When is a café not a café? When it is a fully fledged
restaurant such as Blu’s “café”. We reviewed Café des Amis and can assure
you from the outset, that it is far more than a café!
The restaurant is at the bottom of Soi 11 Thappraya Road, you will not miss
it. Go through the portal and you are in another world with the al fresco
dining area outside and the restaurant and its cocktail bar inside. Subdued
lighting, comfy armchairs and welcoming staff soon had us settled back with
a pre-dinner drink, and it turned out that Blu is a connoisseur of fine gins
and fine malt whiskies. Dare I admit that he had an 18 year old Balvenie, my
favorite single malt? I could have stayed in the cocktail area all night!
While still on wines and spirits, Blu has a temperature controlled cellar
and some excellent wines in stock. House wines are B. 180-290 per glass;
however, we drank an Echeverria Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009, Maipo Valley,
Founder’s Selection (a Robert Parker 94) which was superb.
The restaurant itself reflects the personality of the
owners, with the first page of the menu setting the ambience, stating, “Blu
and wife Pia welcome you to Café des Amis.” It goes on to show the evolution
of the cuisine, “Originally inspired by French cooking, our menu has now
evolved into other diverse cuisines. Specializing in freshly cooked food
every night, our meats and imported steaks are flown in fresh. We hope that
you enjoy your dinner here and welcome you back soon.”
The first page also shows the current specials which on our evening included
steak tartare at B. 390 (raw Australian beef finely chopped with onions
capers and spices served with toast) as well as Tasmanian oysters (B. 590
for 6).
The menu goes on to Appetizers which begin with a couple
of salads at B. 280, through to sautéed foie gras goose liver with rhubarb
and apple compote, served with toast (B. 550) and if wanted, a 90 ml glass
of Moscato dessert wine for an additional B. 190. Seafood appetizers looked
very inviting with spicy prawns with avocado (B. 290) and Atlantic crab
wraps (B. 290) with fresh white crab meat with lemon and herbs, wrapped in
iceberg lettuce with a mango salsa.
In-house pastas (B. 290-390) available as an appetizer or
main course are up next, followed by items under the heading of main dishes
with Tasmanian salmon at the lower end (B. 480) and oven baked snow fish
fillet at B. 750. These are followed by lamb dishes (B. 490-890) and on to
flame grill steaks with imported steaks from US, Canada and Australia
offered in small or large sizes with choices of sauces. Naturally there is a
premium for such imported cuts of meat.
We began with the steak tartare which was excellently prepared and presented
while Madame’s starter was the Japanese scallops with braised pork belly
with pan seared king scallops, aromatic braised pork belly, apple puree in
rich star anise jus (B. 390). Given top marks by Madame!
From there, after sitting back to enjoy our wine, it was
then on to an amazing Snowfish Wellington cooked in the filo pastry, as per
a Beef Wellington, which both of us agreed was sensational. I also had
another of Blu’s ‘specials’, a Lamb Stroganoff, which was superb.
It is easy to recommend Café des Amis, but difficult for me to fully
describe the overall ambience. It really is a restaurant that lives up to
its excellent reputation, both with the food and the service. With Blu being
omnipresent he makes sure that everything does go as it is supposed to go.
This is actually one of the best restaurants in Pattaya, and though
expensive, is difficult to beat in value for money. If you haven’t been
before, then do make a reservation. If you have visited but some time ago,
make a reservation to see the direction that Café des Amis has taken.
Highest recommendation.
Café des Amis, 391/6 Soi 11, Thappraya Road, Jomtien, telephones 038 364
327, 084 026 4989, facebook.com/cafedesamispattaya; email
info@cafedesamispattaya .com; open six days 5 p.m. until late (closed
Sundays). Plenty of parking outside.
