Now it’s time for a real treat. Go on, try this one. 5+ star dining at very modest prices. The Edge Restaurant at the Hilton, reeks quality. Let’s start by getting there. You can either walk through the Central Festival shopping mall, or go in their own entrance down the side of the Mall. Whichever one you choose, as soon as you get out the lift, the place exudes quality. First the scale of the place. It reminds me of a medieval cathedral, where they were just saying “We built it big because we could”. This place is huge. And the space is gratuitous. The décor is luxurious too. The lighting is with interesting crystal features and the wood panelling says “look, we can afford this”.
So immediately you feel pampered. You feel awe inspired, yet at the same time you don’t feel intimidated. OK. You get to the restaurant and the décor is all light wood. The slatted effect which (in my opinion) doesn’t work on the outside of the building definitely does inside. The glass lighting is inspired. In the day time it’s a treasure. At night it sparkles.The view is spectacular, and the outside terrace takes full advantage, showing you Pattaya Bay. The inside is air-conditioned and allows a view through the windows. Dress by the way is requested as smart casual.
Well, we didn’t come here to look at the furniture, we came to eat. The meals are served as an all-you-can eat buffet. But this one is top quality. The luncheon offering is only slightly smaller than the evening. Normally I start with sushi. I follow this with a small plate of their delicious salad. There is fresh bread and butter if you feel like carving yourself a slice. There are always soups, if you fancy these. Then on to some seafood maybe? There are fresh mussels and prawns for you to savour. For main courses, there’s a choice of Thai, roast meat, fish, pizza or pasta. The pizza is freshly cooked for you in the on site ovens. The portions in the serving trays are small. It looks as if they are running out. In fact what they are doing is keeping a small quantity on display and frequently topping it up. I’ve never seen an empty tureen for more than a couple of minutes.
After the main courses maybe pause for a breather, or move on to the dessert. This is again remarkable. The chocolate cake is to die for. They also have cheese and I have had some wonderful Roquefort there. Finally it’s time for coffee. Can I squeeze in one more dessert? Go on. You probably won’t eat like this again for a while. At least you won’t be hungry enough to.
The staff are attentive to their diners too. They make sure you have a cold towel when you arrive and plates are cleared promptly, yet not (as is frequently the case in Pattaya) too promptly. You feel waited on and not hurried. The water is topped up when the glass is half empty and the place servings tidied while you go for your next course. And it’s all done quietly and with the minimum of fuss.
Oh and do visit the bathroom before you go. The analogy to cathedrals continues here with the door, stretching from floor to ceiling and half the width of the wall. The inside would do any sauna’s dark room proud, with it’s slatted see through walls, but behave. You’re in mixed company. However the towel boy inside …
So all this luxury and 5+ star cooking must be expensive. Not at all. Luncheon is just 300B. The evening meal is 700B, except for Fridays, when they have a special seafood buffet at 800B. There are occasional deals on wine, but the house water is included in the price, and it’s nett, not ++. So for 300B, or 700B for a special evening meal? I give it a straight 10 in the scoring.
You can read all about them here – www1.hilton.com
