
The restaurant is based in the single shop-house
frontage, so is long and narrow, but the tables are still far enough apart
to seat the up to 44 diners comfortably. It gives a very ‘comfortable’
ambience and a gently up-market feel, without being strictly fine dining,
despite linen tablecloths, napkins and good quality glassware.
Going along with the ‘new’ concept, the menu is not
the same, and the wine list has been expanded. Fortunately, the wines have
not seen the price expanding, with many ‘bargains’ available for the
discerning wine lover. For example, the Taylors Unwooded Chardonnay 2003 is
B. 1,100, while two others that caught my eye were the Xanadu Margaret River
Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 at B. 1,800 or the delicious Stepping Stone
Padthaway Shiraz 2001 at B. 2,200 (just let it breathe a little and then
enjoy).
The
new menu begins with both hot and cold appetizers (B. 190-280) and includes
duck breast with orange garden salad and sesame seed. Soups are around B.
160 with the medley of mushroom soup with truffle essence and cream sounding
very inviting, followed by salads and pastas all under B. 280.
Grilled steaks reflect the imported meat prices
(Argentine and Australia) all of which come with a choice of sauces. The 15
Mains are varied, with the braised lamb shank at B. 360 very reasonably
priced. There is also a Thai favourites menu, with nothing over B. 190.
We began with a creamed seafood soup for Madame, which
was, as its name suggested, ‘creamy’ and a great starter for the
evening. A really satisfying, flavoursome bisque. Being a sucker for oysters
I tried the oven-baked oysters which came with a generous serving of bacon,
bell peppers and tomato. Almost a ‘value-added’ oysters Kilpatrick.
For mains, Madame ordered an Argentinean steak
medium-rare with a mushroom sauce, choosing mashed potatoes to go with it,
while I went for the imported salmon steak with a caper sauce and chose
boiled potatoes for mine. What was immediately outstanding was the delicate
hand that had made the sauces. Both the mushroom and the caper sauce were
well blended, with the flavours not overpowered by condiments. Excellent.
They complemented the food, as good sauces should do.
We did enjoy our evening at Symphony Brasserie, and can
see that this restaurant will carve out its own niche in the Pattaya dining
scene over the next few months. A couple of items worth looking at for Hugh
Millar would be the background music (the symphony was just a trifle too
subdued) and change the paintings to something more musical, perhaps, to go
along with the new concepts.
Symphony Brasserie deserves to attract a strong
following, and I am sure will become an integral part of Pattaya. The prices
are very reasonable, with dinner for two (excluding wine) being available
for well under B. 1,000 per head.
Symphony Brasserie, Second Road between Soi 8 and Soi 7. Open evenings
only (5 p.m. until 11 p.m.) and booking recommended. Telephone 038 420 939.
On-street parking, so grab the first available space as you approach Soi 9.
