L’Olivier Restaurant Jomtien & Yupins Restaurant Jomtien

[davidge]

L’Olivier Restaurant 

Location: Jomtien Complex. If you know where the Pig & Whistle is in Jomtien, then it’s the second side Soi along from it towards Pattaya - which is the main entrance to ‘Supertown’. Opposite the entrance to VT2 condos. The restaurant is roughly 30 yards along on the right.

(Sorry I didn’t take any pics except the Menus but will try to remember when I next go)

The Soi has many gay beer bars but no hassle at all when going to the restaurant, if the prospect concerns you for some reason!

Along with an a la carte menu, there are are two Set Menu options. One costs 395 baht (though a couple of the main course options had a supplement) and the other 555 baht. Both options include soup ( it was pumpkin and very nice) and a help yourself salad buffet which was quite decent. There was also french bread and butter put on the table.

The Set Menu choices are here:

 

I chose the lower price Set and had the Boeuf Bourguinion which was delicious. The beef was very tender in a rich sauce and came with 2 pieces of carrot and 3 potato halves. I finished with the Panna Cotta which was perfectly acceptable.

My friend chose the higher Set and had Shrimp Cocktail, Salmon and crepe. He said everything was very good.

The only negative for me was that the chairs were uncomfortably low so I was quite stiff by the end of the meal. If you are narrow minded, I guess seeing 60-70 yo farang blokes dining with 20-30 yo Thai men might put you off as well. Not an issue for me though.

I won’t eat here very often mainly as I find a 3 or 4 course meal too much now but I’ll certainly put it on my rota of restaurants to visit at least a couple of times each trip - especially as Bruno’s has closed.

[chris2004]

This is a great restaurant, very nice meal for 395. Try the Ile flottante dessert, yummy.

[pattayaplayer]

Thanks for the informative review.  I'm going to be staying in View Talay 5 in February so this will be one of the restaurants I will check out.

[ChiFlyer]

Good review as usual.

Welcome back to town. We may have walked past each other in the alley last night, as we finally got around to trying Yupin's. I noticed L'Olivier on the way out and was impressed with the feel to it. Will likely give it a try soon. I will put up a separate review with regard to Yupin's.

Look for a PM, as I have a little additional info that could be taken the wrong way by some.

[davidge]

5 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

Good review as usual.

Welcome back to town. We may have walked past each other in the alley last night, as we finally got around to trying Yupin's. I noticed L'Olivier on the way out and was impressed with the feel to it. Will likely give it a try soon. I will put up a separate review with regard to Yupin's.

Look for a PM, as I have a little additional info that could be taken the wrong way by some.

I actually ate at Yupins last night. I was going to edit this review to include Yupins as well but I’ll wait for yours now then add to that thread  (I much preferred L’Olivier to Yupins though)

[ChiFlyer]

Go ahead and do the Yupin's thread without waiting for me. I really do not have much to say. It's a nice little place, the owner and staff are friendly, the food is decent, but we went very light (salads and Thai fried veg roles). We were not hungry enough for a full Farang load, plus we were going to a small party with Isan food. All in all, Yupin's is a nice enough place and given the location, we will stop in from time to time.

[davidge]

I’ve now edited the the thread title to include Yupins restaurant as well. The 2 are very close together and I don’t think a lot of BMs will be reviewing them so did this instead of starting a second thread.

Yupins is a little further down the same small Soi but on the left hand side. They have quite an extensive a la carte menu as well as a Set Menu Offer:

The owner greeted us (I went with 2 friends) as we entered and went through a few ‘new items’, checked on us during the meal and thanked us as we were leaving. A little over-attentive for my taste but can’t blame him for making an effort with his customers.

There was a basket of french bread for us to share:

We all opted for the Set Menu. I started with the Salad Nicoise. It was a generous salad, fresh, crisp and very tasty. No complaints.

One friend had the shrimp salad and the other the smoked salmon and both were very happy.

I opted for the chicken for my main course. There was a choice of mash, sautéed potatoes or french fries. There were 2 chicken breasts in a very tasty Dijon sauce. The potatoes had been sautéed with onions and were good. It was far too much meat for me. I would have preferred one chicken breast and some vegetables, but it was a good, well-prepared meal.

One friend also had the chicken while the other had the pork fillet, which he enjoyed.

I didn’t really feel like dessert but tried the fresh fruit. It turned out to be half an apple, an entire banana and a large slice of mango. They certainly don’t skimp on the portions here! I ate the apple and a little of the rest.

Friends just had the ice cream which was fine.

I also had a glass of the House red which was acceptable. Served a little warm - but better than from the fridge as some places do here!

So, overall a good meal and certainly very good value. I’m sure I’ll come again but will probably order a large carte next time simply because the Set is too much food for me.

 

On balance, I’d put L’Olivier well ahead of Yupins but both places offer decent options that are a class above a lot of places here.

[ChiFlyer]

9 hours ago, davidge said:

.......

There was a basket of french bread for us to share:

........

I also had a glass of the House red which was acceptable. Served a little warm - but better than from the fridge as some places do here!

So, overall a good meal and certainly very good value. I’m sure I’ll come again but will probably order a large carte next time simply because the Set is too much food for me.

.......

With regard to Yupin's.

Wow. I am glad we went lighter. I would have needed a 10 hour nap after all of that.

I really liked the French Bread. I thought it was well prepared. I also will go with an ala carte item on my next visit.

Agreed on the red wine. Ok, but a little too warm.

I had a Ceaser Salad and no anchovies or Chicken, so I was a little disappointed. The GF did enjoy picking off the bacon, every time she thought I was not paying attention. I did not care. The last thing I need is more bacon in my life.

 

[davidge]

28 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

With regard to Yupin's.

Wow. I am glad we went lighter. I would have needed a 10 hour nap after all of that.

I really liked the French Bread. I thought it was well prepared. I also will go with an ala carte item on my next visit.

Agreed on the red wine. Ok, but a little too warm.

I had a Ceaser Salad and no anchovies or Chicken, so I was a little disappointed. The GF did enjoy picking off the bacon, every time she thought I was not paying attention. I did not care. The last thing I need is more bacon in my life.

 

TBH a soup followed by that Salad Nicoise would have done me. Not much anchovy, but I’m not that keen anyway so was quite happy.

[jwdub]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but I noticed a couple of small For Sale signs tonight for L'Oliver restaurant. Both were just outside of the Jomtien complex. One is in front of Tinnes pies and the other over by the new Chinese joint on Thappraya.

[ChiFlyer]

Checked out L'Oiver tonight. The quality is at the level that Davidge reported. Sorry no pics, as we dug into the food before I took a few.

Like I have said before the GF and I are both light eaters, so we went ala catre. I had a grilled seabass in a meringue sauce. Just excellent.

She had a duck breast with orange sauce on the side. The duck breast was prepared very nicely. Often in the Pattaya area a duck breast is not seared long enough to render the fat cap. This was not the case here. The chef knew the correct technique. Sauce was not bad either.

A glass of red wine at 140 was decent.

Since we were ala carte, we skipped deserts, but some of the ones I saw being brought out looked quite tempting, especially the chocolate mouse.

I will give Yupin one thing, I like their French Bread better.

Sorry to hear that L'Oliver may be closing. The list of better restaurants closing in the Jomtien area is getting depressing. Mate Hare and Bruno's come to mind. I realize this is off season, but business seems to be down more than usual at the better places this year.

[pattayaplayer]

Thanks for the great reviews and photos.  I sure hope they both going strong next February when I'll be in View Talay 5 for 3 weeks.  I'd love to enjoy nice food at a reasonable price.

[davidge]

I’ve been to both restaurants again, with various friends etc, so an update:

Went for the Set again in Yupins as when I looked at a la carte I’d have been paying about 600 for a starter & main without a huge range of further options for my particular tastes.

This time I had the Chicken salad:

It was fresh and crisp with plenty of chicken for a starter. Not quite up to the standard of the Nicoise but still good.

I then went for the red snapper in saffron sauce:

It came with Mediterranean veg which I’m not a fan of but wasn’t too concerned as I wanted a lighter option. The fish and sauce were both good. 

I didn’t bother with dessert.

A friend and I shared a carafe of the Superior House Red which was very good - and a definite step up from the Ordinary House. I agree with CF that the bread here is very good.

Both friends were happy with their meals as well. I’m not sure how often the Set Menu here changes, if at all, but it could get a bit repetitive if it doesn’t.

 

I also had the Set again at L’Olivier. Unlike Yupins it changes regularly - I have seen at least 3 different ones in 10 days. 

The soup this time was a delicious beef goulash:

The salad bar is included:

there were plenty of other items that I didn’t put on the plate. 

The higher price Set had options such as salmon, duck etc but I’m fairly predictable in my choices so went for the beef skewers from the lower price Set. 

it carried a 40 baht surcharge. As I said the first time, the higher price Set also includes a starter which would simply be too much for me on top of the other 4 courses! The beef was very tender and fell apart easily using just a fork. 

With this set, as well as the included dessert choices you can opt for any dessert on the menu for a 30 baht surcharge. I went for one of my (many) weaknesses which is creme brûlée. Delicious.

Friends very happy with their meals and Thai family of one very happy with Thai food.

 

As mentioned above, there is a big banner For Sale sign outside the restaurant. I really hope it can keep going for a while.

Without question, I think L’Olivier is significantly better than Yupins.

[ChiFlyer]

Back in the US for a few months now taking care of business. Also wondering why I just don't get things finished and make my move to Jomtien permanent.

Made one last visit to L'ovilver. I had the Cordon Blue special. I would not recommend this item, as it was a little over cooked and a little dry. Other than that, everything was good.

Talked a bit to the owner/manager and found out that despite the place being for sale, it has been in operation for 10 years.

[davidge]

Dear all customers

L'Olivier Restaurant Sold
I myself still own a restaurant until this Sunday.
And after Monday, September 16, the new owner will continue to use.
L'Olivier's restaurant is still open as usual. And all the staff at the restaurant remain the same.

Restaurant pages are still valid. You can follow the news, including calling to reserve a restaurant.

Hopefully all customers will continue to provide support as usual.
And I would like to thank you for everyone who has supported me and my L'Olivier restaurant.

Thankful

L’Olivier

[iron]

4 hours ago, davidge said:

Dear all customers

L'Olivier Restaurant Sold
I myself still own a restaurant until this Sunday.
And after Monday, September 16, the new owner will continue to use.
L'Olivier's restaurant is still open as usual. And all the staff at the restaurant remain the same.

Restaurant pages are still valid. You can follow the news, including calling to reserve a restaurant.

Hopefully all customers will continue to provide support as usual.
And I would like to thank you for everyone who has supported me and my L'Olivier restaurant.

Thankful

L’Olivier

never had a bad meal in L’Olivier,nancy was always charming and attentive.

[chris2004]

I hope it continues. I have been using L'Olivier for over 10 years, always had a great value meal there.

[ChiFlyer]

I am likely to try this Sunday. I will post an update, if I do so.

[ChiFlyer]

Given the weather report (local forecasts are certainly in flux this time of year) and some other personal schedule changes, we moved our dinner up to tonight at L'oliver.

My take on it is the new owner is so far going with the same staff and overall model of the previous owner. Things are as they were before the change in ownership. Will they stay that way? I would guess there will likely be some changes, but at this point the new owner is sticking with what has worked.

I ordered the Beef Bourguignon from the Daily Specials menu. The GF ordered the Roast duck al la carte. All items were very good. The Pumpkin Soup in particular was delicious.

Pumpkin Soup

Salad

Beef Bourguignon

Roast Duck

Chocolate Mouse

[chris2004]

Looks great my favourite dessert there is the Ile Flottante.

Edited September 21, 2019 by chris2004

[davidge]

L’Oliviers

Thought I’d give this a go under the new ownership. They still offer the 2 set menus, though they’ve gone up by 30 & 40 baht respectively. They’ve also added some Indonesian dishes to the menu.

Soup was chicken. Really a basic cream soup base with a few small pieces of chicken and carrot thrown in. Pleasant enough but not a great deal of taste.

The same salad bar was included. Some nice options, I avoided the heavier things like quiche and pate.

I chose the sea bass meunière as my main. The fish was very nice indeed and perfectly cooked. I’d have preferred if they’d drained it before plating and ended up using a few napkins to soak up the oil/butter from the plate. It was served with some vegetables and rice.

I had the panna cotta to finish, though I really didn’t want it or particularly enjoy it. I ate about half. (No picture)

Service was fine. 

The standard seemed about the same as in the past. A decent meal for 510 baht (including water).

As I said last time, it’s not somewhere I’d go often as a 4-course meal is just too heavy really but it’s a good occasional option.

[davidge]

Went to Yupin’s this evening. Exactly the same set menu at the same price. It’s a fixed offering.

No photos as it’s the same meals as on my first visit: Salad Nicoise followed by chicken Dijon.

Salad good. Chicken really wasn’t. There wasn’t really a Dijon sauce, just a few onions thrown on top and grease oozed from the chicken when I cut it.

I didn’t bother with dessert.

The place was very busy so I’ll put the poor main down to the chef being too busy.

I won’t be back this trip but may try it again next time.

[ChiFlyer]

3 hours ago, davidge said:

Went to Yupin’s this evening. Exactly the same set menu at the same price. It’s a fixed offering.

......

We have not been in awhile, but my opinion is similar to yours I think. Decent enough food, but nothing compelling about it. Still the specials are a good value. One reason we have not been back recently is the GF was extremely underwhelmed with the service level. Why nobody smile she said. She probably has a point.

[davidge]

3 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

We have not been in awhile, but my opinion is similar to yours I think. Decent enough food, but nothing compelling about it. Still the specials are a good value. One reason we have not been back recently is the GF was extremely underwhelmed with the service level. Why nobody smile she said. She probably has a point.

They all smiled at me 

[ChiFlyer]

On 08/01/2020 at 22:21, davidge said:

L’Oliviers

......

The standard seemed about the same as in the past. A decent meal for 510 baht (including water).

As I said last time, it’s not somewhere I’d go often as a 4-course meal is just too heavy really but it’s a good occasional option.

 

We have not been in a while. I was a little disappointed on our last two visits. The soup is off with the new owner IMO, as you described, and that was one of the things that wow'd me with the old owner. Salad bar is still better than decent. Their house red is a Malbec, which I am not fond of.

The overall package is a good deal, but there are other options in the area that I like better. Still given the location for me and the value, I will most likely get back from time to time.

Edited January 9, 2020 by ChiFlyer