Pattaya - You’ve never had it so good!

by Miss Terry Diner

Over the past few weeks the Dining Out team has come across some wonderful bargains in the culinary scene in Pattaya, and this week we discovered another. Called the 4-Course Schlemmer set menu at Casa Pascal, this offer promises food and unlimited wine for B. 790+. Yes, you read that correctly - unlimited wine!

With Pascal Schnyder’s Swiss background, a translation from his ‘native’ Swiss-German to English is called for. “Schlemmer” translates to gluttony, revealing a dry sense of humor from our chef, so this is the four course menu for gourmands, as opposed to gourmets!

News of this Schlemmer menu certainly created some interest in the gourmets as well, as on the night we did our review, we saw two members of the Chaine des Rotisseurs and three members of the Royal Cliff Wine Club all trying out the items on offer. And at the end of this review I will give you their opinion as well as ours!

Casa Pascal should be very well known in Pattaya as it celebrated its ninth year in 2010, but for those who are new in town, it is on the right off Second Road and next to Ruen Thai restaurant, and opposite the Marriott Resort and Spa.

It is elegantly appointed, large tables and chairs and not sitting one on top of the other. It is a restaurant to sit back and savor the food and surroundings, while being pampered by superb service staff. It is certainly deserving of the title of being one of Pattaya’s top fine dining restaurants.

The menu is large and leather bound and almost too heavy to carry! However, we had not come to eat from the a la carte section, but from the four course Schlemmer set menu. Whilst it is a set menu, there are choices available - starters feature an Appetizer plate or Caesar salad, two soups, four mains, including sirloin steak with green pepper sauce, fish fillets in white wine dill cream sauce, Weiner schnitzel or grilled pork hunter style with mushroom sauce. Your choice of potatoes as well. Finally a trio dessert, so you can see you are not devoid of choice.

The wines to go with the Schlemmer menu are South African and are a Chardonnay Colombard for the white, and a Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon for the red, both eminently drinkable.

On sitting down and being given the cold towels, and indicating we were ‘schlemming’ for the evening, we were immediately offered our wines and we began with the white. An ‘amuse bouche’ also arrived, a graved lax salmon, and a great way to start our evening.

I had chosen the Appetizer plate which had smoked salmon, prawn cocktail, Parma ham, beef carpaccio, roasted pork loin and salad vegetables. Madame went for the Caesar salad. We were both more than happy with our choices.

Madame had then chosen the pumpkin cream soup and I the lobster bisque, both arriving hot to the table and excellent.

For mains, Madame had the fish and I had the hunter style pork. Large portions, correctly cooked and again hot to the table and of the usual Casa Pascal standard.

After a reasonable breather and some more red wine, we did manage the dessert trio with walnut ice cream, as true gourmands should!

However, at the end of the night, we were still shaking our heads in disbelief. The food was of the usual high standard that we have come to expect from Pascal Schnyder and Casa Pascal. The portions were the usual generous size (it is not ‘nouvelle cuisine’) and the presentation excellent. The staff remains the same, delivering the usual high standard of service - and all this for B. 790+ with unlimited white and red wines. From our point of view, this Schlemmer menu is highly recommended. Now, I did say I would give you the opinions of the gourmets. Universally they all began with “How does he do it? Excellent food and incredible value!” We can only agree!

Casa Pascal, 485/M10, Pattaya Second Road almost opposite the Marriott Resort and Spa (next to Ruen Thai), Pattaya City, reservations recommended, tel. 038 723 660, email [email protected]. Secure parking and limousine pick up if required. Open seven days 11 a.m. until late.

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Curried Chicken Squares

This is very similar to curry puffs, but instead of puff pastry you use slices of bread, like the English toasties. This is a fun recipe for children.

Ingredients      Serves 4-6 Soft white bread           18 slices Minced cooked chicken  3/4 cup Roasted shelled peanuts 1/4 cup Minced green onion         1/4 cup 5-spice powder             1/8 tspn Curry powder                  1 tspn Sugar                           1/4 tspn Dash pepper Soy sauce                      1 tspn Chopped parsley         2 tbspns Egg yolk, slightly beaten         1 Oil for frying

Cooking Method

Remove crusts from bread; cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap to keep soft. Make crumbs from crusts by putting a few at a time into a blender.

Combine three tablespoons bread crumbs with chicken, peanuts, green onion, 5-spice powder, curry powder, sugar, pepper, soy sauce, and parsley; mix well.

Roll bread slices very thin with a rolling pin. Cut each square in half, place a teaspoon of chicken mixture on each piece. Brush edges of bread with egg yolk; fold in half to form a square. Pinch to seal, trimming if necessary.

In a deep fryer, heat oil. Fry three or four chicken squares at a time, turning once until desired brown color is reached (about two minutes). Remove from oil and drain on absorbent paper. Repeat until all squares are cooked. May be served with mustard sauce. Makes about 36.