LE SAIGON BAYVIEW RESTAURANT High Level Dining

The interior design is an elegant blend of Vietnamese and French colonial providing a sophisticated ambiance whilst the wrap-around terrace offers a more casual al fresco setting for wining and dining under the stars.

Their lavish 4-course B.395 menu is always extraordinary value offering an appetizer choice of smoked duck breast or shrimp cocktail followed by salad du jour or spinach soup and a main course of grilled chicken breast served with house special mushroom cream sauce, duck breast with orange sauce, beef filet with whisky cream sauce or the fish option of grilled cod fillet accompanied by tarragon sauce, spinach and buttered rice. Desserts complete this extravagant degustation with a selection featuring crepe with butter and sugar, crème brulee or fried ice cream.

If you choose to eat from the Vietnamese menu probably, the best introduction would be to opt for the assorted starter platter. This will provide taste of crab balls, fried shrimp and pork rolls together with the crispiest spring rolls served with rice and vermicelli. Salt and pepper soft-shelled crabs, frogs’ legs ‘Saigonaise’, and the famous rice noodle soups featuring chicken or beef would also provide a delicious and appetizing hors d’oeuve. The house special cha cha Hanoi (white fish steaks baked with perfumed herbs and onions) or the beef fillet flash fried and served in a lemon sauce would both be excellent options for your foray into this interesting Southeast Asian cuisine.

Mick and I have enjoyed many an evening here with friends, sharing the Vietnamese dishes but on this occasion decided to sample the menu from the western world. A generous, complimentary mixed salad is a pleasing palate livener to begin the proceedings. Amongst the starters, New Zealand mussels in café de Paris sauce (B. 195) are popular as are the garlicky snails, the smoked duck breast and the special shrimp cocktail in their house sauce (B.195). I was tempted by the mozzarella and tomato salad but in the end, we both could not resist ordering the baked scallops Saigonaise. These juicy, plump fruits of the sea were delicious and a definite “must-try” for all scallop lovers.

I had been recommended to order the lobster termidor as it had been given a 5-star rave rating from a friend. Allow a 30-minute respite for this most luxurious of dishes but then you will be rewarded with a delectable creamy fusion packed with luscious sweet lobster meat and mushrooms. Praise to the chef for the preparation of this king of gourmet shellfish. Mick chose a sizzling prawn dish from the Vietnamese menu; tom luc lac presents sautéed king prawns in concert with onions, tomatoes and bell peppers presented singing and sizzling straight to your table. Other seafood options present truly colossal Alaskan king crab legs, baked shellfish in puff pastry, grilled salmon or tiger prawns in the restaurants’ signature sauce. For meat fans, the house specialty of steak Le Saigon combines a thick cut of tender beef filet wrapped in bacon and accompanied by a mushroom and pepper sauce or the grilled lamb chops in a mustard and garlic sauce are a big favourite here.

I must say the portions are sizeable and we were unable to do justice to their appealing desert list. For pudding lovers the chocolate cake with English cream, three crepe creations (one with sliced bananas and homemade chocolate sauce), crème brulee or tiramisu would provide the sweetest of conclusions to dining here.

Le Saigon Bayview is located in an astonishing setting. The jaw dropping views from this culinary eerie are breathe taking. Come here to enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine or two with the spectacular backdrop of a glorious sunset or the star-studded nightscape of Pattaya and Jomtien. Dining here offers a sophisticated dining experience in an incomparable location high in the sky over Thailand’s eastern seaboard.

Open daily from 5.00 pm till late. Situated in the Pattaya Hill Resort, Soi 2, and Pratamnak Road. Tel: (038) 250 329. Call for free pick-up. Ample undercover parking.

We omitted to say that Café Des Amis (review in 22/9/09 issue) is CLOSED ON TUESDAYS. We apologize if anyone was inconvenienced.