by Miss Terry Diner

Café des Amis (the friend’s café) has just opened, in fact open for only 12 days when we called for dinner, yet it has the feeling of having been established for some time. Perhaps one of the reasons is the fact that the friends (Rob and Blue) have between them many successful years experience in the hospitality business overseas.
It is not difficult to find. Turn off Thappraya Road into Soi 11, on the run up the hill towards Nirvana Place. Go down to the bottom of Soi 11 and turn right at the T-junction and you are there. Well, you are at the compound at least. Walk through the ornamental portals and be stunned by the wooden building architecture and then turn right and you will arrive at the bar area of Café des Amis.
The bar has terracotta tiled flooring and comfortable lounging settees and if you feel you have gone far enough, you can eat there, and there are bar snacks which are meant to be shared with your partner, such as deep-fried Camembert (B. 220) and Des Amis canapés (B. 270). We lingered with a glass each of the very quaffable French house wine, and then moved on into the dining section.
Here the tables have immaculate white starched tablecloths with gold table runners and you sit on wickerwork chairs, which are surprisingly very comfortable. The glasses and cutlery are of a high standard, and the service personnel are outfitted in black with the long continental aprons. Some Thai artifacts are on the salmon colored walls and the terracotta tiles continue the colonial feel.
The menu is French/international and not extensive, but is comprehensive enough for the diners, with seven starters, including a soup of the day (B. 160), Parma ham and mango salad (B. 190) and even pan-fried snails tossed in a green salad with sage, parsley, garlic and lemon (B. 240).
Mains cover fish, beef, lamb, duck and chicken with the majority under B. 400. There is a children’s menu and a small Thai menu as well.
The wine list is predominantly French but there are new world examples on offer. The majority are well under B. 2,000 and we can recommend the Cackleberry Shiraz at B. 1,250.
Madame decided to go with the special that evening and began with the roast duck done in a Hoisin sauce. Very well presented, and if you can imagine duck that melts in the mouth, this was it. I began with the crab wraps which had ample crabmeat wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves and all on a mango salsa. In my notes I had jotted down “spectacular” and it was. The slight tang in the mango salsa just adding to the enjoyment. If you like crab, try it!
For mains, Madame again had the special, which was a very nicely handled cod and was not at all oily. I had decided on the rib eye steak, which came exactly to my order and I had chosen Hollandaise sauce to go with it, which it did very nicely.
We also tried the children’s menu, or I should say the resident dining out team child did, rating the deep-fried cheese sticks and fries very highly and impressed with the fact that the requested tomato sauce came in its own little dish!
To say the Dining Out Team was impressed would be an understatement. The ambience is wonderful, with a French provincial feel to it. There is even an old black and white photograph of a Café des Amis either in Vientiane or Hanoi, as well as some old Parisian scenes. The bar area is comfortable, you do not feel rushed, and you can even eat there if you wish. Inside the dining area it is more classical Thai, but the table settings are classical European. The food was of a high standard, and certainly not overpriced. It was a most enjoyable evening, and Café des Amis definitely does get a very high recommendation from both Madame and myself. Do try it, you will not be disappointed.
Café des Amis, 391/6 Soi 11, Thappraya Road, Jomtien, telephone 038 364 327, open every day 4.30 p.m. until late. Plenty of parking outside.

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Spicy Potato Wedges

Potato wedges are a very popular family dish. They are also good to serve with pre-dinner drinks, but this recipe adds just a little something more to the oven fried potato, with the addition of capsicum and lime.

Cooking Method:
Preheat oven to 375, oven racks in the middle.
In a medium bowl toss the potato wedges with the olive oil, the finely chopped capsicum, a few big pinches of sea salt and a liberal sprinkling of black pepper. Arrange the potatoes cut side down on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, tossing the potatoes with a metal spatula half way through.
While the potatoes are baking, squeeze the lime and set the juice aside.
When the potatoes are cooked through, remove them from the oven, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a big shallow bowl, sprinkle the Parmesan and coriander over them and drizzle with the lime juice and present immediately to the guests.

Ingredients                 Serves 4-6
Small potatoes, cut into wedges 750 gm
Capsicum (bell pepper)    1 medium (red)
finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil                 3 tbspns
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lime                                       1
Parmesan cheese, grated     1/3rd cup
Coriander chopped as garnish