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Dining Out: Mata Hari Brasserie - a martyr to indulgence?
Birthday boy: The place to be this coming Saturday night, June 16, is the Spicy Girls ogling den (Pattayaland Soi 1) for Ewan’s birthday bash. The playhouse partner will be turning 40-plus (not including VAT and tip) and I have to say he looks well preserved for his advancing years, but that has more to do with the embalming effects of certain alcoholic products rather than good genes. The party kicks off around 7 p.m. with the usual gutted pig revolving on a spit out the front. The den will be having hourly ‘Spicy Slammer’ freebies passed around to those patrons who haven’t already passed out, so we can expect quite a few sore heads come Sunday morning. Keeping the Horn alive: Dave, the popular ‘gaffer’ of the Horn beer boozer (top end of Soi Happy in Walking Street), is ‘duckin’ and divin’ back to the Old Dart for his annual ‘reality check’. The East Ender has built a good business based around his own friendly personality, but has now employed a full-time manager to help relieve the long hours involved in keeping the boozer up to strength. Dave says Craig, his new manager, had the type of character he was looking for to help run the bar and he’s apparently fitted nicely into the Horn groove. ‘Know wot I mean, guv?’ Dolled up in jeans: The Dollhouse ogling den (Walking Street) has been trying out a new style of ‘uniform’ for its dancing maidens to almost wear on Friday and Saturday nights. Basically, it consists of mini-skirts on Fridays and denim shorts on Saturdays. I know this doesn’t, of itself, sound particularly exciting, but if you happen to wander through the portals of the palace on one of those nights, you’ll probably be glad you did. Although the 30 baht crazy hour drinks prices between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. is still continuing there has been a change in just what punters can order. Carlsberg draught, gin, vodka, whisky, rum and tequila are all at 30 baht; however, premium amber fluids and liver wasters are at the full 95 baht price. Manager Ken has been doing a great job of running the playhouse but is finding it tough getting his DJ to stick to a decent play list. It’s not so well known that human cloning was being conducted in Thailand a couple of decades ago and a DJ was the first person to be copied. Since then, a series of these clones have been let loose in the environs of Pattaya and parts of Bangkok and have taken over spinning discs in ogling dens. As all bar owners in Fun Town know, these DJ’s come complete with a ‘techno/house’ implant that is impossible to remove without resorting to microscopic surgery or a large lump of wood. So, it is a constant battle of wits to get them to play what most punters want to hear rather than what the DJ’s like. It’s no wonder Ken’s lost his hair. Is that Ginger I see? The Giligin’s ogling den (Pattayaland Soi 1) got away to a pretty ordinary start when it opened its doors a few months ago. Basically, the place looked more like an air raid shelter than a chrome pole palace, but in recent times, Elvis (no he hasn’t left the building, just the planet) and his crew have started to whip the place into better shape. For those tired of experimenting with ordinary liquids like lighter fluid and battery acid, you might like to really test the strength of your liver by indulging in a glass or two of the Giligin’s ‘House Whiskey and Mixer’ for just five, yes five, baht. This concoction is available all day and night and, to be honest, I have more respect for my body than to try it. There are rumours that it is made from water extracted from the Pattaya Bay filtration plant (prior to the filtering process), siphoned through one of Elvis’ old and used jockstraps and then given just a dash of two-stroke motor oil for added flavour. Stroke me lucky: One of the best spots in Walking Street to sit and check out the passing parade (such as it is at this time of year) is Stoney’s Place, located at the bottom end of Soi Happy (officially known as Golden Mile Plaza). Stoney has been in Fun Town for longer than even he cares to remember and can usually be spotted perched on his stool in a corner of the bar, lord of all he surveys. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago he suffered a mild stroke, but he must have the constitution of a bull rhinoceros because he was back in the saddle puffing on a couple of thousand ciggies and slurping liver wasters as if nothing had happened. Just goes to show they breed ‘em tough out in the wilds of Western Australia. My e-mail address is: [email protected]
A packed stage at the Moon River Pub Rather than scratching around to find entertainers to take the stage at the Moon River Pub, the management of the Thai Garden Resort has found it currently has two bands to entertain the customers at the Resort’s nightspot.
The first is the Island Soul Band from the Caribbean, a group of musicians with musical roots in the Trinidad and Tobago steel band culture, with a lithe young lead singer, Stephanie, who can writhe as well as wring out the rhythms. They are at their best when playing Caribbean music.
The second band is Peaches from the Philippines. This is the ultimate “family” band, composed of the father on saxophone and then sons, daughters, cousins and in-laws making up the rest. The saxophonist is sensational, going out into the audience for some very up-beat numbers, and showing the natural talent that has made Filipinos the musicians of Asia. The season is limited, so if you want to catch these bands, do it soon.
Copyright 2001 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co. Ltd. |
The
restaurant is now fully air-conditioned, with the front section glassed
in. The tables and chairs are substantial, with heavy red tablecloths and
napkins. Discreet background music fills in the gaps in conversation and
we settled back with a glass each of the house white to read the quite
substantial menu. Mention should be made of the fact that not only were
the wine glasses of high quality, but the house wine was also a good
Hardy’s chardonnay from Australia.
There
are more than a dozen main courses (B. 220-295) with duck fillets, quail,
snapper and lobster all on offer along with fillet steak Mata Hari, which
is a beef fillet with chicken liver pate, fried mushrooms and asparagus;
or a chicken fillet with smoked ham, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Then
there are what Louis calls his Specialities (B. 325-395) and the six on
offer include steamed salmon steak with dill cream sauce, veal fillet with
asparagus and mushrooms in a cream sauce and lamb cutlets with garlic,
mint and rosemary gravy. With the mains there are four choices of potato
(French fries, boiled, croquette or fried) and side salad or vegetables.
There are also eight desserts with such mouth watering names as frozen
mocca and hazelnut meringue and Louis own home made ice cream. For those
diners whose partners prefer Thai food there are twenty-two items on the
menu (B. 90-160) with all the usual standards to choose from.
Island
Soul
Peaches