Hans Banziger, the driving force behind the Paradise
Restaurant on Pattaya Second Road is not a man to let grass, or in this case
barnacles, grow under his feet. During the four years that his Paradise
Restaurant has been in operation, he has been instrumental in pushing the
concept of revolving special promotions, with the most popular items
eventually finding their way into the regular menu. In this way the
restaurant menu is continuously evolving.
Hans
and Daeng Banziger and their loyal staff celebrate the 4th anniversary of
the Paradise Restaurant.
The venue itself has also been through a gentle
evolution, rather than revolution, with the latest being a repaint,
refurbish and retiling. There are some new table ‘dividers’ to provide
some more privacy for the diners.
For those people who have not been to Paradise, the
restaurant has a tropical ambience with huge rainforest murals, high
ceilings, picture windows with green foliage outside, screening the diners
from the street outside. Quality furniture, tablecloths and cutlery all show
that this is a quality restaurant.
The Dining Out Team had been invited to try Hans’ new
monthly special - called the Rock-Lobster Promotion, which is current for
January, hence my caption “on the rocks”! Both of us being partial to
rock lobster, we were looking forward to the evening, and I must admit that
we always do at Paradise Restaurant. While we perused the menu, we sipped
the Kir Paradise pre-dinner cocktail, which has champagne, cassis and
lychees. A wonderful palate refresher and was so much enjoyed by Madame that
she stole my second lychee!
A word about the menu will not go astray here. Regulars
will find that it has steadily grown with the incorporation of the most
popular items from previous specials. There are now 48 ‘international’
items, each with a photographic ‘thumbnail’ so you can see what you are
going to get. Starters and salads are generally under B. 100, as are the
home-made soups, which include a wild mushroom, which is a Swiss item. Mains
are generally between B. 200-400 and include meats, poultry and fish. There
is even a separate “Exotic Delights”, with kangaroo, ostrich, emu and
crocodile items. Hans also offers a 26 item Thai menu and a 13 item
vegetarian menu, covering all tastes.
Hans provided the Dining Out Team with several
‘tasters’ so we could try most of the new promotional items. We began
with the rock lobster and scallops Alfredo, with the lobster meat saut้ed
in butter and onion, topped with a creamy cheese sauce and returned to the
shell. This featured large ‘chunks’ of the rock lobster meat and the
result was so succulent that we were scratching around inside the lobster
shell to get the last little pieces.
The second style was a ‘Caperese’ with the rock
lobster meat still in the shell, with the capers and the taste of the
lobster meat a pleasant combination.
We also tried the ‘American’ with the lobster meat
flamed with brandy, and finally a thermidor with the pieces cooked with
garlic and onion in a creamy parmesan and mustard sauce. For me, this was
the dish of the night. The sauce held the flavour of both the cheese and the
mustard. Superb!
From the outset, let me say that the rock lobster
promotion is fabulous. Hans is best when dreaming up different ways of
dishing up his dishes and his six versions of rock lobster take some
beating. The portions consisting of two lobsters are also generous enough to
be filling. This restaurant has continued to move upwards, but as Hans said
when he first opened the restaurant four years ago, “The price is
right.” With the rock lobster promotion starting at B. 395, it still is.
Paradise is not ‘fine dining’, and does not claim to
be, but has to be one of the top middle priced venues in Pattaya. The menu
is varied enough to stop boredom with repeat customers, and the special
promotions are always ‘special’. Highly recommended. (I’ll be back,
just for the thermidor - and Madame for the Kir lychees!)
The Paradise Restaurant, 215/62-63 Pattaya City (opposite the Marriott
Resort and Spa), telephone 038 723 177, email banziger @hotmail.com. This is
another restaurant with restricted seating, so it is best to book.
