The Pattaya Experience: Baan Pictory and Pattaya sidestreets…
Last year, we were on a recording jaunt for the company and we ended up in the well-equipped and amazing Karma Sound Studios located just nearby the famous “Pattaya” in the outskirts of Bangkok.
We also stayed in a very charming resort owned by 2 very charming French gentlemen who had decided to settle down in Thailand and build a business there. We were well taken cared of and the food was very sumptuous all around during that trip.
We had a welcome dinner hosted for us in the resort by the owners and it was a beautiful dinner spread indeed.
All the requisite Thai dishes were there and so much more. It was spread out all in one setting and we immediately got down to business. For appetizers they had Thai-style fried chicken wings, fried spring rolls, and my favorite shrimp cakes! So yummy!
We also had another one of my favorites – the Tom Yum. Spicy and sour soup with tiger prawns, mushrooms, kafir lime leaves, and lemongrass. This is always a winner and comfort food for me. Baan Pictory’s kitchen prepared this perfectly together with the delicious shrimp cakes.
Lastly, dessert was the bomb. Traditional sticky rice with mangoes and coconut cream. Delicious, rich, satisfying, and a perfect end to a great dinner.
I think we literally had this everyday for the rest of our stay there. 🙂
Morning’s at the resort were also enjoyable treats with a continental breakfast and Thai breakfast served buffet style. But what caught my attention was their version of our Filipino “arroz caldo”. Their version is not that starchy, more like clear broth but with a heavenly burst of flavor with each spoonful that we really liked having it every day.
As we were already near Pattaya, we were granted a chaperoned excursion by the 2 owners and the big boss. We also stopped by their favorite French restaurant there which is right smack in that district but mind you, they served us really amazing food. We had steaks and fritters (mine cooked to medium). The steak was humongous but wonder of wonders I actually finished 3/4 of it until I called it quits and finishing 3/4 is quite a lot considering that it more than half the big plate. It was just pan fried and cooked with some sauteed onion garnish and it was amazing. The quality of the beef itself was the showcase of that dish.
One of our French hosts also got us to try his beef stroganoff and it was a lovely dish with very tender pieces of beef and beautifully cooked. The French do really know their food.
It was also during this night that I first got to try one dish I always dreaded to try for fear of it’s taste or some other thing – the steak tartare. Can’t get any more french than that. Pure raw beef. I dreaded trying it out since I cannot imagine having to eat raw beef but to my surprise I wasn’t repulsed by it and I found it really nice. I just didn’t get to take any photos of that lovely beef.
The food I had was amazing in Pattaya and the red light district was really a sight to behold. I think I will be visiting this region again.
Sawasdee Thailand!
XoXo