A Piece of Pattaya History Quietly Gone

[Chomper Higgot]

While I still have an apartment near Pattaya, I no longer live in the city full time.

My visits of late are a couple of months around April and May.

 

It wasn’t always so, for the better part of thirty years starting in the late 80s Pattaya was my home.

 

Those amongst us who remember the late 80s / early 90s will recall there was at that time nowhere near the number and choice of restaurants as there is now.

 

Some places that come to mind are Prom Par Song 1 and 2 at the Sukhumvit end of North Road and South Road respectively. Street Kitchen on Soi 6/1, Fern Farm on Narklua Road, Wandee at Wongamat and Ruam Thai on 2nd Road. Oh and the burger stall alongside the ‘Buddha tree’ on walking street.

 

Some old names still remain, Leng Khee, The Green Tree (used to be in Soi 4), Pan Pan, Nang Nuan.

 

I called at the Green Tree earlier this week for a ‘sundowner’, something that for years was my Friday evening habit, straight from work to the Green Tree for a couple of G&Ts before starting the weekend fun. I’m pleased to say it remains a place where a guy can get a relaxing drink without being bothered by girls looking for other business. In the 80’s and early 90s such places were rare finds.

 

Having finished my ‘sundowners’ at the Green Tree I walked up Soi 1 to discover a piece of the history of Pattaya’s restaurants was no longer in business.

 

Somsak’s is closed.

 

Somsak opened his first restaurant in the early 70s at the entrance to walking street together with a man who became his life long friend ‘Dolf Ryks’. 
 

Together they had spotted the market for a ‘real restaurant’ to serve US military on R&R. As Somsak would say, ‘we opened Pattaya’s first restaurant that had table cloths, real crockery and knives and forks that weren’t bent out of shape’.

 

His restaurants were all decorated with pale yellow walls and artwork, paintings by Dolf Ryks.
 

He set the ambience with classical European music, itself unusual anywhere in Thailand at the time.

 

I once asked him about the music, why classical? 
Somsak replied ‘Over the years he’s tried lots of music, he learned if he plays rock music he gets fights in his restaurant, if he plays classical everything is chilled’.

 

Well Somsak(dee)’s is gone, another chapter of Pattaya history gone too.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by Chomper Higgot

[bignok]

That's life. I used to like Ao Nang. It's terrible now. Also Bangkok has gone downhill. Rather be in Chiang Mai.

 

My friend loves Pattaya. Maybe I should go see what happens there. Might skip April/May though.

Edited April 28, 2023 by bignok

[Chomper Higgot]

1 minute ago, bignok said:

That's life. I used to like Ao Nang. It's terrible now. Also Bangkok has gone downhill. Rather be in Chiang Mai.

At least we have the memories 

[bignok]

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

At least we have the memories 

Sort of. I was with my ex. Visiting new places to create new ones. My new one is better looking at least.

[marin]

2 minutes ago, bignok said:

That's life. I used to like Ao Nang. It's terrible now. Also Bangkok has gone downhill. Rather be in Chiang Mai.

• Its more than that. If you google the name Dolf Ryks you will see he was a real pioneer for the Eastern seaboard as it had tourism develop. The first beaches. 

[Chomper Higgot]

Just now, marin said:

• Its more than that. If you google the name Dolf Ryks you will see he was a real pioneer for the Eastern seaboard as it had tourism develop. The first beaches. 

I probably need to do another post on Dolf Ryks.

[bignok]

The thing is some places don't change much. Patong hasn't changed much. Pattaya probably a lot. 

[3NUMBAS]

the marine bar has now gone ,the choke point at the bottom of the stairs was very good for  meeting the gal of your dreams many times over

[3NUMBAS]

the ghost of bernard trink wil  be roaming there forever

[persimmon]

Tops supermarket , on the corner , Pattaya Glang , now gone . Wonder what will replace it ?

Patts seems like a very dynamic environment , always lots of change and development . Central / Hilton seems successful , although I feel sorry for the independent food outlets - the food court in the basement must be taking away a lot of trade for them 

[champers]

44 minutes ago, persimmon said:

Tops supermarket , on the corner , Pattaya Glang , now gone . Wonder what will replace it ?

Patts seems like a very dynamic environment , always lots of change and development . Central / Hilton seems successful , although I feel sorry for the independent food outlets - the food court in the basement must be taking away a lot of trade for them 

Tops is being replaced by an hotel. The developers have a billboard up.

[Celsius]

It's just a restaurant. Get over it

[StayinThailand2much]

Good number of restaurants, either specialising in, or offering European food on the side, gone for good. (New Indian restaurants, on the other hand, left, right, and centre...)

 

Also, eating out is no fun anymore if one has to pay 120 or 150 baht for a simple omelette. 

Edited April 28, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[bignok]

1 minute ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Good number of restaurants, either specialising on, or also offering European food gone for good.

 

Also, eating out is no fun anymore if one has to pay 120 or 150 baht for a simple omelette. 

120 baht eggs? Come on.

[StayinThailand2much]

10 minutes ago, bignok said:

120 baht eggs? Come on.

I'm not making this up. Restaurant near Soi Buakaow, 'Omelet 120 baht'!

 

Also along Second Road, dishes you could get pre-Covid for less than 100 baht, now 200, 300 baht, or more...

 

 

Okay, I wouldn't mind if the omelette was made from 10 eggs, but I very much doubt it...

Edited April 28, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[bignok]

14 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

I'm not making this up. Restaurant near Soi Buakaow, 'Omelet 120 baht'!

 

Also along Second Road, dishes you could get pre-Covid for less than 100 baht, now 200, 300 baht, or more...

 

 

Okay, I wouldn't mind if the omelette was made from 10 eggs, but I very much doubt it...

Wow. 

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, 3NUMBAS said:

the marine bar has now gone ,the choke point at the bottom of the stairs was very good for  meeting the gal of your dreams many times over

Four times in one night was my best effort.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Celsius said:

It's just a restaurant. Get over it

So was the (original) Jazz Pit. I can't.

[NanLaew]

57 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

I'm not making this up. Restaurant near Soi Buakaow, 'Omelet 120 baht'!

 

Also along Second Road, dishes you could get pre-Covid for less than 100 baht, now 200, 300 baht, or more...

 

 

Okay, I wouldn't mind if the omelette was made from 10 eggs, but I very much doubt it...

If you build it, they will come, if you charge it, they will pay.

[proton]

Went in 94, could not wait to leave, tried again in 96 for a week, left after one night back to Bangkok. Ghastly hell hole, even the music festivals are awful, went to two. 

[Seppius]

Abbes, one of the first bars on Walking Street, about to become a Gogo

[Chomper Higgot]

4 hours ago, proton said:

Went in 94, could not wait to leave, tried again in 96 for a week, left after one night back to Bangkok. Ghastly hell hole, even the music festivals are awful, went to two. 

Bangkok in the early 90s was a lot of fun, if you could put up with the sulphur laden polluted air.

 

I managed a three month stint, then gave up trying to fight a continually sore throat and serial chest infections.

 

The air in Pattaya was always much cleaner.

[Woof999]

6 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Okay, I wouldn't mind if the omelette was made from 10 eggs, but I very much doubt it...

120 baht. $3.50. You want an omelette made of 10 eggs. You want the place to have a chef / cook. You want them to have at least one service staff. You want them to offer you at least 4 different 10 baht water bottles for you to choose from. You want your plates to be clean (magically cleaned by someone that earns nothing). You want your cutlery to be metal, weigh more than 5g per piece and not have a hint of "wasn't cleaned 2 seconds ago by a 20 year old virgin" shimmer.

 

Sir, you open that restaurant next week. I will eat your 10 egg omelette every day (or at least pay for it). I will order the equivalent lunch and dinner every day. I will not laugh (too much) when you go out of business.

 

What are you basing your business model on? Cost + 10 baht? Cost - I don't have a clue? I don't know the cost so I'll charge whatever the lowest denominator will pay regardless of my costs?

 

Please, really, you open that restaurant with the quality and price you demand from someone else and I will dine 3 times a day every day until you wake up.

[bignok]

29 minutes ago, Woof999 said:

120 baht. $3.50. You want an omelette made of 10 eggs. You want the place to have a chef / cook. You want them to have at least one service staff. You want them to offer you at least 4 different 10 baht water bottles for you to choose from. You want your plates to be clean (magically cleaned by someone that earns nothing). You want your cutlery to be metal, weigh more than 5g per piece and not have a hint of "wasn't cleaned 2 seconds ago by a 20 year old virgin" shimmer.

 

Sir, you open that restaurant next week. I will eat your 10 egg omelette every day (or at least pay for it). I will order the equivalent lunch and dinner every day. I will not laugh (too much) when you go out of business.

 

What are you basing your business model on? Cost + 10 baht? Cost - I don't have a clue? I don't know the cost so I'll charge whatever the lowest denominator will pay regardless of my costs?

 

Please, really, you open that restaurant with the quality and price you demand from someone else and I will dine 3 times a day every day until you wake up.

Omlettes are 50 baht elsewhere

[scubascuba3]

I can't think of any bars or restaurants i miss, but i do miss some agogos on walking st which have either gone or gone downhill

 

Sugar Baby

Annabelles

Crazyhouse

Electric Blue

Dollhouse

[Henryford]

48 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I can't think of any bars or restaurants i miss, but i do miss some agogos on walking st which have either gone or gone downhill

 

Sugar Baby

Annabelles

Crazyhouse

Electric Blue

Dollhouse

Loads i miss -  Beavers, X Zone, Casnovy, Angelwitch, Sisterz, FLB, Club Boeche, Peppermint (upstairs). All the new ones are just the same boring format.

Edited April 29, 2023 by Henryford

[jaideedave]

Does anyone recall the "Green Bottle" pub/resto? Diana Inn hotel next door.It was the 1st pub in Pattaya friends brought me to in 1991.As a newbie to Asia I struggled with the heat but this place was air conditioned.

I met 2 Newfies there who had just got discharged from Pattaya Memorial hospital.

They had a touch of pneumonia as a result of turning their room air con to the coldest setting then venturing outside in the sun.

What an eye opening experience for me at the time.Now happily retired in South Pattaya since 04.

 

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

I can't think of any bars or restaurants i miss, but i do miss some agogos on walking st which have either gone or gone downhill

 

Sugar Baby

Annabelles

Crazyhouse

Electric Blue

Dollhouse

Hardly an left worth visiting...Crazy House was my favourite for a long time. I hear Windmill is a bit more conservative now. 

[bang saen guy]

9 hours ago, NanLaew said:

So was the (original) Jazz Pit. I can't.

PIC Kitchen was enjoyable

[actonion]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

I can't think of any bars or restaurants i miss, but i do miss some agogos on walking st which have either gone or gone downhill

 

Sugar Baby

Annabelles

Crazyhouse

Electric Blue

Dollhouse

I'm sure i saw    Dollhouse   behind a wall  around Mabrachan lake area