The Coffee Club’s new Flavors of Thailand menu

Pattaya now has two Coffee Clubs, reflecting the growth of this restaurant concept. Interestingly, it originated in West End in Brisbane, Australia in 1989 and I have dined there in its early days. Little did the owners, or the diners, imagine just what a success this was going to be.

The Coffee Club now has more than 270 outlets in Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and China as well as Thailand, with the first one in Phuket in 2009, followed shortly after by Pattaya in the Royal Garden Plaza, and the sixth outlet is on Naklua Road (opposite Soi 18).

GM Michael Chick invited the Dining Out Team to come and sample the new Flavors of Thailand menu, as well as the international items, and our team of two adults (one Thai) and two children arrived. We were given the choice of the Royal Garden Plaza or Naklua, as the menu is the same for both, and we settled for RGP. This branch is on the ground floor of the Plaza, looking towards the fountain, a well-known landmark in Pattaya.

The new Thai cuisine additions took three months of development before being standardized and offered throughout all the Thailand Coffee Club outlets. The items are a grilled imported Snow Fish with a spicy Mango and Cashew nut salad (B. 650), a stir-fried Peppered Pork tenderloin fillet with Enoki mushrooms (B. 310), a grilled Chicken breast with a Panang curry (B. 290), a French cut Spicy Pork chop with green peppercorns, garlic and basil (B. 390), an imported Beef in Massaman curry with potatoes (B. 590) and a grilled imported Tamarind Snow Fish with asparagus (B. 650).

This Flavors of Thailand menu is in addition to the standard menu, which is notable for the fact that it is not overly expensive, but comprehensive enough to have something for everyone. The six pages begin with different coffees (as you would expect in a place called The Coffee Club), with nine on offer plus liqueur coffees.

There is a separate menu for wines, spirits (B. 190 per glass) and beers (B. 75 for a small Heineken draft), and with all bottled wines well under B. 1,000.

The second page has breakfasts (the restaurant opens at 7.00 a.m.) with many choices until the Big Breakfast with everything at B. 280.

Sides and salads include Caesar, Garden, Greek and Asian chicken (B. 140-160), plus a range of extras you can add in such as smoked salmon, grilled chicken, prawns and a lemon-pepper calamari.

There are gourmet sandwiches and open grilled sandwiches, presented on a thick Turkish bread (made from a wheat flour) and range between B. 160-210.

Light meals include fish and chips (B. 195), and then there is a Kid’s Club menu (B. 100-195) with children’s favorites such as chicken nuggets, selected by one of our junior tasters, and given the thumbs up.

Back to the review, we shared the Flavors of Thailand while looking to our Thai national for her impressions. The first was the Snow Fish with the mango salad, and this was an immediate winner. Enough spice to give my tongue a tingle, but perfect in its Thai taste.

At the other end of the spectrum was the Tamarind Snow Fish, with the sweetness coming through strongly. For me, the Massaman beef was wonderful, the thick rich curry being just so flavorsome, as was the Panang chicken, which was slightly more spicy. The peppered pork was suitably “peppery” and the pork chop similar. Six excellent additions to the standard menu.

The Coffee Club is probably an ideal place to take overseas visitors. Clean and hygienic and with dishes that the newbies or visitors can try to experience the different tastes of what Michael Chick described as “Thai food with a modern twist.” Definitely recommended.

The Coffee Club (Pattaya), Royal Garden Plaza, next to the Marriott Resort and Spa, open from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., seven days. Secure parking underneath the Plaza, but remember to get your ticket stamped by the Coffee Club staff.

Or The Coffee Club (Naklua), Pattaya Naklua Road opposite Soi 18, open 6.30 a.m. until 11 p.m. seven days. Plenty of on-street parking.

Seafood Bisque

Another universally popular item are the Bisques. These come in many forms - lobster, oyster, fish, mussels, prawns, and all follow the general recipe such as this one. You can substitute and delete many of the seafood items at your discretion.

Ingredients                               Serves 4 Assorted cooked seafood (prawns, mussels, scallops, crab) 240 gm Tomatoes, chopped                     480 gm Olive oil                                      4 tspns Onions, sliced                             2 Garlic cloves, crushed                  2 Black peppercorns                      1 tspn Fresh basil, shredded                  1 tbspn Chopped coriander root                1 tbspn Chicken or fish stock                   750 ml Tomato puree                             8 tbspns Rice wine or dry sherry               2 tbspns Pouring cream                           4 tspns Salt and freshly ground black pepper Chopped parsley as garnish

Cooking Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and cook gently for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, peppercorns, basil and coriander, and cook gently for 10 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Add half the stock, bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Strain the soup and return the liquid to a clean saucepan. Add the remaining stock, and tomato puree. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for another 15 minutes. Stir in the seafood and the dry sherry and heat through for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Put soup into warm bowls. Swirl a teaspoon of Grand Marnier for an exotic taste and then a teaspoon of single cream into each serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley garnish and serve immediately.