vagabond48

9 hours ago, sfokevin said:

I don't think it's peculiar?... Many sit-down restaurant chains charge tax... Every restaurant in Central Festival charges tax... My guess it's a function of having a properly licensed business...

Of course, sit-down places with computerized registers will probably include a VAT. The difference is that the menu item price listed includes the VAT so that if an item is 100 baht, that's the amount you'd pay PERIOD, unlike Dukes, where you'd pay 100 baht PLUS the VAT or an additional 7%. Since Duke's owners or surrogates encourage you include a tip or they actually do include it, I wonder if perhaps the owners are paying their waitresses less than normal which if true, would mean more profit due to lower wages. They should have a higher item price which should at least include the VAT if not a bit more for service charge, IF they are paying lower wages. Of course, that would make them less competitive.

12 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

http://www.chiangmaigrandview.com

 

Is this the Grandview buffet that you have mentioned?

Yes.

4 hours ago, LomSak27 said:

You have lived in Chiang Mai for 9 years and yet you come back to visit during the hot season; the smoke/burning/smog season.

 

What about this am I not understanding? ????

We were already in Southern China so we thought with the very cheap airfares, we'd make a short visit. Btw, unless the seasons have changed, we arrived during the rainy season and it was NOT very hot at all. We also thought that the rain would help clean up the air. The poor air quality I was referring to was from the motorized transportation. I hope that clarifies your understanding.

We went to 3 of the buffets mentioned here. Of  course, all that I write is a purely our opinions.

The Aud der Aus was Ok. The owners were a very nice and friendly especially Udo. The food was kinda worth the price the 140B especially in CM. We focused our selection on the German side and found the sausages and sliced meats not especially tasty. The sauerkraut which I looked forward to having with the sausage had a strange taste. I wanted German mustard which Udo gave me that was in a French's bottle. He said that it was not French's but it tasted an "awful" lot like it. I think French's is about the worst mustard there is. Having the food dishes in an opened area attracted flies making the foods a little less appetizing.

Next, we went to Lotus Pang Suan Kaew buffet for 299B on Saturday. I did get a 30% off coupon off their website so we paid 218B. The selection was ok. The desserts were not as good as Grandview as I remembered it. The nice surprise was that they had salmon sashimi so like bears we feasted on them. We got there about 11:30AM it wasn't crowded. 25 minute later, a group of what I gathered were Western tourists staying at the hotel, swooped down to devour the food. We liked it enough because of the salmon sashimi that we came back Monday with the discounted coupon but when we arrived about 11:45AM found the place strangely empty. and we were disappointing to found that the salmon was not being offered and that it had been possibly a Saturday promotion. They also didn't have dim sum that my wife previously had and wanted. The dessert section didn't have the one dessert I liked, so off we went to Grandview.

The Grandview was just as we remembered it and very busy. When we got there at 12noonish, all the inside tables were reserved. The food selection was about the same as we remembered it including the dessert. At 199B, it is definitely a better value the Lotus at their asking price of 299B.

With that, we wish you all and CM a fond farewell until the next time.

We went to 3 of the buffets mentioned here. Of  course, all that I write is a purely our opinions.

The Aud der Aus was Ok The owners were a very nice and friendly especially Udo. The food was kinda worth the price the 140B. We focused our selection on the German side and found the sausages and sliced meats not especially tasty. I asked Udo for German mustard. He came back with a bottle of French's saying that he recycled the bottle but it had German mustard. It tasted an "awful" lot like French's which I dislike. The sauerkraut which I looked forward to having with the sausage had a strange taste. Having the food dishes in an opened area attracts flies making the food a little less appetizing.

Next, we went to Lotus Pang Suan Kaew buffet for 299B on Saturday. I did get a 30% off coupon off their website so we paid 218B. The selection was ok. The desserts were not as good as Grandview as I remembered it. The nice surprise was that they had salmon sashimi so like bears we feasted on them. We got there about 11:30AM it wasn't crowded. 25 minute later, a group of what I gathered were Western tourists staying at the hotel, swooped down to devour the food. We liked it enough because of the salmon sashimi that we came back Monday with the discounted coupon but when we arrived about 11:45AM found the place strangely empty. and we were disappointing to found that the salmon was not being offered and that it had been possibly a Saturday promotion. They also didn't have dim sum that my wife previously had and wanted. The dessert section didn't have the one dessert I liked, so off we went to Grandview.

The Grandview was just as we remembered it and very busy. When we got there at 12noonish, all the inside tables were reserved. The food selection was about the same as we remembered it including the dessert. At 199B, it is definitely a better value the Lotus at their asking price of 299B.

With that, we wish you all and CM a fond farewell until the next time.

My wife and I just finished our short trip down memory lane in CM. We lived here for 9 years before we left for the states 4+ years ago. Since we had no wheels, we walked a lot and used public transportation. Yes, CM has grown a lot which includes Chinese setting up businesses. My wife met a Chinese acquaintance who brought her to her rather large fancy boutique hotel on the river which caters to Chinese. The one thing that was apparent in the city as we walked around was the awful air qualify. We walked back towards the Old Town from Airport Plaza about 5PM on one of the main streets that was a S L O W moving parking lot reminding me a bit of BKK. We enjoyed our visit but would definitely not want to move back to CM.

Yesterday, we went to Dukes and had the Cuban and Reuben sandwiches. We both enjoyed them. My only minor grime continues to be that unlike most? other establishments, Duke doesn't include the VAT tax in their asking price so you wind up paying another 7%.

I guess this is the wrong crowd for this question involving public transportation. I do miss using my wheels, both bicycle and motorcycle but the times, they are a changing.

We arrived yesterday from China. I read somewhere about 6 weeks ago that my Chinese wife's VOA would be 2000 baht, ouch. When we met up she said she and others paid 200 baht so I thought I may have misread the web page. This morning, I just read that Thailand has had FREE VOA since November 2018 which they extended several times and the last one until October 2019. She brought her own photo so I was wondering what was the 200 baht for? I'm not complaining since I thought I'd be paying 2000B.

I downloaded the iphone app. All that shows is the normal google map with no bus routes. I click on (i) for route info and I get a blank display only with Back and Route on top. I downloaded it twice and it is still not working for me.

It's been over 4 years since we ate at Dukes. Is it still as good as we remember it and are the prices still reasonable?

10 hours ago, Xavnel said:

Farm / Forest burning is NOT smog...  

That is just wood / organic stuff burning.. 

Smog is created from cars, trucks, and other motorized vehicles.

 

Yes, it us not good air quality,  however, I wish people would stop calling the smoke,  "smog" ...  that is just not a true statement. 

Smoke, smog, a bit of semantics, when it comes to breathing, IMO.

It was probably silly to post this request since I haven't had som tam for over 4 years and will most likely enjoy any version.

7 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It seems your opinion of Thais is a little tainted.

I got some good tips from them. And if you don't like A you can try B.

As mentioned above many people have different ideas about good taste.

I forgot to put the wink emoji at the end but yes, my opinion of "some" Thais is just "a tiny winy" tainted.

Damn, it feels like ol times being on TV.

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

There is a very easy solution and it works all over Thailand. Ask the locals!

I am sure the motorcycle taxi drivers or maids or security guards will be delighted to tell you where to go.

Do you mean they'll tell me to go F**** myself or go to their wife's, husband's ,sister's, brother's, cousin's, uncle's etc. etc. etc. for a small commission, of course.

Point taken regarding what great is but if you like it A LOT maybe I'll like it too, rating it from 5 - 10. I'll give you a minimum rating of 5 just because your opinion counts ???? .

As I mentioned in previous thread, I'll be here for 6 days. I used to go for years to place not far from where I lived to get great som tam. Unfortunately, she is way too far from where we are. Plus, who knows if she is still there. Can I get some good recommendations to get som tam where we can seat down preferable in the evening for a light veggie meal. Perhaps the Chiang Mai Gate area or the Warorot Night market and of course within the Old City.

I kinda am in a similar situation. I lived in CM for about 9 years and left with my wife 4 years ago. She's one of the Chinese I volunteered to remove from CM ???? . Because I am in China this summer, I couldn't resist making a short visit back to my 2nd home. As much as I loved CM during the 9 years, I did see a continued deterioration of the quality of life. I was an avid bicyclist so breathing clean air was kinda of important to me. Perhaps if I was married to a Thai, I would have stuck it out longer, perhaps. I hope we will enjoy revisiting and reminiscing.

elektrified, Thanks for the info. I remember your id over the many years. Glad you are still in CM and "alive". Too bad about GV. When I lived here, we used to go once every 2 weeks. I'll be in town for only 6 days so can you share where can I find the 50% promo for Lotus? As I previously mentioned the wrong price for Auf der Au was in City Life. When we go there i'll mention the wrong price to the owner.

CMoldie, thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I realize that opinions especially about food can vary greatly from person to person. The "rate increase" came from an article from City Life that they moved June 11th and the price was 220B for breakfast. The dinner buffet price did not change which I thought was strange.

Hi Gonzo, Thanks for the invite. You know Gonzo was the last name of the greatest studio trumpet players.

I'm going to be in CM the 1st week of August so I'm looking for great breakfast and lunch buffet priced under 350B. Does the Grandview lunch buffet at 199B the same price it was over 4 years ago when I last ate there offer similar variety or have they reduce the choices? Auf der Au Garden may be good but they have increased their price from 140B in April to 220B in June. Quite a jump. I hope they are worth it. Are there any great Indian restaurant lunch buffets as well? Thanks for any of the suggestions.

I lived and (bi)cycled in CM for nearly 9 years and with some regret left 4 years ago to return to US. Since I was staying in nearby China this Summer, I decided to return for a short visit at the beginning of August before heading back to the US. I just wanted to say hello to anyone who may remember me. I was going to ask some questions but google seems to have up to date answers to most of my questions. We used to have the Grandview lunch buffet once every couple of weeks. I noticed it is still the same price but are they still offering a similar nice spread as they did 4+ years ago or have they drastically cut back? They also have an evening Japanese hotpot Sabu Sabu. Is it all you can eat style or a set amount of food? Thanks