For food, wine and an easel
by Miss Terry Diner
Sometimes I wonder just how can Pattaya support so many restaurants? The
smarter restaurateurs have the answer, however. You need much more than just
food. Jo Stetten from the Art Caférealized this when he opened the Art
Caféfour years ago, and combined his love of food with his love for art, to
make the Art Caféa gallery you can dine in. This is not a restaurant with
some paintings on the walls. This is a gallery, with a painter at an easel,
with a bar area on one side, with kitchen behind, and tables stretching out
towards the leafy tropical gardens. The entire gallery/restaurant is on the
ground floor of a colonial house, with awnings opening out into the gardens.
It is, without doubt, a wonderful site.
Being
in Naklua, it is somewhat off the beaten track, but it is a track worth
finding. Come along the Pattaya-Naklua Road (the one leading from the
Dolphin roundabout) and turn left into Soi 16 after the over-bridge as you
go down the hill. Follow Soi 16 to the end at the Art Café is on your right.
Jo Stetten has recently taken on a partner, French chef Paulo, and he has
already influenced the direction of the menu. The signature appetizers have
also taken on a French approach with snails in puff pastry and the de-boned
frog legs as examples. An extensive blackboard menu, brought to the table,
also remains a feature of this restaurant, with rotating specials amongst
the items. There is more emphasis on fish and seafood this year and the
lightly grilled snapper with champagne sauce will delight, as will the
salmon brochettes. If you enjoy Pastis (or Ricard), I can recommend the
tiger prawns flamed in Pastis, being one of my favorite items from the menu.
The Art Caféalso has some themed culinary evenings which include a Greek
menu with gyros as the central point. The Thai food is also of a high
standard and incorporates some European items cooked in Thai fashion, such
as the tom yum base with salmon, coconut milk, coriander, herbs and
mushrooms, rather than the more usual prawns. The cuisine is not heavy,
though portion sizes remain generous, and served correctly on warmed plates.
Despite its ‘arty’ and well thought out menu, this is not an expensive
restaurant, and you can very easily dine out for under B. 750 per head (not
including wine), but the house special wine this month is Cape Gold Chenin
Blanc from South Africa and is excellent drinking at only B. 850 per bottle.
There are around 35 labels on offer from both the old and new worlds, with
the bulk between B. 850-1,500.
We
started with the house white, and enjoyed it so much, we stayed with it, and
began the evening’s dining with an antipasti plate and some crusty French
bread. This included some shaved ham (great to wrap around the pimentos),
mussels with chopped bell peppers, a ‘mini’ omelet and a tomato and cheese
mozzarella.
As usual, we were unable to find room for Jo’s apple tart, but were talked
into a schnapps before leaving. We made it one, as we know (from previous
experience) the potency of this after-dinner drink!
Jo Stetten has also made the pool area available for party groups, and is
also now doing catering, all the way from just the food, to a complete
outside provision of everything needed to make your event a success.
If you have not been to the Art Cafe before, then it is well worth the trip
(and Naklua is not far). If you have been before, then it might just be time
to return and try some of Paulo’s ideas. Incidentally, the Art Cafe was
selected again in 2006 as one of Pattaya’s ten best restaurants in the
Thailand’s Best Restaurants publication. It deserves it. Do try.
The Art Café 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 info@artcafe-thailand. com. Open seven days,
lunch from 11 a.m. and dinner from 3 p.m. till late. Secure parking on site.
