bkkjosh

They have blocked torrentspy also. See my post in the internet/pc forum

Very sad day indeed.

Outback Steakhouse Siam but bit pricey. Cheaper to fly to Brisbane and have a good steak there. Well almost

I've often wondered about this place, just how pricey is it? What would you think the bill would hit for 2 small starters and 2 steak dinners (who am I kidding, 2 desserts as well! )

2000-2500 for 2 without alcohol. Special happy hours include 500ml draught beer for 135 baht. I think the prices are mid-range, you'll see a lot of families in there.

If you want a comprehensive guide to eating out in bangkok, Thailand tatler magazine publishes one on an annual basis, comparing restaurants of all qualities in all locations and with prices from 500 baht/person to 5000+ baht/person, there is something for everyone. I have recently bought a copy of their 2006 edition and from my experiences so far its quite accurate.

New Yorker @ The JW Marriott in Sukhumvit Soi2.

Must be the biggest and freshest steak around.

Never liked Neil's Tavern,so artificial.

Definitely New York Steakhouse would be #1 in bangkok if your budget isn't limited. I have enjoyed this restaurant many times and its consistently good.

Madison in the Four Seasons would come a close 2nd and not as expensive as New York Steakhouse either.

Both have fantastic wine lists.

I’ve seen the same magazine article, and was in the neighborhood today, so I gave Woodstock’s a shot. My overall impression, while favorable, was not quite as orgasmic as the OP’s. While it is a good burger that uses high quality ingredients, other than the presentation, the burger wasn’t that exciting. IMHO, it is not the best in Thailand, or even Bangkok for that matter. There were some other interesting things on the menu that looked good, so I may go back, but not for the burger.

OK, the detailed burger review. I went for Monterey Jack cheese burger. The best part of this burger is presentation. It comes on a large wooden steak board, with coleslaw in a center dish, fries to one side and burger to the other. The lettuce, tomato, and onion are on the side and the burger comes plain with the condiments on the side as well. The patty has a slightly smaller diameter than the bun, but is still a good size. The beef is not bad, but a little “meat loafie” for my taste and is fried not char broiled. The bun is more like a dinner role. It has rosemary baked in, which gives in a nice aroma. By itself, it’s good bread, however it over shadows the beef. It also makes for a very vertical burger that you need to stretch your mouth out to eat. The fries where good, kind of a medium cut steak fry.

Ambiance/service: I came in at an odd time, about 2pm and a Friday, and I was the only customer, so it’s hard to judge the atmosphere. Good music at a reasonable volume. The décor was new and tastefull, with a good use of dark and light materials in the classic bar theme. The service was good, but like I said, they weren’t very busy. She did make a point of asking me how I like the food, which is something you don’t hear to often here.

Putting things into context (my personal biases): Now the same article that lauded Woodstock’s also panned my favorite burger joint, the Big Mango Bar. I’ve spend a fair about of time in the Bay area were the boys from the Big Mango are from, and I grew up on the West Coast (by at a more Northern Latitude), so we have similar ideas of what a burger should be. It has the a higher fat content than the average Bangkok burger, as a proper burger should, and is char broiled on a properly seasoned grill. The guys have done there home work and have created a great representation of a beach concession burger. Good music, friendly service, and surprisingly good prices. My Woodstock burger, fries, and Tiger worked out to 340bt, the same thing at Big Mango’s (during happy hour) is only 165bt.

Sounds good, I'll have to give big mango a try soon Thanks for the tip!

Coldplay - Speed of Sound

You guys have been most helpful with all of the replies. I anticipate eating out with my coworkers during the week, most of whom are probably cheapskates anyway so I probably won't spend too much. I'll most likely take the family out once or twice a week to a decent, not necessarily expensive, restaurant. Of course the occasional drink or two at the local bar will finish the week. Rentals fees might be high when I first get there, but I am sure that will taper off as the novelty wears off, or will it? Of course I have not accounted for my Golf addiction. Golf is probably what will cost me the most there, I think.

Compared to the west... golf is cheap here...

have fun!!

My money is still on early Dec

So is mine...

My humble guess: it is gonna be rather messy. Practically all roads in the centre city is mentioned in the advise I have seen - but not with specific times.

I am considering a trip to Pattaya for that reason - or just stocking up in the condo with beers and DVDs. Cheers!

Great idea! I'm going to samui to escape the rush.. Can't wait

Grey beef paddies cant be good for you, probaly shouldnt even be called beef.

Mcdonalds only tastes ok because it has tonnes of sugar loaded into the burger.

I would take a greasy takeaway shop burger pver any fast food burger anyday.

I've never seen any grey hamburger on sale in the USA, but they must taste better than Vegemite anyway.

It always comes back to the vegemite, doesn't it

After living in the states for almost 18 months I can honestly say the differences between the 2 are minimal at best.

Grey beef and vegemite?

Australian McDonalds and American McDonalds, smart ass

What is it with you and vegemite? Did someone drop you on your head by chance as a youngster?

Love the sidewalk vendours - good laff when you have nought place to go!!

Annoying when you live here full time Brit

They do get old pretty quick..

Grey beef paddies cant be good for you, probaly shouldnt even be called beef.

Mcdonalds only tastes ok because it has tonnes of sugar loaded into the burger.

I would take a greasy takeaway shop burger pver any fast food burger anyday.

I've never seen any grey hamburger on sale in the USA, but they must taste better than Vegemite anyway.

It always comes back to the vegemite, doesn't it

After living in the states for almost 18 months I can honestly say the differences between the 2 are minimal at best.

Tutsiwarrior, haven't you seen either of Coke Light or Pepsi Max in your stores? They are widely available around BKK, and both are "diet", I would say. I prefer the Pepsi Max... it has a much stronger flavor than a western Diet Pepsi, such that it almost tastes like a regular cola.

As for amber liquids, I already reported on my wheat beer obsession in the silly minimart thread. I am not sure I could take much distilled spirits here in the tropics, assuming I wasn't mixing it with Gatorade.

Ahhh wheat beer. Can't wait to have a Kronenberg 1664 on tap in sydney...

Its the simple things... it really is..

Wow, all the mentions for U2, Coldplay and Chili Peppers are incredible. All three are bands that I really like.

I suppose its just an indicator of how very mainsream your tastse are. They keep serving it up and you keep buying it.

Now saying this was just wrong on your part. Any band, no matter what their status is in the world of pop culture, can make good music. I mention three bands I like and you've already broken down my entire musical taste. I don't think so. Want to see how mainstream my tastes are? Check out my list down below.

I'm distraught to see Tears For Fears listed here!

Me as well. Tears for Fears is a great band IMO. "Who killed Tangerine" is a great song. It has an anthemic feel.

As for annoying:

Britney Spears

Christina Aguilera

Backstreet Boys

N'Sync

Most Hip Hop stuff

Robbie Williams

Eagles! (BLAH!!!!!!!)

Ricky Martin

Marc Anthony

New Santana

C'mon Trippy... you sore American !

Enya ?!?!

I'd wager against being open - more likely dec or next low season!

Yep! me too!

Great, this guy is funny.

give him his own tv show, thats what i say.

Please DONT!!!

the topic has been done over and over ... sometimes with hysterical results ... we have one dropout that just cannot imagine budgeting 20k a month for food ... and folks that have 20k dinners with friends :-)

Basically if your rent/utilities and such are paid for ... you CAN live on 100 baht a day ... but you wouln't ever want to .... and you COULD spend 4000 baht a day pretty readily ...

in BKK I spend about 40k a month after my rent/utils etc .. on an average month

Very, very true. The variances are huge.

PB, have you managed to cook anything yet, or are dead of malnutrition?

Grant, thanks for asking. I missed your post.

I moved into my new place on 17 January, bought a few utensils like a new Teflon frying pan, and made a few simple meals for myself. Then my Thai boyfriend came back around 6 March, and he knows how to cook for me. We still frequent Burger King and S&P (only club sandwiches and zapalote pan), American Ribs, Sizzler, etc. He cooks me burnt bacon and runny sunny-funny eggs and toasted wheat bread and marmalade almost every morning. I still skip with the extra crunchy peanut butter, deplete the supply of Pepsi Max at our new Tesco, and eat poopcorn. Ooops, I mean "popcorn." Twice I cooked spaghetti - once with minced pork, once with minced beef.

My partner cooks fried rice, noodles, chicken, a little pork, veggies, etc. - all without the slightest whiff of burning chilies. It can be done.

I feel your pain. After living here for 3yrs I still can't eat spicy food (I wasn't brought up with it at all). I often wish I could eat spicy food... because it makes life in thailand so much more simple.

In hua hin I often like to eat satay and those huge roasted chickens they have at the roadside...

As far as cooking for yourself goes... To make things more interesting, next time your in bangkok you may want to look in the oriental shop... I often buy handmade pasta there which is 85 baht/box and, if cooked properly, is fantastic. If you ever get to go to singapore you can also buy some nice mild indian curries as stir-through sauces. Not spicy at all and certainly is nice to eat something different from time to time.

Most of the larger supermarkets now have different grades of beef, which makes it easy to make a good spag bol. Not sure about hua hin though with the exception of that new tesco's you mentioned... I stayed at "baan bayan" last time I was down there and it was within easy walking distance.

Last option available to you is to purchase a marriott gold thailand card (I have one and I use it quite frequently). When dining with your partner (2 people) you get 50% off your total food bill. They have a great italian restaurant on the beach, an above average buffet and an average steak house at the hua hin marriott. Depending on where you eat the bill would usually come to between 1000-2000 baht for 2 including a couple of beers/wines. So its a worthwhile investment for a once a week/fortnight/month treat... whatever takes your fancy.

Hope this helps a little

There are quite a few cruises, ranging from the all-you-can-eat-buffet-while-hongkies-and-singaporeans-are-elbowing-you-for-the-last-prawn type large ones to the sailboat charters for a few days in the Andaman.

Did a short 4-days sailboat cruise through the Whitsundays with my wife a few years back and it was simply amazing.

For something out-of-this world romantic, I would suggest a quick trip (2hr flight) up to Hanoi in the north of Vietnam for 4 or 5 days. A cruise on a chinese junk ship (absolutely stunning) for 3 days/2 nights only costs US$140/each. The trip is a truly spectacular one. I will post some photos so you get an idea of what I'm referring to.

Flights to Hanoi range from US$100 return (air asia) to US$300 return (full service airline) ... I've noticed recently though that thai airways has had many online specials to hanoi www.thaiairways.com

The people to contact about the cruise on Ha long bay are: www.handspan.com (very professional the whole way, including a great guide who spoke very clear english).

I went to Laos for a day trip with my wife once before. We drove up there from Udon Thani. It took about an hour. We got the visa and relevant requirements right in town. The town on the border is the town of NongKhai. There are some great restaurants in Laos. The ones I found were located in a circle around a non-working water fountain.

Try La Opera in that exact location for the best italian in Vietiane.

It is a fantastic drop and I'm quite happy to share with anyone else who enjoys a good selection of single malts.

Share your knowledge of, or your actual Scotch?

I'm a sharer Of both knowledge and actual scotch

Its always good to have a drinking buddy or 2

I'm on the ribena with coffee chasers...

totster

Just poured the 1st Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21yr old single malt scotch. Considering what today has been like, probably the first of many.

Josh,

why is a scottish name brand going around with spanish writing? Can´t they just call it the Big Slosh or something?

Anyway, save me a shot. I should be there by the time it is about 30 years old. (Does that make it a Bigger Slosh?)

Regards, your friendly english bartender in Guatemala.

I'm unsure why they use spanish writing, I can tell you that I've been enjoying this particular single malt for quite some time now (its extremely smooth).

I know that one of their 15yr old malts is called "Solera Reserve" ... So maybe its a theme.

I've found the page that will explain all: http://uk.glenfiddich.com/shop/prod_gran_reserve_21.html

It is a fantastic drop and I'm quite happy to share with anyone else who enjoys a good selection of single malts.

Gwen Stefani - "What are you waiting for"

Just wondering if anyone knows when coldplay tickets will be available and if they be standing tickets only etc. I believe they are coming to Bangkok at the end of July and I would love to see them. I know thaiticketmaster.com will be selling the tickets eventually... and that will be alright if the zones are all standing zones... but if they are seated.. usually its a bit tough to get the good seats.

Thanks in advance for any info

I know you can buy good sundried tomatos from Gourmet sections of Siam Paragon and Emporium.

Good Luck

bkk taxi drivers

i know i can relate to this , can anyone else ?

Thats hilarious. Experienced many times. Its always the unknown factor.... catching a bangkok taxi is rarely boring. Annoying, scary, funny, smelly. Always something different anyway.