• 
• 

Published on March 2, 2008

Very, very slowly, opportunities for enjoying good food are showing up beyond Bangkok's "dining centres" of Sukhumvit, Thonglor and Silom/Sathorn. Just opened last December, for instance, is a unique little restaurant on Soi 71.

Serving breakfast, lunch and what you might call a "late lunch" (or a very early dinner) is Scoffees, which offers snacks and substantial meals in a garden atmosphere.

Part of the activities of Scad (Soi Cat and Dog Rescue, formerly known as Soi Dog Rescue), Scoffees is easy to find. Go down Soi 71 and turn into Sub-Soi 42 (on the left from Sukhumvit). Then go down a little bit past Sub-Sub Soi 7 and there you are, at a charming house with a red gate opening onto a pleasant garden.

The house is home to a number of rescued dogs who are kept off to one side in their own spacious kennel. An out-building is home to rescued cats who can enjoy, in the cool of the morning and late afternoon, a kitty skyway that takes them to their own garden.

In the main house is Re-Tails Too, where you can find clothes, books and knickknacks, used and new, all for sale at reasonable prices. This sister outlet to Re-Tails (on the ground floor of the Lake Rajada Complex) also has furniture for sale, beds, living room sets and dining room tables. Some have been donated, some are being sold on commission, but all are of good quality. All profits support the foundation's activities.

Although on the small side, Scoffees offers both air-conditioned and al fresco dining. Under the practised hand of Annelize Booysen, the new menu offers not only a range of pancakes, cakes and other sweets but some fine meals, such as her vegetable lasagne (Bt200). Being South African, she's also introduced "Bobotie" (Bt200), a dish that Malays brought to her native country some 300 years ago and that can now be found throughout southern Africa. Combining curry and other spices with preserved fruit, the dish blends the sweet and the savoury.

Do save room for a sweet. The apple pie (Bt70) is exceptional.

Scoffees also offers coffees, teas and a lovely range of fruit drinks.

Wait. There's more. If you're looking for a place where you can meet interesting people and help them with their work rescuing strays, mark your calendar for this Wednesday, when Scad, Pic-A-Pet4Home and Jamesense Restaurant are holding a "Barking Banquet Buffet" dinner. Tickets are Bt600 (which includes a glass of wine).

On the menu are cheese and ham spring rolls served with apple and lime sauce, hummus served with pita bread, chicken wings served with blue-cheese sauce, deep-fried mozzarella with tartar sauce, smoked salmon on French bread, and pasta dishes.

Various kinds of auctions (such as a silent auction) are being planned as well.

For more information, you can phone Jamesense Restaurant (Gardengrove Suites, 51, Sukhumvit Soi 16) at (02) 663 3191-2; Claire Deacon at (084) 676 1064, Scad or Tharinee "Carrie" Wipuchanin at (089) 669 1690 or (081) 451 2233 (Pic-A-Pet4Home).

Laurie Rosenthal

The Nation