Big Al's Burritos

[britmaveric]

Well let me preface this that there was bit of drinking done prior to consuming Big Al's burrito.

Me/Gf and another couple were down in the Soi2 area, played some pool and had quite a few drinks then ended up in Toy's bar. Well Gf said she was heading to the loo and would be right back. Well she came about 15min or so with a big bag of grasshoppers and 4/5 water beetles. (ones eat rice ect) Anyways I was famished, but didnt want any part of water beetles (index finger long/wide as an inch) Anyways I said I'll be right back gone to grab smth for us lads to eat. Anyways make my way back down a block or so to Big Al's Stand. I promptly order 2 Super Chicken Spicy Burritos.

I then sit down and wait while watching the food preparation. It took some time prob 15-20min to complete the order because everything is cooked fresh. This alone is rather impressive. Anyways all ingredients fresh and cooked to order, no prefab from this food stall. Anyways received burritos and made my way back up to Toy's bar. I then proceeded with my mate to devour the freshly made super chicken burrito. It was rather tasty and I appreciate Big Al having his food available at such an opportune moment. BTW although I was drinking as well as my mate - don't think this has any bearing on Big's Al's food tastiness. I will return again, cheers for being a good sport until I gave you a try.

Now gf was none to pleased by me - apparently while I disappeared to collect some of Big Al's burritos I was accused of having a short time. It took several hours to convince her otherwise even though I came back with food and it was less than 30min.

Anyways well done Big Al, and you have two new customers.

[mamanoodle]

Gather you were soberish at the time, otherwise maybe have no recollection afterwards?!!!!! Although have to say big Al's was a definite favourite with us on our way to or from soi 1 when we lived there. Miss it a lot now we live in the opposite direction!

[johnh101]

You'll be back up that end in a few weeks Mama.............

[buriramboy]

Big Al has his stall near soi 2 up for sale, just hope whoever buys it keeps up the same quality!!!

[MisterFingers]

Watch out.

I once had a gf who always accused me of ST's even though I wasn't doing it.

It didn't get me angry. It made me feel that she cared so much that she was worried about that.

Then I realized she was just trying to start arguments and fights with me.

This didn't work so she sought other ways of getting under my skin (successfully).

Things eventually deteriorated and I bid her adieu.

On the other hand, this might not be your gf's MO to get things going.

But if this is the case, then she's paranoid.

Either way, it's not a good sign.

There it is, the light at the end of the tunnel. I see it.

Edited March 29, 2007 by MisterFingers

[britmaveric]

No worries I know my gf better than anyone - jealous as much as the next. I peg it up to too much sangsom/coke. Any consolation, mates gf suggested he give the lady serving us all night 100bht tip. He does so thinking he's doing what she wants and next thing he get - oh you want to barfine her. Amazing what too much drinking can do to rational thought. He was in the dog house til next morning.

[britmaveric]

Where's Big Al?

[JR Texas]

Where's Big Al?

JR Texas: I ate there and thought that they served the best tacos (beef) in Pattaya. But that is not saying much. In my view, you cannot find Mexican food in Thailand. And believe me, I have been all over Mexico and Texas and eaten lots of Mexican food.

The problem is, I think, the lack of basic ingredients (primary problem) coupled with a lack of knowledge with regard to how to prepare the food (secondary problem). I suppose that is why so many so-called "Mexican restaurants" focus on selling BBQ ribs and margaritas.

I think I read that at one time Taco Bell was in Thailand? True? What happened to it? Of course it is terrible Mexican food.....but it is OK when you need a quick fix on the run.

The first person to actually serve real Mexican food (or the Tex-Mex version ) in Thailand will get rich........my prediction.

[Ulysses G.]

There has never been a Taco Bell in Thailand.

There was Taco "Time" and some other copies, but never the real deal. However, Taco Bell has VERY little to do with real Mexican food.

[leisurely]

You should whizz over to the western food in Thailand section and read all about the new mexican that subelt asia are involved with. Sounds gorge and I will be going on Sunday

[Ulysses G.]

I regret missing Big Al's when I was in Pattaya last month. I ran across the one near Crazy Dave's on my last night there, but I had just eaten somewhere else and was too stuffed to try anything else.

[Bertil]

There has never been a Taco Bell in Thailand.

There was Taco "Time" and some other copies, but never the real deal. However, Taco Bell has VERY little to do with real Mexican food.

Wrong. There was a Taco Bell in Siam Square several years ago.

//Bertil

[Ulysses G.]

I never saw it or heard about it. There was some kind of copy place in Siam Square, but I don't think that it used the same name. Food wasn't even close to Taco Bell "quality" though and - compared to real Mexican food - I'm not a big fan anyway.

Edited May 7, 2007 by Ulysses G.

[tropo]

Big Al has his stall near soi 2 up for sale, just hope whoever buys it keeps up the same quality!!!

Could someone give me a more precise details about the location of this stall. I've been looking out for it while riding past but haven't yet spotted it? Is it still there?

[Phil Conners]

Where's Big Al?

JR Texas: I ate there and thought that they served the best tacos (beef) in Pattaya. But that is not saying much. In my view, you cannot find Mexican food in Thailand. And believe me, I have been all over Mexico and Texas and eaten lots of Mexican food.

The problem is, I think, the lack of basic ingredients (primary problem) coupled with a lack of knowledge with regard to how to prepare the food (secondary problem). I suppose that is why so many so-called "Mexican restaurants" focus on selling BBQ ribs and margaritas.

I think I read that at one time Taco Bell was in Thailand? True? What happened to it? Of course it is terrible Mexican food.....but it is OK when you need a quick fix on the run.

The first person to actually serve real Mexican food (or the Tex-Mex version ) in Thailand will get rich........my prediction.

Have you tried Tequila Reef on Soi 7, near Beach Road? I find it's some of the best TexMex I"ve had anywhere. Owner is a yank who's been here for yonks btw.

PS. You don't have to preface all your posts "JR Texas:" - it is obvious who you are from the post envelope.

[tjrd12]

Where's Big Al?

JR Texas: I ate there and thought that they served the best tacos (beef) in Pattaya. But that is not saying much. In my view, you cannot find Mexican food in Thailand. And believe me, I have been all over Mexico and Texas and eaten lots of Mexican food.

The problem is, I think, the lack of basic ingredients (primary problem) coupled with a lack of knowledge with regard to how to prepare the food (secondary problem). I suppose that is why so many so-called "Mexican restaurants" focus on selling BBQ ribs and margaritas.

I think I read that at one time Taco Bell was in Thailand? True? What happened to it? Of course it is terrible Mexican food.....but it is OK when you need a quick fix on the run.

The first person to actually serve real Mexican food (or the Tex-Mex version ) in Thailand will get rich........my prediction.

Have you tried Tequila Reef on Soi 7, near Beach Road? I find it's some of the best TexMex I"ve had anywhere. Owner is a yank who's been here for yonks btw.

PS. You don't have to preface all your posts "JR Texas:" - it is obvious who you are from the post envelope.

I must agree with JR...being from Tejas myself and having traveled throughout the SW and Mexico, I can say that ALL the attempts at Mexican OR Tex-Mex here just don't cut it...the two things that they cannot get right here are rice and beans...refried beans are EASY...but you have to use pintos...NOT kidney beans and you must refry in LARD and that seems lost on most folks here...rice is simple as well...should be DRY not wet and moist...and YES, whoever opens the first great mex place here will make a fortune...a BIG one with tortilla and sopapilla machines in the middle...showy so that the Thais would love it as well!!

TJRD

[JR Texas]

Where's Big Al?

JR Texas: I ate there and thought that they served the best tacos (beef) in Pattaya. But that is not saying much. In my view, you cannot find Mexican food in Thailand. And believe me, I have been all over Mexico and Texas and eaten lots of Mexican food.

The problem is, I think, the lack of basic ingredients (primary problem) coupled with a lack of knowledge with regard to how to prepare the food (secondary problem). I suppose that is why so many so-called "Mexican restaurants" focus on selling BBQ ribs and margaritas.

I think I read that at one time Taco Bell was in Thailand? True? What happened to it? Of course it is terrible Mexican food.....but it is OK when you need a quick fix on the run.

The first person to actually serve real Mexican food (or the Tex-Mex version ) in Thailand will get rich........my prediction.

Have you tried Tequila Reef on Soi 7, near Beach Road? I find it's some of the best TexMex I"ve had anywhere. Owner is a yank who's been here for yonks btw.

PS. You don't have to preface all your posts "JR Texas:" - it is obvious who you are from the post envelope.

I must agree with JR...being from Tejas myself and having traveled throughout the SW and Mexico, I can say that ALL the attempts at Mexican OR Tex-Mex here just don't cut it...the two things that they cannot get right here are rice and beans...refried beans are EASY...but you have to use pintos...NOT kidney beans and you must refry in LARD and that seems lost on most folks here...rice is simple as well...should be DRY not wet and moist...and YES, whoever opens the first great mex place here will make a fortune...a BIG one with tortilla and sopapilla machines in the middle...showy so that the Thais would love it as well!!

TJRD

JR Texas: Thanks for the agreement........I have wanted to start a genuine Tex-Mex restaurant in Thailand for a long time. I have also wanted to start a genuine smoked BBQ restaurant in Thailand. In my view, Thailand still does not have either of these (yes, I know about all of the attempts).

Possible reasons for the lack of authenticity to date are:

1) Smoked BBQ: First problem is the high cost of beef brisket in Thailand (high cost and poor quality). So we are left with ribs and chicken, etc. Back in the nation of TEXAS beef brisket is not expensive......here in LOS it is like buying a T-Bone steak and the price fluctuates way too much from day to day. Second problem is lack of knowledge on how to smoke meats (not as easy as most people think). Third problem is that most Thais and Europeans have no idea what smoked BBQ is, so the market may not be there. Of course, Americans would flock to any decent smoked BBQ place, but they are dwindling in numbers.

2) Mexican food: First problem is lack of knowledge on how to cook good Mexican food (serious problem in Thailand as most cooks can't even produce simple salsas and chips). Second problem is the lack of genuine ingredients, especially spices. Without the genuine ingredients, the food will taste like "dog s&%^t." So Mexican restaurants in Thailand focus, oddly, on selling customers ribs and not so oddly on selling them Margaritas. Mexican food seems to be an afterthought. I may just have to do it someday......but I am concerned about the customer base as Thais have no idea what Mexican food is and most Europeans do not have a clue what it is.....same problem as smoked BBQ.

[chuckd]

Have you tried Tequila Reef on Soi 7, near Beach Road? I find it's some of the best TexMex I"ve had anywhere. Owner is a yank who's been here for yonks btw.

PS. You don't have to preface all your posts "JR Texas:" - it is obvious who you are from the post envelope.

Sorry, Phil, but Tequila Reef is not Tex-Mex. This is a blend of Cali-Mex and Thai. I ate there in March and got food poisoning that night. (Disclaimer: I have never eaten at Crazy Dave's so I am not the one.) I am certain it was Tequila Reef that made me ill as I had nothing else to eat that day so let's not get into a pissing contest about what made me sick.

I have found the best Tex-Mex to be had is Moonshine Place in Jomtien, around Soi 7, Beach Road. It is owned by a Texan that makes real re-fried beans, Spanish rice and some good burritos/tacos/enchiladas. His re-fried beans are pintos, soaked overnight and cooked endlessly. Quite tasty.

The next best might be Big Al's at his new place just off Soi Buakow, behind the new Go-Go.

A place close to this one is the steak house located in the Kiss Center on Second Road and Soi Diana Inn. I have had some very nice tacos there but have not sampled anything else. I can't remember the name and am in Saudi so I cannot go there to confirm it.

I, too, am from Texas so I know a little bit about Tex-Mex, much as an avalanche victim knows a little bit about snow.

[chuckd]

Surprisingly, over the years, I have found that most Thais cannot handle jalapeno peppers. My wife is from Isaan and eats Thai food that will remove paint. She can't eat my chili, liberally sprinkled with jalapeno peppers, however. Too "Phet" as she says.

It seems to be a different spice Thais are not used to and, sometimes, cannot handle.

Anybody else notice this phenomenon?

[JR Texas]

Have you tried Tequila Reef on Soi 7, near Beach Road? I find it's some of the best TexMex I"ve had anywhere. Owner is a yank who's been here for yonks btw.

PS. You don't have to preface all your posts "JR Texas:" - it is obvious who you are from the post envelope.

Sorry, Phil, but Tequila Reef is not Tex-Mex. This is a blend of Cali-Mex and Thai. I ate there in March and got food poisoning that night. (Disclaimer: I have never eaten at Crazy Dave's so I am not the one.) I am certain it was Tequila Reef that made me ill as I had nothing else to eat that day so let's not get into a pissing contest about what made me sick.

I have found the best Tex-Mex to be had is Moonshine Place in Jomtien, around Soi 7, Beach Road. It is owned by a Texan that makes real re-fried beans, Spanish rice and some good burritos/tacos/enchiladas. His re-fried beans are pintos, soaked overnight and cooked endlessly. Quite tasty.

The next best might be Big Al's at his new place just off Soi Buakow, behind the new Go-Go.

A place close to this one is the steak house located in the Kiss Center on Second Road and Soi Diana Inn. I have had some very nice tacos there but have not sampled anything else. I can't remember the name and am in Saudi so I cannot go there to confirm it.

I, too, am from Texas so I know a little bit about Tex-Mex, much as an avalanche victim knows a little bit about snow.

JR Texas: Never been sick at Tequila Reef......the LA Burrito with pork is something that can be eaten...... Chips and salsa are horrible......TReef does a good Thanksgiving dinner.

Did eat at the Blue Parrot in Pattaya and got sick.......tried it again and got sick.........decided that was enough (too bad as they make a good beef taco and the beans and rice are not terrible).

Never ate at the Moonshine Place or Big Al's.

I have two Mexican restaurants in Texas I would like to recommend to any expats that find themselves there: El Fenix in Dallas and Joe T. Garcias in Ft. Worth.

[chuckd]

I've been to both El Fenix and Joe T's. Both excellent Tex-Mex.

Best I ever had was a little Mexican food place in Big Spring that served green enchiladas. Absolutely out of this world.

I got sick on the chili burrito at Tequila Reef. In all fairness, I have eaten there 3-4 times and this is the only time I got sick.

[tropo]

The next best might be Big Al's at his new place just off Soi Buakow, behind the new Go-Go.

A place close to this one is the steak house located in the Kiss Center on Second Road and Soi Diana Inn. I have had some very nice tacos there but have not sampled anything else. I can't remember the name and am in Saudi so I cannot go there to confirm it.

That's Oasis Agogo, and the steak house is the Beefeater Restaurant.

[JimmyTheMook]

JR Texas , I agree with you 100%.

Most of the folks have never really eaten good smoked BBQ or Mexican food, they have no clue what the real stuff is supposed to taste like.

That being said , I find most of the Mexican food here to be crap - really crap in fact.

Some rib places are OK.

Where's Big Al?

JR Texas: I ate there and thought that they served the best tacos (beef) in Pattaya. But that is not saying much. In my view, you cannot find Mexican food in Thailand. And believe me, I have been all over Mexico and Texas and eaten lots of Mexican food.

The problem is, I think, the lack of basic ingredients (primary problem) coupled with a lack of knowledge with regard to how to prepare the food (secondary problem). I suppose that is why so many so-called "Mexican restaurants" focus on selling BBQ ribs and margaritas.

I think I read that at one time Taco Bell was in Thailand? True? What happened to it? Of course it is terrible Mexican food.....but it is OK when you need a quick fix on the run.

The first person to actually serve real Mexican food (or the Tex-Mex version ) in Thailand will get rich........my prediction.

Have you tried Tequila Reef on Soi 7, near Beach Road? I find it's some of the best TexMex I"ve had anywhere. Owner is a yank who's been here for yonks btw.

PS. You don't have to preface all your posts "JR Texas:" - it is obvious who you are from the post envelope.

I must agree with JR...being from Tejas myself and having traveled throughout the SW and Mexico, I can say that ALL the attempts at Mexican OR Tex-Mex here just don't cut it...the two things that they cannot get right here are rice and beans...refried beans are EASY...but you have to use pintos...NOT kidney beans and you must refry in LARD and that seems lost on most folks here...rice is simple as well...should be DRY not wet and moist...and YES, whoever opens the first great mex place here will make a fortune...a BIG one with tortilla and sopapilla machines in the middle...showy so that the Thais would love it as well!!

TJRD

JR Texas: Thanks for the agreement........I have wanted to start a genuine Tex-Mex restaurant in Thailand for a long time. I have also wanted to start a genuine smoked BBQ restaurant in Thailand. In my view, Thailand still does not have either of these (yes, I know about all of the attempts).

Possible reasons for the lack of authenticity to date are:

1) Smoked BBQ: First problem is the high cost of beef brisket in Thailand (high cost and poor quality). So we are left with ribs and chicken, etc. Back in the nation of TEXAS beef brisket is not expensive......here in LOS it is like buying a T-Bone steak and the price fluctuates way too much from day to day. Second problem is lack of knowledge on how to smoke meats (not as easy as most people think). Third problem is that most Thais and Europeans have no idea what smoked BBQ is, so the market may not be there. Of course, Americans would flock to any decent smoked BBQ place, but they are dwindling in numbers.

2) Mexican food: First problem is lack of knowledge on how to cook good Mexican food (serious problem in Thailand as most cooks can't even produce simple salsas and chips). Second problem is the lack of genuine ingredients, especially spices. Without the genuine ingredients, the food will taste like "dog s&%^t." So Mexican restaurants in Thailand focus, oddly, on selling customers ribs and not so oddly on selling them Margaritas. Mexican food seems to be an afterthought. I may just have to do it someday......but I am concerned about the customer base as Thais have no idea what Mexican food is and most Europeans do not have a clue what it is.....same problem as smoked BBQ.

[chuckd]

That's Oasis Agogo, and the steak house is the Beefeater Restaurant.

You are correct. Thanks, Tropo.

[tropo]

That's Oasis Agogo, and the steak house is the Beefeater Restaurant.

You are correct. Thanks, Tropo.

You're welcome.

By the way, the Beefeater has a really nice mexican buffet on Sundays starting at around 12 noon for only 200 baht.