Yorkies restaurant in Jomtien is now nine years old, established by a very
Yorkshire couple, Eileen and Norman Denning. In their past lives in the UK,
Norman was a butcher and Eileen served in the shop, but they decided to take off
to Thailand and landed in Jomtien. Was this Yorkshire’s loss and Jomtien’s gain?
Over the nine years, Yorkies on Jomtien Beach Road (about 50 meters past the
Chaiyapruek intersection) had become a favorite dining place for many British
ex-pats, and so it was with interest we went to Yorkies to see if the British
attraction was still there.
The restaurant has had a complete make-over in the past 12 months, pastel
shades, bas-relief wall decor and boxed in ceilings and now with what Eileen
called “a five star loo”. I had to agree. Casa Pascal standard, but a trifle
smaller and tucked away under the stairs in true Thai shophouse fashion.
The restaurant has rustic chairs and tables outside, but now with comfortable
pillows or more ‘upmarket’ inside with new dining settings. The cutlery is
serviceable (not the Uri Geller bending spoon style) and you dine under ceiling
fans.
The venue also covers the butchery business, with Yorkies pies and sausages
having a large following in Bangkok as well as Pattaya, and you can find the
usual range of butchery items to take home (including Granny’s home made pickles
and shepherd’s lamb pies).
The menu covers everything from breakfasts (the restaurant opens at 8 a.m. and
you can have a choice of seven set breakfasts at B. 95-235, or DIY), through
light meals to full blown gargantuan dinners.
Sandwiches, hot or cold, toasties, burgers, light snacks, salads and jacket
potatoes are generally in the B. 110-210 bracket, and you have a choice of 40 of
these.
Main courses are the true British staples (B. 100-390), with steaks (Charolais
beef, said Norman), gammon, pork, a daily roast beef, stews, fish and chips,
shepherd’s pie and even a lamb hot-pot as well. There are also their own
sausages and pies, and most dishes come with the choice of garden or ‘mushy’
peas, chips, jacket potatoes or mashed.
Indian food is also very popular in the UK, so there is a page of curries as
well (B. 100-180), with the chicken curry with jacket potatoes getting the
thumbs up from one of the diners at our table.
Knowing that very often Thai companions would much prefer their own cuisine,
there is a page of Thai favorites, all at B. 60. Cheap as chips! Plus desserts,
inexpensive drinks and softs.
Madame chose the lamb shepherd’s pie while I deliberated over the rest of the
menu. I have always enjoyed Yorkie’s gammon, egg and chips with garden peas, and
it was all too much for me - I am afraid I have failed you, gentle readers. I
ordered gammon, egg and chips with garden peas, and I enjoyed every mouthful.
The gammon steak was huge, but I struggled manfully and finished it.
In the meantime, Madame scoffed her shepherd’s pie and backed up for a chocolate
sponge and custard pudding.
Yorkies has stood the test of time. It offers good British food in British
trencherman portions, and one day I will try and order something other than my
favorite gammon, egg and chips! Madame will vouch for the shepherd’s pies
(having bought several to take home). It is that kind of restaurant, and
undoubtedly, Yorkshire’s loss was Jomtien’s gain.
Incidentally, Eileen and Norman have started a charity drive to raise 1.5
million baht to rebuild a very dilapidated school in Yasothon. This will
coincide with the restaurant’s 10th anniversary next year, and one of the
fundraisers is a 2009 calendar, with pages sponsored by businesses in
Pattaya/Jomtien and if you are interested give Eileen a ring (089 800 5007). She
will also be producing a recipe book, with the proceeds going to the same
charity drive. (They might even have the gammon, egg and chips in there!) Good
people backing a good cause, deserves backing from us.
All highly recommended.
Yorkies, 125/4-5 M.12, Jomtien Beach Road, Jomtien, telephone 038 231 918. Open
8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days. Ample parking on street.
Funghi al Olio e Limone
Go you like mushrooms? Do you like garlic? If so, this
recipe is for you. It is Italian, but neither the olive oil nor the lemon is
strong enough to overpower the taste of the mushrooms, yet each adds its
unmistakable taste to the final outcome. Funghi al olio make a terrific
addition to an antipasto, and if you can stop yourself from nibbling, you
can make them in the morning for the evening meal.
Cooking Method:
Heat the olive
oil in a large sauté pan over high heat, then add the mushrooms. Sauté,
shaking the pan vigorously from time to time, for about five minutes, until
the mushrooms begin to exude some of their natural juices.
Lower the heat to medium, add the garlic and sauté for a couple of more
minutes being careful that the garlic does not burn. Squeeze the lemon juice
over the mushrooms and add salt and pepper to your taste.
Remove from the heat, pour into a glass or ceramic container and stir in the
chopped parsley. Add enough additional olive oil to coat the mushrooms
evenly. Serve at room temperature as part of an antipasto.
Ingredients
Olive oil
2 tbspns
Baby mushrooms no stems 500
gm
Garlic, peeled and finely chopped 3 cloves
Juice of
½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Italian parsley, finely chopped 2 tbspns
Extra virgin olive oil
2 - 4 tbspns
