Stroll down Pattaya Second Road towards The Avenue
and you will suddenly find a new hotel. A new, very hip and different hotel
called the dusitD2 baraquda (yes, the spelling and the strange use of upper and
lower case is intentional). Under the captaincy of ‘guru’ Paolo Randone, the
hotel is still in a soft opening phase, which is why you have probably not
noticed it, but, I can assure you, it is worth a visit.
Their restaurant which we went to review is called the s.e.a., which stands for
South East Asia, though the emphasis in the menu is on seafood. The very airy
venue is on the ground floor, overlooking the free-form swimming pool, which has
a children’s pool at one end. The décor is elegant, modern and different, with
huge murals of different S.E. Asian icons. Black granite tables have tan
leatherette placemats with elegant wave-form cutlery and stainless steel
chopsticks. There is also a stainless steel spiral staircase in the centre,
leading to the second level dining.
The menu is not extensive, but still covers starters, snacks, S.E. Asian cuisine
and western dishes. There are six vegetarian dishes as well as some designated
as signature dishes.
Starters are not the usual spring rolls and cream of xyz soup, but includes tuna
sabat fillets and crispy eggplant stacks with shrimp paste, chilli dip and
steamed vegetables (B. 190), or for the same price, a pork filet grilled and
tossed with fresh herbs, crispy pork rind, green chilli dip and steamed
vegetables.
The ‘lite and tasty’ items include a Vietnamese beef pho (B. 190), while the
S.E. Asian selection includes a Singaporean laksa (rock lobster tails and sea
scallops in a coconut based broth laced with chilli, crisp vegetables and fresh
herbs (B. 320). Western items are generally under B. 300.
Wines are grouped by grape, rather than regions, a much-needed listing allowing
the diner easy choices after selecting the preferred grape. Wines begin at
around B. 1,000 and by the glass at B. 200.
There will also be Sunday Brunches commencing February 8, which will be B.
1,400, but this includes a free flow wine and beer. Definitely an interesting
option for the brunchers.
We tried a selection of dishes from the menu, starting with the organic fennel
and fresh herbs with orange salad on soy bean curd custard (B. 160) and was an
excellent starter. Light, clean tasting and refreshing. From there we enjoyed a
selection which including pan-seared duck liver sprayed with three year old
balsamic vinegar and Chiang Mai strawberries. The sweetness from the
strawberries gave foie gras a new dimension.
I had also ordered the s.e.a. pizza (B. 380) which came loaded with tiger
prawns, squid, basil and home cured salmon. For the first time ever, I was
presented with squid that was not tough and rubbery. I congratulated the
Singaporean chef! Since we had guru Paolo with us, we also had the Sattahip rock
lobster tails (B. 480) which were wok-tossed with sun-dried shrimps, young
ginger and fresh curry leaves and served with angel hair pasta. This was as
flavoursome as it sounds.
We finished with grilled Australian wagyu beef served in two ways (B. 550) and
the meat was soft and tender as wagyu is expected to be, with one way of serving
being a skewer, and the other with fresh and spicy Thai salad. Madame managed
some dessert, being an ice cream, made in the s.e.a. kitchen, whilst I finished
with a large coffee.
It had been a very pleasurable dining out. The s.e.a. restaurant is offering an
excellent range, with refreshingly different items. The presentation is first
class, the food is of a very high standard, and we welcomed s.e.a. to our list
of top restaurants in Pattaya. Introductory prices are not extreme, even with
the usual hotel ++ additions. dusit D2 baraquda will have its grand opening
later in February - this is your chance to ‘discover’ it before your friends do.
Definitely well worth visiting.
s.e.a. restaurant, dusitD2 baraquda pattaya, 485/1 M 10 Pattaya 2nd Road, tel
038 769 999, fax 0 38 769 900, email www.dusit.com/d2pa, www.dusit.com.
Restaurant open 6 a.m. (breakfast) until 11 p.m. Secure parking in hotel
complex.
Nam Gim Satay - (Thai Peanut Sauce)
Satays are an ever popular Thai dish, both chicken and
pork seem to be equal favourites. The first secret with satays is not to
overcook and remember to turn over and baste the satay with coconut milk
during the grilling. The other secret is to prepare the authentic Thai style
peanut sauce to go with them. There is much more to it than peanut butter.
This week’s recipe will show you just how much different.
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Cooking Method:
Soak the dried chillies in warm water until soft then place in blender along
with the galangal, coriander, lemon grass, garlic, onions and shrimp paste.
Grind to make a paste.
In a medium saucepan, bring the coconut milk to a gentle boil over medium to low
heat. Add paste and peanut butter and blend well.
Continue to cook while stirring constantly until a thin layer of oil appears on
the surface. Add sugar and salt and stir until dissolved then remove from heat.
Serve warm.
The sauce can be kept in the refrigerator and re-heated. |
Ingredients
Medium seeded dried chillies 7
Minced galangal 1 tspn
Coriander roots minced 2 tbspns
Ground coriander seeds 1 tspn
Lemon grass finely chopped 1 tbspn
Minced garlic 2 tbspns
Red onions chopped 4 tbspns
Shrimp paste 1 tspn
Coconut milk medium consistency 6 cups
Creamy peanut butter 1/3rd cup
Sugar ¼ cup
Salt
2 tspns
