So 2016 has ended and now 2017 has all our hopes for the future. With hundreds of restaurants all looking for business, we looked back to see which restaurants made a lasting impression on the Dining Out Team. Please note that if your favorite restaurant did not gain a mention, it is likely that it was not reviewed in the past 12 months, not that it was sub-standard in any way. Please also note that we have not included the restaurants from our top hotels and resorts. All of them were excellent, as one would expect, with rooms probably subsidizing F&B.
We begin with a genre that I call ‘music pubs’ and stand-outs here were Venue at Mabprachan (Rock) and Sandbar by the Sea (Easy listening). Both have a high standard of food, with a comprehensive a la carte menu.
Venue, 36/7 Moo 4, Siam Country Club Road, telephone 086 309 1030, plenty of parking behind the building, open 7 days, kitchen 12 noon – 10 p.m.
Sandbar by the Sea, adjacent BB House, Dongtan Beach, 456 Moo 12, open seven days, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., telephone 038 231 713, plenty of parking.
Dining Out would be incomplete without mention of restaurants with excellent standards and in the past 12 months, Casa Pascal stood out (as it has done for the past decade). The other restaurant which comes to mind is Nong Bistro on the ‘Dark Side’, into its second year of good food and ambience.
Another restaurant slightly off the beaten track is Ticino. Notable with its garden settings, clever menu and high standards.
A new restaurant bobbed up in Jomtien with a different menu is Laong. It appears to be garnering a strong following and is one to watch.
Casa Pascal, 485/M10, Pattaya Second Road (small soi next Ruen Thai and opposite the Marriott Hotel’s Dicey Reilly’s Pub) Pattaya City, telephone for reservation 038 723 660, (mob) 081 983 4182, email [email protected], web www.casa-pascal.com. Secure parking. Breakfast and Lunch Buffet from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. (or a la carte if you wish), dinner 6 p.m. until late.
Nong Bistro, 99/6-7, Sirisa Building, Soi Siam Country Club, Moo 6, (about 50 meters past Soi 13 and on your right), email: [email protected], telephone: 038 115 701, mobile: 082 131 3411. Open six days (closed Mondays), 1 p.m. till 11 p.m. Plenty of parking in front of the restaurant.
Ticino, close to Swiss Paradise, telephone 084 676 7376; GPS N 12.9180 E 00.9334, but Ticino also has maps, just go to the website (http://www.ticino.co.th); email [email protected]. Open 5 p.m. until 11 p.m. six days (closed Tuesdays). Off-street car parking.
Laong’s Bistro and Boutique, 350/77 Moo 12, Jomtien 2nd Road (between Soi’s 9 and 11 on the left headed towards Thappraya Road), telephone 038 233 099, open six days (closed Tuesdays) from 9 a.m. up till 10 p.m., plenty of on-street parking.
Then there is a myriad of pub-restaurants in Pattaya, but the one that has lasted the test of time is Jameson’s Irish Pub. The combination of an experienced landlord (Kim Fletcher) who was also a chef and the ability to change direction according to the needs of the community, has made this pub another stand-out in this genre.
Jameson’s Irish Pub, 80/164 Moo 9, Soi Sukrudee (Soi AR), Central Pattaya. Secure parking. Open seven days 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. Telephone 038 361 873, email [email protected], and www.jamesons-pattaya.com.
The final restaurant in our list for 2016 was a new concept with the incredible name of Shamalama Ding Dong. A fun eatery, the brain child of three Portuguese restaurateurs, with some different menu items and the largest (physical size) menu of them all.
Shama Lama Ding Dong Restaurant, 157/81, Pattaya-Naklua Road, tel. 086 374 7891, Hours 12 noon to 11 p.m., on-street parking.
