There are some good restaurants that the Dining Out Team does not visit often enough. The last time we dined at Yupins in the Jomtien Complex, we finished the revue by stating, “Yupins is for diners who enjoy good food, good wine, and good conversation. It does not pretend to be a fine dining venue, but it certainly is a fine fun venue. Highly recommended by the entire team.”
Looking in the diary and looking for a “good” restaurant, I found it had been over 18 months since we last ate at Yupins. This was a situation that had to be corrected! A swift call to Yupins and we had a booking, which turned out to be very necessary, as it was busy.
Yupins is inside the Jomtien Complex, just look for the “Yupins” signs, but I recommend forgetting about parking inside. There is plenty of parking on Thappraya Road opposite the complex and in front of the TMB, and hassle-free.
It is not a large restaurant, based in a single shophouse, and is divided into an outer area, covered, but not air-conditioned, and then the inner section which does have A/C. Tables are along both walls, with the kitchen behind, and it can get a little squeezy at times, but the seats are comfortable and the ambience makes one think of the better aspects in life.
There is one free-standing table, which has the bottle wine choices, and there appeared to be most at B. 1195 with bottles from Australia, Chile, NZ, France and Italy, with the top whack a French Chateau La Grange at B. 1,395. Inexpensive drinking. Yupin has 35 different spirits on the shelf with everything from Taylor’s Tawny Port (B. 275) to a Grand Marnier (B. 180).
The menu has photo plates with each dish, so you know what it looks like. Always a good idea when there are international diners such as there are in Pattaya.
Another suggestion – choose your wine first (Yealands Estate Sauvignon Blanc is recommended) and slowly savor as you go through the large menu. Some excellent choices within, so no need to rush.
It begins with a three course set menu (B. 480) with five choices in each course. In the Starters, for example, is a grilled chicken with salad and balsamic vinaigrette and in the Mains a grilled red snapper with saffron sauce served with grilled sweet peppers and pesto. Excellent value for money.
Yupins offers weekly specials and the special on our visit was a slow roast (two and a half hours) soft pork stuffed with garlic and coriander, and glazed with honey. This is served with a blue cheese cream sauce, fresh vegetables and a choice of potatoes: fries, sauté or mashed, and all that for B. 395.
And so the choices continue with two pages of ‘signature dishes’ starting with Yupin’s sizzling prawns in garlic butter. I had this dish on our previous visit and was sorely tempted to go again, but in the true spirit of investigative journalism desisted to be able to try something new which was a pork chop with gorgonzola sauce. Mentioning sauces, Yupins offers a choice of 14 sauces – is there anything this petite Thai lady cannot do?
Several pages of Thai dishes ensures that Thai partners are also well catered for.
I began with an amazing chicken soup, just packed with chicken and followed with the pork chop and gorgonzola and a Pannacotta. Excellent!
We had a most enjoyable evening at Yupins and even the junior tasters were delighted (it is a family restaurant). Master 11 years saying on the way home that he wanted to go again to have another lamb chop!
Despite the small size of the restaurant, Yupins gives a very large choice of excellent food and wine at moderate prices. Yupin can hold her head up high. You will enjoy dining with the mouse that roared! Highly recommended.
Yupins, 413/42 Jomtien Complex, Thappraya Road. Parking inside the complex, or plenty street-side. For those who travel with GPS, the coordinates are 12.901719, 100.869066 (not that you really need them to find Thappraya Road). Open six days 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. closed Wednesday. www.yupins.com, telephone 038 250 394.
