Jomtien two-fer

September 29, 2011

Seafood Paella at East Tapas Lounge 2

Tapas are the name for a diverse range of appetizers or snacks, often combined to make a meal, originating in Spain, but now popular all over the world. The recently opened East Tapas Lounge, located on the site of the former Pagoda Restaurant, on the middle soi of Jomtien Complex, offers a big selection of tapas as well as a nice variety of main courses. There’s al fresco seating on an attractive terrace, with waterfall; and indoor, air-conditioned seating in an elegantly appointed dining room. Tapas are 60 baht each, or five for 250 baht. A glass of red or white house wine is a reasonable 90 baht.

My friend chose the ‘chef menu,’ which consisted of Gazpacho (cold tomato soup), which he said was delicious; followed by two tapas (roast pork and marinated salmon); followed by sorbet to cleanse the palate; pan-fried lemon chicken breast accompanied by fried potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli and topped off with vanilla cream and chocolate mousse. All this was just 380 baht.

I ordered from the a la carte menu and began with two tapas: Mozzarella with tomato and roast beef tarta (tartar sauce). They were both quite tasty, but left room for my main course. Although, paella for two is offered for 480 baht, it was no problem ordering a single portion at 240. I chose the seafood paella, which was a large portion of saffron rice topped with lots of shrimp, squid, mussels and fish, and accompanied by vegetables; no complaints here. With two glasses of wine and a bottle of soda water, my bill came to 590 baht. There are also lots of cold and hot appetizers, mains and Thai food to choose from on the menu. East Tapas Lounge is definitely worth a visit. They’re open nightly for dinner.

If you’re in the mood for delicious, reasonably-priced Italian cuisine, do try Da Claudio, which is almost next door to the East Tapas Lounge. The attractively decorated restaurant serves a variety of Italian dishes as well as an extensive choice of Thai food. On the evening we visited, they were offering two ‘promotions of the week,’ which consisted of wine, mixed salad or bruschetta, chicken filet steak with mashed potatoes and ice cream or coffee; all for 310 baht. I chose the other promotion which offered wine, salad, spaghetti Bolognese and ice cream or coffee at 280. The Bolognese sauce contained a generous amount of beef and was very flavorsome. Service is excellent; and the waitress provided fresh ground pepper and freshly grated cheese with the meal. My Thai friend ordered an enjoyable spaghetti with prawn ‘spicy Thai style,’ at 180 baht. I topped off my meal with delicious, filter coffee and my friend indulged in Irish coffee, which was creamy on top and prepared perfectly.

Da Claudio features a large menu with many reasonably-priced choices. Mains start at under 200 baht (pasta) and go up to around 400 baht for Tiger prawns. They offer baked rabbit with wine sauce at 340 baht. Da Claudio is open for dinner Monday through Friday. (They’re closed Saturday and Sunday during low season.)