When a restaurant has been around for 11 years, it should not
need introducing, and incidentally, it must also be doing something right!
However, restaurants can fall out of the public consciousness after some years,
and even well-established restaurants do have to come up with new promotions,
and it was with that in mind that the Dining Out Team approached the Captain’s
Corner on Thappraya Road.
Parking was a breeze on the newly widened road, and the security guard outside
is always comforting. The welcoming smiles were still the same, (in fact Khun Na
has been there for nine of the 11 years) and we were soon seated near the
ornamental gardens and sipping on the house red (B. 115 per glass). The owners
of the Captain’s Corner, Kanikar and Ib Ottesen are well known in the wine club
scene, so it was no surprise that the wine was a very pleasant one for quaffing.
As the children have grown, they too have become involved in the restaurant, and
the eldest, Allan, was literally everywhere, making sure the diners were happy.
The ambience is casual, as you would expect from a steak house, with buffet
sections set up, and a very large grill area. The concept is simple, you are
presented with a plate which has a number, which you leave on your table. There
is also a clip with that number and that is what the chefs get, indicating your
meat selection.
We decided to investigate the buffets first, noting that there is a Thai
section, which on our night featured a Panang curry, plus spring rolls, garlic
pepper ribs, Thai salads and stir-fries. This is important, as many Thai
partners are not so keen on beef and look for their own cuisine.
We decided to stick with the cold seafood appetizers and selected prawns, crab
sticks and mussels and a large serving of Miss Terry’s favorite wasabi as our
entrees. These were all excellent and with our appetite whetted, made our way to
the grill section.
The choice of items for the grill is simply staggering, and really too much to
list here, but the choices include New York steak, pork chops, pork tenderloin,
pepper pork, sesame steak, mackerel fish steaks, chicken satays, sausages, bacon
wrapped sausages, corn on the cob, ground beef patties, baked potatoes - the
list seems endless. The concept here is to choose your grill items, let the chef
know how you want them cooked, then go to the salad counter and select your
salad which you take to the table while waiting for the grills. The salad items
are crisp and fresh and there is a very good vinaigrette dressing along with all
the more usual ones such as Thousand Island and a garlic cream.
We returned to our table and sipped our wines and nibbled our salad, but we did
not have to do that for long, as the grills arrived, and each was cooked as per
our order. We were not disappointed in any way.
The dessert menu is separate from the ‘all you can eat’ offer, but we had no
room for desserts. We did have the opportunity to try a glass of sangria each
(B. 145 per glass), as this will be a new promotion. A wonderfully refreshing
and palate cleansing drink which we had while watching a reincarnated Elvis
perform amongst the diners. What an evening!
We both thoroughly enjoyed the Captain’s Corner and have no hesitation in
recommending this to anyone. It can cater for large groups (there was a table of
20 there on our evening) and couples and families (and children under-12 half
price), and at B. 350 plus VAT which covers as much as you can eat, this is a
bargain, for which the Captain’s Corner has the winning formula. As Kanikar
said, “You should not leave Pattaya without trying the Captain’s Corner.” The
Dining Out Team agrees!
The Captain’s Corner Steak House, Thappraya Road (just past the Residence
Garden), open seven days from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. Parking available under the
Residence Garden and kerbside. Free hotel pick up service available in the
Pattaya-Jomtien area, telephone 038 364 314.
Kwiteo nam (noodle soup)
One staple that keeps Thailand turning is Kwiteo nam –
the Thai noodle soup. Thai roadside noodle soup vendors are plentiful and
provide a filling dish at very reasonable prices. The main noodle styles are
“Sen lek” (thin), “Sen yai” (wide), “Sen mee” (AKA “Bamee” egg noodles) and
“Mama” (the wriggly noodles).
The recipe is simple and after you perfect it, you can set up at the
roadside yourself!
Cooking Method:
Boil up the stock and add the fish balls, pork, fish sauce and sugar. After 2 minutes add the noodles and bean sprouts in a net spoon and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Now add the shallot, coriander and garlic.
Fish out the sprouts and noodles and place into bowls, then add the fish balls and minced pork. Top up with the soup stock and sprinkle a little white pepper on top. Serve with some more fish sauce, some chilli powder, sugar and sliced red chilli in vinegar.
Ingredients
serves 4
Noodles (soaked)
200 gm
Pork (minced)
200 gm
Fish balls (any supermarket) 200 gm
Bean sprouts
150 gm
Coriander (chopped)
2 tbspns
Shallots (chopped)
1
Garlic (chopped, fried)
1 tbspn
Fish sauce
50 mls
Ground white pepper
˝ tspn
Sugar
1 tspn
Chicken stock
1.5 litres
