Digger

Just want to raise awareness for a new Italian place at the bottom of SSCC. Good sandwiches and other Italian stuff at reasonable prices. The place as such is nothing special, just a shophouse but they do deliveries.

wife and i were pleased with these place. if anything, the prices are right. decent italian food without having to go all the way "downtown".

sidenote, is no one going to Nice still? i fear he's at his wits end trying to maintain a consistent fan base. i'm perplexed myself as i consider this to be the best westaurant this side of the rockies...

Must admit that I haven't been to Nice for a while and cannot figure out why. It IS a fantastic place.

The problem with that place is the fact that its always empty and sat bang next door to a girly bar. Thats why I have never bothered stopping there - but based on these comments I must try it one night.

I have left my house on Platinum for the moment - but should probably change down - I only ever watched BBC entertainment on that part of the package but then again, I hardly ever watch TV so could probably ditch the lot except for the news coverage - so I will probably end up just leaving it as it is as its too much hassle for a a not so expensive service and would get annoyed WHEN I needed to see something breaking like a news story.

I think there's a rough road ahead for The Lakeside; and the original Deli Bean is a shorter drive for me (and for you) when I want a good sandwich, or smaller meal.

The original Delibean has closed and the staff moved into the one at Lakeside - I believe the original location is being turned back into offices for the residential housing estate where it sits.

Some follow-up opinions on the Lakeside Restaurant. I had high hopes for this place turning into a nice option for good food in a nice atmosphere for us here on the Farside. Considering its genes (Delibean Cafe) this was not unexpected. However, I am a little worried that they are still pretty shaky on the food and their pricing is on the high side. While the atmosphere is fine, with the koi pond stocked and the air-con dining room now open, they still do not seem to have hit their stride. The dining room itself does not have enough air-con and gets quite warm in the day due to it's western exposure. The decor is also sorta half-ass...neither plush nor simple and the yellow-brown (dirty brown) colour scheme is not too pleasing.

However, all that could be overlooked if the food was really good (and fairly priced). The problem is what I have tried has been mostly average, with some dishes downright awful. My most recent meal had me sample the garlic bread (fine and at B 60 no problem), the penne carbonara (okay, but at B 220, certainly not a value proposition. I would go for Tocino's version, at about the same price, anytime.), and the bacon-potato skins with sour cream - very good but a tiny portion of 2 smallish halves and expensive at B 160).

Another meal had me sampling from their "Asian" menu of Chinese food. Here they promote Western Chinese favorites like stir-fry beef in black-bean sauce, chow-meins of various types and other dishes. They note that the beef used is imported Australian and the prices certainly would call for it. I had to try the beef chow-mein as I have not had any since leaving the States 10 years ago. At B 260, I expected something special...but was I disappointed! What arrived was a tiny (I mean appetizer sized portion) of noodles, with little beef, the wrong noodles, and overly salty taste. It was really quite pathetic and was not remotely like what I would call "chow-mein." Some sort of wheat angel-hair pasta was used and of course, Chinese style egg noodles (or baa mee noodles in Thai) are called for. The beef, what little there was, was nothing special, and instead of being wok stir-fried they almost were like pan-fried and were "gooey." Any Thai restaurant with a B 100 plate of phat-siew would be way better than the crap they served and called "chow mein."

I have yet to have an outstanding meal at Lakeside yet and I probably would not go back...at least for a meal. Maybe a sandwich or coffee and cake at the cafe at the front

I have eaten many times at lakeside and am invariably there at least once a weekend when I am down in Pattaya. So far I have had Roast US Turkey, Roast Australian Rib eye, John Dory fish served with spinach, Toad in the hole (British dish with sausages and Yorkshire pudding, mashed potato and vegetables), Penne Carbonara and this weekend I had the new Roast beef which is a New Zealand Sirloin. Personally I find the place very good and a breath of fresh air on this side of East Pattaya. I always sit outside around the pond and find the whole experience to be very good, however by no stretch of the imagination would you call it fine dining - they say as much on the first page of the menu and the prices would lead me to that conclusion straight away. For my money, its about the best of the East Pattaya places I have eaten at. On Saturday when I was there there must have been 20 odd people including a large group of probably 10-12 people. From what I could see, the food was coming out regularly and nobody seemed to have any issue with undue delays or concerning the quality of what comes out.

The owner guy always comes up and says hello, chats for a few minutes, asks how I found the food etc without being over bearing. From what I have seen, they actually do listen and take note which is more than I can say for almost any other place in this price range - for example, he mentioned that the Australian Rib Eye had changed to a New Zealand Sirloin as they have found it much more consistent and with a better flavour - its replacing all of the dishes shown as Rib eye and if the roast beef I had is anything to go, its a good improvement over what I thought was an already very good roast. To my mind the service has come along nicely - its more polished than previous visits but still remains a relaxed informal restaurant. Judging by the countless people who seem to know him by name on Saturday night he has built some good relationships with his (presumably, repeat) customers and his staff, all of whom were working well. I have a business here and that is not easy to achieve and its been open for what 3 months now? He did mention that he has had some challenges with the kitchen personnel recently as the head chef has been in hospital for 2 weeks and some of the senior chefs are playing up for various reasons, including 2 chefs who had not come into work on that Saturday- given that fact, In hindsight I am amazed they have not collapsed - so he must be 3 chefs down and still the food to me at least came out perfect. To me that's a major plus.

I had read the Asian Menu and asked him what led to it - I quite fancied trying the nasi goreng and he said its to better utilise the Thai kitchen team - they handle approx: 80% Western food reflecting their customer base yet they have a large team of Thai food chefs - the head chef has worked in both China and Malaysia and many customers have apparently suggested he put on some foods from other Asian countries as well as Thai. This is what led to the menu of Asian foods although as I understand it, he considers it a trial - having said that, he then told me its proving very popular with farang customers and the feedback has been very good. One thing I did point out to him, was what 'TYPE' of Chinese food is it - i.e it changes around the world based on local preferences and tastes - maybe thats what you experienced - I have eaten Chow Mein in the USA and it tasted nothing like Chow Mein I have had either in HKG, China or in the UK as examples. None were bad, but none were the same apart from having egg noodles as the base.

I have never sat in the inside restaurant but I was under the impression is still work in progress - with some large globe due to be a focal point or something like that in the entrance area. Presumably they have it up and running in case it rains, but I dont think you will find them describing it as 100% completed - for a start it has no signs on it and I would guess has been opened early in the event of rain as their virtually nowhere outside to sit when its raining and the Delibean is small.

As I say, for me at least, its the best option on the Eastern side of Sukhumvit Rd and from what I can see, it's continuing to improve - also don't forget, we are in a very bad cycle for any restaurant, let alone a new one - it must be a nightmare for them having to manage stock and staff in such a tight economy - tourists have all but gone and they will be facing an uphill challenge in terms of creating awareness of this new place - not to mention the fact that the inside sections are not even visible from the road - its much much larger but very deceiving from the roadside. Having said that, whenever I drive past, I always see plenty of cars parked outside in their car park and at the front so presumably your experience was an isolated one. Having said all that - did you mention it to the owner - he is always there every evening I have been there and very approachable guy, although he tends to come to you so I am asuming he was not there when you ate, otherwise at least based on what I have seen, he would have come and chatted and checked that everything was good with the food. As I say, I have always found him very keen to hear feedback either good or negative which frankly is how it should be.

The lower floor looked nearly finished although I did not know it was open as such. I looked at it when I went to the loo and looked nice but certainly seemed to be missing a few things on the walls. You must have been there before me as when I was there - nobody was sat inside but maybe 20 people sat outside all around the pond area.

Lakeside is open as are Delibeans - I was there last night and it was busy again. Has anyone tried the John Dory fish?, it was a toss up between that and the Roast ribeye but plumped for the healthier fish - superb is all I can say.

if I got ill at my house in Pattaya, I would go straight to BKK and bypass BPH completely.

Absolute bollex....if you where having a conorary, stroke etc ...you would go straight to BKK...??? .....BS

Well I have done it before - the time it takes to get to Bumrungrad is 60 minutes for me from my house and about 45 minutes to BPH - to me its a no brainer but I was actually talking more about non life threatening illness as opposed to a life threatening illness - in which case you would of course try and get to the nearest half decent hospital. Been to both many times and would not choose to go to BPH - maybe thats a better way of explaining it.

Please tell me exactly what area of Pattaya your house is in if it takes you 45 minutes to get to the BPH, which of course is in the far north of Pattaya and yet only 60 mins to get to the Bumrungrad. To be able to do that I'd say you'd have to live around Chonburi city but as you stated your house is in Pattaya.

Frankly - its none of your business where I live - I stand by my claim it takes 60 minutes to get to Bumrungrad and 45 mins to BPH - a journey I do countless times every week. I will let you try and work it out if you can but I wont be awarding any prizes. Technically I do not live in Pattaya, but I do live in the general area of Banglamung.

if I got ill at my house in Pattaya, I would go straight to BKK and bypass BPH completely.

Absolute bollex....if you where having a conorary, stroke etc ...you would go straight to BKK...??? .....BS

Well I have done it before - the time it takes to get to Bumrungrad is 60 minutes for me from my house and about 45 minutes to BPH - to me its a no brainer but I was actually talking more about non life threatening illness as opposed to a life threatening illness - in which case you would of course try and get to the nearest half decent hospital. Been to both many times and would not choose to go to BPH - maybe thats a better way of explaining it.

so... what about Nice? i feel at times that the wife and i are the only ones who over go there. i rate Nice as the best on SSCC. is anyone else going there for dinner?

I have driven past this place many times but have never figured it out - has it changed hands recently? never see anyone in there so have not been inclined to stop.

That top 5 is: The Courtyard; Cafe Uno; Chonlada; Dao Cafe; and Lakeside/Deli Bean.

funny it is, three out of your five I would rate excellent to quite good as well. The courtyard sticks out like a sore thumb and I haven't been to the new Lakeside yet.

I would also throw-out The Courtyard and add-in Tocino, RT, and Swiss Paradise.

I should add that I don't really wish The Courtyard fails but only that they could improve the cooking as it seems many agree that it does not match the setting. I will admit to not trying the weekend roasts but the regular daily menu items should be good as well. In the interest of fairness, I will give it one final try soon and report back.

Question: Does anyone have any feedback on the Terrace Restaurant (near the Peacock Restaurant on SSCC near the lake) and that new Scott's Bar (I think they have food as well as drinks) on the lake?

never stopped at the Terrace - looks like a girly bar to me so never even assumed they had food, let alone would it be any good. I did stop once at Scott's corner and was not impressed - never been back since. Just seemed like a mickey mouse operation, which always raises doubts in my mind at least about food hygiene.

Probably just reflects increased shipping costs - moving large quantities is done invariably by sea - so your probably seeing price increases based on huge increases in container costs due to the fuel cost spike a few months ago. having said that, dont expect anything to come down - Thailand seems to never reduce prices, when conditions change.

Got to disagree there Digger, diesel came down from around 42 Bt / litre to around 19 Bt / litre, always made a mental note that Thailand was much quicker to adjust the pice of fuel than the UK, !!

Yes - your quite right on fuel however its a highly visible item - the same cannot be said for a squeezy import bottle of ketchup.

Probably just reflects increased shipping costs - moving large quantities is done invariably by sea - so your probably seeing price increases based on huge increases in container costs due to the fuel cost spike a few months ago. having said that, dont expect anything to come down - Thailand seems to never reduce prices, when conditions change.

actually shipping costs have plumeted ,containers are being stored here in thailand by the thousands as they are not required and its cheaper to store them here.

Yes they have NOW, but the goods your seeing on shelves will have been shipped when cost per container was much higher - lead time for an imported product is probably 3 months on average - the costs are based on what was paid when they contracted the container, not the cost now. However as I say, I doubt you will see a reduction in price of such an imported commodity in the near future.

Probably just reflects increased shipping costs - moving large quantities is done invariably by sea - so your probably seeing price increases based on huge increases in container costs due to the fuel cost spike a few months ago. having said that, dont expect anything to come down - Thailand seems to never reduce prices, when conditions change.

I tried the new Lakeside restaurant on Mabprachan reservoir last night. I had the Roast Turkey which seemingly is a special on Friday. Saturday and Sunday according to the menu - they also had Roast beef, which is claiming to be Australian Rib Eye and New Zealand leg of lamb. seemingly the Turkey is from the USA and was very tender. The Turkey was served with roast potatoes and a side dish of 3 vegetables - they offered more vegetables but I found the portion more than enough. Gravy was nice and is claimed to be homemade according to the menu. Lots of service staff and the restaurant must have had about 16 people when I was in there so seemingly pretty good trade. I know its recently opened and that reflected in some of the service - I got a condiment tray of mint sauce and Horseradish !!! Then after I asked, I got cranberry so presumably a few early glitches as things bed down. No big drama and I would say the food was very good - the Turkey was certainly nice and perfectly cooked. The setting is lovely - its a open air restaurant set on wooden decking around a large fish pond with fountains and green lighting showing up all the plants and trees, however you would not know that from the road as its not visible due to a couple of steps going up and a coffee shop at the front. The owner was around and asking how everything was food wise and he told me the indoor aircon restaurant which is behind the pond area is opening in about 3 weeks. He is the same guy who has the Delibean place near Horseshoe Point and he was advising they have 9 chefs on staff, so presumably they have big plans. He was also asking me about temperature of the food and he let on - since they launched the Western menu, that has been the biggest issue and something he is determined to resolve (which probably explains why they had about 14 staff wearing the Lakeside yellow polo shirts last night). Must say, mine came out piping hot and the only grumble I would have was that the Brussell sprouts were overcooked - but its a small issue to me at least - just seeing Brussell sprouts is a nice touch. The couple next to me had Thai food and I overheard them saying it was delicious.

The roast was priced at 350baht which I thought good value - however as I did not try the beef or lamb - cant comment on that. I did notice 'toad in the hole' which I must put on the 'to do' list. Service staff were everywhere, something he also let on had been a problem as they bed down the menu and not being able to accurately predict volumes. I will certainly return and I suspect they will do very well especially when the aircon restaurant part opens up - apart from the Courtyard, I cant think of any other aircon venue this side of Sukhumvit. Its actually a big operation thinking about it - there must be about 50 seats around the pond area and presumably similar size indoors which was lit up inside for part of the time I was there as a technician was doing something to the lighting. The only thing I suggested he might consider is some background music - otherwise seemed pretty spot on to me at least. Some of the service staff were excellent - some less so, but that probably reflects their relative lack of experience - I did notice that he has pulled his supervisor from the Delibean place to work here. She came over and greeted me by name when I walked in, which was a nice touch.

Overall a strong thumbs up and a nice addition to the East Pattaya dining options.

Bumrungrad without any doubt in my mind - however you must do your homework first. Look up doctor profiles - make an appointment with the Dr. who is a leader in their own field. Lots of trainee doctors and top flight professor types at bumrungrad - hence you need to do the homework. Personally I ask my own doctor and she always say's oh "Khun so & so is expert". To my mind, BPH is a rip-off with for the most part second rate doctors, but its only my own experience. if I got ill at my house in Pattaya, I would go straight to BKK and bypass BPH completely. Oh and I have been to both many times and paid for lots of treatments at both for different people. Bumrungrad is cheaper and better than BPH in my simple experience.

I know 2 people who are in exactly this position both of whom on Work Permits and both getting very annoyed at the lack of urgency anyone seems to show over this. Apparently both have been told, its actually in order NOT to stamp the passport any longer. One has found out - its an immigration requirement to process an application WITHIN the original 30 day extension stamp - hence, they no longer stamp a further extension - i.e. its basically admitting they have missed their own internal (or maybe legal) requirement to either approve or deny a visa extension based on whichever circumstances. Pretty shocking really and I am amazed nobody has picked up on these delays. I also understand that both the people I know also deal with Jomtien. No idea if its true but it seems quite widespread.

I think you will find the 30b scheme only applies in the persons home province where there registered address is. Typical of your average Thai in Pattaya with some 30,000 registered voters or residents, nobody knows how to do it, hence they have no healthcare so when they are sick they "go back up country" - astonishing but I believe true. Hence the Mayor got elected on some 17,000 votes out of a Thai population probably numbering 800,000 people (of course 90% are NOT registered as living in Pattaya, hence cannot vote).

Patsfangr - a quick aside - what is wrong with Palm oil? I have little idea on these things other than I just tend to use the only 2 oils I have ever known - 1 being extra virgin Olive oil and the other is Mazola (english brand, but sold in Thailand) corn oil which my mum used. Other than that I have zero idea what is good or bad - is Corn oil good or bad?

Always good to learn something new.

The restaurant that Digger mentioned is actually on Nongprue Road, near the intersection of that road (not Nernplubwarn) and SCC. It's on the opposite side from The Courtyard, adjacent to the new 7-11 on that corner. I have eaten there, and agree with Digger that the food is pretty good. The prices are "Thai", so that adds to its' attraction. Very pleasant staff, as well.

The place I ate in was the same side as the Courtyard and across the street from the new 7-11 at that junction - I always thought it was called Tip restaurant - its not the Issan food place which is next to 7-11 - never tried that one yet, but will do so following your recomendation.

And thanks for the lesson in street naiming - I always thought Nern Plub Wan started at that intersection and then beared right at the 7-11 by the Temple, learn something new everyday.

Has anybody actually tried the food in the Place across from Chonlada coffee shop ? It looks like a dram shop but I do recall someone saying they served some decent burgers. the burgers would be good, but am not interested in the girls these days, hence the question. I also went to Tip restaurant, the Thai place on the corner of SCC and Nern Plub Wan and had a good Thai feed in there. not to be confused with Rung Tip which also continues to be a good place to go. I also noticed last night coming back from BKK that the Delibean place on the Resevoir has signs up and is called The Lakeside - the sign said something like Restaurant, garden bar and the Delibean. Seems to be coming along quite well, but not sure when its opening (it was not open last night, however they seemed to be playing about with the lights as I drove past).

Your probably better off calling Thai Ultimate Car on Vibvadhee Rangsit Road (the old road out ot Don Muang airport). They were/are the main dealer for Land Rover in Thailand and can probably answer your question. I would imagine though if they have that model it wont be cheap - somewhere around 4,000,000b would be my guess

And some people wonder why I tend to drink in bars that charge way over 100b just so I dont meet people like this

Good luck in your search for cheaper beers - I hear England is tanking - maybe you should go and head back.

I caught sight of a new Pattaya "newspaper" last week while having some food and the main story was a interview with some new honcho at Immigration police and of all things the story seemed to resolve around the integrity of some of the said volunteers - seemed an odd subject to discuss at least to me (unless something untoward is going on).

My personal favourite is Gregs Kitchen on Second Road. Always good but not for the financially challenged on the forum as it comes in somewhere around 195b incl coffee/tea, toast and juice. The quality though is always spot on. I have also had good breakfasts at Rosie O'Gradies on Soi 7 and had mediocre breakfast at the Sportsman on Soi 13 - most I have tried tend to be hit or miss, except for Greg's which I find to be the most consistent in terms of what comes out of the kitchen.

I saw it again coming the other way today as I went back to BKK - it actually seems to go back a long way and lots of people on site with a concrete pouring truck and what looked like about 15 people working, painting etc. Hopefully it will offer a larger menu than the old store but I did not have time to pop in and ask whats happening at the original store - having said that I was always under the impression they owned the original location but maybe wrong so it seems a strange move unless its just too busy. Would certainly get a lot more passing trade than the old place.