Mantra’s Sunday Brunch

It had been some time since we went to the Mantra for their Sunday Brunch, so we were definitely looking forward to the occasion. Mantra have called it their “Fabulous Sunday Brunch” and we felt it was the Dining Out Team’s job to see if it really was.
There must be very few people who do not know the Mantra, but for any ‘newbies’ out there, it is on the left, on the short run-down from the Dolphin Roundabout (intersection of North Road and Second Road) heading towards Beach Road, and in the grounds of the Amari Resort and Tower. Drive in, there is valet parking to make it even easier.

The building has always been imposing with very high ceilings and amazing décor. One enjoys just being there, before even starting to eat.
The brunch is buffet style, though there is also a brunch a la carte menu if you don’t feel like walking around - however, take my tip and do spend time to walk around and see just what is on offer. This way you will not miss something you wished you had tried and then do not have enough room for it.
The buffet is extensive, with many gourmet items not normally seen in the average buffet. These include some French cheeses including Reblochon de Savoir Fernier de la “Mere Richard” AOP, three types of oysters (on our Sunday, two French and one Irish), Alaskan King Crab legs, rock lobsters, prawns, mussels, pastas and even things called “cronuts” (more about these later). However, it is much more than just a static buffet, as there are many themed live cooking stations as well, covering Indian cuisine, Thai and Chinese, Grills, Italian, and Japanese. In essence, there is far more than I can write about without it looking like a gourmet food list, and make no mistake, these are gourmet items.

After our tour, the junior tasters chose Alaskan King Crabs to start and a ‘made to order’ pizza. It was about then that the Executive Chef Leonard Faust introduced the children to the “cronuts” - these are donuts made from croissant dough then split for different fillings or dipped in chocolate.
During a very leisurely two hours I indulged in oysters, crabs, chicken tikka, salmon, prawns with wasabi, cheeses (the Cambozola was sensational) and more. With such a spread I changed from a gourmet to a gourmand and Mantra is to blame! It was Sunday indulgence in the grand manner.

The children? They had already spied the dessert section (in the cocktail bar area) with chocolate fountains, ice creams, fruits, meringues and everything a young boy could ever dream about.
The Sunday Bruch is undoubtedly “fabulous” (look at the pictures!) and well worth the B. 1690++ per person. By the way, children under 6 are free and between 6 to 12 half price. The Sunday Brunch also has a free flow wine buffet for an additional B. 1490++ per person. This is something we feel you should consider as most bottles of wine these days can be far more than B. 1,500. The selection of wines in their wine buffet are also varied, allowing you to sample more than one style.
Mantra Restaurant and Bar, Beach Road (down from the Dolphin Circle), telephone 038 429 591, fax 038 428 165, [email protected]. Open seven days, Bar from 5 p.m., restaurant from 6 p.m. but 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. for Sunday Brunch. Secure parking within the Mantra car park.

A different stir-fry chicken

Wok cooking is quick and easy in Thailand. Every house has one and stir-fries are quick and healthy. Chicken is always available and is eaten by all ethnic groups. This recipe will take 15 minutes to prepare and another 10 minutes in the cooking.

Ingredients	Serves 3-4
Soy sauce	3 tbspns
Lime juice	from ½ lime
Garlic, finely chopped	1 clove
Fresh ginger, grated	3cm piece
Chicken breasts, sliced skinless	3
Peanut oil	2 tbspns
Red chilli	sliced 1
Shallots, finely sliced	3
Baby pak choi, quartered	3
Red bell pepper sliced	1
Yellow bell pepper sliced	1
Bamboo shoots	225 gm can drained
Fresh coriander chopped	½ cup

Cooking Method

Mix the soy sauce, lime juice, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Add the sliced chicken, stir to coat, and leave to marinate for 30 minutes to one hour.
Heat the oil in the wok over a high heat and brown the chicken for 3 minutes. Add the chilli, shallots, pak choi, red and yellow bell peppers and any leftover marinade, and fry for six minutes more until the chicken is cooked through.
Add the bamboo shoots and warm them through. Stir through the coriander leaves, squeeze some lime juice over, and serve with boiled rice.