timekeeper

Gil here, owner of Sunrise Tacos Pattaya. Please permit me to weigh in, introduce ourselves, and let you all know what's up.

No other food to my mind invokes the same emotional discussions regarding what is, and what is not "authentic." I cannot answer this. I can say though, that we import our own 100% organic white, yellow and blue corn in kernel form from the U.S.A. We then grind it, add water and salt, and hand work it. Each tortilla is then HAND pressed and turned into one of the most tastiest corn tortillas I have ever had. We import all avocados fresh, we make all our own salsas each morning, our margaritas are made daily from real fruit, etc., I am hoping that these efforts help us to develop a loyal expat crowd, just like our loyal crowd in BKK. From our recent experience opening at Terminal 21 (we are packed daily), we also appeal to the young and hip Thai crowd, who hanker for delicious, fresh and unique tastes at very competitive prices. We hope to capture a portion of this crowd also in Pattaya, as there are not a lot of places for the mainstream Thai crowd to experience a modern and fresh concept restaurant. Being on the main road also, we hope to get our share of tourists when they visit the beaches of Jomtien.

We chose Jomtien for several reasons - easy parking, and easy access for the resident expats or full time Pattaya residents. Although we looked at over 60 locations on Beach road, parking and access is troublesome, even more so during events (e.g., music festivals). Rents there are sky high also, with tea money the norm.

The Jomtien area also has one of the highest concentrations of condominiums in a small area, making home delivery a viable supporting revenue opportunity. We are located directly at the entrance to Jomtien Complex, just before reaching Shenanigan's on the right. A large corner unit. The surrounding road construction is mostly complete, adding appeal to this area which we are hoping will begin to take on a popularity of its own as Pattaya proper gets more and more crowded. Many long-term expats that I know dread the idea of trying to "dine out" anywhere near Walking St or Beach Rd, or even 2nd road. Next year, we will open in North Pattaya also.

Regarding the restaurant itself, we have 2 full time kitchens on site, with a unique margarita bar off to the side of the main dining room. The build out is looking fantastic, with an unusual split level hung ceiling in modern colors. The restaurant is 75% glass enclosed, and will incorporate the latest in back-projection technology of printed photos of our food. Booths are over-sized of course. We have approximately 75 seats, and booths and tables that can sit full families. The bar will serve a full a full drink menu, including hand-blended and machine blended margaritas. Of course, we are continuing our trademark free salsa bar (9 different types, made daily).

Our opening date is approximately Nov 20th, 2011. A lot depends upon the completion of the build out. All of our staff is now training full time at multiple Sunrise Tacos locations in BKK, and we will follow the recipes originally created by our 2 native Mexican head chefs. Recently, we also consulted a Mexican head chef residing in China, who flew into Thailand to meet us and consulted on our food. He did not make one change recommendation, which we took to mean that we are on the right track.

Final note - we are 90% thru completion of a mobile Mexican food truck also. It is a full sized long bed Toyota with a camper house on top. It will travel all over Pattaya and East Pattaya serving nachos, supreme nachos, quessadillas, burritos, tacos, and of course, margaritas. The mobile unit has hot and cold running water, full cooking capability, fridges, etc., so please keep an eye out for our mobile Sunrise Tacos unit coming near you! You can PM me here of course for any further information. It will be available for catering, birthdays, wedding events, home parties, etc. of course. We also have a full catering service for the extended menu.

Thank you everyone,

Kind regards,

Gil

Owner - Sunrise Tacos Pattaya

Well, November 9th 2011 today, and the clock is ticking down. We are now putting in 15-16 hour days. Last night, we tested the sound system, and found out 2 of our speakers aren't working (glad we tested now). We are also having the height of the bar work table lowered, the outside awnings lowered, etc. We have now installed sun shades for the outside kitchen, and most of the equipment for the downstairs kitchen will be installed tomorrow over the next several days. Much of our kitchen equipment is custom built - hot well, cold well, sink, etc, and I am REALLY glad we ordered it last month. I have found out ours was the last order accepted by the factory!

Our staff that has been training in BKK for a month will finish their training on the 12th, then relocate to Pattaya on the 13th. We will give them 1-2 days off, and then they will come on site to help us. We are hoping that the dining room is finished then. We are planning to seriously start cooking at that time also. We have already been making corn tortillas though, and starting flour tortillas on site today.

Saw a note today about beer shortages. We had already known this about a week ago, when we contacted Heineken to order. We have been all over Pattaya scouring shops, and have managed to compile enough stock for about 2 weeks we think. We are hoping that by the 1st week of Dec, things will improve. We are also facing shortages of spices, rice, condensed milk, etc. On the whole though, we are happy to be high and dry in Pattaya, and not facing crippling flood waters like much of northern BKK, Ayhuttaa, etc., so I am happy to count our blessings.

Hope to see some of you at the opening and do introduce yourselves from Thai Visa!

Best,

Gil

We thought that some ThaiVisa.com members would enjoy seeing these pictures. We are getting close now, the ceiling lighting has now been put in place. The blue effect is really stunning. There is really nothing like this in Pattaya that I can think of. I am a big fan of the Irish / English pubs, but even I get a craving for something bright, airy and fresh. 3 TVs have also now been installed, with 2 more coming. All are high definition. We will show sports, fashion, MMA, etc. Our sound system also is now in place, with a variety of classics / latest play lists. We are hooking up sinks today, and cleaning the 2nd kitchen. We hope to start prepping soon. Tentative date of opening is Nov 30th. Just around the corner!

looks great Gil

keep up the good work!

I have my best experience from Queen Sirikit hospital in Sattahip,

referred to here as navy/military hospital i assume.

I agree - fantastic place and not just there to screw you and send you home with bags of overpriced meds.

you are not forced to take meds from any hospital

when cashing out, ask them to print the bill with the prescribed medicines itemised

take it from them

ask them to remove the meds and reprint the bill

pay the second bill

leave hospital

go to fascino with first bill

show them the bill, ask them to fill out the meds, the bill is as good as a script to them

get meds at 50-60-% saving on hospital pharmacy

finished.......

i just upgraded from Hutch Edge to True 3G+

fantastic!!

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Latency: 95 ms

22 November 2011 15:08:27

Internet speed test for Internet broadband ver 2.1.1 © 2006-2010 thaivisa.com

i bought a Bacardi Brand frozen margarita mix and a Bacardi strawberry daiquiri frozen mix in Villa today

198 baht each

not tried them yet, but will report when i am sober again

soi yumee, next to Big C extra (carrefour)

about 200 metres up the soi on the right

under the Opus condominium

good service, prompt

did a nice job on my suit........

Agreed, but there's a fourth which is the Thai with insurance - the farang with insurance is the most expensive charge whilst the native Thai paying cash is the cheapest, it's the same almost everywhere in Thailand now with the exception of the university hospitals it seems.

I think it's the other way round to be honest, I think the insurance price is cheaper.

I have insurance that covers out patient care which I have to claim back by scanning the receipt and medical certificate and send to BUPA,UK.

The price seems a bit cheaper compared to when I'd just walk-in.

Insurance companies do have lists of approved/partner hospitals, no hospital wants to risk being struck off these lists I'm sure.

maybe the situation is different if it is an emergency like a road accident..

i can confirm in my interaction with BPH that cash is king

insurance cases are inflated to cover long admin costs to secure a payout

a recent case i had to deal with was quoted as an insurance job for 34, 000

it came down to 15,500 for cash

think about it, you are a business, would you want to wait weeks/months for payment or get cash now............

Bring the car along if it's 7 years or older, as you then need to test it there as well. Otherwise just the blue book is enough.

I read somewhere a few days ago that the LTD at Regents no longer does the vehicle inspections.

Interesting, hadn't heard anything about that. Last time I was there doing an inspection was June this year, so it's been a few months.

If that's true, then another option close to the OP, is to head out from Pattaya Klang, turn left on Sukhumvit nortbound.

Just after soi 34 there is a shop that does the testing and takes care of insurance and taxes. Here is a link to the location.

Guess it's the same shop that timekeeper mentions.

Supposedly there are more shops like this around, they all have a yellow cog on the sign, but this is the only one that I know the location of.

Downside with these subshops is that you have to hand in the paperwork one day and then come back a day or two later for pickup.

I went there this morning. Quick and easy. Car on the rolling road. Out in 10 minutes. Total cost 2,337 Baht for Tax, Insurance, Inspection. Inspection inluded was 200 Baht as is the 50 Baht service charge. I go back tomorrow and collect the documents. Took the car home with me.

Easy to find thanks to that link. Big sign outside saying Car Inspections.

Thanks for the brilliant link

i am happy it worked out for you

they are a very professionally run family business

no 150 baht fees charged by AEON for me

took out 30,000 on Saturday, no 150 fee

only the usual withdrawal charges have ever been made by my banks, DBS Treasures Singapore or HSBC Premier UK

i get good exchange rates with DBS too, not so much with HSBC

i have insurance so always use BPH

its simply the best and without doubt the most expensive

however if you are paying, you can still try there

just have a bid at the service you want

i negotiated a stent operation and aftercare for a friend down from an insurance quoted 925,000 to a cash payment of 325,000

its not the only occasion either

they are a business like any other

stretch out your neck and ask for the best price........

retired folks don't do the holidaymaker thing

i can't remember the last time i went to walking street

its not the money that's declined, its the inclination.........

404 File not found

the link may not work for some as it has been blocked by some providers

if that happens , just google '' youtube + Taksin finds out Cowboy will be flooded

taksin finds out Soi Cowboy will be flooded.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEusKs9sN0E

the link may not work for some as it has been blocked by some providers

if that happens , just google '' youtube + Taksin finds out Cowboy will be flooded

Saw quite a few chess boards in use down in Jomtien. Presumably manned by Russians by the look of things. Northstar library is small and up off of Sukhumvit near the Mosque. The Mosque spires are pretty easy to find.

Go to a decent pool and exercise at least every other day. Many hotels will let you rent for the day, 60, 100 baht etc.

Bus back and forth to Bangkok is pretty cheap and is AC. Good for a once a week excursion up to the big city. BTS skytrain around Bangkok is about as easy as one could expect. AC and no traffic. Nice views from the elevated monorail. I know you asked about Pattaya, but if retired in a foreign country, I would think some exploration of the country is in order, not just the little city.

Daily foot massage. Sorry, but this is heaven and just is not that readily available in the USA. Can't walk around the corner and get one, and certainly not for 200 baht or less an hour.

Write a book. Create a website.

you could take the train to Bangkok

its an interesting journey and cheap........

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20 November 2011 10:06:35

NOT TOO SHABBY FOR AN AIRCARD......

Not sure why everyone is obsessed with high speed internet.... standard connection is fine for normal activities..... unless you spend the day downloading porn

time is my answer

example:

update laptop from microsoft with Dtac Edge Aircard estimated time 5.24 hours

update laptop with True 3G Aircard 38 minutes

gives me more time to watch porn........

True Move 3G+ Aircard

tested on TV Speedtest to Singapore just now

Last Result:

Download Speed: 5143 kbps (642.9 KB/sec transfer rate)

Upload Speed: 1336 kbps (167 KB/sec transfer rate)

Latency: 176 ms

19 November 2011 21:05:10

having been using a Dtac Edge Aircard and a Hutch dongle for the last three years

so i can tell you with some expertise that True 3G its much faster than either

as an example, i can watch a youtube video with it stopping, stuttering an restarting all the time

browsing is a far more pleasurable experience and despite the cynics opinions, pages load faster, much, much faster......

looks like we will be going there soon

thanks for the report

you need to clear your browsers cache file to post properly

Not sure why everyone is obsessed with high speed internet.... standard connection is fine for normal activities..... unless you spend the day downloading porn

time is my answer

example:

update laptop from microsoft with Dtac Edge Aircard estimated time 5.24 hours

update laptop with True 3G Aircard 38 minutes

gives me more time to watch porn........

i have used the guys next to the imported car showroom on Sukhumvit Road for many years

i was there last week

they do good work, not expensive, not so much English though if that is your mother tongue

very good with hand signals and drawings though........

It is the shape of the oven and sticky nature of the dough. As you start getting closer to the top, it curves and that is often the place the bread is placed. I was thinking that it can be cooked another way, only because I saw it in the Middle East at an Indian restaurant. There, they had a large scale version of what I am going to describe. A simple, more practical version would be to buy a really big/good caste iron wok. When you cook with it normally you have a concave shape. So, turn it over so that you have a convex shape. If you have a gas flame, just place it over the flame and cook the bread on top (top of the curve). I saw it work

That's called a 'tava' and is used to cook roti on which is what I'm used to from my days in the sandpit.

http://en.wikipedia....i/File:Pita.jpg

If any expat is hungry for some good Indian food at a decent price, try the food court at Central Festival Mall. I just had butter chicken there (wonderful) and nan (not so wonderful but nobody makes decent Indian bread in Thailand). Total bill: 150 baht!

i agree on the butter chicken, delish!...

i have seen it in Friendship, South Pattaya and in Central shopping in the basement of Central festival centre

i think carpets are always on sale, like mattresses

anyway, theres a carpet shop on theprassit road on the left side heading to the beach, its before the new Decorum shop

failing that i often see bargains on offer in Homeworks south pattaya

i hope that helps......

Bring this thread back from the dead...

I'm trying to get hold of the mobile car wash people again but their phone number seems to be out of service (089 096 8804) - has anybody used them recently?

They are a great service - hopefully they're still around...

Tom.

tom,

i used to use them twice a week

it was a great service

then as fast as they arrived on the scene, they were gone

like you say, no answer from the phone

i am so sorry, i miss them............

Ah sh1t, when did they dissapear?

not been able to contact them for a couple of months now

good luck Aussiechick

you will be missed.......

Bring this thread back from the dead...

I'm trying to get hold of the mobile car wash people again but their phone number seems to be out of service (089 096 8804) - has anybody used them recently?

They are a great service - hopefully they're still around...

Tom.

tom,

i used to use them twice a week

it was a great service

then as fast as they arrived on the scene, they were gone

like you say, no answer from the phone

i am so sorry, i miss them............