luudee

I have no problem with the tuna at Fuji being 'full of tendons' and it pretty much melts in my mouth. However, it is not a high grad and the taste is not that strong. There is another, local fish that comes with some sets that sounds like what the OP is describing, but it is not tuna.

It is definitely tuna what they are serving - at least that's what they are selling it as.

rudi

Is Zen at Central better than Zen at Royal Garden? I definitely prefer Zen over Fuji.

In my opinion YES ! Raw Fish seems to be really fresh, and overall

everything appears to be better prepared.

rudi

I really love sushi, sashimi to be presize.

I have been a Fuji customer for over 10 years, and it seems

that the last couple of years the quality of their raw fish

offerings has declined dramatically. First they replaced Yellow

Tail (hamachi) with some cheap local alternative that tastes

like crap. Now, the tuna cuts have so much tendons and other

junk, that you can barely chew it. Half of the time I return

the Tuna.

The only place that I know now that has decent sashimi, is Zen

at central. But thats a bit out of my way to go there every day.

I don't like driving down town.

Does anybody know of a decent Sushi place close to Teprasit ?

Thanks,

rudi

First daughter 8 years ago, Bangkok Pattaya hospital, total bill was 35,000 baht. They had to keep her for a week under those lights, forget what the conditions is called. We had a private room for 3 days.

Second daughter 6 years ago, also Bangkok Pattaya hopital, total bill was 43,000 baht. Again, They had to keep her for a week under those lights. This also included c-section (decent job), and 4 days in private room.

Overall, we where very satisfied both times. Had a Chinese female doctor, who spoke good English and was very helpful.

luudee

Looking for an experienced Psychiatrists in Pattaya. Preferably

somebody who is experienced with small children.

Thanks,

rudi

Hi there,

looking recommendation for and English tutor or school. for my girlfriend.

She is NOT Thai, speaks pretty good English, but can't read and write.

Would like to hear about any good experiences.

Thanks,

rudi

Toyota dealship in Phuket takes my truck in as my wife had a bit of an accident on the front bumper, so it needed to be replaced. They say "about one week" and in the meantime we could keep driving it.

So one week later we take it in, and it sits there for 4 weeks. No phone calls from them whatsoever. Their story ( and they're sticking to it) was that they ordered the part and 4 times it came down from BKK and didn't fit. <deleted>? Why didn't they call us on this? How long does it take for a truck from the Toyota factory to deliver parts? Seems there would be an almost daily truck coming down, and if not, then surely EMS could get it down in a day. Typical crappy service, but I'm sure most other brands operate the same way with minimal customer service in mind at all.

I had something similar on my previous trip to the Banglamoung Toyota bodyshop

happening to me.

A bit of background: I have first insurance, and they are really easy to deal with and

get me the yellow slips and pay up, etc. Never had a problem. I always first make an

appointment at the body shop.

So that particular time, it was a small scratch in the front bumper. They said they will

paint the entire bumper and need two weeks. Fine, I call them the day before I

supposed to go pick it up, and am given this BS story:

We need another week, because your insurance did not approve the repair for a week.

<deleted> ? 1) The yellow slip is the approval. 2) Between me getting the yellow slip and

getting an appointment (slot in the queue), was a 2 week waiting period. I called my

insurance (they speak perfect English) and asked them, they tell me Toyota is full of

crap ....

I called back Toyota gave them shit, all they would do/say is "Sorry Sir, one more week".

I would love to call Toyota Japan, or BKK. But how does a small fish like me get attention

with them ?

Thanks a lot guys !!!

luudee

it may have changed but i took a friends Vigo there for some paint and some massage a few months ago

it was estimated at around 13,000

he said they were really busy and it would be five days,

this would take it over a weekend and it would be OK Monday at 4pm

they certainly looked busy and i could not disagree with that but my mate wanted the car back at the weekend

i had loaned him a car and i wanted mine back too (in one piece)

so i quietly offered the Toyota guy 1000 baht to get it back by Friday

he declined the offer, said he could not let me jump the queue but said he would try to help if he could

there was no offer of a rental, so smart ass tail tucked firmly between my legs off i go

i have to tell the Vigo owner it won't be back until Monday and that's that

anyway Friday morning i get a call to say i can pick it up later that day

when i get there the bill is 11.500 instead of 13,000 and i give him 500 baht which i almost had to shove down his throat to get him to accept

the job was 100%, (i was in the trade years ago and know good and bad painting)

anyway so my insurance on my fortuner is due soon after and i speak to my broker and ask her if i have main agent cover for repairs, she say no just anyone thats an accredited repairer the insurance company chooses

i say thank you but no thank you and pay about 2000 to upgrade to make sure it gets fixed at the main agent

this main agent if at all possible

credit were its due........

Sounds like you had a great experience. As I said I have been

going there for 4++ years, and the last year it has

dramatically got worth ...

I should also mention that I made an appointment (I was there

about 3 weeks earlier) and they wrote down everything that had

to be done and told me to come back certain day and time to start

the work (which I did).

It didn't look busy to me at all. I actually thought their workshop

was quite deserted ....

I will try getting in touch with corporate Toyota in bkk ....

Cheers,

luudee

I have had my Toyota Fortuner for about 4 years, and have

always been taking it to the Toyota dealership in Banglamoung

(Thaiyont Chonburi Toyota).

I also use the body shop there to get various run-ins with

motorcycles fixed (I have 1st class insurance).

Anyway, over the last 6-12 months, I noticed that it is taking

them longer and longer to make the smallest fixes. A job that

used to take 5 days is now easily a 3 week job. On top of the

extended repair times, the staff is not trying to rent out their

personal cars to customers.

And to make more money, they have gotten in to the habit of

prolonging the repair times. They will quote 2 weeks, and tell

you to come in and pick your car up. Once you are there, they

will offer you to rent one of their cars for another 5 days,

and are ohh sooo sorry for the delay.

I am really fed up with this dealer and am looking for an

alternative. I'm even thinking not to get a Toyota again if

I can not get better service in Pattaya ....

luudee

FYI ...

"The Governor [of Chonburi] assured people that Swine Flu is no more deadly than the regular flu virus ..."

(From PattayaOne News, June 15 2009, I was going to provide a  URL, but I am not allowed ...)

Gloomy outlook for Phuket tourism

...

Revenues for operators in Phuket would be down 50% compared to last year, he added.

...

Of course this only applies to businesses run by farangs.

The clever Thai business people, will just increase the price of

everything by 50% and not even notice any problems !

Hi,

I am looking for a professional painter/company to repaint my

house. I am looking for quality work, with properly supervised

workers.

I've see two other threads here regarding painters, but both

where quite old and inconclusive.

Any recommendations appreciated !

Cheers,

luudee

PS: Also looking to replace windows for double pane aluminum type

Don't know how long youv'e been in Pattaya, but in the last five years that i've been living here i've yet to find or come across a professional painter, although most will claim to be for obvious reasons, they always fail to deliver good qaulity paintwork im afraid.

You would be wise to ask any prospective craftsmen that give you a quotation whether they could show you some of there work that they have previously done, if they can't then you'd be taking a risk employing them.

You can always tell a professional painter by what kind of brushes and rollers they use, if they have turn up with budget off the shelf type brushes etc then you know what to expect, instead of horse hair angle cut brushes or mohair rollers etc.

In my expieriance, when i wanted paintwork to be done, i gave up trying to find a decent painter/company and ended up doing it myself.

I know not everyone would or could do the job themselves, but unfortunately it's usually that they promise the high standard of work, to then turn up with a bunch of illegal cambodians or their relatives from up country to start painting your house with the cheapest possible paint on the market and a 100bt budget brush set from Tescos. Most of them don't even consider using primers or undercoat either which means after 6 months of hot sun and then wet humid rain the paint starts to blister and peel.

The one tip that i would srongly advise is to buy the paint and primers/undercoats yourself to ensure good qaulity, only use Dulux or Nippon paints, all the other Thai company paints are of inferior qaulity.

You can can get the paint in Homepro, Kanyong, Homeworks etc..

Good Luck!

Hi,

I've been living here for 12 years, and I know how pathetic the

situation here is with Thai workers. I had actually a lot better

luck with illegal Cambodians than Thais. My experience has been

they are smarter and alot more motivated than Thais.

On the other hand, there a are lot of nice venues here in Pattaya

that are obviously very professionally done. If you ever get a

chance to go to Brunos Restaurant, pay attention to their interior

quality of work.

Anyway, if anybody does have good experience with a company/painter,

please do let me know !

Thanks a lot !

luddee

Hi,

I am looking for recommendations on windows. I would like double

pane aluminum variety ....

Any recommendations appreciated !

Cheers,

luudee

PS: Also looking for a quality painter

Hi,

I am looking for a professional painter/company to repaint my

house. I am looking for quality work, with properly supervised

workers.

I've see two other threads here regarding painters, but both

where quite old and inconclusive.

Any recommendations appreciated !

Cheers,

luudee 

PS: Also looking to replace windows for double pane aluminum type