How would Pattaya Mail’s readers fancy a lamb curry which takes three days preparation, three years’ experience in the Sahara desert, and can be enjoyed right here in Jomtien for B. 350? The queue starts at Yupins Restaurant in Jomtien Complex.
The story of this particular lamb curry comes from a man who has years of experience in the food industry and who has passed on the recipe to Mrs. Yupin. And I can tell you that she follows the ingredients to the last gram and the daily schedule to the last minute. This is no stir fry with Uncle Amar’s “genuine” stir-fry chilli sauce.
Yupin’s sauce for their lamb curry contains sultanas, raisins and cranberries, as well as the ingredients for the sauce itself, where coconut cream and ground chilli feature, as well as a home-cooked ghee (an important part of Indian dishes). Other items in the lamb curry include mango chutney using three different types of mango to get the best consistency. Add in yoghurt and cucumber raita. Yes, three days of preparation.
We tried the lamb curry on four different palates, including one who was afraid of chilli, another diner being a Thai and a sixteen year old young woman, and finally an ethnic Indian from northern India.
The final result was a universal highest commendation, even from the one who was afraid of spiciness. The lamb fillet meat was tender (after three days no wonder). The taste was unmistakably Indian but sweet and at the same time spicy but not harsh. You deserve it to yourself to try this dish. The consensus from the Dining Out team was an emphatic “must go!”
The menu is photographic, at long last a restaurant that understands that not everyone reads or speaks English. The dishes are not expensive, for example a Chicken Supreme features chicken breast stuffed with cheddar cheese in a white wine and cream sauce for only B. 375. Several pages of Thai dishes also ensures that Thai partners are also well catered for.
A good selection of wines has its own page and most are around B. 1,100.
The restaurant is not very large and ‘comfy’ is probably the best description. The staff are pleasant and welcoming. Tables are large, chairs are comfortable and the décor is best described as eclectic with Viennese face masks, interspersed with a rogues gallery of patron’s photographs and 3D dried flower arrangements and colorful triptychs. As I said, eclectic. Yupins is not difficult to find in the lower end of Thappraya Road, inside the Jomtien Complex, that large center that was somebody’s dream about 20 years ago, after years of dereliction, now a bustling combination of restaurants and bars of all persuasions. In some ways, Yupins is a wonderful oasis. On street parking next to the TMB bank building on the opposite side of the road.
Yupins, 413/42 Jomtien Complex, Thappraya Road. Parking inside the complex, or plenty street-side (best suggestion). Be aware that the top end of Thappraya is a favorite spot for police check points. For those who travel with GPS, the coordinates are 12.901719, 100.869066 (not that you really need coordinates to find Thappraya Road). Open six days 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. closed Wednesday. www.yupins.com, telephone 038 250 394 (best to book).
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