cochran

While we're at it, how about someplace you can get a nice, cold Negra Modelo?

Shame on me for actually reading all four pages of this. And shame on everybody else for all of this over an advertisement for a wax museum. Good grief!! Its a commercial advertisement, for crying out loud.

Hitler did bad things, yes, but they are now part of our collective history, and while we don't have to celebrate his life, there's no benefit in saying that his image should not be shown. After all, its in our children's history books, on the internet, in movies, and etc. Why should a bulletin board be held to a different standard?

Stay off the ones from the market at Central Festival. Stale quickly and hard as rocks. Not good.

Michaelaway, I think we're talking about 2nd road, just across from Central, correct? If so, good place. The food prep time can seem a little long, but I think that's just because its freshly prepared. The cuisine there is Southern Indian. Everything I've had there has been good, except the idly and the dosa, which just weren't to my taste texture-wise but were recommended by an Indian colleague. The tandoori chicken, chicken madras, veg jalfrezi, etc. are all quite good, and they don't make the food too spicy - its just right for me. Of course, if you asked I'm sure they could turn up the heat! Really enjoy this place - try the garlic naan.

Gimme a regional-background break here. I'm from the SE US (think rural areas here), so everything you're headed toward is "down the road" and everything you've already passed is "back up the road".

Or maybe I am just directionally challenged in 360 degrees, as you mentioned!!

Price is higher, I think, but the quality is so much better than Tequila Reef that its not comparable. Seriously. Maybe the best guacamole I've ever had, really good salsa, and the entrees (Monterey chicken fajita burrito FTW) are great. You can also get Herradurra tequila there, in several different vintages. I've been to Tequila Reef once, and will only ever go back there again if a) I'm already in the neighborhood and really need a margarita. No more dinners at TR, I'm afraid, but have been to Mike's 3 times, plus one order from Door 2 Door, and looking forward to going again.

Its on Thepraya (Theprasit? Somebody help me out here!). Head down 3rd Rd, past Tony's gym, then stay left when you reach the bridge (don't take the bridge - stay on surface streets), and turn left. The restaurant will be several hundred meters down, on your left. Look for a yellow sign with a turtle. You can also find him on the web if you google it, and there's a map on the site.

The more astute among you may notice that I am not so good at giving driving directions. Hey, nobody's perfect, right?

If you're headed to the old location, its on the same road, same side, just not as far down as the old one (as you're coming from central Pattaya). Not sure how far exactly between the two, but within easy walking distance for sure.

If memory serves, you'll get some change from 6k, but not a whole lot. It also depends on the wine you choose, as this was probably 35 - 45% of the bill. There's a detailed write up early in the "Recent Dining Experiences - Reviews" thread from my visit there.

All in all, I challenge you to have the same quality of life in UK or USA for the same price you can do it here.

Easy.

Better quality housing, far better motor vehicles not to mention choice of those vehicles, second hand and new, are available at cheaper cost. Better education, and many other things conducive to a higher quality of life are available in Britain and Australia that aren't available in Thailand, such as safer roads, social security, better healthcare, etc, etc, etc.

Simply put, the same quality of life just isn't available to 99% of people in Thailand, be they Thai or foreign.

I really disagree with you.

I will agree that the housing building standards are higher in the west, but in terms of quality per unit of currency, you're far better off here. The motor vehicles are very expensive here, no doubt. I've seen no issues with healthcare here, am satisfied with the quality and more than pleased with the cost. Outside of some areas (like Pattaya) the day to day cost of living is much lower. For entertainment, daytrips, short vacations, and etc., you can do much more here on the same amount of money than you can elsewhere. Can't really comment on the social security issue here vs. other places. I know that the system in the US is in financial trouble, doesn't pay much now, and likely won't exist when I'm eligible, but have no idea how it works here.

I find that I can have a very enjoyable life here for much less money than in the US, and that's even with the somewhat inflated prices in Pattaya. Granted, my expat package helps, but even without this I'm financially better off here than there.

We'd probably all go off ALL processed food if we really thought about it, but I for one am in position (or inclination) to become a self-supporting farmer and raise all my own food.

I'll just not think about what's in my sausage...bologna...ground beef...etc. and focus on enjoying the flavor! You have to eat a little dirt in this life anyway - might as well taste good, right?

I don't think that raising this fee to 6k annually is too much, but...

I work for a large MNC and we have a high number of expats on payroll here. While this increase in and of itself is not monumental, it is an incremental increase for each person, all of whom are on full expat packages with the company. Many of us who are enjoying our lives here and would really like to stay on and make this a permanent home may be forced with some quite difficult choices. Our company will be pushing to strictly limit the number of expats in the region. Its not just because of this fee, but it all adds up over time.

I know we're not invaluable to life in Thailand. We're not going to solve this country's problems, just like we personally haven't solved all the issues in our various home countries before coming here. If we all went home tomorrow, Thailand would be just fine. All I'm saying is, I like it here and would like to stay, and it would be great if the bureaucracy could make it easier, and be more encouraging.

All in all, I challenge you to have the same quality of life in UK or USA for the same price you can do it here.

We were there around 8:30 pm or so. Not too busy at the time.

Having recently heard about Rich Man Poor Man serving American food, I had to go and try it. Its not too difficult to find, just off Jomtien Beach Road at soi 9.

When we arrived, I was honestly quite apprehensive. The place doesn't look like much. When we went inside, we found ourselves in a low-ceilinged room, with little in the way of decoration, and the aroma of fried food in the air. If you've been in a Waffle House or Huddle House in the US, you know what I mean. There is no drink list available, and there are no cocktails available. They have the standard local selections of beer - Singha, Chang, Tiger, Leo, and Heineken, and a decent selection of liquor behind the bar. There does not seem to be any aircon, but the fans kept it quite comfortable.

For appetizers, we ordered tomato soup for her and chicken fingers for me. When it arrived, the tomato soup was hot and thick and creamy, but tasted very much like ketchup, and the crackers on the side were stale. Fortunately, this would prove to be the only real misstep here. My chicken fingers were hot and crisp on the outside, but not overdone, and tasted like real, handcut chicken breast, sliced a little thin, and served with a sweet and hot sauce. Tasty.

Entrees - meatballs for her, and meatloaf for me, both served with mashed potatoes, steamed veg, and plenty of brown gravy. The meatballs here are a little better than the ones at Beefeaters. These had a better texture - a little more coarse grind to the beef, I think, and they tasted a little better seasoned as well. Of course at Beefeaters you get the lingonberries alongside, and RMPM doesn't have these. The meatloaf is served in a large, thin slice, with bacon on top. It was really good meatloaf! I would've liked a larger serving of the meat, but at the price, I can't complain. If I have to give up serving size to keep quality, okay.

All told, we had two entrees, two appetizers, one small Singha for me and two shots of Kahlua for her. We were out of there for right around 800 baht, and well satisfied. The menu is attractive enough that we'll be back to sample burgers, philly sandwiches, pork chops, and so on.

One word of advice: choose a table outside. When we left, we could still smell the aroma of fried food on our clothes and etc.

Give this place a shot. Don't judge on appearance - wait for the food.

Info for PS Products main office in Bangkok - with a facility in Amata City industrial park:

PS Product and Service Co., Ltd.

2001/39 Sukhumvit 101/1 Rd.

Bangjak, Prakanong, Bangkok 10260

66-22-22-2358

[email protected]

I've just about given up on finding a good burger here (until I get off my a$$ and get over to Cafe Uno on the darkside, as recommended). Did find a place to get good beef to make your own, though. Go to Central market (basement of the Central Festival mall), and they have in their meat case minced trimmings from the Australian beef cuts they sell. This made a much better burger than the local stuff I bought before - not so watery or off-tasting. Just be aware this meat has a low fat content, so cook accordingly. Hope this isn't too off-topic.

Agreeing with PhilConners - don't know why people compare the health care costs here to the US at all. Much much higher there for everything health related - contact lenses, eye exams, dental exam and cleaning, hospital room charges, doctor visits, x-rays, etc. And that's even if you have good insurance. My health plan in the US covers far more than my health plan during my assignment here, but I'm still FAR less out of pocket here for the few (thankfully) minor things I've needed in the past 8 months.

Wow, has it really been so long since I posted? Sorry!! Work has really cranked up lately, and been eating more at home and revisiting a few favorites.

I do have two updates, though.

Had some colleagues in from out of town last week and took them out for the obligatory tour of Walking Street. We had dinner at Sea Zone, previously reported as the home of the best Irish coffee ever (true!!). This was my first meal there, and let's just say that I have a new favorite place for Thai food, displacing Mum Aroy.

My colleagues ordered the grilled giant prawns with shrimp fried rice. We also had tom kha gai, fried fish with three flavor sauce, khao pad gai, and squid with curry. I won't say the tom kha gai was the best ever, but is definitely tied for first. On the fish, Leng Kee on Pattaya Klang does this really well, but I think Sea Zone is an improvement over that one. It was really that good. My colleagues were well satisfied. We left without the Irish coffee, as there were more venues ahead, and we were full!! The menu is quite extensive, and the beverage selection includes Erdinger and Federbrau beers. The cocktails are quite good as well. If you haven't been here yet, give it a try.

This weekend we stopped in at Golf Bar on Soi LK Metro, after reading recommendations from this site. You were right - good food and good value. We checked the tables inside, but then decided to eat outside. Good choice, as there was a good little crowd there bantering back and forth to provide entertainment. We felt totally at home there. For dinner, my girl ordered the open faced roast beef sandwich, served with peas and a nice gravy. She enjoyed everything except the peas, but given the size of the serving on the beef and bread she still had enough food. I ordered the grilled chicken pita with english-style chips. The sandwich was great - bread was fresh, the tzatziki-style sauce was cool and refreshing, and the chicken tasted like it had just come off a hot charcoal grill. The chips were a little overcooked, but not burned. There were so many things on the menu that looked great...we'll be back!! I hope that on our return, there's another friendly crowd there drinking and watching cricket.

I'll continue to post updates, but running out of new places. Jingthing, i still haven't made it to the places you've recommended in Jomtien Complex or Soi Tukcom or Soi Daynight (hope I don't have you mixed up with another poster on some of these), and I'm looking forward to trying Cafe des Amis and Rich Man Poor Man on my next few adventures. Open to new suggestions!!

My two cents worth, having tried most of the places mentioned:

If you specifically want steak, go to Manhattan's. Nice restaurant, good staff. Don't order the Caesar salad - they don't do this very well. Otherwise, if you don't mind spending some coin you'll have a really good meal here. It is expensive, wine list in particular.

Both Bruno's and Mata Hari have more comprehensive menus, as they are not set out as specializing in steak. If choosing between the two of these, Mata Hari would win out in my book. And contrary to a previous post, the owner is NOT obnoxious, and seems to have quite a good sense of humor, and sets out a good meal to boot.

I don't recommend Mantra if you're looking for a sure thing. While the cocktails and the desserts at Mantra are extremely good, I think the entrees there are hit-and-miss. You might have a good main course, and you might not. Try it another time when its not such a special occasion.

Of course, this is only an opinion, and your mileage may vary. Let us know how it turns out.

lemel, how do I find cafe des amis?

Ulysses, Mata Hari is in the same building as Manhattan's, opposite side.

U

There's a company working out of Amata City industrial estate that I've used - PS Products. You can google them, or I'll try to post info from the office tomorrow. I would probably not recommend them for fabrication work of any complicated level, but should be okay for a short batch run for milling/drilling/turning. If you need grinding, advise and I'll send different contact info. PM me if you'd like to share more detail, and I'll try to put you in touch with the right people.

aussiechick, you do have a point (rueful grin on my face).

Thanks for the pointer, jimmyd. Next time I make a batch of chili I'll need some of that. Okay, I'm off this topic - making me too hungry, and its not lunch time yet!!

jimmyd - Couldn't disagree with you more re: Mike's food. Really enjoy the guacamole and don't find the food boring at all. Quite the opposite in fact. Of course, we all have our opinions and preferences - that's what keeps so many varied places in business, right?

On the cilantro, I couldn't find any at Friendship, Foodland, or at Central. Maybe just looking in the wrong place, but no luck at the time. Made do without, so no major heartburn.

Wish I'd seen this thread sooner. I love Mexican food and will give Big Al's a shot if I'm in the neighborhood. Unlike some of the posters so far, I really enjoy the food at Mike's Mexican. I think the food at Tequila Reef is unequivocally atrocious and will not ever eat there again. Looking forward to trying Big Al's.

I can sympathize if there's trouble finding ingredients to cook with - I looked everywhere I could think of for fresh cilantro, and couldn't find it. The ground beef on offer here is typically quite watery when cooked and doesn't taste right. I'm sure the list goes on, especially when trying to stock up a restaurant.

One odd thing, though - no guacamole? This could be a problem, Al.....

We should all support a fellow TV member and at least give him the benefit of the doubt. How about the next TV piss-up makes a taco stop here? Then we'll have a ton of new opinions.

I've tried Mr. Moo's products, and am definitely impressed.

The streaky bacon was not too fatty at all in my opinion - and also had much less shrinkage during cooking than other brands I've tried here. It may be more expensive, but if there's less shrinkage it all works out on balance. The flavor was also excellent.

On the sausages, I'll agree they are a little dry, but again this is because there's so little fat in the mixture. The texture and the spicing in the sausages are spot-on. I tried the sage & onion as well as the bold cumberland and we really enjoyed both of these, with a slight preference for the flavor of the sage & onion version. Also, if we're comparing these to Yorkies, I'll take "slightly dry" over "full of filler/cereal" anytime.

We also tried the "Timmy D." sausage patties and these taste a LOT like Jimmy Dean bulk sausage from home (the USA). I think on the next load I'll have to get more of this and try to make some sausage gravy!!

The meat pies (tried the American Chicken Pie - chicken, potato, peas, carrots) was really good also. You prep these from frozen in the microwave, and the pastry still looks and tastes like pastry when they come out of the microwave. These are just the thing when you don't feel like cooking.

I heard that there would be good beef on sale there, but it had not yet debuted when I visited. Looking forward to it for next time.

For the person looking for bratwurst, you can get frozen Smithfield brats in the freezer section of Friendship supermarket. Boil them in beer for a bit and then brown them up and they're delicious.

Blueeyes, we haven't been to that one. We love Italian food, but after your warning will skip this one. Appreciate the heads-up.

If you're out and around on Saturday, we'll drop by for at least one drink somewhere. Say when!!