mickmac

Try to steer clear of the Downtown Inn.

If you are in a Hotel, talk to front desk, night porter they may be able to help you. Otherwise I get the girl into the car, if you have one, and fire her into RAM hospital, or McCormack just as a precaution. Hopefully she has med insurance if not it'll be down to you. Should imagine there will be a resident on call throughout the night.

Hope all goes well for her and yourself.

Regards

Konini, please do a search on this subject, as this has been "done to death" in the Chiang Mai forum.

Try Love at first Bite, nice garden area, good coffee and lovely pastries.

You could also take a trip out to the coffee shop at the Mandarin Oriental and sit in their extended seating area. Great cakes as well, not cheap but delicious.

Hi Doppa,

If you get in touch with Concept in the States, there is a chance that they have not appointed an agent in Thailand. If this is still the case they will sell one to you. About half the price you'd pay here. Don't forget that because it is exercise equipment the tax on it is only 10%. They'll have it delivered to the door for you.

Who told you that a visa is required ? Thai nationals benefit from the Transit Without Visa concession (TWOV). Basically, a Thai national can transit through the UK, including changing airports, if they hold a confirmed onward booking by air, intends to depart within 24 hours, and holds a visa for the destination country ( or other documentation to confirm entry). She will be granted 24 hours in transit. You may wish to refer to this document:

http://www.ind.homeo...equirements.pdf

Before you go harassing the Prime MInister, it might be worth checking your facts.

Thanks for the above link. The last time I went to Ireland with my girlfriend, now wife, we went via London, and had to get a transit visa to transit between terminal 3 and terminal 1. The way I read this is that we don't have to do that now, is that correct? (She had an Irish visa, and tickets for flight a Dublin flight as well).

The Holiday Inn

The Orchid hotel

Can be added to your list. Are you also going to add in the Sharks Fin places?

I must admit I quite like going to the Holiday Inn for Chinese food. A little more expensive the most places, though not the Fujian. The only thing that lets it down is lack of atmosphere. there.

I went last Thursday, arriving at 19:30, and it was closed. Was quite disappointed as had enjoyed it the 3 times we had been before, decent food and very good beer prices, 85 baht for Asahi and 95 baht for Heinakin, large bottles not the small ones.

I feel that they also have to address the monorail link to/from the airport. Looks to be a great mode of transport for people going to/from work or people living on the outskirts heading into BKK. If you have a lot of baggage/cases etc. then it gets really painful when having to change over at Makkassan. One has to get out of the station and walk to the main road, cross the rail lines then another 100 yds on to the underground. I did this journey last Friday morning, time wise it did beat coming in from the airport in the traffic, but I found it a real pain and that was without any baggage. Why didn't they build a footbridge from the alight platform direct to the subway station, then an escalator down?

I arrived in BKK on the Saturday morning a week or so ago, and the queue at the immigration areas was the worst I have ever seen since the airport had been opened, one of them had people backing out down the slope onto the main concourse, absolutely horrendous.

Regional Hub............I'm afraid not.

• May I suggest another restaurant, that I believe has not been mentioned on here, though I may be wrong - Susie Cucina, on Rachadamneon Rd, (Sunday walking street), Had lunch there with wife and daughter yesterday. Ceasar Salad, Tuna Salad and Aspargus as the 3 starters, followed by Confit of Duck leg and mash, Spaghetthi with scallops and mussels, plus a Pizza Romana. This was followed by a Tira misu and Choc fondant and ice cream. Without drinks it came to a total of 1800 th with a bottle of the house red, and a bottle of water the total bill was 2700 thb.
  
• All enjoyed the food, the Pizza had a very thin base, which I had, and the toppings were very tasty. The tomato base I felt was superior to Mama Mia (on MeaJo rd), in that there was a little more substance/taste to it. The wine at just under 1000 bht a bottle was very decent to say the least.One thing I have noted about the Mama Mia reviews is that no one has mentioned the cost of drinks there, 80 bht for a large bottle of Ashai, (and 95 for a large bottle of Hienekin I believe), possibly the cheapest in any restaurant in CM
  
• I'm sure quite a few people would enjoy the quality of the food there at Susie Cucina, I would look on it as similar to Chez Marco.
  
• I have no business interest in any of the above mentioned restaurants.
  

That works out to 600 baht per person for food. Yes, that's comparable to Chex Marco. i thought that this thread was about "homestyle" food. At M Cuisine or Noi's you can easily feed four very hungry people for a total of 600 baht and have enough left over for a generous tip.

My apologies El Jefe, never had an Italian Grandmother to cook for me nor eat in any Italian households, so have nothing to gauge it by. Would you consider Boar stew and Pasta as "homestyle" which is also on their menu, or does "homestyle" just mean "cheap and cheerful"?

• May I suggest another restaurant, that I believe has not been mentioned on here, though I may be wrong - Susie Cucina, on Rachadamneon Rd, (Sunday walking street), Had lunch there with wife and daughter yesterday. Ceasar Salad, Tuna Salad and Aspargus as the 3 starters, followed by Confit of Duck leg and mash, Spaghetthi with scallops and mussels, plus a Pizza Romana. This was followed by a Tira misu and Choc fondant and ice cream. Without drinks it came to a total of 1800 th with a bottle of the house red, and a bottle of water the total bill was 2700 thb.
  
• All enjoyed the food, the Pizza had a very thin base, which I had, and the toppings were very tasty. The tomato base I felt was superior to Mama Mia (on MeaJo rd), in that there was a little more substance/taste to it. The wine at just under 1000 bht a bottle was very decent to say the least.One thing I have noted about the Mama Mia reviews is that no one has mentioned the cost of drinks there, 80 bht for a large bottle of Ashai, (and 95 for a large bottle of Hienekin I believe), possibly the cheapest in any restaurant in CM
  
• I'm sure quite a few people would enjoy the quality of the food there at Susie Cucina, I would look on it as similar to Chez Marco.
  
• I have no business interest in any of the above mentioned restaurants.
  

Last couple of Times I've arrived in BKK I've noticed the passengers going on to other domestic thai cities getting re-routed and passing through immigration before they go on up the esclators to go for their various planes. So presumibly they will have entered the country but their bags will still have to go through customs at their destination airport.

Thanks for that, will visit next time I'm in town.

May one ask where Loco Elvis is situated?

Hi OP,

As with several of the above posters, I too went through hoops trying to get a visa for my Thai GF. We had been together 4 years, living in Thailand for 3 of them, plenty of money in my bank account, both in Thailand and Ireland, GF has house and land and provided certified copies of deeds in English as well as copies of the originals,(took the originals down to Visa section of consulate as well),

Copies of bank details, she had over 4000 eur in one of her accounts, and has 2 children. Place where we would be staying in Ireland is my own house, so no accomm. costs. I was 46 and she was 36 yrs old.

After all that we still got refused!!!!

We appealed the decision to Dublin, which was subsequently approved and she was granted a visa.

Some times one feels that it doesn't matter how hard one tries, it might all depend on which side of the bed the govt. official got out of that morning,as to whether they grant the visa or not.

We have been back twice since then, and we are now married, so hopefully we will have an easier passage on the next application.

I would humbly suggest that you take a bit more time, save more money, and show the visa officials that you have a bit more time together, as that will make things run a lot smoother. Having plenty of shillings to do what you both want, when you want helps a lot as well.

Must say Robs and Newbe Pats lists of what is required are about as comprehensive as you'll see anywhere.

Best of luck with the application, I found its usually between 5-8 weeks before you recieve an answer.

Try www.kayak.com or the pages of the BKK post or the Nation usually on a Friday.

You could also try the Mandarin Oriental, order at the coffee shop/patisserie, but yes it is quite expensive.

You two should go for a reasonably-priced beer together !

I doubt if we could agree on 'reasonably priced'.

Despite what you may think UTO's I would still buy the first round O, cheers.

I think that most people are too fixate on the 800baht per head. The impression I got from the OP is that it's not exactly the price, but rather 800baht per head for lunch. Having been there for dinner, I didn't find it excessively expensive.

But 800Bht/head, is rather expensive for a set lunch.

Exactly! It is expensive for a set lunch, that IMO sounds quite ordinary. If the OP wants to pay OTT prices for set lunches that's up to him, but on a forum, anyone is entitled to pass an opinion and I am rather surprised how defensive the OP is.

I know its expensive, for Thailand anyway, that was why I mentioned the price from the very outset. Maybe I get defensive when people wrongly insinuate that I'm trying to drum up business to line my own pocket. Fine I understand you are entitled to your opinion, but by the same token surely I'm entitled to mine, or is yours the only one that counts? If you feel 800 is too much for lunch fine, I've no problem with that, all I've tried to do is mention a restaurant that has opened and no one has put up on the forum.

I'll look forward to your next restaurant review, maybe I'll be a bit more open minded than you and will pay it a visit and actually sit down to lunch before I criticise it.

I will say no more on the matter.

If I hadn't mentioned it would you have known the place existed and if you did know why haven't you got the gumption to get up and visit it and write a review, albeit a poor one?

What you have described for 800 baht is a review good enough. I've got better things to do than check out if 800 Baht bass in an empty restaurant is good value. I'm thinking that your protest is such that you might have an interest here.

You still have not answered my question, If I hadn't mentioned it would you have known the place existed?

I have no interest at all in this place,as mentioned at the very outset. I believe this and its sister restaurant are offshoots from the main one of the same name in Bangkok, which has quite a good reputation,(see CMSALLY's post earlier in this debate)

If you didn't find the review to your liking, fine then move on, what does annoy me is that you've slated it out of hand without even trying it, thats why I protest the way I do.

I suppose that is one way of looking at it. Here's a thought though "O", why don't you go and try it for yourself and put up your own findings, rather than try to denegrate other peoples postings.

If you are going to quote me then please use the full quote "which I thought looked a little over cooked but she said was good", rather than cherry pick bits what you want to put up, a bit like a copper in court giving evidence!!

OK I withdraw the 'over cooked bit' but everything else is the same.

Empty restaurants are never a good sign, you know that and IMHO I haven't read anything in your post that would possible tempt me to try it for 800 Baht. Again IMO the food you describe for 800 baht has done more to keep the place empty than put bums on seats.

I'd sooner walk across the street and get a few excellent buffet meals at The Empress Hotel.

So in future then I'll just get in touch with you when I want to go to a restaurant that hasn't been reviewed in any way shape or form, and get you permission will I? If I hadn't mentioned it would you have known the place existed and if you did know why haven't you got the gumption to get up and visit it and write a review, albeit a poor one?

I may find the food good/bad/indifferent but that is my opinion, you don't seem to be prepared to go and formulate your own opinion.

"Keeping seats empty", Again your opinion, they were empty before so what's been lost, and after all its only your opinion. Whats the phrase theres no such thing as bad publicity!!!!!

I do hope the place will pick up, and that people will give it a fair shake before they make a decision one way or the other.

Buffet meals:- I'm sick to death of them.

Many here seem to expect a silk purse when they only paid for the proverbial sow's ear.

So true, but we need to know more about the restaurant in the OP to get a sense of which category it falls into.

Went there at my daughters request for her birthday, she had tasted some of the food at the airport plaza foof festival and she liked it.

We arrived there and found we were the only guests, so the atmosphere was subdued to say the least.

Starters: Wife had crab cake, which I thought looked a little over cooked but she said was good.Daughter had Avacado and crab salad which was very tasty. Son had pumpkin soup which got a thumbs up from all that tried it. I had the pate which was decent.

Main course, Son and Daughter had the daily special of lamb shanks, quite large ones and tasty.

Wife had the Sea bass, which she enjoyed.I had the beef cheek on mashed potatoe, which was very well cooked.

Dessert: three of us had the mango and passion fruit cappucino whilst son had the apple tart,(french style apple tatin) with ice cream which was also well recieved.

There was no one-upmanship intended when mentioning the price, it is what it is. Its usually the first thing thats asked about a restaurant, whether its expensive of not.

I hope this clears a few things up. I will be going back on an evening to test the "a la carte" menu, though I expect that will be more expensive, but will give a better idea of the food quality, as hopefully not so many dishes will be pre-made,(lamb shanks etc). There will, hopefully be more people there to lend it some ambiance as well.

Regards

Mickmac

So basically; "over cooked crab cake, sea bass and mango & passion fruit cappucino" for 800 Baht.

I'm not surprised you were the only guests.

I suppose that is one way of looking at it. Here's a thought though "O", why don't you go and try it for yourself and put up your own findings, rather than try to denegrate other peoples postings.

If you are going to quote me then please use the full quote "which I thought looked a little over cooked but she said was good", rather than cherry pick bits what you want to put up, a bit like a copper in court giving evidence!!

I've not posted this to get into a pissing match I just wanted to let people know about a restaurant that has opened in CM land, and myself and family all enjoyed. I hope at least some of you will go and give it a try and arrive at your own conclusions as to its worth and quality.

Many here seem to expect a silk purse when they only paid for the proverbial sow's ear.

So true, but we need to know more about the restaurant in the OP to get a sense of which category it falls into.

Went there at my daughters request for her birthday, she had tasted some of the food at the airport plaza foof festival and she liked it.

We arrived there and found we were the only guests, so the atmosphere was subdued to say the least.

Starters: Wife had crab cake, which I thought looked a little over cooked but she said was good.Daughter had Avacado and crab salad which was very tasty. Son had pumpkin soup which got a thumbs up from all that tried it. I had the pate which was decent.

Main course, Son and Daughter had the daily special of lamb shanks, quite large ones and tasty.

Wife had the Sea bass, which she enjoyed.I had the beef cheek on mashed potatoe, which was very well cooked.

Dessert: three of us had the mango and passion fruit cappucino whilst son had the apple tart,(french style apple tatin) with ice cream which was also well recieved.

There was no one-upmanship intended when mentioning the price, it is what it is. Its usually the first thing thats asked about a restaurant, whether its expensive of not.

I hope this clears a few things up. I will be going back on an evening to test the "a la carte" menu, though I expect that will be more expensive, but will give a better idea of the food quality, as hopefully not so many dishes will be pre-made,(lamb shanks etc). There will, hopefully be more people there to lend it some ambiance as well.

Regards

Mickmac

Went down to Le Beaulieu,(hope the spelling is okay), last Sunday Lunch. approx.800 baht per head from the set lunch menu.

Price is a little steep, but all 4 of us found the food to be very good. The only disappointing thing for me was the wine list, which I thought was poor.

Plenty of areas to park, so that is not an issue. If turning on to Chiang Mai land from Chang Klan, one then has to drive almost over to the very far side, where signs in the central road divide will then indicate where to turn to get to the restaurant. If coming into CML from the other side, its one or two soi's in on the right hand side, again look for where to turn signposted on the central road divide.

Will go back for a go at the "a la carte" menu one evening soon.

I Hope you will enjoy dining there.

(P.S. I have no affilliation to this restaurant)