Those who live in Pattaya often forget what a wonderful
city this is for tropical dining - especially on the famous Walking Street.
One of those venues is the Food Fair Sea Food Restaurant. We may have
forgotten, but the tourists have not; with currently so many Russian
tourists eating at this restaurant, the owner has even an addition called
the Food Fair the “Russian Caf้” (in Cyrillic script).
Food Fair entrance
For those who have not been to Walking Street for some
time, the Food Fair is very close to the Bali Hai end of Walking Street (200
paces from the archway actually) and is on the side over the water.
It had been some time since we had been to the Food Fair,
and it has certainly grown in the past couple of years. In addition to the
ground floor restaurant, there is now an upper floor reached by an
escalator, which catches even more of the balmy breezes from Pattaya Bay.
The two levels can accommodate up to 600 patrons at one
time and the tables and chairs are sturdy, and seats padded! Good quality
cutlery is also used (none of the Uri Geller bending spoons variety) at Food
Fair.
Seafood platter
Over a Heineken palate freshener we perused the wine
list. Whites predominate, as you would expect in a seafood restaurant. The
prices were very reasonable, with for example, 16 Australian whites on offer
between B. 1,050 and B. 1,590. The vast majority were under B. 1,500, with
only a good French above B. 3,000.
In common with this genre of restaurant, the menu was
huge, with 205 items on offer. There was also an additional menu, which was
photographic, of recommended items. (I am very much in favor of photographic
menus in an international tourist city.)
Whilst many seafood items are costed out by weight, there
were also many others at a fixed price. Soup dishes (both Thai and European)
were around B. 120. Dishes featuring rock lobster could be ordered from as
little as B. 260, and there were even steak items from B. 270, for those
carnivores who have to have meat. There were even lamb items around B. 250.
And if that were not enough, there were even Japanese and Chinese dishes on
offer as well.
We began with a tempura plate with (very large) prawns,
fish and even some chips. These were not greasy at all, and the oil used was
obviously fresh. A great start.
A Tom Yum Talay was suggested by our waiter, and he
assured me that it could be made non-spicy if I wished. I was a little
reluctant when the steamboat arrived, but I did not need to worry. It was
absolutely delightful. There was a side dish of chilli paste for Madame, who
does enjoy the spiciness. However, I personally feel that chilli masks the
true flavors of this traditional Thai dish.
Our final splurge of the evening was a seafood platter
with crab, a whole fish, rock lobster, prawns, and calamari. This dish
easily fed five people and at B. 2,500 (B. 500 a head) was a bargain. We
were unable to finish our platter and unashamedly asked for a doggy bag. The
food was just as good the next morning after a quick spin in the microwave!
We were very happy with our food. The items were cooked
correctly and the prices were most reasonable. Whilst many people seemed to
like the lower deck, I enjoyed the upper deck very much. The service was
excellent and the Miss Chang Beer hostess was almost enough to get me away
from Heineken! We were not rushed into leaving, even though there was a
steady influx of diners all the time we were there. It was a good leisurely
dining out experience.
This would be an ideal venue to bring overseas friends to
experience Pattaya-style relaxed dining. Highly recommended.
The Food Fair Seafood Restaurant (Russian Cafô), 147/1
Moo 10, Walking Street, South Pattaya, telephone 038 428 813, 038 710 984,
website www.foodfair.co.th, email [email protected]. Parking area close to
the Walking Street archway, and will be plentiful when the new Bali Hai car
parking building is completed.
