Beautiful sunsets are a sailor’s nourishment after a long day at sea, but are even better when you can enjoy a great sunset from land. When I was sailing my schooner around the Pacific, I sailed up the Gulf of Siam from Singapore to Bangkok, stopping in Pattaya. My good friends, Connie Mangskau and her daughter Joanna Cross invited me and my crew to stay and rest for a few days at the family beachhouse, just south of Pattaya. Connie would gather everyone on the balcony just before sunset and a tray of drinks would appear with the houseboy ready to mix whatever your pleasure was that evening. Watching the sun disappear in glory and magnificence, many stories were exchanged. I hold memories of those fabulous evenings fondly in my heart.
Imagine my surprise when I watched a sunset just the other evening, very similar to those I remember so well. Just a short distance from the family house, there now stands a fabulous seafood restaurant, Rimpa-Lapin, run by Connie’s granddaughter, Linda Cross. The property had been in the family for a very long time but nothing was built on it. It was a high cliff that had no access to the beach. Linda used to come and sit on the cliff when she was co-hosting ieshow.com on T.V. She dreamed that one day she would build a restaurant on this spot and began making plans in her head. Two years ago, she began building. The cliff was cut into 3 levels, so diners could chose which level they would prefer, and of course the view is grand from each of the levels. The building is made of wood and is open and airy, just what is needed for tropical evenings.Linda went to school in Europe and the U.S. before she returned to Thailand in her early twenties. She gained a discerning palate from her father, Barrie V. Cross, hotelier extraordinare who was a legend in Bangkok. From the culinary delights she enjoyed all over the world, she has combined the local fresh seafood and spices to offer excellent Thai and Thai-fusion cuisine at Rimpa-Lapin. Course after course arrived at our table, one tastier than the one before until we couldn’t eat anymore. After a fine meal with my old friends, Joanna and Linda Cross, I savored my scotch on the rocks and watched the sun slowly fade into the horizon. And for just a second, I was that dashing young captain once again, ready to sail of the Third Sea to yet another port for another adventure.
www.rimpa-lapin.com
