Those who frequent the Royal Garden Plaza will have noticed a new dining outlet on the ground floor (Pattaya Second Road entrance on the right). This is the Coffee Club, and whilst it may be new to Pattaya, it is actually part of a very well established network, having originated in Australia.
The venue announces itself as a ‘Café Bar Restaurant’, and according to the GM, Aussie Michael Chick, it is food oriented and is licensed to supplement and complement the food.
The décor and ambience are very much modern, with clean lines predominating, black tables, glass, chrome and mirrors which give the venue a very light and airy feel to it. There are also tables outside for those that wish to get close to the Royal Garden Plaza’s trademark syncopated fountain.
The dining out team was expanded to include two children (both under six years of age) and two coloring books and an assortment of coloring pens were brought to the table, and were met with immediate approval by both the children (and the adults)!
The menu is comprehensive without being extensive, and opens with the various coffees (I gave up counting at 15) and other non-alcoholic drinks including caffeine free herbal teas.
The next section covers breakfasts which range from an inexpensive three egg omelette with tomato, mushroom, onion, herbs, spinach and mozzarella cheese (B. 120) through Eggs Benedict with ham (B. 190), a Lifestyle breakfast with avocado and ham and poached eggs (B. 220) to a Big breakfast featuring a grilled rib eye steak and all the accompaniments (B. 350).
Starters, sides and salads are next up, which does include some Thai favorites, such as som tum, though I would imagine the Coffee Club would prefer you to eat at the table, rather than the traditional floor!
Gourmet sandwiches and open grills follow, all done on Turkish bread, and next are some light meals including the interesting sounding lemon pepper calamari and chips (B. 299) and a children’s menu (the Kid’s Club) B. 90-180 depending on how hungry your child gets.
Then it is the mains, with grills B. 299-499 including chicken, salmon and beef; pastas and more Thai food.
The final page has wines, beers and spirits with Australian wines in the main from B. 1,500 per bottle or B. 190 by the glass.
The menu has in addition to the usual descriptions, small photo ‘thumbnails’ depicting the food, and the junior members of the team ordered from there. Chicken nuggets and chips (B. 140) for one and egg on toast for the other (B. 90), with the choice of cooking style from the most junior member of the team being scrambled egg. As an aside, in an international resort city such as Pattaya where not all tourists can read English, photographic menus make much sense.
The adult members went for a gourmet chicken and avocado sandwich (B. 189) for myself and the gourmet smoked salmon and cream cheese (B. 209) for Madame. These came between some very substantial pieces of Turkish bread and some accompanying garden greens. I wrote at the time “Don’t miss the salad” as it was excellent and really freshened the palate. The sandwiches themselves were very well filled with lettuce, Spanish onions, avocado and the chicken and salmon.
The promise in their promotions is: “Enjoy dinner with the family at the Coffee Club. Good food, great service, excellent coffee.” That it does very well. As a family, we enjoyed good food, the service (with the widest of smiles) was better than “great”, and the coffee was excellent.
With the various promotions such as the Wednesday pasta nights (from 5 p.m.) with a choice of five pasta dishes at B. 149 and the “Light Meal Sets” which include food and a drink for generally B. 199, it is possible to dine inexpensively.
The Coffee Club is a welcome addition to the dining out venues in Pattaya. It has its own charm and personality and is well worth a visit if you are round the Royal Garden Plaza. And remember that there is plenty of secure parking underneath.
The Coffee Club, Royal Garden Plaza, next to the Marriott Resort and Spa, open from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m., seven days.

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BBQ Pork Korean style

With the poor old pig having been cleared by the authorities as not having a sniffle, let alone the flu, here is a very tasty way of cooking pork. Use the BBQ plate, but it will also work on a BBQ griddle. In the conventional Korean BBQ you let the juices run off into a soup stock receptacle, which you can do BBQ plates. This recipe calls for at least 60 minutes of marinade, which is the secret of giving it the oriental flavor.

Cooking Method Cut the meat into thin bite-sized pieces. In a shallow bowl mix the soy sauces, spring onion, garlic, ginger root, pepper and sesame oil. Stir the meat into the marinade and ensure it is all coated, sprinkle with coriander and let stand in the fridge for 60 minutes. Brush the BBQ griddle with sunflower oil, heat and quickly BBQ the meat for about one minute on each side. Serve with boiled rice and bean sprouts.

Ingredients                Serves3-4
Pork                                    500 gm
Dark soy sauce                   2 tbspns
Light soy sauce                  2 tbspns
Spring onion finely chopped           1
Garlic crushed                    2 cloves
Ginger root grated                  1 tspn
Sesame oil                            1 tspn
Sunflower oil                          2 tspn
Ground black pepper              1 pinch
Coriander leaf chopped           1 pinch