Wi’s Restaurant had been open for only two weeks when the Dining Out Team made
its visit; however, there was a certain familiarity about everything when we got
there. The answer was that the venue had previously been used by Cherry
Restaurant which had relocated, and when we made further enquiries it came out
that the previous chef and the sous-chef had stayed to become the culinary force
of Wi’s new restaurant.
The restaurant is in two distinct sections. The first is an undercover, but
open, front section seating around 30 people, whilst the second is the
glassed-in air-conditioned back section which could take up to 40. Both areas
have the tables covered with green tablecloths and yellow throw-overs, and
everything was sparkling clean and very inviting.
The restaurant promises both European and Thai cuisine, and the menu is
extensive. Right from the outset you realize that this is no ordinary restaurant
when in the Specials of the Month there is a seafood mixed grill (snapper,
salmon, scallop and tiger prawns) served with boiled potato and butter lemon
sauce for B. 345. Further down the page in the ‘Recommended’ section there is a
snow fish fillet with spinach served on white asparagus and light vinaigrette
sauce for B. 395.
The next page featured the special set menu (B. 495) with four courses and a
choice of four main dishes (steak, pork, chicken or red snapper). Going on to
the cold appetizers, you can even have a French goose liver terrine or a timbale
of crabmeat and shrimp on an avocado salad with pesto and tomato coulis (B.
190). Hot appetizers, salads and soups continue in the same fine dining vein,
for example a Parmesan cream soup with Parma ham and rosemary in a basket (B.
90). Take your time, there are 66 items worth savoring. And at affordable prices
too. And yes there is Thai food, with most around B. 150.
The wine list is small, but again very inexpensive, with most bottles under B.
1,500 and enough choices from both the Old and New Worlds.
I decided to try the B. 495 special set menu and ordered the beef tenderloin
option, whilst Madame went for the lobster bisque (B. 90), followed by the
roasted duck breast glazed with spiced honey served with small savoy cabbage
parcels and mashed potatoes (B. 220). We also ordered a bottle of the Thai
Monsoon Valley red, which was pleasant drinking and at B. 750, also inexpensive.
If you think the menu reads well, the food was even better, and the service
excellent. We were offered an Amuse Bouche first and a sorbet before the main
courses. Our meals were served on hot plates, the quantities were more than
adequate, and my tenderloin was really tender and cooked exactly to my request.
I could go on for pages about the superb dining experience that this was, and I
kept on thinking I would open my eyes and find that I was dining on the top
floor of a five star resort restaurant. The chefs (who are Thai) certainly know
how to prepare, cook and season European food. We both gave Wi’s Restaurant five
stars on its own.
We had enjoyed a true ‘fine dining’ experience at Wi’s Restaurant at prices that
were almost too cheap to be true. The special set menu of four courses plus a
glass of wine and coffee at the end for B. 495 is incredibly inexpensive. I have
paid more than that for just a tenderloin on its own. Madame stated that the
duck was the best she had ever had, and likewise the totally mouthwatering hot
cherry dessert.
This restaurant will become a weekly pilgrimage for many in Pattaya, and this
all can be done at a fraction of the price you would expect to pay anywhere else
in the fine dining category. Very highly recommended. Do go, you will not
believe the quality until you try it yourself.
Wi’s Restaurant, 394/131-132 Pattaya Third Road (almost opposite X-Zyte and
around 500 meters from South Pattaya Road), telephone 089 251 4966, open seven
days 4 p.m. until 11.30 p.m. Plenty of on street parking.
Pork Satays
Satays make an ideal BBQ food. Speared on a stick or
skewer, you can eat single-handed while holding a drink in the other! To
make the best satays, marinade, marinade, marinade! To make these pork
satays memorable, marinate the meat in a zip-lok bag in the fridge overnight
and prepare the skewers the next day. It is messier, but the result is
better. By the way, use the commercially available satay sauce you can get
in the local supermarkets.
Cooking Method:
Cut the pork into flat, bite sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine the garlic,
onion, coriander, brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and vegetable oil. Now
place the pork meat into the bowl and thoroughly mix each piece in the marinade.
Pour the meat and marinade into the bag and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
Before cooking, thread the meat on to skewers that have been soaked in water for
30 minutes and cook over a hot BBQ or on the griller. Do not overcook pork.
Serve the satays with commercially available peanut sauce.
Ingredients Makes ten
12 inch skewers
Pork loin
500 gm
Garlic, minced
3 cloves
Onion, minced
½ large onion
Coriander (fresh) minced 2
tspns
Brown sugar
1 tbspn
Lime juice from
one lime
Fish sauce
1 tbspn
Vegetable oil
1 tbspn
