Pattaya's finest restaurants: Au Bon Coin
Oddly I went there for the first time recently. I had heard mixed reports and then, of late, enthusiastic ones but I always chose to go there on a Wednesday, when they close. To find the telephone number is went to google and found this report:
Pattaya - Au Bon Coin: A piece of France in Pattaya
Au Bon Coin, Beach Road,Soi 5. Pattaya. Tel: 038-361 401
Open: 6pm till late (see note at bottom) Credit cards accepted
In many ways Au Bon Coin is one of the most extraordinary businesses in a town that is extraordinary in itself. Firstly it is in a delightful property, and a bit of calm in the centre of all that bustles and hustles in Pattaya. On top of that this is a first class restaurant serving traditional French food. And then there is the Boss Jose! One look at him will tell you this is a man who likes his food. In the evenings, a bottle of decent wine is never far from his elbow and he is, of course, an accomplished chef to boot, as well as a long-time restaurateur.
The restaurant shares the ground floor of this old house with an art gallery. There are windows all round creating a light, airy space with a view of the garden. The menu is not huge as it is strictly limited to what is fresh, and to what can be produced to order. Traditional stews often feature here. On my last visit, we had a charcuterie plate to start. This was a good selection of cold meats including terrine and a big bowl of rillettes on the side. And obviously home-made pork rillettes that were delicious and better than anywhere else I have tried outside of France. For mains I had Jambon with port wine sauce and my companion had Boeuf Bourguignon. My ham sauce was full of thinly sliced mushrooms and a good simple meal. The Boeuf Bourguignon came with egg noodles and was declared the best ever, certainly outside of France. We then elected to wait for the Normandy Apple tart with Calvados which I have had before and know is worth the wait. Le Patron spent the best part of half an hour making this delectable small tart with the finest flaky pastry on the base and thinly sliced apples doused in Calvados on the top. After that we had an enourmous cheese board placed on the table and were told to help ourselves. We did sparingly as we had already eaten nearly our fill.
All in all, this lunch complete with a suitable supply of wine lasted a good three hours and another to drink a few calva's. That in the middle of all that is naff in this naffest of towns! Just a note. They are not always open for lunch, so do call and check ahead.
http://thailand.samworthington.com/blog ... n_a_p.html
We went on a Tuesday and aimed at 9 p.m. but arrived at 9.30 as one of my guests arrived with a bottle of bubbly. They were regulars at Au Bon Coin (ABC) and warmly welcomed. The place had a tired modest charm but the food
Starters of sweetbreads with girolles in cream in pastry - the tastiest dish to cross my palate in some time, one guest who recommended this had the sweetbreads as a main course, a wise man - Frogs legs came filleted in a small bowl with a pastry top and were reported "a scrumptious wonder" a ribeye steak with pepper sauce virtually overlapped the plate and disappeared fast. I had a rack of milk fed veal (the size of lamb cutlets) this was delicious as were the vegetables. Home made ice creams and sorbets followed - I had apple sorbet floating in a lake of Calvados. Mr Jose and his Thai wife seem to cook and serve and amuse and chat and even presented us with a complimentary vsop cognac ( I think in deference to my collegues). The food cost was a mere Bt Bt800 a head excluding tips. I will return and soon.
