by Miss Terry Diner
Here’s a great way to save 20,000 baht. If you want some
real ‘fair dinkum Aussie tucker’ you don’t have to go to Doyles in Sydney,
because a short trip to the Garden Café at the Pattaya Marriott Resort and
Spa will give you the same result. No waiting, no queuing at the airport
turnstiles, no passports and visas, and it is much cheaper than the flight,
even on the no-frills-at-all airlines.
However, before I
begin, there is something that has to be cleared up. The Garden Café is
anything but a café. According to the most authoritative books, a “café” is
“a small coffee house or teashop”. Let me assure you, Marriott’s Garden Café
is anything but a small coffee house or teashop. It is a well appointed,
large, fully fledged restaurant, staffed by attentive waiters and waitresses
outfitted in bronze Thai silk uniforms, complete with high ceilings, quality
furnishings, napery, crockery and glass-ware and superb rest rooms. It is
not a laminated table café with thick Duralex break-proof glasses and Uri
Geller bendable spoons.
Having got that straight, our occasion at the Garden (Café) Restaurant was
to try out some Australian food which was being selected for the Aussie Food
Festival to be held throughout February this year. With Aussie F&B man Dylan
Counsel teaming up with Chef Dennis, also from Down-under, this event was
just destined to happen!
We began in a relaxed fashion with a VB (Australian beer) and a little cup
featuring a Sydney Rock Oyster in a jellied Bloody Mary. This produces a
real tingle on the tongue and was a perfect starter.
As this was a ‘tasting’ we tried many dishes, with the first few accompanied
by a Stepping Stone Padthaway white wine, a very pleasant drop indeed.
(Incidentally, the wines that will be on offer during the festival will be
available by the glass, as well as by the bottle.)
One dish that we
both enjoyed was a Soba noodles with Australian crab. Looking suspiciously
like an Australian som tum, this was, however, very smooth (and filling) and
not sharp and harsh like the Thai version.
A most colourful item was the beetroot carpaccio topped with cheese infused
with peppers. Again this was a smooth and flavoursome dish, with the thinly
sliced beetroot blending well with the Australian cheese.
At that juncture we changed to an Australian red wine, a Hardy’s Tintara
Shiraz 2001. After the requisite breathing time, this was a good full-bodied
wine to go with the main course which featured crocodile and emu with golden
needle mushrooms, asparagus and beans.
The dessert was another of those chef’s ‘creations’ in a sea of Bowen mango
pieces and juice. This was so ‘more-ish’ that Madame stole my mango pieces
while I was not watching.
It had been a dinner to remember and will be one that the diners during
February will enjoy as well.
There was a marvellous advert in Australia many years ago which had the
punch-line “Football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars”, representing
the four great Australian icons. Fortunately these are not in the forefront
(other than edible kangaroos) at the Garden Restaurant, but you will have
the opportunity to try Chef Dennis’s take on some superlative dishes, with
the ingredients sourced from Down-under. He is promising kangaroo, yabbies,
barramundi and rainbow trout (depending upon availability). There will be
three course set menus starting from B. 399 (although pricing was still
being discussed by the dynamic duo of Dylan and Dennis) as well as a la
carte choices. However, do start with the Sydney Rock Oyster in jellied
Bloody Mary. As the Aussies would say, “Bloody good tucker!” Highly
recommended, and no more ‘Aussie-isms’ - after all, how much can a koala
bear?
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 dinner 6 p.m. until
10 p.m., lunch 12 noon till 3 p.m. The Garden Cafe is also open for
breakfast 6 a.m. till 11 a.m.
