The Best Meal Value In Pattaya Is...

[Weho]

I had no idea I was that fascinating... so fascinating, that many of you refer to older posts, long forgotten by me, but must have really "hit a nerve" with some of you.

Jeez, You must have an awful memory, posts from just 1-2 days ago being 'long forgotten'

Yes, I intentionally forget old posts, even from a day ago... unless someone posts a new reply, that is INTERESTING, and which begs for a reply... I'm flattered that you spend so much time thinking about how long ago my posts were. Thanks for paying attention.

[gharknes]

I eat from the food stalls, noodle sit downs all the time, never had food poisoning yet

What's stopping the KFC worker hokking into your chicken burger out of your sight before serving it to you with a smile?

weho you are a scare mongerer

SO DO I and never had a problem, I have had problems at McD and was quite sick for a number of days, do they wash their hands.

the biggest problem i have with thailand are toilet habbits, there are many bars and restuants i frequent in the town and people do not wash after visiting the toilet and when you consider certain habbits in there then it becomes a big discusting problem for me, cooking or serving drinks ice etc with soiled hands will cause problems, some of these places don't even have soap

[pattaya_girl]

Neeroys - soi chaiyapoon, his bacon butties are great, fish n chips 95 bt. Excellent. its clean, nice pleasant staff, plenty of fans, not hot.

Its really one of the top on my list for english food.

Another good one for daytime is Seasider - same soi. its very popular.

[DirkGently]

WeHo, you must dine alone or you wouldn't have so much time for fretting about germs.

Come on people, what are you? The aliens from War of the World. I have given it some serious thought and germs are OK in my book. I have munched through food that was sure to kill a soi dog with nothing more than runny poo the next day.

I ate a bowl of luke warm soup on Laos ferry served by an old lady that had never seen soap.

I cooked food on a stick over a fire in the Burmese wilderness.

I have been covered in mud after a day of off road riding and eaton with my bare hands. Do you think after millions of years mother nature hasn't thought about how to give us some defense?

Are we sterile? No! I would share food with a chinaman who picked it off the floor while the plague was in town.

Panicking over a hair is just plane soft.

P.S WeHo, I even Googled your name just to see if it was something ironic that nobody else would get. WeHo is also the name of a gay movie awards ceremony. Coincidence?

[mamanoodle]

Worst food poisoning I had in Thailand on holiday - Bruno's, old location- but never been back since. Hubbies worst food poisoning terriyaki pizza from 7-11. Food stall poisonings none at all, you just need to look for good food handling techniques, a well looked after stall and good food storage facilities. I am intrigued to discover that KFC and Ronald the clown's outfit would apparently have more fibre than som tam, stir-fry veggies, steamed sweetcorn and a vast array of ready to eat fruits I regularly buy from the food carts!!!!! No rating as yet for burgerking?

[tropo]

And the FUJI salmon steak lunch special is a great deal... at lunch, they throw in some fresh cut fruit AND a few teaspoons of coffee or tea (hot or cold, your choice for the teaspoons)... still a good deal, and a very healthy choice, unless you smother your rice with sugary teriyaki sauce, as I enjoy doing.

Fuji is one of my regular spots to eat. You sell it short, it's fantastic value. They have about 7 or 8 sets which cost no more than 150 baht. Steak, chicken, squid, salmon and other sets. They vary a bit in what is offered, but they usually come with salad, miso soup, kimchi and rice...all of good quality.

[tropo]

you just need to look for good food handling techniques, a well looked after stall and good food storage facilities.

You're lucky, but I've given up road side food stalls. This is a sad state of affairs because a lot of the food served thus tastes great and the value is unbeatable.

It's the wash up facilities that let them down. How do they hygienically wash plates, cutlery and chopping boards outside?

Imagine the previous customer has some communicable disease that he slobbers all over his cutlery and plate. The owner dips it in a bucket of bacteria laiden cold water, wipes it with a bacteria laiden rag and hands it to you....no thanks!

Some of them chop chicken, pork, fish and other meats on the same chopping board all night with an outside air temperature of over 25°C. They're a breeding ground for nasty bacteria. It doesn't make any sense to take risks with your health for a cheap road side meal.

Sure, many punters have come on here stating that they've eaten road side for many years with no problems. Either these people are lucky, or they've overlooked a few bouts of food-poisoning. Some are lucky enough to have a resistance to the bacteria which proliferate in such environments, just as the local have.

[Weho]

The last time I got food poisioning was at a Baja Fresh fast food Mexican place, over in Ameri-gay. They had a "salsa bar", where one goes and fills little plastic bowls with the salsa sauce of your choice (mild, medium, caliente, etc.). Literally dozens of people use the plastic ladels every hour... when they have those glass partitians, like Sizzler does, it only keeps what people BREATHE off the food items, but FAR MORE DANGEROUS is the "cross contamination" that spreads like wildfire, by TOUCHING the ladels.

I never got sick in Thailand... One had some bad salad in Mexico, but in a dodgy tourist place. Had some of "Montezuma's Revenge", if you know what I mean... Not a pretty sight. I had the worst 30 minutes of my life in the restaurant restroom.

Anyone enjoy "spin art"?

[wilko]

I eat from the food stalls, noodle sit downs all the time, never had food poisoning yet

What's stopping the KFC worker hokking into your chicken burger out of your sight before serving it to you with a smile?

weho you are a scare mongerer

SO DO I and never had a problem, I have had problems at McD and was quite sick for a number of days, do they wash their hands.

the biggest problem i have with thailand are toilet habbits, there are many bars and restuants i frequent in the town and people do not wash after visiting the toilet and when you consider certain habbits in there then it becomes a big discusting problem for me, cooking or serving drinks ice etc with soiled hands will cause problems, some of these places don't even have soap

Ok - there's a misconception going on here about the causes of food poisoning.

Whereas personal hygiene is a risk it is not the main one.

consider this....If I put a trace of faecal bacteria on a piece of chicken and then sear it over a red hot BBQ most of the bacteria will die before consumption and will not be able to thrive in my gut and produce the toxins that make me sick.

Any piece of meat will have bacteria and they are on the surface...usually landing out of the atmosphere. Again if I heat the surface well enough the bacteria will die - thus a rare steak is usually quite safe to eat.

One the other hand - if I take a piece of meat and mince it and shape it into a burger all the bacteria on the outside are now distributed through the whole patty so it is essential I cook the whole thing through at a high temperature.

This problem is further exacerbated by the chill/serve storage methods used by western fast food chains – if the food temp rises above 5C the bacteria start to multiply and produce toxins – so you can imagine especially in a climate like Thailand’s with electricity cuts and poor staff training or discipline that there is a great likelihood that the burger you are eating has been subjected to several changes in temperature before finally being sold – in and out of the fridge left out too long or put back at night to sell the next day.

A fridge does not kill bacteria it merely prevents the bacteria from multiplying.

Another point to bear in mind is that the fridge and chill-serve are recent additions to Thai food storage…..in most parts of Thailand people still shop twice a day as they won’t store food in this climate, they go and by it from the market and take it home, cook it and eat it and go again in the afternoon.

Street food is a way of eating that goes back centuries and is particularly suitable for the climate in Thailand…heh!.....if it wasn’t they would have all died out years ago….

If you look at street stalls their meat is not minced and formed it is chopped into small pieces that cook through, it is not thawed from frozen (and re-frozen) the time between killing and eating is kept to a minimum.

So regardless of how well staff wash their hands at the Western-style outlets (and of it doesn't improve matters if they don’t wash well), you can still be at risk eating form these places.

[Weho]

I eat from the food stalls, noodle sit downs all the time, never had food poisoning yet

What's stopping the KFC worker hokking into your chicken burger out of your sight before serving it to you with a smile?

weho you are a scare mongerer

SO DO I and never had a problem, I have had problems at McD and was quite sick for a number of days, do they wash their hands.

the biggest problem i have with thailand are toilet habbits, there are many bars and restuants i frequent in the town and people do not wash after visiting the toilet and when you consider certain habbits in there then it becomes a big discusting problem for me, cooking or serving drinks ice etc with soiled hands will cause problems, some of these places don't even have soap

Ok - there's a misconception going on here about the causes of food poisoning.

Whereas personal hygiene is a risk it is not the main one.

consider this....If I put a trace of faecal bacteria on a piece of chicken and then sear it over a red hot BBQ most of the bacteria will die before consumption and will not be able to thrive in my gut and produce the toxins that make me sick.

Any piece of meat will have bacteria and they are on the surface...usually landing out of the atmosphere. Again if I heat the surface well enough the bacteria will die - thus a rare steak is usually quite safe to eat.

One the other hand - if I take a piece of meat and mince it and shape it into a burger all the bacteria on the outside are now distributed through the whole patty so it is essential I cook the whole thing through at a high temperature.

This problem is further exacerbated by the chill/serve storage methods used by western fast food chains – if the food temp rises above 5C the bacteria start to multiply and produce toxins – so you can imagine especially in a climate like Thailand’s with electricity cuts and poor staff training or discipline that there is a great likelihood that the burger you are eating has been subjected to several changes in temperature before finally being sold – in and out of the fridge left out too long or put back at night to sell the next day.

A fridge does not kill bacteria it merely prevents the bacteria from multiplying.

Another point to bear in mind is that the fridge and chill-serve are recent additions to Thai food storage…..in most parts of Thailand people still shop twice a day as they won’t store food in this climate, they go and by it from the market and take it home, cook it and eat it and go again in the afternoon.

Street food is a way of eating that goes back centuries and is particularly suitable for the climate in Thailand…heh!.....if it wasn’t they would have all died out years ago….

If you look at street stalls their meat is not minced and formed it is chopped into small pieces that cook through, it is not thawed from frozen (and re-frozen) the time between killing and eating is kept to a minimum.

So regardless of how well staff wash their hands at the Western-style outlets (and of it doesn't improve matters if they don’t wash well), you can still be at risk eating form these places.

Remember, the EASIEST way to get sick is cross-contamination, like touching a salsa sauce ladel that has been handled by perhaps a few hundred people, who rub their eyes, rub their runny noses, scratch their open sores, pick their nose, pick their teeth, then rub their nose again, THEN pick up the plastic ladel... a BREEDING ground of bacteria... you can get a pretty nasty virus like that... i suppose it's not the same as "food poisioning", but the results can be similar... a BAD virus.

My experience in Thailand is that in general, Thai air conditioned indoor restaurants are CLEANER than their counterparts in "western" countries... I see a lot more cleaning of countertops, handles, floors, etc., HERE than abroad. Not perfect, but it helps.

I'm going to the beach today.

[wilko]

As you say..that is not food poisoning..that could be a cold or some viral infection. the usual way of transmission is of course "shaking hands"; people touch their eyes or other body parts and then in this everyday gesture of friendship, actually wipe it on your hand....you then touch your eyes etc and the circle continues...fortunately a lot of the viruses we are immune to or have little effect on us. The toxins from food poisoning are not always so mild.

A problem with food poisoning is knowing where it came from as it can take hours or days to take effect depending on the bacteria and the time taken to reproduce into sufficient quantities to have some effect. the bacteria have to be able to thrive in your gut and then produce the toxins that poison you. Ingesting a cold virus won't make you vomit....

[tropo]

[quote name='gharknes' post='1346005' date='2007-06-06 21:16:00'

Ok - there's a misconception going on here about the causes of food poisoning.

Whereas personal hygiene is a risk it is not the main one.

consider this....If I put a trace of faecal bacteria on a piece of chicken and then sear it over a red hot BBQ most of the bacteria will die before consumption and will not be able to thrive in my gut and produce the toxins that make me sick.

Any piece of meat will have bacteria and they are on the surface...usually landing out of the atmosphere. Again if I heat the surface well enough the bacteria will die - thus a rare steak is usually quite safe to eat.

One the other hand - if I take a piece of meat and mince it and shape it into a burger all the bacteria on the outside are now distributed through the whole patty so it is essential I cook the whole thing through at a high temperature.

This problem is further exacerbated by the chill/serve storage methods used by western fast food chains – if the food temp rises above 5C the bacteria start to multiply and produce toxins – so you can imagine especially in a climate like Thailand’s with electricity cuts and poor staff training or discipline that there is a great likelihood that the burger you are eating has been subjected to several changes in temperature before finally being sold – in and out of the fridge left out too long or put back at night to sell the next day.

A fridge does not kill bacteria it merely prevents the bacteria from multiplying.

Another point to bear in mind is that the fridge and chill-serve are recent additions to Thai food storage…..in most parts of Thailand people still shop twice a day as they won’t store food in this climate, they go and by it from the market and take it home, cook it and eat it and go again in the afternoon.

Street food is a way of eating that goes back centuries and is particularly suitable for the climate in Thailand…heh!.....if it wasn’t they would have all died out years ago….

If you look at street stalls their meat is not minced and formed it is chopped into small pieces that cook through, it is not thawed from frozen (and re-frozen) the time between killing and eating is kept to a minimum.

So regardless of how well staff wash their hands at the Western-style outlets (and of it doesn't improve matters if they don’t wash well), you can still be at risk eating form these places.

You've done a great job at explaining how bacteria proliferate, but how about focusing on the wash up facilities at road side eateries. It's the wash up facilities that keep me away from these stalls, not the food.

Edited June 7, 2007 by tropo

[Jimmyd]

Imagine the previous customer has some communicable disease that he slobbers all over his cutlery and plate. The owner dips it in a bucket of bacteria laiden cold water, wipes it with a bacteria laiden rag and hands it to you....

Oh, there you go making me hungry again!

[Humphrey Bear]

Can we transfer this to the medical forum now?

We're discussing best value meals - lets have some ideas outside the Western franchise places.

[Meg_2003]

Well, Today I had the famous 'Neeroys Fish n' chips' as Id heard alot about it on the forum.. and all I can say is WOOOOOOOOW!!

Its the best Fish n Chips Ive had in the whole 7 years Ive been here.. Y'all need to try it... And its just 99 baht too.. You get lovely English style chips, 2 huge pieces of battered fish.. Both pieces of fish were that long that they couldnt fit on the plate!!

I have never enjoyed a meal as much in a long time. We complimented the owners wife how good it was, and she mentioned that she'd lived in England for a few years, so thats why its so good..

Honestly, It tasted just like Id got it from an English Chippy!!

Also, Every table was almost full in Neeroys today, I looked over to Crazy Daves, and not 1 customer... Y'all need to try Neeroys Fish n Chips... Best food and best value in town!!!!!! AND Im not stuck on the toilet like I would be if I'd have eaten in Crazy daves..

Ohhh I could just go and eat it all over again Thumbs up for Neeroys!!!

[tropo]

Ohhh I could just go and eat it all over again Thumbs up for Neeroys!!!

It sounds great. Could you indicate it's exact location? I wouldn't have a clue where that is.

[Meg_2003]

Ohhh I could just go and eat it all over again Thumbs up for Neeroys!!!

It sounds great. Could you indicate it's exact location? I wouldn't have a clue where that is.

Ahh, Soi Chaiyapoon almost across the road from Crazy Daves & Canterbury* Tales..

You will see all the yellow signs, you cant miss them.. "English style food" or something like that on a huge yellow sign with black lettering outside...

Open air with fans, very nice! Give it a try.. 'Specially the fish n chips!!!

P.s Its more to the Soi Bua Khao end of Chaiyapoon

[tropo]

P.s Its more to the Soi Bua Khao end of Chaiyapoon

Got it! I could use some decent Fish and Chips. Thank you.

[Firefan]

Thanks for all the tips! I will head to Pattaya (from BKK) next wk so will have to try out some of the mentioned places!

Cheers!

[Humphrey Bear]

And after the hurricane in the Oman - this is what should happen to all Ronald's places

McD.doc

[EmCross]

Good one Humph! couldn't agree more!

[tropo]

And after the hurricane in the Oman - this is what should happen to all Ronald's places

McD.doc

Don't tell that to the hundreds of millions of Ronald's supporters worldwide. note: I'm not one.

There are obviously sound reasons for their success.

[Weho]

And after the hurricane in the Oman - this is what should happen to all Ronald's places

McD.doc

Don't tell that to the hundreds of millions of Ronald's supporters worldwide. note: I'm not one.

There are obviously sound reasons for their success.

Some reasons for their success: good-tasting, clean, fast, convenient, you know what you'll get (anywhere in the world), reasonably-priced, etc... but if you find yourself going there more than once a week, I would suggest increasing your health insurance coverage, and get some extra life-insurance. And if you do go there, say for lunch, make sure you have a healthy meal for dinner to try to make up for it. But whatever you do, don't ever eat those chicken "nuggets" pieces... trust me. Your colon will thank you. Your high-priced "western" doctor won't thank you, cause they like to keep you sick, (helps make them rich!).

I went to Sizzler last night... hard to beat their 199 specials, which you can even get at dinner... I recommend the hibachi chicken (remove the skin), which comes with the salad bar... i like the pesto fish too... avoid the fried prawns/shrimp.

[wilko]

And after the hurricane in the Oman - this is what should happen to all Ronald's places

McD.doc

Don't tell that to the hundreds of millions of Ronald's supporters worldwide. note: I'm not one.

There are obviously sound reasons for their success.

I can’t believe how naïve some people still are about McD’s success and indeed the success of many other “copycat” fast food outlets.

To suggest that they are clean or wholesome is just not correct.

They are styled and designed to set the customer at ease and the food is produced as quickly and cheaply as possible; it is the absolute bottom line of what they can get away with….essentially they are purveyors of salt, sugar and fat laced with flavour enhancers.

Their success doesn’t come from their product it comes from sophisticated marketing strategies and huge amounts of capital (and slush funds?) that are used to buy up real-estate and put any competitors out of business using loss leaders and mass advertising aimed largely at children. We’re talking psychologists, designers, sociologists and of course high finance….but not food.

In developing countries parents with a growing income find it incredibly difficult to deny their children food as they or their parents frequently have experienced going short of food or even famine at first hand. Furthermore being able to be seen affording McD’s and their ilk is another factor in selling this worthless product. – Bear in mind that in Thailand McD’s and KFC etc are nowhere near the cheapest food you can buy.

If you want examples of food poisoning at McD’s just Google it…. You’ll get plenty of hits. Remember Taco Bell a few weeks back with the video of hundreds of rats running around?

[wilko]

Sizzler....a subsidiary of McD's?...in Thailand 15 baht is "good value" not 200; that is over the minimum daily wage for Chonburi. (160 baht)

Edited June 10, 2007 by wilko

[Ulysses G.]

Some reasons for their success: good-tasting, clean, fast, convenient, you know what you'll get (anywhere in the world), reasonably-priced, etc...

This makes a lot more sense than the politically correct brain-washing theory!

[tropo]

Some reasons for their success: good-tasting, clean, fast, convenient, you know what you'll get (anywhere in the world), reasonably-priced, etc...

This makes a lot more sense than the politically correct brain-washing theory!

It's always the case. The more successful a business becomes, the more knockers it attracts.

McDonalds is not health food, but I don't believe people would be eating bad tasting food simply as a result of their advertising campaigns.

I'm sure there is a lot of people reading this who enjoy McDonalds but are affraid to speak up for fear of chastisement from the vocal anti-McDonalds fraternity.

[wilko]

For brainwashing - (whatever you think that might be) one would need in the first instance a brain.

Perhaps you could explain your argument.....or would that be too much to ask?

[keenok]

And after the hurricane in the Oman - this is what should happen to all Ronald's places

McD.doc

Don't tell that to the hundreds of millions of Ronald's supporters worldwide. note: I'm not one.

There are obviously sound reasons for their success.

I can’t believe how naïve some people still are about McD’s success and indeed the success of many other “copycat” fast food outlets.

To suggest that they are clean or wholesome is just not correct.

They are styled and designed to set the customer at ease and the food is produced as quickly and cheaply as possible; it is the absolute bottom line of what they can get away with….essentially they are purveyors of salt, sugar and fat laced with flavour enhancers.

Their success doesn’t come from their product it comes from sophisticated marketing strategies and huge amounts of capital (and slush funds?) that are used to buy up real-estate and put any competitors out of business using loss leaders and mass advertising aimed largely at children. We’re talking psychologists, designers, sociologists and of course high finance….but not food.

In developing countries parents with a growing income find it incredibly difficult to deny their children food as they or their parents frequently have experienced going short of food or even famine at first hand. Furthermore being able to be seen affording McD’s and their ilk is another factor in selling this worthless product. – Bear in mind that in Thailand McD’s and KFC etc are nowhere near the cheapest food you can buy.

If you want examples of food poisoning at McD’s just Google it…. You’ll get plenty of hits. Remember Taco Bell a few weeks back with the video of hundreds of rats running around?

i could not agree more. anybody who thinks 199 baht to some global corporation is "good value " obviously doesnt live here ,or if they do they are in their own little bubble. some people should get out more in the country they supposedly call home.

[pattaya_girl]

Weho,

today i went to carrefore and got the last three of the Roast Beef salad sandwiches, i found myself hungry and thinking about them, again, i am sorry if there are none left for you today, i did think of you while i was buying them, but my hunger took over and i could not resist buying the last 3. I did however notice that they also have chicken with salad as well.

After my recent visit to "Neeroys" on Soi Chaiapoon, for his famous English fish n chips, i was totally stuffed (as they say) it was the best for 99 bt, just like the chippy back at home when i was little. Today i was a bit hungy again so i went for the sarnies.

Hey you guys got to try Neeroys Fish n Chips - yummy. Apparently Mrs Neeroy trained for cooking in the UK for 5 years, and that is the reason it was soooo delicious !! Neeroys has huge huge black & yellow signs outside, you cant miss it "Bradford curries".