Pattaya Indian restaurant indian food why so expensive ?why so small portions ?

[scoupeo]

hello, i guess that it doesn't exist but do you know any honest Indian restaurant around Pattaya ?

 

Not only they all seem overpriced but also the portions are so small !

 

When you know that 1kg of chicken coss 60 thb at makro, do they really need to put only 100g in a chicken tikka or any indian dish with chicken ? And for 200 or 200 thb...

 

Are they just all cheaters or is there anything that I do not understand ?

 

I would not complain about 200/300 thb dishes, but i have never fond nay restaurant that give more than 6/8 bites of chiken in these dishes !!! so unacceptable !

 

 

please help me :-)

 

 

 

[papa al]

heartbreaking...,

especially at " ... 200 or 200 thb...."

[kingofthemountain]

''Pattaya Indian restaurant indian food why so expensive ?why so small portions ?''

 

The first question coming in my mind is ''why an Indian restaurant in Pattaya'' ?

 

During the last years i have never seen one of them with enough customers inside 

most of them seem to be empty most of the time, however they are still here

one more of these economic mysteries that Pattaya has the secret

Edited July 21, 2020 by kingofthemountain

[bwpage3]

Why not ask them directly?

[dimitriv]

46 minutes ago, scoupeo said:

1kg of chicken coss 60 thb at makro

 

What can you get for 60 TBH ?  Even in Thailand that price is so low that you cannot expect much. What kind of food will that chicken get if it is sold for 60 TBH a kg ?

 

Good cooking often starts with good ingredients, more expensive ingredients.

 

 

[Jingthing]

An owner that I was friendly with told me the Indian spices here cost double as in Bangkok. I was also told there was a monopoly on mutton meat which is what they call the mildly tasting goat here. 

[Airalee]

I ate at an Indian restaurant in BKK and the same small chicken tikka was close to 400 (rice was an extra 100) including the service charge and tax.  Never ate Indian here again.  Consider yourself lucky.

[Ron jeremy]

I find the portions to be getting smaller no matter what type of food .

[JensenZ]

14 minutes ago, Ron jeremy said:

I find the portions to be getting smaller no matter what type of food .

Try this next time you're at a Thai restaurant. I ask for extra chicken if I'm having a chicken dish, or extra vegetables, or whatever. For a very small price (maybe 10 baht or so) you will get a lot more chicken or whatever you want. Thai restaurateurs are always very willing to upsize.

 

As for the Indian restaurant, I would go to the manager and tell him you want more chicken in your dish. I think the reason is that Indian businessmen are very tight fisted, unfortunately that only works if you have a lot of demand. In the current business environment it just turns customers away as most won't complain but never return.

Edited July 21, 2020 by JensenZ

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, scoupeo said:

please help me ????

Take it up with the owners! Duhhhh!

[jimmybcool]

Calculating the value of a dish in a restaurant based on the cost of one of the ingredients in the grocery store is silly.  The costs of running a restaurant are many and the price of the food in the dishes served a small part of it.  It's simple.  Either you find the ambiance, seating, taste and quantity of what you get a value for your money or you don't.  if you wanted more get two.  It it isn't worth it then don't return.

 

 

[A1Str8]

They are expensive because that's how they make money. 

[mstevens]

Overpriced Indian food is the norm in Bangkok too. Small portion, little meat and relatively high prices...same same!

 

52 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

An owner that I was friendly with told me the Indian spices here cost double as in Bangkok. I was also told there was a monopoly on mutton meat which is what they call the mildly tasting goat here. 

 

If that was true - and I don't believe it is - the restaurants should buy their spices from Bangkok.

 

Besides, the total amount of spices that go in to an Indian dish isn't that much and is not usually a significant factor in the cost to a restaurant in producing a dish. The meat will cost much more.

[mstevens]

1 hour ago, kingofthemountain said:

The first question coming in my mind is ''why an Indian restaurant in Pattaya'' ?

 

Perhaps some of us don't want to eat Thai food every meal!

 

[geriatrickid]

Ignorant and offensive  post. The OP is unhappy with the portion size and the cost of service, and uses that as the basis to categorize Indian restaurants as "dishonest".  This is the type of logic that identifies an ignorant and bigoted  person. Oh my what a calamity that a dish costs 300 baht. Hardly expensive.

Here's a news flash Mr. Cheap Charlie;

- Restaurants are usually tenants and they pay rent. The better the location, the higher the rent.

- Labour is a cost as is a decent cook/chef. Appreciably some farangs are of the opinion that Thais and Indians should jump at the chance to serve and cater to the needs of miserable, condescending farangs. The workers don't work for free. 

-What some consider a small portion is in fact the appropriate size portion. 

- There are costs to running a restaurant such as the linens, equipment and other supplies.  Laundry services are not cheap, nor are restaurant supplies.It's wonderful that someone is able to find cheap chicken at makro for 60 baht. They can do the cleaning, preparation  and cooking of the  meal too and charge themselves the  30 baht they believe their time is worth.

 

Why it is expected that Thai/Indian meals should be so much lower than comparable meals in people's homeland's is beyond reason. The costs for businesses are not spectacularly lower in Thailand, particularly if one expects quality. Those who complain live in the land of delusion.

 

 

[Enoon]

Same everywhere with Indian restaurants.

 

They take the same mass/volume of meat/vegetable/spice/herbs/flavourings as a Chinese or Thai restaurant, but charge double the price....the world over.

 

Thieves and rogues.

 

Friend of mine was a salesman and then a manager of a wholesaler in Smithfield.

 

He told me the Chinese always bought the best stuff, the Indians the cheap rubbish.

 

I never go to an Indian restaurant unless someone else is paying.

 

On the last occasion that someone else decided to foot the outrageous bill, I was served up yesterdays lamb, re-heated and rock hard.

 

 

 

 

[Don Chance]

They are probably not even Indian, probably from Burma.

If you want good and cheap India food hop on down to George Town, Penang.

[Jingthing]

35 minutes ago, mstevens said:

Overpriced Indian food is the norm in Bangkok too. Small portion, little meat and relatively high prices...same same!

 

 

If that was true - and I don't believe it is - the restaurants should buy their spices from Bangkok.

 

Besides, the total amount of spices that go in to an Indian dish isn't that much and is not usually a significant factor in the cost to a restaurant in producing a dish. The meat will cost much more.

Yes I was told there are shopping trips to Bangkok involved. That is a cost.

Don't complain to me.

One thing I can tell you, believe it or not, but in most cases if you make yourself known as a local here and you are already or a potential regular of a particular Indian restaurant, you can ask and you will usually be granted a DISCOUNT CARD. Ask for 25 percent. You might get it. Yes, I have done that with multiple Indian restaurants here. A discount card is just their business card with the percentage discount written on it. Usually westerners can't deal with even asking for cultural reasons but it's an Indian thing here especially for Indian locals where if known as a local Indian the discount would usually be automatic. 

Not saying it would work in all places. Like I wouldn't even ask at high profile places Ali Baba (talk about expensive!) or Madras Darbar. 

If you're too timid to even try that, you don't really have grounds to complain.

Edited July 21, 2020 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

6 minutes ago, Don Chance said:

They are probably not even Indian, probably from Burma.

If you want good and cheap India food hop on down to George Town, Penang.

Yeah but we're here. 

Hopping to Malaysia isn't a thing now because you won't be able to get back. 

[Jingthing]

As far as restaurant pricing in general the food costs are supposed to be much less than half the menu prices. Organized restaurants usually have their own formula for that which is why some menu items are at market. Locals generally know what foods costs in markets so they can guess for themselves how outrageous the markup is. Of course there are major overheads, real estate/rents, government fees, staff, utilities etc. plus of course the hope for profit margin. Restaurants are probably going to eventually get more expensive globally. A huge number are closed permanently, the virus measures are expensive, and the delivery apps in general rape the restaurant owners.

 

They're certainly not going to stay open to lose money.

 

So maybe learn to cook?

[pookondee]

32 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

As far as restaurant pricing in general the food costs are supposed to be much less than half the menu prices. Organized restaurants usually have their own formula for that which is why some menu items are at market. Locals generally know what foods costs in markets so they can guess for themselves how outrageous the markup is. Of course there are major overheads, real estate/rents, government fees, staff, utilities etc. plus of course the hope for profit margin. Restaurants are probably going to eventually get more expensive globally. A huge number are closed permanently, the virus measures are expensive, and the delivery apps in general rape the restaurant owners.

 

They're certainly not going to stay open to lose money.

 

So maybe learn to cook?

Learn to cook is one thing, but after you buy all the ingredients, you might find it very hard to make an Indian dish under the price they are charging..

simply because you gotta go out and buy all the packaged portions of all the stuff needed.

 

just take the price of a few things:

Ghee

Cream (real not fake)

Spices, cumin,

green cardomom in pods (which ive never even seen in Thailand)

 

Just these few are quite expensive alone, and probably some stuff would be imported if your not skimping.

 

BUT,

Having said that, most ALL Indian retaurants in Thailand would buy in bulk, so that scotches the previous thought.

 

and other issues which have been complained in LOS for years: 

-way underspice everything

-will not make it hot enough, even when you ask.

-80 baht for a simple sambal with 1 or 2 red chillis chopped up in it.. what???

-chicken which is cheap, usually only added about 150grams per 300baht dish..

which is very stingy.

-advertise a 400baht set on a sign outside, and then add VAT to the bill 

 

And its probably more the case that they dont use the proper ingredients above, 

but fake stuff or cheap alternatives.

 

Nup, like another poster said

 

they are ALL rogues and charlitans! 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by pookondee

[scubascuba3]

They haven't got the model right at all, a British type Indian restaurant would work but has to be at Thai prices otherwise it will fail like all the others.

 

I recommend the Chicken curry (Madras) at Hungry Hippo in Soi Buakhao, usually 120-140 baht incl small Nan and sometimes a drink on special. Definitely big enough. Don't knock it until you try it. I used to eat at Brick Lane in London but in Thailand it's different but still nice

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I recommend the Chicken curry (Madras) at Hungry Hippo in Soi Buakhao, usually 120-140 baht incl small

Might give it a go then, although I usually use the Fisherman Cafe out by the lake (a closer recommenndation than Bangkok or Malaysia!) Not a cheap place but portions suffice. The HH has stopped giving out a packet of biscuits along with the 25 baht mug of tea I see!

[scubascuba3]

5 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Might give it a go then, although I usually use the Fisherman Cafe out by the lake (a closer recommenndation than Bangkok or Malaysia!) Not a cheap place but portions suffice. The HH has stopped giving out a packet of biscuits along with the 25 baht mug of tea I see!

The HH prices are jumping up a bit lately but he seems to be always playing with them, testing the market

[jacko45k]

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

The HH prices are jumping up a bit lately but he seems to be always playing with them, testing the market

Glad it isn't just my imagination, had a few sub par meals there too in the last week or so.

[steven100]

7 hours ago, scoupeo said:

do you know any honest Indian

not in my life time .....

[innosiem]

16 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

The HH prices are jumping up a bit lately but he seems to be always playing with them, testing the market

he has always done that since he had the nest, everything will just creep up 5-10 baht at a time

anyone wondering about food costs
western countries the standard model for restaurants is 25% food costs (on average across all dishes)
over that your chef needs a talking too, under that they need a raise and a thank you
the rest of the money goes to electric, staff, disposables, rent etc.
obviously you do get places like pubs, that serve food literally at break even, to attract customers who then buy drinks

Thailand has much higher food costs and many places ignore this model or any model
and simply try to go as low as possible to compete with nearby businesses
which is why many places close down or do not make anything from food being sold

Edited July 22, 2020 by innosiem

[baansgr]

6 hours ago, Jingthing said:

An owner that I was friendly with told me the Indian spices here cost double as in Bangkok. I was also told there was a monopoly on mutton meat which is what they call the mildly tasting goat here. 

I could go along with that reason 10 years ago.....but now all spices are readily available in Makro cheap...and chicken at 46 baht a kg....a chicken Madras can be made for 25 baht...and why charge 120 baht for basmati rice it's only 40baht a kg....

[Yinn]

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

you will usually be granted a DISCOUNT CARD. Ask for 25 percent.

New TVF thread......

 

Dual pricing Pattaya Indian Restaurant. Tourist Scam

[scubascuba3]

14 minutes ago, innosiem said:

he has always done that since he had the nest, everything will just creep up 5-10 baht at a time

anyone wondering about food costs
western countries the standard model for restaurants is 25% food costs (on average across all dishes)
over that your chef needs a talking too, under that they need a raise and a thank you
the rest of the money goes to electric, staff, disposables, rent etc.
obviously you do get places like pubs, that serve food literally at break even, to attract customers who then buy drinks

Thailand has much higher food costs and many places ignore this model or any model
and simply try to go as low as possible to compete with nearby businesses
which is why many places close down or do not make anything from food being sold

HH probably has more customers than any other place so can afford lower prices rather than the places that have few customers so sting you on the price

Edited July 22, 2020 by scubascuba3