timekeeper

i am from the UK

i used to have a restaurant, its not a legal requirement

what is true is that you can get tap water if you ask and its a requirement that you must try to provide it when asked for it

but its not a requirement for it to be served or put on the table prior to dining

if that's done its out of courtesy not commitment

so like i said i have never been served it free in the UK

That is a hair that even I would not split.

I do eat out in Europe and the UK. I have never paid for water anywhere in those countries, out of principle. I dont care whether the water is on the table when I arrive, or whether I have to ask for it, just as long as it comes and I dont have to pay for it.

Anything that arrives at my table without me bringing it myself has been served, as far as I'm concerned.

The provision of free drinking water is a legal requirement in restaurants in France.

its a valid principle darrel but in some of the countries i have traveled to, i want to drink my water from a bottle that arrives sealed (call it served if you need to)

OOH. i think ive ratled someones cage,i give up it is wonderfull come to sunny Thailand ,watch Corrie on the box and then off to a western hotel for the buffet and get charged for a glass of water ,it doesnt get much better than that

thaimate, you want to go native, that's your call.

its not mine..........

...

when i say guzzling the free water, i can confirm i have seen it with my own eyes

as you have never been to the Hilton and really cannot comment then my feeling is that your feeling is wrong, really sleazily wrong................................

OMG.

If they are guzzling water, they are THIRSTY.

Basic drinking water (not the bottled stuff) is CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP to provide.

Please consider the concept of an all you can eat buffet. The restaurant wants to fill your belly and make you happy for as little food cost as they can and of course charge as much as the market will bear for that.

In a higher end buffet, water rates as cheap as you can get to FILL STOMACH SPACE.

The more people "guzzling" "free" water the better from their bean counters point of view. Yes I realize now they force people to buy drinks. However, what they don't know is the repeat business they may be losing by being mean that way.

yes they are doing so badly by not providing free water that when it first opened it was a walk in, now you have to book and they have put the prices up

its a poor show altogether, they must have lost thousands of clients over the free water issue

maybe you should try it sometime before commenting and take your own water.........

Here on the forum a recurring silly assertion by Thai wannabes is that if you live in a different country you must become a local.

This and the obnoxious insistence that there should be no Western fast food places in Thailand for those who want them are so boring and ridiculous that bringing them up on the forum should be against the Thai Visa rules.

i agree with both of you

i jokingly refer to my house as Little Britain

we still take afternoon tea

i have Coronation Street sent over on DVD

we think Downton Abbey is the best program currently on True

i buy the imported Waitrose products from Central

i was recently excited to find some Fray Bentos flat tinned pies at Friendship and some Sarsons malt vinegar

i ask myself, have i ever felt that way looking at a Thai food?

i mean, what is in that big sloppy dark brown mass that i see around in Big C ?

it looks like something the dog ate already and threw up on the floor

and why are the boiled eggs black?

in England they would be considered to have gone off

especially if someone referred to them as 100 year old eggs!

is this wrong of me?

i can't be alone, surely Friendship, Foodland , Best, the Villa market, and Central tops are not importing all this stuff just for me?

should i throw away my British heritage as well as my common sense at the airport?

America is the only place i have had free water served

i have never had it in England or anywhere in Europe

That seems very strange too me.

In nearly any Restaurant in France you can ask for free water

(delivered in Carafe as opposed to Bottles that you have to pay).

I am pretty sure the same thing occurs in mos restaurant from Italy and Spain.

when i lived in Marbella, southern Spain you could not drink the tap water

they advised you not to even clean your teeth with it

pretty much like here

i have been to Italy a few times but can't remember drinking tap water or getting it free

in fact i can remember being charged around $10 for a bottle of it at a restaurant in Saint Mark Square in Venice

in France they barely speak to a Brit never mind give free water.........

The supercilious and patronising inanities posted by someone who seems to think he God's gift to Darkside culture and enjoys belittling his fellow countrymen who are merely out for a beer and a friendly chat with their mates, is the reason why you will rarely see me contribute to any Thai Visa threads these days.

People who seem to get off on ridiculing their fellow expats for no good reason other than to derive some vicarious pleasure in their discomfort, are totally beyond my comprehension. If they don't enjoy eating or drinking in such places, then go somewhere else – why on earth can't they just live and let live?

Such posters must live sad, sick lives.

The only reason I have even seen this thread today is because someone mentioned it to me as an example of how the meaningless bickering and insults traded between members has rendered all sensible, and constructive discussion virtually impossible.

As for the Chippy 9999 – thank you Glanville for bringing it to my attention and good luck to the proprietor – I will give it a try one of these evenings when I pass by on my evening stroll around the lake with my dogs…

I may even take a seat and have a chat to anyone who is willing to talk to me….

Mobi, as someone who on occasion has certainly been guilty of all the things you mention in this post

i would say you are a hypocrite with a short memory for making this one......

I have never, ever, launched an unprovoked attack on anyone on Thai Visa.

In fact, I have often exercised considerable constraint when debating with people who insist on hurling insults at me.

Someone starts an innocuous thread, advising us on a new place which serves fish and chips (which incidentally are very tasty), and you, without a shred of evidence, accuse him of being in the pay of the owner and proceed to denigrate the place in the most shoddy and reprehensible manner.

No wonder Thai Visa doesn't allow bars, restaurants and other establishment to be 'named and shamed' any more, which is a pity, as intelligent debate on the merits or otherwise of any particular place would be to everyone's interests. We only have the mindless, unjustified and unfair clap trap that people like you seek to post to thank for this seemingly draconian action.

But I will not deny that if someone does take it into their minds to insult me or others , then I will often jump to my (or their) defence as I consider such action to be cyber-bullying and totally detrimental to the ethos of what Thai Visa is all about.

It is nasty, senseless, and stifles intelligent debate.

Surely we are better than that?

This is my last post on this subject.

give me a break Mobi, he even admitted later he expected to get free fish and chips and beer for doing it

i am surprised it was allowed to run it was so blatant, when you were a mod, you would have done the same as i did and called him on it.

it may have been cleaned up a bit from 9999 minimart but can you really deny its on a dusty corner, with lots of fast passing and fast slowing traffic to make the the right turn under the arch?

can you deny that you can barely see the lake past the trees and grass, never mind feel the benefit of its cooling breezes?

especially now a huge poster has been erected that blocks the view of anything to the right of the plot?

can you deny that as 9999 minimart it has a reputation that extends as far as some of the bars up Nungplabwan as a cheap drinkers cheap charlie joint?

i personally think thats a bit rich coming from them but there it is

i have met with people who live on the brightside at a bar in pattaya and when trying to explain where i live they have been known to say, '' oh yes OK, past magnolias, go on a bit, then is it past that cheap charlie bar on the right?''

i did not create that impression, the patrons of it did, its well know in the area for being exactly that and if you deny it then you are simply sugar coating it and misleading the viwers of this forum like Granville did

its a long drive out here to be disapointed, i know i make the drive there and back most days

i passed 9999 last night on the way home from Jolly friar and despite your glowing report , there were still around 12 men gathered around the outdoor table sitting on the red high chairs and the table was full of beer bottles

so not much has changed really

its still a drinker that now has a chippy

like the fisherman's with an indian

i am not going to deny a nice chippy is a welcome addition to the community.

i am not going to say wether the product is good or bad, i don't now

what i will say is this, as i have said before on this very thread:

'''if this fish & chip restaurant now incorporated into 9999 survives & succeeds it will not be because of its current patrons

it will be to the owners credit IN SPITE of its current patrons''

i genuinely wish them well, if they are so good they won't need bogus posters on TV extolling their virtues for the price of a plate of of fish, chips, mushy peas and a 32 baht Leo

which if one considers that statement, it rather makes my case about cheap charlies i think.......

as to the other stuff Mobi, methinks thou doest protesteth too mutt..........

America is the only place i have had free water served

i have never had it in England or anywhere in Europe

i have not had it here until i went to the Hilton

I'm quite well travelled and can assure you that free water is the norm in places like Europe/UK. Indeed to provide it is a legal requirement in many of those countries.

OK, they do also have bottled water available to purchase, and they often try to promote that, but free tap water (which of course is totally drinkable) is always available on request. Most restaurants will provide free chilled water also, though free chilling isnt a requirement.

Previously here water was always free, in all classes of restaurant from the highest to the lowest. I have also had free water elsewhere I have been in SE Asia, and South America.

I eat in all sorts of places, including street stalls, though you wont often see me eating the usual farang pub food that is common in Pattaya as I find it to be poor value and a bit tasteless.

I regularly drink free clean chilled water in a nearby Thai place that does good over-rice dishes for just 20B. Not to offer it in the Hilton, where the meal costs 20 times as much, does seem a bit cheap.

Darrel

i am from the UK

i used to have a restaurant, its not a legal requirement

what is true is that you can get tap water if you ask and its a requirement that you must try to provide it when asked for it

but its not a requirement for it to be served or put on the table prior to dining

if that's done its out of courtesy not commitment

so like i said i have never been served it free in the UK

as you know, in the USA there's glasses and a jug and the waitress tops you up from it constantly even when you have ordered a drink

i used to live in Marbella and it was served there as a norm by the bottle but you found it on the bill at the end

a bottle of Evian at $5 a bottle was not easily concealed

you would not want to drink Spanish tap water, although it has improved immeasurably from the Viva Espana days

as to water being free at the Hilton. it was free for a long time as you know

the story goes that could not afford to offer it free anymore as there were disproportionally large quantities of it being consumed compared to number of customers that were attending

also beverage purchases in comparison to other hotels in the group were way down

so they had to charge for it

my thoughts are that no one else in their level of business in pattaya gives it for free so why should they?

i thought it did well to last the six months...........

Variety is the spice of life.

I often enjoy Thai roadside restaurants, plastic chairs and all, many of them are excellent.

I also occasionally enjoy venues such as the Hilton.

People filling up on free water at an all you can eat buffet seems a bit of an odd idea and is no doubt a figment of your deluded mind.

you must know me then, in fact i might be the deluded person at your elbow at your next visit to the Hilton but certainly not at a Thai soup kitchen

i would pay not to eat at such places and have done so in the past

next thing you will be telling me i should be trapsing around in mosquito infested jungles looking at picturesque waterfalls and fungus overgrown temples and communing with the real Thai folks

man, whatever next..........

But Rimmer old chap ,we are discussing the overpriced European style buffet ,that some of our members have travelled half way round the world to live and then end up eating at,instead of good Thai food at a reasonable price ,if you wish to eat at such places why not stay in the West?

but thaimate old chap, do you really enjoy eating cold food at the side of a dusty road being choked by diesel fumes, eating food that was cooked in the open, in little better than cut in half half oil drums, often covered in flies and served on dirty plastic plates on dirty decrepit wobbly old tables and chairs only good enough for firewood?

not me, i came here for a better life than i had back home

that ''better life ''' i was seeking did not include experiencing typical Thai food sitting outside in the equivalent of a UK charity soup kitchen

that may be ok for you, and may well be more attractive to you than a civilized feed in splendid surroundings at the Hilton but its not for me

it simply does not fit into my plan on how i want to to live my life here

in your previous post you said we were the ones living in paradise

really, you should take off the rose tinted glasses

paradise is not in pattaya , paradise is not even in Thailand, far from it

i have lived in far better places and had i sufficient funds and could divest myself of my responsibilities here, i would happily move on to one of them

Pattaya is my place of choice to live in Thailand because its easy & generally cheap to live here, nothing more..............

Actually judging by the last part of your tirade ,it seems far from being your choice place to stay ,it seems your stuck here ,unlike us lucky guys who WANT to be here ,and i rarely eat at the roadside taking in lungfulls of diesel fumes but at nice Thai restaurants not overpriced tourist trap buffet bars ,anyway old chap whatever floats your boat ,chin chin

like i said before who really cares what you think.......

"might try it then, as it is, i personally i would rather drive for 30 minutes right past 9999 minimart into town to the Jolly Friar/Village Chippy/Gooses to get my occasional Brit feed and avoid the expat BS banter that so adversely affects my appetite ............:"

I didn't realize you could not read i highlighted it for you and BS means bullshit if you didn't know..............

I have tried some places, but they do not seem to be serving real cod. And what they do serve is not that similar to cod. Gooses/Village Chippy/Jolly Friar/9999/Simons....... Real cod?

i always have what i think is cod at jolly friar and village

my wife has the Dory

its distinctly different

i think mines Cod, it has the flavor and consistency but i am not a fishmonger by trade......

Certainly sounds like a place worth a visit - have to make the effort over the next few days as it is closer to me than the other chippys in the area.

It is also a relief to know that a certain poster won't be there to regale me with his uninformed opinions about something he has no knowledge or experience of.

i have no experience of the fish and chips, that's true

just of the cheap charlies that normally inhabit the place

but there's really no need to worry about me regaling you with opinions about anything

i won't be there and even if i chose to go i would make sure i was not found talking to the likes of you ...........

Well as they say, there's no time like the present.

A friend and I were planning to go to have lunch at a Swiss restaurant that has recently opened on the Lake near my house, (and is also very good), but as luck wouldn't have it, it didn't open until 3 p.m so we decided to give the new Chippy a go.

They have smartened up the whole area and it is very clean and have a large, comfortable t-shaped bar, plus a number of decent tables and chairs for customers; both inside and outside the building.

In all, there were 4 of us, and we had 2 dory and chips and one Atlantic cod and chips plus a few onion rings and other stuff.

The food was excellent, both the dory (which I had) and the Atlantic cod, (according to my friend's American son in law), and the chips were freshly cooked and just right.

It was plentiful and as I write this post I am still feeling very full.

I cannot say if it is better or worse than some of the other restaurants quoted in this thread as I have never eaten there, but I can say that in the opinion me and my party, it was of a very acceptable standard.

And I didn't notice any Neanderthals gagging into their beer.

maybe i would have if i had been there........

The supercilious and patronising inanities posted by someone who seems to think he God's gift to Darkside culture and enjoys belittling his fellow countrymen who are merely out for a beer and a friendly chat with their mates, is the reason why you will rarely see me contribute to any Thai Visa threads these days.

People who seem to get off on ridiculing their fellow expats for no good reason other than to derive some vicarious pleasure in their discomfort, are totally beyond my comprehension. If they don't enjoy eating or drinking in such places, then go somewhere else – why on earth can't they just live and let live?

Such posters must live sad, sick lives.

The only reason I have even seen this thread today is because someone mentioned it to me as an example of how the meaningless bickering and insults traded between members has rendered all sensible, and constructive discussion virtually impossible.

As for the Chippy 9999 – thank you Glanville for bringing it to my attention and good luck to the proprietor – I will give it a try one of these evenings when I pass by on my evening stroll around the lake with my dogs…

I may even take a seat and have a chat to anyone who is willing to talk to me….

Mobi, as someone who on occasion has certainly been guilty of all the things you mention in this post

i would say you are a hypocrite with a short memory for making this one......

But Rimmer old chap ,we are discussing the overpriced European style buffet ,that some of our members have travelled half way round the world to live and then end up eating at,instead of good Thai food at a reasonable price ,if you wish to eat at such places why not stay in the West?

but thaimate old chap, do you really enjoy eating cold food at the side of a dusty road being choked by diesel fumes, eating food that was cooked in the open, in little better than cut in half half oil drums, often covered in flies and served on dirty plastic plates on dirty decrepit wobbly old tables and chairs only good enough for firewood?

not me, i came here for a better life than i had back home

that ''better life ''' i was seeking did not include experiencing typical Thai food sitting outside in the equivalent of a UK charity soup kitchen

that may be ok for you, and may well be more attractive to you than a civilized feed in splendid surroundings at the Hilton but its not for me

it simply does not fit into my plan on how i want to to live my life here

in your previous post you said we were the ones living in paradise

really, you should take off the rose tinted glasses

paradise is not in pattaya , paradise is not even in Thailand, far from it

i have lived in far better places and had i sufficient funds and could divest myself of my responsibilities here, i would happily move on to one of them

Pattaya is my place of choice to live in Thailand because its easy & generally cheap to live here, nothing more..............

Free drinking water is hardly limited to American culture. Go the typical Thai street restaurant and there is ... free water. Guzzling water? Are you kidding?

At an all you can eat BUFFET of any price level, my feeling is that free drinking water is totally expected all over the world. You are saying the Hilton really doesn't offer that? That's sleazy.

first i do not eat at typical thai street restaurants so i would not know

do you really enjoy eating at the side of a dusty road being choked by diesel fumes, eating food cooked in the open, in little better than half oil drums, often covered in flies and served on dirty plastic plates on dirty decrepit wobbly old tables and chairs only good enough for firewood?

not me, i came here for a better life than i had back home

that ''better life ''' i was seeking did not include experiencing typical Thai food sitting outside in the equivalent of a charity soup kitchen

America is the only place i have had free water served

i have never had it in England or anywhere in Europe

i have not had it here until i went to the Hilton

when i say guzzling the free water, i can confirm i have seen it with my own eyes

as you have never been to the Hilton and really cannot comment then my feeling is that your feeling is wrong, really sleazily wrong................................

Cant understand your mentality ,come to live in Thailand and eat at European style overpriced buffets , f----- maddness.

you are not alone, many fail to understand me but who really cares what you think........?

You must at least a little or you would'nt have replied

not really, i felt i had to acknowledge your comment so you can justify your own existence as having some meaning

it was a response made in the spirit of pity rather than actually caring..........

Pity? you are joking ,your the ones on here in paradise ,discussing the merits of some overpriced European buffets and their relative prices ,you might as well have stayed at home and gone out to the local carvery (our one used to do a great one for four pounds ninety five (specials for O.A.P

what a sad lot .

the special would be for you then?

Most people over-eat at buffets... whether just being fat greedy lumps or trying to get more bang for their buck...

just look at the average farang about Pattaya....over-weight, sweating and panting, lumbering about the place, just as well the Hilton has AC.. :jap:

just a load of stereotypical observations presented by folks who find it easier to look no further than that

its a TV topic that just keeps on giving........

as long as you don't order a soft drink (b100) and no more free water.

you would be looking at it from a frugal point of view i expect

free water is of American origin and whilst many Americans apparently complained that Hilton was an American company and free water should be provided as per American tradition

Hilton saw fit to ignore them and applied a charge

personally i thought was a bonus and to their credit they did it for some 6 months with no charge

presumably they did it until it was noted that cheap charlies were guzzling gallons of free water instead of buying a 100 baht drink

anyway its still only 25 baht for a bottle of Minere

try getting a bottle of water for 25 baht in the royal cliff, sheraton, etc

maybe you could get tap water for that

anyway, i think its great value, its my favorite place in Pattaya,

i say that having visited every restaurant of any note over the last ten years

i go at least a couple of times a week and frankly the view and general ambiance is worth the 300 baht

i am looking forward to the Skybar opening..........

Original Post of the week.........................................Not!

Was just thinking the same thing.

All we need now is a sin-sod thread, and perhaps one about whether or not the word 'farang' is racist.

I can't wait!

Funny you should mention it.....

I divorced my wife of nigh on 12 years ( and after knowing her for about 16 ) last week because she's from Isaan and I realised after reading the invaluable opinions made by the Thai experts on TVF that she was uneducated, only after money for her and her scum sucking family and a rabid Thaksin's cock sucking red shirt. Despite her protestations that she was financially independent being financial director for a Japanese company located here, her folks not needing money because, as she reminded me, when I screwed up the money transfer to buy a new car her dad gave me a near million baht bridging loan and the fact that she'd never voted in her life because she had more important things to think about like her job, me and our daughter I decided to go with the irrefutable facts presented by some posters here and kick her Central World burning arse to the curb.

Anyhow I was in the bank and I caught the eye of this sweet young thing. Turns out, unlike my trollop of an ex, that she's highly educated (BA from Rajahbat Saraburi ) and has a good job as a bank teller not like all other foreigners wives in Isaan who're all prostitutes! Plus she's not a lazy good for nothing but rioting and drinking lao kao Isaanite but from Saraburi! Quids in!

Of course I proposed to her on the spot and she said I'd have to meet her mother because she'd expect sinsod. As she pointed out because she's educated and holding down a good job then a figure of 2 million baht wouldn't be amiss for such a catch. What do you guys think?

Anyhow I was walking with her through the local market to the gold shop because the i-phone shop was closed and there was this old granny selling guavas. I couldn't believe my ears! She was yelling " FARANG! FARANG!" at the top of her voice not even considering I was within earshot. MY GOD ALL THAI PEOPLE ARE STUPID. Would they shout " NIG NOG! NIG NOG! " if a black guy was waking through there? I guess so.

Later we were on the songtaew and there were 2 young guys talking together. All I heard was "Farang" this and " Farang" that. I was incensed even after my bride to be told me that they were discussing a westerner who was aiding famine relief in Africa and not talking about me personally but I know racism when I see it. Face facts gentlemen. THAIS DON'T WANT US HERE and if it weren't for the fact that I was such an underachieveing <deleted> with a massive chip on his shoulder about people more successful than me back home and it makes me feel big when I denigrate Thais ( apart from the ones that are richer than me - but they're obviously corrupt in obtaining their wealth because as we all know ALL THAIS ARE STUPID) I'd be on the first plane out of here I can tell you!

great post MCA

you may have found a way to insult everyone and tell the truth by wrapping it up in satire and not get sanctioned by the mods for doing so

i have picked up some good tips, thanks man!

one expects he had the resources to run away if he wanted to

he didn't take that option, he stayed with his supporters until the end came to him

he must have known his own death was inevitable but he stayed anyway

i give him credit for that and by doing so he honored those who fought and died for him in the battle for Libya

better that than the ignominy of being hanged in a chicken shed by a lynch mob like Saddam was ..............

its 400 on seafood lunch Fridays now

Presumably that has also increased by 50B.

that is correct Darrel

seafood day was always 50 baht dearer than other days

I thought that it used to be 300B every day except Friday (seafood) when it was 400B and Sunday (expat pig-out day?) when it was 1200B or something equally silly.

So if the regular price has gone up to 350B I would expect the Friday lunch to now be 450B. If it hasn't increased then that can only be a good thing.

sorry Darrel, you are correct

when it was first opened it was 300 baht for the lunch every day except Sunday

then the price for the Friday seafood buffet rose to 400 Baht around March/April i think

the price rose by 50 baht on October 1st to 350 baht for everyday but Friday and Sunday

so its still 400 baht on Fridays

i stand corrected

still great value though..........

Thank goodness we've brought this thread back to normality with some positive postings. When I opened the forum, little did I know what a can of worms I was getting into. Isn't it peculiar how some people are always searching for the negative things in their lives and can't accentuate the positives. Thankfully they are a minority.

by normality you mean that you are happy that someone finally agrees with your admitted ''paid for in kind'' free advert promotion of this plaice?

its notable that the most recent endorser had a takeaway, which in my opinion would be the only way, especially if you had children with you

however, you may not have noted that at least three nearby Lakeside residents do not concur with your assessment of 9999.

we don't even have to drive to get there, we can walk there but we choose not to

its clear that we certainly don't feel its the Lakeside hub of gourmet eating and good humored expat carousing

shouldn't that tell you something?

as to being in a minority about this place , if you read the comments that address the issues, i think the score is three positive contributors and three negative contributors

so maybe you should get your facts right before making a social comment about things you seem to know little about

maybe its time for another 32 baht Leo, i am sure its not too early for you.............

its 400 on seafood lunch Fridays now

Presumably that has also increased by 50B.

that is correct Darrel

seafood day was always 50 baht dearer than other days

Cant understand your mentality ,come to live in Thailand and eat at European style overpriced buffets , f----- maddness.

you are not alone, many fail to understand me but who really cares what you think........?

You must at least a little or you would'nt have replied

not really, i felt i had to acknowledge your comment so you can justify your own existence as having some meaning

it was a response made in the spirit of pity rather than actually caring..........

good news

its 400 on seafood lunch Fridays now

a 50 baht increase across the board should be enough to drive the CC riff raff out

Yeah those paying with CC's are rather dodgy.

agreed, plastic millionaires ........