by Miss Terry Diner

The Dining Out Team was approached the other day by a businessman who likes to take clients out to lunch. He did have two or three favorites, but was looking for another suggestion. After all, there are six working lunch days of the week. He was also based in Jomtien, so we decided we would try the very well established Pan Pan as a lunchtime venue.
Pan Pan, which is almost at the T-junction between Thappraya and Thepprasit Roads, has been a very popular restaurant in Jomtien for many years. It is visited by scores of people from Bangkok every weekend, and has remained one of the most successful Italian restaurants in Pattaya.
Walking in to the restaurant, you are immediately struck by the European ambience. The salmon pink walls and the salmon pink tablecloths, the terracotta tiled floor, the draped windows - it all fits. The tables are set so that you can have an intimate lunch for two, or a board meeting with 20 quite easily. Dotted throughout the restaurant are plant pots with tall ‘Happy Plants’ flourishing. The sign of a happy restaurant. There are also other dining areas, including an al fresco section at the rear of the building and some outside tables at the front. The choice is yours, and there are plenty of them.
The menu is stable, and there has been very little movement (if any) since our last visit a couple of years ago. Antipasti head the bill, as befits an Italian restaurant and these were priced between B. 90 for the Bruschetta with tomato and garlic and B. 480 at the top end for a large plate of Parma ham and melon served with pizza bread, which would feed more than one lunchtime diner.
Soups and Pasta are the next section and range B. 130-340 with the traditional Minestrone at the lower end and a Spaghetti alla Tarantina with prawns, clams and mussels at the top end.
Salads next (B. 90-280) with the salmon with glass lettuce, onions, eggs and olives sounding very conducive towards a great salad.
Main courses (B. 240-390) and Pizzas (B. 160-370) has something for everyone including a Gambari al cognac (prawns sautéed in a casserole with brandy) and a very interesting four cheese pizza (mozzarella, gorgonzola, camembert and fontina).
The back page of the menu has beverages, with a large carafe of house wine only B. 420 (Italian naturally, red or white) and beers are B. 120-130 for large bottles. As it was a lunchtime Dining Out, we stuck with soda water and Perrier water!
As I have always been a fan of Italian Minestrone soup, I began with that. Pan Pan’s variety was a very filling soup, stacked with many vegetables, and the Parmesan dispenser on the table just added to the flavor. We also ordered a basket of pizza bread to go with the soup, which it did perfectly.
For mains, I had ordered the Scaloppine al Limone, which had delightfully thinly sliced pork in the lemon sauce. I also added a generous sprinkle of Parmesan to this one too. Light and flavorsome.
Madame had ordered a Tortellini with tomato sauce, and again this was not a heavy dish, and just enough to ease any lunchtime hunger pangs.
We did not order desserts, as this was a working lunch, but Madame said that her coffee was “lovely, very hot and tasty”. Italians are famous for their coffees after all.
If you are looking for a lunchtime venue, you can add Pan Pan to your list. Even though Italian cuisine can be on the heavy side, there are plenty of light meal choices on the menu. The Scaloppine al Limone was just right for lunch and not too heavy. We left replete, but not so weighed down that we could not work that afternoon, or required a siesta. (No wine with lunch probably helped there!)
Pan Pan, Thappraya Road (just up from the Thepprasit T junction), telephone 038 251 874, email kataparks @yahoo.com. With the popularity of this restaurant it is probably best to book in the evenings. Secure parking outside and at the rear of the building. Open every day 9.30 a.m. until 10.30 p.m.

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Spicy Crab and Scallop Soup

This is a lovely soup to serve as a starter for any meal. It is an interesting and very easy to prepare soup with the ginger giving the spicy tang. It is not a quick soup, however, as it is necessary to let the soup stand to take on the subtle flavours. If you do not have a can of chicken soup, you can substitute 400 ml of chicken stock. If you wish, you can add other seafood items such as calamari to the broth.

Cooking Method:
Place scallops and butter in a saucepan and gently sauté for 2 minutes. Remove scallops and set aside.
Place all remaining ingredients, other than crabs, in the pan and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Allow to stand for one hour, then remove the bay leaf, add the scallops and crabmeat and bring up to heat and then serve immediately.

Ingredients           Serves 2-4
Scallops (fresh shelled)          1 cup
Crabmeat (tinned)                  1 cup
Butter                                1 tbspn
Chicken soup                       1 can
Carrot sliced                               1
Celery sliced                      1 stalk
Onion sliced                             ½
Bay leaf                                    1
Ginger finely chopped        1 tbspn
Lime juice from                  1 lime