We finally found a chance to use the certificate this past Friday when Tim was able to leave work at a reasonable hour, and we took the chance that they would be able to seat us. I was unable to reach the restaurant by phone, but I left a message and we hoped for the best. We are moving into the low season here in Pattaya, with fewer vacationers and many families heading home for the summer. So we were able to wiggle into a spot at the last minute. Tim was preparing for a two-week trip to India, and it was as good an excuse as any to have a special evening out.
I gave Mick the general idea of where to go, and he didn't seem too confident, but when we turned down the street, he remembered right away - he had driven previous bosses here. He always seems to feel better when he recognizes a place as "farang-approved." We pulled up to a gate at the end of the road; the entrance gave the impression of entering someone's private residence. A small, lush courtyard lead to walls of glass windows that revealed the glow of candlelight beyond.
The dress code was "smart casual," with the polite warning that underdressed guests would be offered a table in the outside dining area. So Tim wore a dress shirt and suitcoat, and I wore dress slacks and a blouse. But the dress code in Pattaya is waaaay laid back, and even Cafe Des Amis was not so strict with their guests. We were invited to have a drink in the cozy lounge before being shown to a table.
Service was provided by a well-mannered, well-trained and attentive staff and the food was excellent. We enjoyed a smoked salmon appetizer, Tim had a steak and I had a delicious salmon filet atop a bed of greens. The chef attends to every detail, and we finished our meal with a digestif offered by the owner. What a lovely evening.
The next night we enjoyed the all-you-can-eat buffet at the Thai Garden, a place that we have begun referring to as "the old people place" (lan-ah-han kuhn gae in Thai). Our driver thinks this is hilarious, and really, sometimes we feel like we've walked into a Lawrence Welk episode. But the food is really good for the price, the dining area is a lovely poolside spot, and they have great entertainment. Wrap your head around this - a mariachi band from the Philippines serenaded us with Coldplay's Yellow. Awesome.
Adventures in eating:
I tried two fruits recently that have come into season here: the first was the purple mangosteen, a cute little fruit that almost looks like it was drawn in a cartoon. The bottom of the fruit has a flower-shape that indicates how many sections are contained inside, usually six. It looks a bit like a white orange inside, but tastes much sweeter.
The second was much more daunting - the rambutan, which looks like a very hairy strawberry. The driver tells me that these are very popular in south Thailand, and he grew up eating them by climbing the trees. When the bunches ripen, they weigh down the branches and hang low to the ground. The flesh is also surprisingly white, and some have a pit in the middle similar to a plum. The fruit is really sweet, and reminded me of eating a big, skinned green grape. And I survived to write another day...
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