Alibaba

Chicken Tikka

The name Alibaba comes from the tale known as the One Thousand and One Nights which was compiled in the early 1800’s. It has captured the imagination of the world, with many movies depicting the tale of Alibaba, the poor woodcutter who discovers the lair of the 40 thieves and the magic words to open the cave of treasure (more on that later). The latest is a French telefilm starring Gérard Jugnot and Catherine Zeta-Jones screened in 2007.
But back to Pattaya and 2014. The Alibaba restaurant has been a feature of the lower part of Central Road for many, many years, tucked away on the left about 100 meters from the beach road intersection. The restaurant is upstairs and as you enter the restaurant proper, you are transported to a different world of the Mughlai and Punjabi warriors. Waiters in traditional outfits with headgear welcome you, Indian music fills the restaurant and the smells of Indian dishes fill the air.

Prawn Puri

The décor is wildly Indian with tapestries, paintings, memorabilia, candles, curtains, chests with treasure and more. There is no mistaking that you are in an Indian restaurant.
The wine list is not extensive, but there are bottles from Italy, Australia, France, and Chile covered by a range of B. 800-1200.
The menu, however, is extensive, and interestingly, many names for the dishes are Persian, dating back to when Persian was the official language of the Mughal Court. It begins with starters (B. 70-345), with most around B. 120 including Aloo Chat and Masala Papadums.
Kebabs are next (B. 345 in general), followed by Tikka’s, Tandoori and Tawa Masala. These begin at B. 255 and go up from there, especially with platters that can feed more than one person.

There is one page of curries, covering chicken, lamb and seafood, with most under B. 345, with all the favorites of Vindaloo, Masala, Madras and Korma.
As to be expected there is also a page of vegetarian items, followed by Rice, Breads (17 different styles) and Accompaniments. As stated at the start, this is a very full, traditional Indian menu of Mughlai and Punjabi items.
The only surprising omission was a “chilli meter” rating, although the take-away menu does indicate mild, hot and very hot.
We did the review one lunchtime, and we were quite amazed at the through traffic of diners, and 99 percent of them Indian. It is always a good sign to see people from any country dining in their own restaurants.
We began with Chicken Samosas (B. 160) for me and a Prawn Puri (B. 275) for Madame. Both of these were excellent, both with their individual spices, but not so hot that the flavor was lost.
We selected some breads (garlic Naan being a great favorite of mine) and for mains a Chicken Tikka Punjabi (B. 295) and a Balti Lamb Madras (B. 345). In addition, on the advice of an Indian friend we ordered a Channa Bhatura which comes with a fine bread ‘parcel’ for a chickpea dish. This was something I had never tried before, but now will again.
We were both very satisfied, but felt we had over-ordered; however a take home pack was supplied and the staff at the Pattaya Mail dined well in the afternoon.
We could see just why Alibaba has been so popular over the years. The restaurant and décor are authentic, as is the food, and the service was very attentive as well.
And the magic words to the treasures of this restaurant are “Open Sesame”, though it is even easier just to say, “I read about it in the Pattaya Mail!” Do go and try.
By the way, Alibaba has a delivery service for when you feel like some Indian food or banquet at home. For orders over B. 500, delivery is free to Pattaya, Jomtien and the Dark Side (East Pattaya), but for orders under B. 500 there is a B. 50 delivery fee.
Alibaba, 1/13-14 Central Pattaya Road (on the left hand side, about 100 meters to the beach), telephone 038 361 620, home deliveries 038 423 227, email [email protected], on street parking, open seven days 11 a.m. until midnight.

Korean BBQ

In Thailand, anything from the K country is lapped up. You can add Korean BBQ to that, as Korean BBQ restaurants are a world-wide phenomenon, but you can have a Korean BBQ just as well at home. The conical shaped Korean BBQ plate is the traditional way to do this, but the more usual western BBQ plate works fine. The important factors are slicing the meat thinly and allowing enough time to absorb the flavors from the marinade.

Ingredients	Serves 6
Beef sliced and pounded thin	300 gm
Chicken breast pounded thin	200 gm
Pork loin pounded thin	100 gm
Bacon rashers	100 gm
Dark soy sauce	2 tbspns
Light soy sauce	2 tbspns
Spring onion finely chopped	1
Garlic crushed	2 cloves
Grated ginger root	1 tspn
Sesame oil	1 tspn
Sunflower oil	2 tspns
Ground black pepper	1 pinch

Cooking Method

Cut the beef, chicken, pork and bacon into thin bite-sized slices (5x2.5 cm) and dry with a towel.
In a dish, mix the soy sauces, spring onion, garlic, ginger, pepper and sesame oil then place the meats in the mixture and leave for around 60 minutes to absorb the marinade.
Heat the BBQ plate and brush with sunflower oil and quickly cook the meat for about one minute each side and serve immediately on a warmed plate.