THE BAY RESTAURANT

The Food Lovers

Positioned beside the lagoon pool at the famous Dusit Thani Pattaya is the award-winning contemporary Italian restaurant aptly named, The Bay.  The gourmet guiding light here is the global Executive Chef Adrian W. O’Herlihy who enjoys an epicurean resume par excellence and brings his own winning formula to this charming restaurant.  Whether you are lunching overlooking the sun drenched beach or dining at dusk under a star studded sky; this is a wonderful place to be.

We had been invited to savour the new weekly (Wednesday) Italian buffet, which at B.676 ++ presents a gourmet spread of the fnest Italian cuisine. 



The proceedings commence at 6.30 pm and when we arrived shortly after tables were starting to fll and the atmosphere was buzzing with cheerful and spirited diners.  We elected to sit inside in air-conditioned comfort but the views through the soaring windows onto the Pattaya nightscape are just as striking and dramatic.

The buffet unfolds at the outset with the bread section.  We always think that the bread basket is a crystal ball into the standard of cuisine to follow.  At The Bay it is prodigious; the in-house bakery produces eclectic, crusty loaves of all sizes and colours and in fact are now supplying their bakery items to many outside establishments throughout Pattaya. 

The cold table follows with baby bruchettas topped with tomato and olive tapenade, delicious fat mussels resting in their shells, grilled/marinated vegetables, foie gras with truffe served in Chinese china spoons and a wealth of cured meats, salamis, prosciuttos, salads and smoked/marinated salmon.    This is our favourite section of any buffet and we happily tucked into the plump mussels (delicious), the top notch Italian cured meats, the divine foie gras, vibrant salads, transparent beef and succulent marinated salmon impregnated with dill and capers. 



Next follows the tavola calda  (hot table) commencing with rigatoni in tomato sauce, gnocchi with gorgonzola, beef lasagna, and pumpkin flled ravioli.  Meaty items offer elegant beef tenderloin simmered in red wine and sun-dried tomatoes, chicken breast in orange, honey, herbs and rum naming a few to whet your appetite. Fish lovers would favour the sea bass fllet in tomato and caper sauce or salmon in caper, poppyseed and white wine. Too many options to list here but suffce it to say they are all luxury dishes using quality produce and cooked to perfection.

The live pasta station was indeed a lively affair.  The pasta chef offered half a dozen various pastas (from fusilli through fettuccine to pappardelle) and personally cooked your favourite sauce to cater to your gastro-whims. Herbs, cheeses, creams and veggies all vied to excite the taste buds and much animation centred around this show kitchen. Adjacent to this, the pizza table brought an end to this pageant of savoury gastronomy.

The wine list is, as one would expect,  a carefully chosen assembly of the world’s fnest vintners. 

We elected to sample the house carafe which proved to be a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon of excellent quality (B.1,000/ ½ litre) and we happily quaffed this ruby wine while enjoying our main course selections. 

Do save room for dessert.  The offerings are decadent, delectable and luscious.  There is surely a talented dessert wizard in this kitchen.  We checked out several on your behalf and were in heaven sipping the chocolate mousse topped with strawberries and kiwi fruit, the creamiest of crème caramels and a memorable amaretto cream cake. 

If you are a buffet lover, have a penchant for Italian cuisine and would like to dine in one of Pattaya’s fnest resorts (at a very reasonable cost), then this Wednesday night feast is for you. 

The location offers dazzling views over the bay of Pattaya,  frst class ingredients,  cooking techniques which are spot served in  an  elegant  and chic venue with a contemporary vibe.

Wednesday Night Italian Buffet B.676++ (half price for children 5-12 years old) from 6.30 to 10.00 pm.  Dusit Thani Pattaya is located on Beach Road Pattaya (North), near the Dolphin Roundabout.  The Bay Restaurant is open form 11.30 to 10.00 pm.  Tel:  (038) 425 611 Ext.2270.