cochran

Maybe you should try to figure out the difference between the Saturday night party a few weeks ago vs. the Friday night plans.

Hopefully, it wasn't just free booze that brought so many out - it was an exceptionally good time, and many people have already expressed their anticipation of the next one.

What about the scarcity argument? Your sign up list, with the limitation (join date, post count, etc.) seemed to generate lots of interest and a flurry of responses.

Could it be that a weekly meeting is too frequent, and that a monthly get together might get higher attendance?

Finally, I am in sort of the same boat as Raro. I work on Fridays, and can't always break away in time. The nature of my job means that I'm not always done by 5:30 pm, and then there is a 45 minute drive home, shower, etc. before I can get out the door. Sometimes just too tired. Is it possible that Saturdays could be better than Fridays??

Just a few thoughts...

Also saw this on the menu at "My Way" Dutch restaurant on Soi Diana.

As previously mentioned, Friday night we went to s.e.a. Restaurant at the Dusit Thani d2 baraquda hotel on 2nd road. This is the hotel just beside the Avenue, on the same end as Au Bon Pain. To reach the restaurant, you go in through the lobby, then straight through and past the pool area, and the restaurant is on your right.

We arrived at around 7:30 pm. Atmosphere-wise, I really liked the place as soon as we got there. Seating is very comfortable, with some sofa-style seating around the walls and very comfortable chairs elsewhere. There is an upstairs area in the place, which was not in use as there was only one other occupied table in the restaurant. We spent right at two hours here, enjoying a liesurely dinner and bottle of wine, and there wasn't a lot of traffic overall. I think there was one other table seated while we were there, and then a large group of six to eight came in right before we left.

The bar was able to serve up a decent Tom Collins - not quite as good as at Alois, but very drinkable. We also ordered a bottle of wine that is their current feature, a Nero d'Avolo (if memory serves) that was quite good and sold for 1400 baht.

The restaurant puts out a bread basket with some of the best wheat bread I've had around. Great texture, and served with an aioli style dip (mayo, garlic, chilies) that was simply outstanding. The cool from the mayo cuts the heat from the chilies so that its quite enjoyable.

My girlfriend ordered bruschetta as an appetizer. This is a four-slice serving topped with chopped tomato, white prawns and salmon. While I didn't try this directly, it was not considered a hit. She was of the opinion that the ingredients hadn't had time to share their flavors, and that they just didn't work well together.

My main course was the "Get Club'd" club sandwich, with sliced chicken breast, parma ham, chive frittata, and rocket lettuce, with french fries and marinated cherry tomatoes on the side. Small portion of fries, but very tasty, and frankly enough of a portion given the generous size of the sandwich. There was a strong taste of blue cheese to this sandwich, and it was a little dry. An application of the aforementioned dip smoothed things out. I finished about half of it, as I wanted to see what was on the dessert tray and didn't want to overdo. Note that this sandwich is only shown on their lunch menu, but they will be glad to serve you from the lunch menu during dinner.

Her main course was the seabass, and this was where things really brightened up. The filet is served over a bed of vegetables (roasted onion, potato, etc.). The skin lifts off in one piece, and the perfectly cooked meat might be the best piece of fish I've had. It was not overseasoned, incredibly moist and tender. There is a black sauce drizzled artistically over the plate, which I took to be soy, but was actually black chinese vinegar mixed with oyster sauce. Really, really good dish.

Desert was okay. The menu is somewhat limited in this respect. I had the banana glazed with palm sugar and dark chocolate mousse. The mousse was good, the palm sugar was very very sweet. The dessert was average.

The chef, Allan, came out and introduced himself and discussed the meal a little. He seems like a very nice guy, and if the seabass is an indication, also a talented chef. We will likely return here for another meal.

On Sunday night, we hit My Way, over on Soi Diana near Beefeater. This was our first visit to this one as well.

We ordered chicken noodle soup for her appetizer and vegetable for mine. Note that the vegetable has beef in it, and I don't think this is mentioned on the menu. No problem for me, but if you're vegetarian, be warned. The soups were quite good, with my girlfriend informing me that the chicken noodle was as good as homemade. The vegetable beef was good, with the broth being just a touch oily for my taste, though well seasoned.

Main course for me was goulash with home fried potatoes. Very tender beef in a rich sauce, excellent flavors. Too much food to finish, for sure. She ordered the beef filet with mushroom sauce and home fried potatoes. She didn't touch the salad that came alongside, or the potatoes, because the serving size of the beef dish was HUGE!! The flavor was excellent. I normally am very picky about beef here as we all have our own horror stories about lack of quality, but this was very tender and flavorful meat. I'm sure its local stock, based on the price and the portion size, but I have to say this was the best non-imported beef I've had in Thailand. Two thick filets were provided, covered in a brown mushroom gravy that would have been excellent over some fresh mashed potatoes. This was also a win for us, with two minor complaints:

1. Service could use some improvement. The staff did not seem overjoyed to be there, and had to be reminded about refills.

2. Cost of pineapple juice - 120 baht for a small glass of pineapple juice over ice. I'm not usually one to complain about prices, but OUCH!

The quality of the food will bring us back. The menu shows an endive and mashed potato hotpot with meatball that looks really good...

Headed for s.e.a. restaurant at dusit2 baraquda on 2nd rd. tonight. Will update afterwards. If you have any warnings for me....nah, nevermind, its too late to change now, I suppose! Wish us luck.

There's a medal??? Nobody tells me anything.

kdf, sounds like you had a great one indeed. I thought I had a legendary one, but I bow to your prowess...or at least stamina and determination!

Awesome night out! Thanks to all our hosts, organizers, sponsors, etc. Great time and good to be able to put faces to some of the names. Looking forward to the next one already.

Another couple of new places:

Thursday night (I think) we went in search of the restaurant that had been mentioned here earlier, Alois. We didn't find it (wait, more on that later) and so were cruising around aimlessly and found ourselves over on the southern end. We drove along the beach at Jomtien and didn't want to wait any longer for dinner - it was already quite late - so stopped in at Holland House.

In a word...don't. The menu is not very impressive, very standard fare in my opinion. I ordered the inevitable onion soup, and found it to be quite average. I tried to order salmon as my entree, but they were out and I didn't have an appetite for anything else on the menu. My girlfriend had the minestrone, I think, and wasn't too impressed. She also had baked fish with a small salad and french fries - a swing and a miss. Not too much to recommend here.

Of course, on the way home, we drove right past Alois! Total Homer Simpson, smack-myself-on-the-forehead, doh!! moment.

So last night we retraced our steps and had dinner at Alois. First impressions: this was a larger and nicer restaurant than I was expecting. I keyed in on the comments of "...another Cherry's or Wii's...", and while this is not an inaccurate statement, it led to a surprise when I walked into the quite well-appointed dining room at Alois.

The service here is the equal of anything I've had in Thailand. Very professional staff, management on the floor, available but not obtrusive...you couldn't ask for anything more. I ordered a Tom Collins to start, and it was really excellent - cold, refreshing, not too sweet, but just right. This cocktail was easily the equal of Mantra, which is my baseline for this particular drink. I was pleased. We also ordered a bottle of wine, a 2006 cabernet sauvignon. I forget the name, but its number 446 on the menu (and I have NO IDEA why that stuck in my head!). This was not a great wine, but they have a good selection, so go for something different. It wasn't actively distasteful, but I just didn't think there was much going on in the flavors. Great aroma, good texture, but one-dimensional in taste. (As a side note, Beefeater's current wine of the month is a pretty good Shiraz - very good flavors, just a little sweet though, and only 950 thb/bottle).

The appetizers - french onion soup for me (I know, I know) and minestrone for her. These were not standout dishes. I think the onion soup at Casa Pascal is still the gold standard for me, and the fisherman's soup at La Notte for her. They were tasty, more than adequate, but not awesome.

A bread basket was served, with a good selection on hand and decent quality. The "mouth cleanser" was a peppermint sherbet. I wasn't a fan of this one.

Entrees were a different story. She ordered baked sea bass, served with roasted potatoes and onions. The onions were a little underdone and difficult to handle - you try to stick the fork in and it rolls away. Made for some entertaining table antics, but tough on the eating. I didn't sample the fish, but she liked it a lot and finished it off. She left the potatoes unmolested, but they sure looked good.

My entree was pan-fried chicken breast stuffed with spinach and cream cheese, served with gratinated potatoes with leeks, and a brown gravy on the side. Good portion size on everything. The chicken was a large, boneless breast. The filling looked a little sparse, but as you work on this dish you realize that anything more would be a logistical challenge. This had just enough filling so that everything stayed together instead of sliding apart as you cut it. The potatoes had an amazingly good flavor. The leek flavor was pronounced, but that's okay with me. The consistency of the dish was nice - firm potatoes, with a creamy sauce. Potatoes could have done with five more minutes cook time, I believe. Otherwise, very nice dish. I don't know what cheese was used, but it was a good choice - mild enough to melt well, and not overwhelming the dish, but working well with the leek flavor.

I tried the dark chocolate mousse with mango sauce for dessert. The mousse was okay, but the sauce on top was excellent. I ate the sauce and left the mousse.

I'll say this restaurant is good, but maybe not on par with Bruno's/Manhattan's/mata Hari. All the ingredients are in place, but there are a few touches here and there that need to be worked out to make this a truly great restaurant (keep the excellent service and broad wine list and good bartender, but work on soups, check the doneness of vegetables, and do away with pepper mint sherbet). i will say that I think the ingredient quality is a touch above what is on offer at Cherry's, but the prices are a little higher here as well.

Wow. I think I'll go with 1962 & the Stones.

We ended up going to Leo's Blues Bar, as recommended by aussiechick (great to meet you in person!!) and it was a lot of fun. Not a huge place, but good music on the house system until the bands started, and the bands were really good. Leo is a great host, and the staff did a great job with the food, drink, and welcoming everyone. The place was packed. After we left there, Sea Zone for an AMAZINGLY GOOD Irish coffee, then Pop's Place for a really, really late nightcap and some good tunes from the All Stars. Excellent 4th, great Sat. night out.

Okay, rott, I'll bite. What's the significance of July 12th?

Patong Beach on Phuket was jam-packed with US Navy / USMC last weekend, and didn't seem any different than any other tourists - different haircuts, but same behaviors and demeanors - no better, no worse.

Crap, you're right. My bad. we stayed at Ao Prao Resort on Koh Samet. Good catch, QED.

syd barrett - those guys are insane to watch, aren't they? I have no idea how they keep it down. What was the American guy's name that won a year or two ago in a huge upset over the Japanese guy? I saw the replays of that one, and then they showed how the Japanese guy preps for these events. Amazing how much food this guy packs in for his prep meals.

Aussiechick - never been to Leo's before. Cool place? Comparo. to Blues Factory? Sounds good - may check this one out. I saw another post re: a BBQ starting at 5 pm at Chic N Coop on 2nd Rd, across from Mike's shopping mall, but this one at Leo's sounds like it may be better. Time for a recon drive tonight to make sure I can find the place.

Thanks, aussiechick - if you think of anything, let me know. I have one American colleague here and we're both at a loss for tomorrow!

Whoa, RabC - simmer down!! On St. Pat's, I was in an Irish pub in Pattaya. On Chinese New Year's, I was at a party for Chinese New Year. I don't understand the vitriol, and especially calling the US "the septics" is a bit much. IF YOU CAN'T ADD ANYTHING CONSTRUCTIVE, BACK OFF.

BasilB, maybe you're right - where are the Brits celebrating the 4th?? That would probably be a very amusing party, actually. I've wondered in the past that if the Revolutionary War hadn't happened, how long would it have been before Britain "invited" the US to become independent?

Everyone,

What is going on in Pattaya for American Independence Day (4th July)? Anything? Where?

Thanks,

cochran

Paddy's Palms Pub - Irish pub across the street from the beach. Clean rooms with hot water, breakfast included at the Irish Pub. Reasonable rate, but not on the beach. Worked well for us when we were there.

Is there anyplace around that does fried fish in the southern US style - with corn meal instead of a beer batter? You know, a very thin coating on the outside instead of very thick breading.

No, haven't been there at all. The only German place on Beach Road I've tried is Hopf, and while their beer is okay, the menu isn't too hot (IMO). I'll try to check out the Brew Haus.

It would be really great to find a German restaurant that does an authentic version of the pork knuckle - ate this frequently in Germany and loved it, but the local versions I've had here (admittedly, not in German restaurants) are a far cry different - much less tender meat, skin not as crispy, etc. Can anyone compare this new place to Bei Gerhard? I quite enjoyed my meal there and have recommended the place to a few German colleagues here at work.

I'd like to throw in a quick plug for a restaurant that's not in Pattaya, but has a connection.

We recently spent a long weekend on Phuket, and found that the fare at our hotel was not up to par, so went looking for good food. We found a place (two locations on Phuket, I think) called Two Chefs. The owners have a relationship with the owner of Beefeater's here in Pattaya, and there are some similarities in the menus. I have to say that the cocktails and long drinks at Two Chefs left much to be desired, but the food was incredibly good. Swedish meatballs, pork filet steak, BBQ pork skewers, salmon farfalle....all absolutely excellent (we ate there more than once - it was that good).

cochran is in. Could be +1, but she's scheduled to be in Bangkok that day, so not sure about the +1.

Recently hit Cherry's on what turned out to be all you can eat grilled meat night - steaks, chicken, shrimp, fish, pork, etc. Included salad bar, choice of potato, veg, and dessert for something like 459 a person. Excellent meal, as usual.

Soi 16/2, just down past Bei Gerhard, about 300m off of Naklua.

Swiss Paradise was a nice visit last night. The best thing about the place is the setting - you're served dinner outside in a garden, nice grass underfoot, trees and shrubbery around, lights aren't too bright - really nice place, and unassuming.

We weren't starving to death, so didn't order anything too major. A small shrimp cocktail for her and some asparagus with ham and cheese sauce for me, then roesti (mine with cheese and bacon, hers with egg and bacon). We didn't realize the servings of roesti would be so large - its a big plate, really full, and cooked right - not burnt up or raw in the middle, and with the best tasting bacon I've had in Pattaya yet. One plate of this is more than enough for two people.

On the positive side, the taste of the food was really good, and the waitress was very friendly and engaged my girlfriend in quite a conversation. Serving size was plentiful (shrimp cocktail wasn't huge, but its an appetizer after all), Singha was cold, and the bill was reasonable. The menu covers a lot of ground, with Swiss/German cuisine, fondues, Thai food, etc.

On the other hand, cocktails here (margarita and tequila sunrise) are not good - very watery tasting. While the roesti was delicious, it was also very greasy. I think that the cheese melted on top of mine may have contributed, but there was a lot of oil in the bottom of the plate.

Overall pretty decent, and worth going back to. The pork Zurich style looked good from the menu, and they also offer exotic meats - kangaroo, ostrich, alligator, deer, etc. that I haven't seen on other menus around here. for that matter, I don't think I've seen kangaroo on a menu anywhere, period. If you're looking for a very quiet, relaxing atmosphere to enjoy dinner without going overboard, this place is worth a look. Very interested in hearing other's opinions on this one.

MeetJohnDoe, Vientiene in on the list. We'll get to that one eventually. There is some hesitation on my part to hit this place, after a really bad experience with a Vietnamese noodle shop in our industrial park. I was under the impression that Vientiene was Vietnamese (alliteration at work, perhaps), but if its Laotian maybe I should reconsider, and broaden my horizons.