by Miss Terry Diner
We live in an Asian country and yet the majority of
expats eat ‘farang’ food. This is to be expected, we are, after all,
creatures of habit. One of the main areas of concern for the expats is
whether the ‘side of the road’ Asian food has been prepared under
hygienic circumstances. Will a trial of some satays give you Bangkok Belly
for the next few days? Or worse, such wonderful exotica like Typhoid?
However appealing the food may look, is it just too dangerous?
The Royal Garden Plaza has been aware of these facts
and over the past couple of years has enlarged and revamped their Sea View
Food Court, which is on the 2nd floor of the Plaza (if you count in Aussie
floors), or the 3rd floor (if you count in Eastern floors). Almost every
Asian cuisine is represented amongst the individual stalls, from Thai
hawker food, Indian, Japanese, Northern Thai, Vietnamese, Thai-Chinese,
noodles, a steak house, Esan, Euro, stir fries, som tums, seafood, ice
cream and omelettes. On the back wall of most stalls there are coloured
photographs of the different dishes, so you can get an idea of what you
are about to receive.
There are also drinks stations with both soft drinks
and beer. At another area there is a natural, crushed on the spot, orange
juice stand and even whole coconuts. Another important item is that you
can experience all these foods in air-conditioned comfort. Imagine Asian
roadside food without the heat (and the flies).
It is a brightly lit area, with laminex topped tables
dotted all over and some particularly good ones looking out over Beach
Road at the far end. On the day we did the Dining Out we went for late
lunch on a Saturday and had a good view of the Amazing Thai Wisdom events
along the beachfront. The venue itself is spotlessly clean, with a
veritable army of cleaners picking up discarded plates and wiping down
tables. The utensil stations are also kept well stocked with clean spoons,
forks and individually wrapped chopsticks.
It used to be that one bought vouchers to purchase the
dishes, but that has given way to modern technology. You purchase a
“smart” card which is programmed for whichever amount of money you
decide upon before you eat. Then in turn, after receiving your food at the
stalls, they run your card through a “smart” card reader which prints
out a receipt and deducts the amount from your initial value, just the
same way as a phone card works.
Madame
selected some spring rolls, a glass noodle soup and a couple of fresh
bananas, while I went for a selection of deep fried sausages, fish balls
and crab claws and a plate of Hang Lay curry and rice. For both of us,
half the fun of the lunch was wandering from stall to stall working out
what we would order.
We were amazed at the standard of the dishes we had
selected. The hang lay curry (beef with ginger from the Northern Thai
outlet) being particularly flavoursome, while Madame said her glass noodle
soup was delicious. Remember too, that the stalls often have some small
dishes for you to add fish sauce or nam prik, chilli powder, vinegar,
etc., to your meal.
My deep fried selection deserves a mention too. A
charming young lady cooked them on the spot, with lettuce and cucumber
sliced and placed on the side of the plate. They even came with a wooden
skewer to stab them with at the table.
The price of our lunch? Both of us received change from
our initial 100 baht when we returned the cards. Exceptionally inexpensive
for the quality and surroundings.
For a “toe in the water” approach to Asian cuisine,
the Royal Garden Sea View Food Court represents an ideal way to introduce
your holidaying guests to the mysteries of Asian food, without your having
to cross your fingers at the same time. Highly recommended.
Sea View Food Court, Royal Garden Plaza, Beach Road,
Central Pattaya.
