It had been a while since our last official visit to Café des Amis, so it was
with some expectations that we arrived to do our review. Was it as good as
before? Or better? Had it evolved or become complacent? Restaurants are like any
other business and the pathway between success or failure can be very narrow.
For those yet to discover Café des Amis, go up Thappraya Road
from South Pattaya and turn into Soi 11 on your left. There is an illuminated
sign, but the soi number is most easily spotted. Run down to the bottom and the
restaurant is directly in front of you, behind the ornamental wooden doors.
As you go through the portals, a tropical garden appears and
as you walk around it to the right, you enter the restaurant’s cocktail/wine bar
area to be almost overwhelmed by the all-encompassing warm ambience.
The history of the building is interesting, being one of a
small village of homes built by a French architect some years ago. These were
all done in an ‘over the top’ Siamese style, and that feeling is still present
today, with restaurant owner/manager Blu making sure that it is maintained.
The menu offerings show some changes from the original, with
British chef Mark providing a more international approach, though French
inspired. “We even have some curries,” said Blu. However, it is not a totally
congested multi-page menu, but two pages of well selected items.
Starters (B. 160-290) begin with home made chicken liver
parfait with toast served with an onion marmalade and other tempting items such
as pan seared scallops with avocado salsa and deep fried Atlantic crab spring
rolls with ginger and coriander dipping sauce.
Into the mains and again, the prices are certainly not
excessive, with the majority between B. 380-450. Items such as imported steaks
do come with a premium, but even these peak at only B. 850. Interesting
offerings include pork Normand, an oven cooked pork fillet wrapped in bacon
served with candied apples and finished with a cream cider jus; braised lamb
shank with mint mashed potatoes and a rosemary jus or a beef stroganoff with
brandy and spicy paprika, cut from an Australian fillet steak sliced and cooked
with a shot of brandy, fresh cream, spicy paprika and mushrooms, and served with
jasmine rice.
The wine list is well thought out, with offerings from both
the old and new worlds and listed by grape variety. Most are in the range of B.
1,200-2,000 and we selected the Australian Barwick Estates Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 (B. 1,790) and this is a very, very pleasant smooth full bodied wine. I can
recommend it highly.
Dinner began with the Amuse Bouche from the chef, a seafood
crepe, which has the taste buds looking for more.
For starters, Madame chose the pieces of crispy fried duck
with a julienne of crispy vegetables and a plum and hoy sin sauce (B. 280). This
dish just melted in the mouth and we will have it again on our next (private)
visit. I had ordered the pan-seared scallops with avocado salsa (B. 290) which
was also very pleasant.
For mains, Madame went for the crab and shrimp thermidore
while I ordered the pan fried NZ John Dory fish with a prawn and cucumber sauce.
Both of these were excellent eating.
After dinner we lingered in the wine bar - the ambience just
draws you in.
Café des Amis is now two years old, and has progressed from
being a funky little restaurant off a small soi off Thappraya Road into being a
superb boutique restaurant with probably the best ambience in Pattaya. The
prices are very reasonable, especially with a restaurant having dishes of such
high standard and generous portion size. It has garnered itself an excellent
reputation amongst the epicures on the Eastern Seaboard, and one which it
deserves. Very highly recommended (and the crispy duck was simply superb).
Café des Amis, 391/6 Soi 11, Thappraya Road, Jomtien,
telephone 038 364 327, open 4.30 p.m. until late (closed on Tuesdays). Smart
casual dress code. Website www.pattayabistro.com. Plenty of parking outside.
Complimentary chauffeur pick-up from the South Pattaya area if required.
