If you ever find yourself staying in Pattaya, Thailand for a day or two, make sure you never, and I mean NEVER, miss going to Hopf Brew House! This is a great place where they serve delicious food, good house-brewed beer (I was told), and a great live band!
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| happy after eating delicious food! |
Biases-aside (because my Uncle Bert plays the keyboard), the band is one of the best I've heard in a long time. They have a wide repertoire of music that range from bossa nova to Beatles' songs to opera to pop. Everyone in the band can sing and it's fascinating to hear different kinds of music in one night.
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| pretty stained glass door |
It was also a pleasure and a privilege to meet the talented members. To my delight, one of them is Filipino! So I got to joke around in Tagalog with Kuya Emman while Nicky made me laugh because he kept telling me "Mabuhay!" the only Tagalog word he knows :)
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| Nicky, Kuya Emman, Me, and Uncle Bert |
I so regret not being able to take a video (management doesn't allow it) of the guys so I can't share a clip with you. Thank goodness picture-taking is okay. I asked my uncle what is the band's name is and he said they actually don't have one. But since all of them often get sick every now and then, some people jokingly call them Virus hahaha.
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| everything tasted great! |
The food selection here is great. I had mushroom soup, steak, and tangerine juice on my first night and enjoyed every bite. Before we left, Enzo, one of the owners who is also a member of the band, had us try the Tiramisu, which he made himself. That was a perfect nightcap for me!
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| The Corrs "followed" me to Thailand! |
Before the band started playing, I was pleasantly surprised to see a video clip of my top favorite music group, The Corrs, singing with Luciano Pavarotti on the TV screens scattered around Hopf. I felt that, in a way, it was a good welcome sign that I was in the right place at the right time.
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| Hopf's must-hear band |
On my second and last night in Pattaya, I told my uncle I'd like to hear the band again. They play four sets a night, from Mondays to Saturdays. A lot of tourists come back to hear them too. I've also seen families with small kids enjoy Hopf's food and ambiance.
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| the best tom yum I've ever tasted is served here |
For dinner that night, I ordered the smoked salmon salad, fried rice with crab, tom yum soup, and lime juice. I wasn't disappointed. Again, everything tasted really great.
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| I will dearly miss these guys :( |
I love the tom yum because the chef honored my "not spicy" request so I didn't have to take a sip of water every time I eat a spoonful of soup. Also, there are lots of shrimp and mushroom instead of just a few pieces swimming in a large bowl of soup, very unlike some of the tom yum I've had in other places in the past.
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| more photos inside the restaurant |
So, if you're traveling to Pattaya any time soon, go to Hopf! Although the place can be packed during high tourist season and you may have to wait for a table, have patience because it will be worth it :)
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