There are still those who say that Pattaya has no
artistic soul. This is not correct, and the Art Cafe, which has now been
going for just over 12 months, has become an integral part of the ‘art’
scene in Pattaya, with exhibitions and art classes. However, the Art Cafe has also been getting itself a good name as a place to dine,
and so the Dining Out team decided to revisit, it being almost 12 months
since our last official review.
The
venue is definitely ‘romantic’ with the gardens now trimmed, the
spotlights on the trees and the well lit colonial style house with the open
verandahs. Every available area is taken up by paintings of all descriptions
and all styles. Canvases wrapped in bubble-wrap are waiting for shipment,
and you have the feeling of being in a huge gallery. The yellow ochre
stippled walls inside and the cream with green accents outside on the
verandah all help to produce a warm and inviting ambience. The service
personnel are also smartly turned out in black with long yellow aprons and
are smiling. The warm welcome is infectious!
The
tropical atmosphere is heightened by the cane chairs and brightened by the
‘Modigliani’ style place mats. Nothing somber about this place. Being a
balmy evening, we chose to dine out on the balcony.
The cuisine is predominantly Mediterranean/European, but
in the menu there is a page of Thai favourites, with most Thai dishes around
B. 150. The menu, which is in French, English and German, commences with
soups, French Onion and lobster bisque (B. 120 and 160) and then entrees (B.
180-380) including a Greek salad, frog legs and snails. Over the page we
found more entrees, with the majority around B. 150, including Lebanese
Tabouli (cous-cous), Coquilles St. Jacques and even an Antipasti plate.
Pastas are generally under B. 200, but the spaghetti with
squid’s ink and smoked salmon is B. 230. Fish dishes (B. 220-350) include
Pastis flamed tiger prawns with steamed potatoes and daily vegetables.
Meat dishes which include chicken, duck, pork, lamb,
rabbit are in the B. 180-420 range, while the following page of steaks are
B. 720-890, reflecting the high cost of the imported US meats.
There is also a blackboard menu with more different items
such as goose, turkey, lobster, barracuda and ostrich.
Our hot French bread was brought to the table, and the
crusty tasty loaf had us looking forward to our meals. We began with a
mussels in a paprika herb sauce for Madame and the Coquille St. Jacques for
me. The mussels were plump and not overdone and the sauce with them very
pleasant. My scallops came in an orange sauce, complete with a slice of
orange. Different, but very tasty and a great entr้e to sparkle up the
palate.
Our mains arrived, the roast beef in a red wine sauce for
Madame and the pork fillet medallions in a whole-grain mustard sauce for me.
This came with a small tower of potato with baked garlic, and was worth it,
just for the potatoes alone. Excellent. The pork was also tender and the
sauce was special. Madame’s beef came in much thicker slices than we have
seen recently and was too much for her to finish!
We ended with the apple tart. Superb!
The Art Cafe has matured in the 13 months since
its opening. This can be seen in the fact that it has garnered a
‘homely’ touch to the ambience and it is now much more than a gallery
you can eat in. It is, for Pattaya, a cultural and culinary oasis, and the
Art Cafe is to be congratulated in its persevering with the concept,
and making it work. The fact that it is now an accredited venue for art
exhibitions and for young artists to show their work, is testament to this.
It also serves good Mediterranean, European and Thai style food. Definitely
worth a romantic evening out. Highly recommended.
The Art Cafe, 285/3 Moo 5, Soi 16 Pattaya Naklua Road (after the
over-bridge coming from Pattaya to Naklua), telephone 038 367 652, fax 038
367 653, www.artcafe-thailand.com, email [email protected].
