Food For Foreigners new shop open!

[Guest]

Well, that was a rollercoaster. From high expectations to less exiting reality :) 

 

I guess I'll keep on shopping at IKEA, which is the only place I know, which offers reasonable priced Nordic food items. 

[schlog]

9 hours ago, oilinki said:

 

I guess I'll keep on shopping at IKEA, which is the only place I know, which offers reasonable priced Nordic food items. 

IKEA phuket also has food? Also IKEA foodcourt like in bangkok?

[Guest]

1 minute ago, schlog said:

IKEA phuket also has food? Also IKEA foodcourt like in bangkok?

Only few items. Hod dogs are 15 baht. :)

They have a small freezer, which has some frozen foods and a shelf for dry food. The selection is nowhere near what the big IKEA shops have. 

 

The main item I go there is the hard bread. 180 baht / 480 grams. I missed the feeling of biting the hard bread. Delicious with some butter, tomatoes and cheese. 

 

They also have cheap chocolate. 100 gram bars for 40 baht or 3 for 100 baht.

 

[schlog]

Yummi Yummi.....?

[Guest]

Speaking of farang foods. Macro sells Aro cheddar cheese, for 350 per 1kg chunks. 

 

That's half the price other shops sell cheese, almost as affordable as cheese was in the cold farang land.

[LivinginKata]

At last made my way down there today. Our business unexpected busy.  Traffic Ok ging down Patak by the u-turn to the back road. Ok subject to some kind people shuffling up the queue allowing me out. Coming back traffic backed up past Makro. I skim down the drains annoying every one lined up, clearly indicating that I will turn left up the back road. Tricky in my low slung sports car.

 

The shop more than met all my UK shopping expectations. 2 Thai staff, and just by chance the English 'owner' rolled in. He's from North Durham, youngish guy, Thai wife 'owns' the business. He's trying to keep prices low to build up the business. Pleasant man.

 

I found the prices very fair, in some cases lower than Villa. I like pies but for some months Villa has not had any frozen pies, just a very few Sheila pies unfrozen section. All the Yorky and Driscolls pies not seen for months. I bought a range of pies from 105 - 110 baht, less than I would have paid in villa. Some other frozen items tempted me to buy.  But the Heinz Mac n Cheese in a can made my day. Never could see that a Villa.

 

I'll be BACK ...  I have a pork pie thawing and will have soon with sour cream (from Makro).

 

 

[Tapster]

I'm disappointed at the doom-laden "I won't be back" posters.

 

This place has just opened. It doesn't sound at all bad and it will develop over time, influenced by those who shop there.

 

It's terribly short-sighted to decide never to go back. You may well be missing out on one of your favourite things turning up.

 

Pear drops, anyone?

[Somtamnication]

The shop deserves more than one passing visit. I have yet to go there due to the flocking traffic, but I intend to go and buy something, anything. The owner deserves it.

 

 

[stevenl]

24 minutes ago, Somtamnication said:

The shop deserves more than one passing visit. I have yet to go there due to the flocking traffic, but I intend to go and buy something, anything. The owner deserves it.

 

 

A shop deserves a visit if it is attractive enough to the visitor, not 'because the owner deserves it'.

[eezergood]

did anyone see suet?

 

[DrDave]

15 hours ago, Tapster said:

I'm disappointed at the doom-laden "I won't be back" posters.

 

This place has just opened. It doesn't sound at all bad and it will develop over time, influenced by those who shop there.

 

It's terribly short-sighted to decide never to go back. You may well be missing out on one of your favourite things turning up.

 

Pear drops, anyone?

Well said, Tapster!

We owned a similar business in the US (selling imported groceries from Asia). Over time, we added considerably to the range of products on offer - once we got a better feel for what customers were looking for.

Give it a little time - provided the items people are looking for are available from a Thai wholesaler/importer, they may very well turn up. Due to the perishable nature of many products, it's not wise to initially load up inventory with things for which demand is unknown.

[madmax2]

1 hour ago, DrDave said:

Well said, Tapster!

We owned a similar business in the US (selling imported groceries from Asia). Over time, we added considerably to the range of products on offer - once we got a better feel for what customers were looking for.

Give it a little time - provided the items people are looking for are available from a Thai wholesaler/importer, they may very well turn up. Due to the perishable nature of many products, it's not wise to initially load up inventory with things for which demand is unknown.

Same applies to any business i have been caught out myself when buying bulk stock from a wholesaler because of the extra discount they offer if you buy in bulk, only to have the items in stock years later unsold, then giving big discounts below cost just to get rid of it, these items did not have a use by date like most foods

[xylophone]

On 27/01/2018 at 11:39 AM, oilinki said:

peaking of farang foods. Macro sells Aro cheddar cheese, for 350 per 1kg chunks.

And one KG packs of individually shredded New Zealand mozzarella, fabulous for my home-made pizzas and about the same price if I recall.

[xylophone]

On 27/01/2018 at 6:02 PM, eezergood said:

did anyone see suet?

 

Yes, and not only that I bought one of the Fray Bentos suet steak and kidney puddings, which I ate the other night and despite there being only very small pieces of steak and kidney in it, the gravy was great and the pudding itself was delicious.

 

Whilst I'm on the subject, last night I had one of the Bowmans Cornish pasties and it was very good indeed, much better than the Lady Pie pasties we get here (although I do like their Aussie meat pies) which seem to be full of nothing but tasteless mush.

 

Their bacon was very tasty and thick and well priced, without a great deal of fat on it, and just today I started getting into the Bassett's liquorice allsorts, and I should never have opened them, because they are so very moreish I can't stop eating the bloody things.

 

Before anyone makes a comment about getting fat (or should I say fatter) let it be known that eating these two pies would be the most I have eaten in any one month, but as for the Jaffa Cakes and liquorice allsorts – – well that's another story!

[LivinginKata]

30 minutes ago, xylophone said:

<snip>

Whilst I'm on the subject, last night I had one of the Bowmans Cornish pasties and it was very good indeed, much better than the Lady Pie pasties we get here (although I do like their Aussie meat pies) which seem to be full of nothing but tasteless mush.

[LivinginKata]

34 minutes ago, xylophone said:

<snip>

Whilst I'm on the subject, last night I had one of the Bowmans Cornish pasties and it was very good indeed, much better than the Lady Pie pasties we get here (although I do like their Aussie meat pies) which seem to be full of nothing but tasteless mush.

 

 

The lady pies are now very expensive and for some reason f poor quality. I stuck with the Aussie pie but gave up on pork pies, pasties, and sausage rolls some mnay months ago.  Try but end up throwing away.

 

I had the Bowmans pork pie and mince and onion pie. Delicious, Might try the pasty tonight. 

 

[LivinginKata]

I had thought o Pies were imports. But made in Pattaya .. Quite a good mark up by this Phuket outlet. 

 

'All standard meat pies are 10 oz. or 290g approximately 65 baht in plain bags 70 baht in Bowmans branded bags (a small discount may be offered for larger orders)'

[xylophone]

26 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

I had thought o Pies were imports. But made in Pattaya .. Quite a good mark up by this Phuket outlet. 

 

'All standard meat pies are 10 oz. or 290g approximately 65 baht in plain bags 70 baht in Bowmans branded bags (a small discount may be offered for larger orders)'

Don't know about where they are made (thought they were British) but the Cornish Pasty was huge and enough for 2 people...........thrown the bag out so don't know the actual size LiK!!

 

Lady Pie pork pies are grim but the small ones in the freezer at Tops are good.........so good I have to stop myself from buying more than one at a time.

[Tapster]

@eezergood

 

Sloan's, an English butcher in Bangkok sells suet. They have an online shop. 

[eezergood]

13 hours ago, xylophone said:

Don't know about where they are made (thought they were British) but the Cornish Pasty was huge and enough for 2 people...........thrown the bag out so don't know the actual size LiK!!

 

Lady Pie pork pies are grim but the small ones in the freezer at Tops are good.........so good I have to stop myself from buying more than one at a time.

agreed - they are not pork pies

[eezergood]

4 minutes ago, Tapster said:

@eezergood

 

Sloan's, an English butcher in Bangkok sells suet. They have an online shop. 

not dried stuff, but thanks 

[xylophone]

14 hours ago, xylophone said:

but the small ones in the freezer at Tops are good

Just remembered the name of them........."Yorkies" I believe and they used to have them in Villa Market, big size called "Stand Pies", but stopped selling them ages ago (sadly).

 

[LivinginKata]

3 hours ago, xylophone said:

Just remembered the name of them........."Yorkies" I believe and they used to have them in Villa Market, big size called "Stand Pies", but stopped selling them ages ago (sadly).

 

 

Yes, I used to buy these Yorkie Stand pies from Villa. But not had any Yorkie stock for many months. Yorkie are also made in Pattaya.

 

A lifetime ago I bought Walls Monarch pies in the UK. Same thing, giant pork pie.

 

Edited January 30, 2018 by LivinginKata

[xylophone]

23 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

But not had any Yorkie stock for many months. Yorkie are also made in Pattaya.

Was very disappointed when Villa Market stopped selling them and that was a few years ago now.

 

I did ask Villa Market on many occasions when they were getting them in and no one seemed to bother too much about it, so I got in touch with the lady who now runs Yorkies, in Pattaya, and she said that Villa Market had decided to stop stocking them and that if I wanted to I could order direct from her and they would arrange shipment to Phuket!

 

A great offer of service from them, but decided against it as having a bulk order of pork pies delivered to my house would certainly hasten my demise from this mortal coil!

[pagallim]

As M'Sahib needed to go to Rawai Post Office and hence venture south of Chalong Circle (shudder), just paid my first visit to FFF.

Certainly some blasts from the past there for sure. Their prices also seem reasonable and a good addition to Phuket's choice for falang food. Some photos....


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[pagallim]

And for the poster asking about suet....

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[Old Croc]

Did they have any tallow or lard?

[pagallim]

Don't think so, but then not looking. I do remember seeing lard in the lists of produce at the English butcher in Bangkok (Sloans?).

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[Valentine]

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

Did they have any tallow or lard?

I think Promphan used to have those.

[pagallim]

On 1/29/2018 at 4:20 PM, xylophone said:

 

Their bacon was very tasty and thick and well priced, without a great deal of fat on it,

Agreed, I found their bacon very good, and with a mix of smoked/non smoked.   Problem for me is that it's all in 1 kg packs, and I'm the only meat eater in the house, so I'd have to be on a bacon fest to defrost a kg of bacon.   However, I did see some smaller .25 kg packs of very lean back bacon which looked just the job, and only 69 baht a pack.   Will go down great on a ciabatta from Flints One bakery, and a large mug of my new supply of Tetley tea.