These days, Pattaya features many attractions tourists may never see anywhere else. In the near future, the city will have the first frozen restaurant, while a doorless hotel will soon open, and the "girly" attractions will soon be set aside in a zone of their own.

I discovered - to my delight - a fantastic new restaurant called the Mantra Restaurant and Bar, and talked awhile with its manager, a man of mixed Iranian and Swiss ancestry called Geev Andre Bahrampoori, about the place, its business direction and his management style.

Mantra is part of the Amari Orchid Resort and Tower in North Pattaya. It is the result of a total investment of Bt100 million and has been operating for only six months. Previously, it was the Lagritta Italian restaurant.

Bahrampoori said the hotel wanted something totally different from all the other restaurants and pubs in Pattaya. Finally, it agreed to make Mantra, which has a broad combination of Oriental and Middle Eastern influences.

"What's new about it? We could say that is offers music, food and drinks together," Bahrampoori said.

It claims to be the only one place in Pattaya with seven kitchens under one roof.

First, the Japanese kitchen, where the chef chops, dices, rolls and serves sushi as guests watch.

Then the Indian, with all the wonders of Indian cuisine, and the Chinese, with its wood-fired duck oven, its dim-sum steamer and its noodle pot.

The Western kitchen offers a range of culinary delights, while the Mediterranean offers pizza made in traditional style, in a wood-fired oven.

Then, there's the grill, with taste sensations from around the world and last - but far from least - the seafood kitchen with fresh, live fish waiting to be caught and cooked.

However, as if all this is not enough, the Mantra's décor includes special "corners" to cater for different moods and tastes. All have their catchy names.

There's "Hedonist Harlem", with its red bed and high ceiling net; the "Opium Den", which often has a queue waiting for the next empty spot; "The Sultan's Table", which offers a larger area for groups, and "Opera Seats", which makes diners feel they are sitting in a theatre.

There are also private rooms, a terrace, the main dining area, as well as the bar. And although the music is not live, it is a happy selection, running until late.

Bahrampoori said the restaurant's four main targeted groups are tourists (30 per cent), local guests (30 per cent), business diners (30 per cent) and Japanese visitors (10 per cent).

In particular, foreigners living and working locally are a major target group. They come from the industrial estates on the Eastern Seaboard, many of them simply to relax after work.

The Mantra has a total staff of 108 people, more than 40 of them working in the kitchens.

Asked about expensive prices, Bahrampoori said that, on the contrary, Mantra's prices are reasonable. In any case, he said, the atmosphere makes people forget about the prices.

"During the initial period of operations, word of mouth is the best way for us to reach our goal of being the place that shares a good time with friends and makes them feel they've gone back to their roots," he said.

Suchat Sritama

The Nation

PATTAYA