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La Mer: by Miss Terry Diner
Open again
There is a wonderful ambience to the Montien in Pattaya. One
of the hotels with a long history, in some ways, almost a Pattaya icon. There’s
a sign as you come into the lobby stating “Have a nice day.” And the Montien
always helps that day feel “nice”, so when the Montien’s PR lady, the bubbly
Pornpimon, told us that La Mer was reopening after the low season, we accepted
her invitation very willingly.
La Mer, if you have never dined there, is off the main lobby on your right side
and has a carpeted interior, with dining on a couple of levels around a raised
food display/buffet area in the center. Comfortable chairs and large tables
invite you to spend some time there. There is no rush, and the service staff are
there to keep you relaxed.
Wednesday evenings (6.30 p.m. until 10 p.m.) La Mer has a buffet dinner with a
Mediterranean theme, right from the bread basket with rolls and grissini with
olive oil for dipping on your table. And if you like to begin with anti-pasto
there are 18 items for you to choose from including several styles of cheese,
hams and salami and a great Insalata Capricciosa (mozzarella and tomatoes) or a
tuna tartar with goat cheese (definitely a flavorsome item).
One of the secrets to the La Mer buffets is the fact that hot food is not kept
in large volumes in the warmers, but only one or two servings are on display and
the warmers are continuously being refilled. This keeps the items as fresh as
they were when they left the kitchen.
There are also live cooking stations dotted around the perimeter offering such
items as lamb chops with Moroccan yogurt kebabs or beef steaks and French mixed
pepper kebabs. Another of the live stations is a Caesar salad trolley where the
green lettuce leaves, garden peas and bacon are tossed in a creamy Caesar
dressing and topped with herbed bread croutons and freshly grated parmesan
cheese and extra anchovies. If you are a fan of Caesar salad, this should not be
passed over!
Other items in the buffet include stuffed squid with spinach, garlic roasted
shrimps with oregano, and Italian sausage with fennel in tomato sauce. And it
doesn’t stop there. There is a seafood station which has, amongst other items, a
grilled seafood and vegetable ‘cioppino’ served in a rich saffron broth with
country style garlic bread.
Desserts? Try the Gelati trolley. Calories guaranteed.
Of course, if a sumptuous buffet is not your scene, then the Montien’s La Mer
has something really different, and if you love theatre at the table, this next
item is definitely for you - called La Mer’s Flambe Fancies, it incorporates six
flambé dishes prepared at your table. And these are no ordinary flambés either.
How does breast of duck and Grand Marnier sound? Or beef tenderloin and cognac,
or my favorite, Atlantic salmon with Pernod! These are in the a la carte menu,
and the table staff has been trained in this fun style of cooking. In fact, you
may even find that your service personnel is British trained on an exchange
program.
The wines on offer are well chosen, though the wine list itself is not
extensive. The house wine is perfectly ‘quaffable’ and inexpensive by the
carafe, though if you are dining a la carte, I would tend to suggest one of the
more interesting wines such as the Nottage Hill Chardonnay at B. 1,800 or the
Rosemount Cabernet Sauvignon at B. 2,200.
Be it a buffet on Wednesdays, or a la carte, the Dining Out Team can really
recommend that you try La Mer in the Montien. As the sign said in the lobby,
“Have a nice day,” we are also sure you will have a “nice evening” at La Mer.
Highly recommended. The Mediterranean style buffet is priced at B. 650 ++ for
adults and B. 350 ++ for children.
La Mer, Montien Hotel, Pattaya 2nd Road (50 meters up from the Central Road
(Pattaya Klang) intersection), North Pattaya, telephone 038 428 155, email
[email protected]. Open seven days, 6.30 p.m. until 10 p.m. Secure parking
within the hotel grounds.
Pork with Basil stir-fry
Another very traditional Thai recipe and one that is easy
for any home cook. A true ‘wok’ dish, it has a tantalizing flavor that comes
from the combination of so many items. By the way, it is important to crush
the garlic and chili together and this is best with a mortar and pestle. As
usual, if this is a little hot for your taste, you can reduce the amount of
chili and remember to remove the seeds!
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Ingredients serves 4-6
Sliced pork loin 500 gms
Onion sliced 200 gms
Red Capsicum 100 gms
Green Capsicum 100 gms
Basil leaf (chopped) 5-6
Garlic 2 cloves
Chili (red) 3-4
Vegetable oil 4 tbspns
Fish sauce (Tiparos) 4 tbspns
Sugar 1 tbspn
Oyster sauce1 tbspn |
Cooking Method
Crush the garlic and chili together with the mortar and pestle.
Add oil to the wok and heat quickly and add pounded garlic and chili to the
oil and fry quickly. Now add the sliced pork and stir fry until cooked (do
not overcook). Add the onion and the capsicum until cooked, followed by the
sugar, fish sauce and oyster sauce. Finally, add the basil leaf and stir for
one minute and then serve with steamed rice.
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