The Dark Side

[FarangBuddha]

Ticino seemed to be doing quite well the night I visited. Seems like the Swiss are continuing to eat and drink and the think crust pizza here is always good.

Where is Ticino? Directions (that a blind person (or at least one with no knowledge of the area) could follow), please.

First off, it's Tocino. I am assuming you know how to get on soi Nern Plub Wan, and are coming over from the Brightside. These directions are for if one was driving down NPW from Sukkie.

Drive east on NPW about 4 km, until you reach soi Mapilla 28 (aka soi Pattanakorn) - it is a two-way intersection with a 7-11 (of course) on one corner and the Crossroads Bar on another. Make a right here onto soi 28 and go maybe 250 meters past a Thai night-market on your right. You will come to a road intersecting soi 28 from the left (first soi on the left with dome shophouse construction going on). Take this left and go maybe half a kilo to an obvious fork in the road. Take the right side (soft right turn) and go another 100 meters. Tocino will be on your left.

Bare in mind Tocino is only open for dinner from about 5 o'clock on.

Here is s decent map http://<URL Automatically Removed>/pattaya-forum/18486-east-pattayas-own-fine-dining-strip.html

[FarangBuddha]

Sorry, seems the map got automatically scrubbed...I guess linking to other Thailand forums is a no-no. Just Google Tocino and Pattaya and it's the 1st or 2nd hit.

Edited January 6, 2011 by FarangBuddha

[FarangBuddha]

Had Christmas day Dinner at Lakesideo and it was its usual good quality, fixed 4 course menu for about 950b as a recall. The place was packed out and service slowed down from usual but only to be expected I guess on such a day. They had a Cream asparagus soup as one of the starters which was very good and as usual Roast Turkey with sprouts etc for the main. There was no thai option and no a la carte being served - just choices from a fixed menu. Also ate there a few days later and had a steak with a dijon mustard cream sauce (Fillet steak from New Zealand) and that was very good.

Wow, 950, what a rip-off. Every day you can go to Cherries and have a 4 course excellent menu for, I think, 400 baht. Double the price because it's christmas, what a rip-off.

Plus I've never really had a decent dinner there! The deli sandwichs make decent lunches though.

[Mattd]

Regarding Ticino, assume this is the place? Ticino

[Rimmer]

None sense spam post removed from view

[NALAK]

Some great new posts, especially the Ref Palm recco...can't wait to try it. However. I always have a laugh re the comments on sullen owners. Who cares I go to rrstos to eat not gab with the cook or owner. Unless they are downright rude, just tell us about the food and location plrssr.

Fair enough, point taken. I own a bar and restaurant in Bangers so perhaps I see it from a different point of view, but generally staff attitude matters to me so I thought i'd include it....

Anyway, I promise not to do it again...

Tom.

The attitude and standards of the service staff are definitely important to one's dining experience and surely worth a mention good or bad; and in many of the small Darkside restos this may very well be the owner or his wife/GF. But in general, icomments like "the owner was sitting in a corner and didn't come over and say hello" or "the owner was sitting with a group of his mates and didn't come sit at my table too [and stroke my ego] so I'm knocking the place down a notch" that I find uninformative.

Like I said, I go to restos to eat good food in a comfortable environment. I couldn't care less if the owner was the biggest a-hole in the world (as long as not directed at the customers) if his resto serves good food at fair prices with pleasant service staff. In fact, I like to be left alone when I eat and proprietors that are too chatty will often put me off from returning to their place...but that's just me...many people do seem to like a more social environment when they eat as they often add comments about how friendly the owners are.

FB,

Whilst I agree that the attitude of the owner is largely irrelevant and also agree that I like to be left alone whilst I eat my food by both owner and serving staff - this is a thread about dining on the Darkside and as most establishments that are being reviewed are on the small side, the owner of the restauarant can make a difference to the overall dining experience just by being there.

However, this thread is blissfully flame/argument free so that's the end of that for me.

On another note but slightly related, there is a new restaurant opening at the temple end of Khao Talo next to the new Kik Bar called Pasta Basta. Same owner as the Kik bar next door, it looks like it could have good potential. I would have asked the owner of Kik Bar when it's going to open but he's just about the most unapproachable bar owner I have ever met so didn't bother.

Has anybody braved his indifference to get the opening date yet?

Tom.

from what you said already i would not step foot in the place, to m uch competition around to have a bad attitude, its easy to make people feel welcome without going over the top. worked in sales all my working live and smiles were free then and still are now free. tried hard last few months to stick with the darkside as i live at Mabprachan, but give up going back to patters, cheaper, and certainly more welcoming. i just get angry inside when i see what is indifference on part of owners and staff. most of the places this side dont seem to have a clue, exception being titty twister cheap beer and always a friendly smiling face from the owner.

[FarangBuddha]

On another note but slightly related, there is a new restaurant opening at the temple end of Khao Talo next to the new Kik Bar called Pasta Basta. Same owner as the Kik bar next door, it looks like it could have good potential. I would have asked the owner of Kik Bar when it's going to open but he's just about the most unapproachable bar owner I have ever met so didn't bother.

Had a chance to try this place, Basta Pasta [or was it Pasta Basta, I can't remember] for the first time yesterday for lunch with a friend. WHAT A FIND...AND IT'S HERE ON THE FARSIDE!!! It was some of the best pasta I have had in Pattaya in the 7 years of I lived here. My friend had been before and between his earlier trip and yesterday, we have sampled 3 of the pasta dishes so it gives me at least a decent selection for this review.

First off, it's located at the top of soi Kao Talo, just past the Kao Noi junction and past the 7-11 (next to the Castro Gym and opposite their parking lot). They are open for both lunch and dinner (till 10 pm). They have taken a double-wide shop-house and completely remodeled the interior into a very classy Italian bistro type resto, with proper cutlery and glassware. At present, there is no air-conditioning but plenty of large ceiling fans (which is fine for the next month or so but could present a problem in April and May ). Overall, the ambiance is as pleasant as anything on the "other" side. The service staff have also been well trained and are friendly and efficient. OK, now on to the food...

I am an Italian food lover - especially good pasta and I could eat it everyday [sorta like Thais and som-tam]. So I am always on the lookout for a good pasta resto. There are a few places, unfortunately mostly on the Brightside [Ticino/Tocino being a welcome exception] in Pattaya that I have found over the years that do a decent pasta at a reasonable price [basically B 150-B 250 a dish IMHO]. Being mostly on the Brightside, they are sometimes inconvenient to get to and parking can be a hassle with a car. But no more! Basta Pasta, as its name implies, specializes in pasta. The menu is basically all pastas, with maybe 4-5 other meat entrees available. Starters are also limited to a cutacuria meat plate and I believe some bruschuttas. But it's not a problem because all pasta dishes come with bread rolls and a bowl of hearty soup included. The pasta selection is vast...both the noodles and the sauces they come with. There must be a dozen different pasta noodles available and maybe two-dozen sauces to choose from to put on top. There are all the basic sauces, e.g., tomato, bolonaise, carbonara, etc., but where BP shines are in the unusual one, like how about octopus or pork and shrimp in white-wine cream sauce! I have not seen such a selection in sauces in any other Italian resto in Pattaya [or Bangkok for that matter]. There is a good selection of wines by both the bottle and the glass. Espresso and a good selection of ice-creams are available for dessert.

So having all those interesting sauces on the menu is great...but can the kitchen actually come through and deliver the goods?. This is often the downfall for many a resto...but BP succeed in carrying this off in spades. For my main, I chose the rigatoni with parma ham, mushroom, and walnuts in a white-wine cream sauce. It was excellent, with the noodles cooked "el dente" and the sauce including copious amounts of quality thin-sliced parma ham crudo, tasty imported wood-ear mushrooms, and finely ground walnuts in the sauce. They also serve quality shaved Parmesan cheese to top-off the pasta...not the ground-up stuff found in your typical Italian resto. The serving size is very generous and I was fully sated by the end of my meal. As noted earlier, the meal also includes rolls, served with olive oil, and a bowl of soup, which for us was vegetable. I don't know if this soup changes day by day. The soup was not a large portion but was very good and stuffed-full of healthy veggies.

My dining companion had the rigatoni with Italian sausage and tomato sauce. He too pronounced it very good; his only demerit was that he would have preferred the sausage be more spicy. However, the dish was very good and he gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Previously, he had had the raviolis and he was very pleased with that dish as well. My companion also had an espresso and we both had ice-creams as well. My friend pronounced the espresso to be to his taste and we both enjoyed the ice-creams . While the ice-creams are not made on the premises, they are "home made" from a smaller distrubutor in Pattaya and have a good flavor to them. However, be aware that they are not so much of the creamy variety, with slightly more emphasis on the "ice" rather than the "cream."

So there you have it. One of the best pasta places I have had to pleasure to dine at and it's right here on the Farside. Anyone who enjoys pasta has to give this place a try. I know it will be a regular stop on my eating rounds from now on. And I forgot to mention, the chef in Belgium, so that probably has something to do with the quality of the food served from his kitchen :jap:

Edited January 9, 2011 by FarangBuddha

[santol]

Had a chance to try this place, Basta Pasta [or was it Pasta Basta, I can't remember]

It's Pasta Basta. Based on your review I tried it and I completely concur with your opinion. I thought it was excellent. Also the service is very good and the prices are very reasonable. I've been there twice so far and I'll be there many more times. I highly recommend it. It's worth making the trek even if you don't live on The Dark Side. I think it's the best pasta I've had in all of Thailand. As a matter of fact it's about the best pasta I've had anywhere. I hope everyone gives it a try. This is one restaurant I hope to see greatly succeed.

[timekeeper]

On another note but slightly related, there is a new restaurant opening at the temple end of Khao Talo next to the new Kik Bar called Pasta Basta. Same owner as the Kik bar next door, it looks like it could have good potential. I would have asked the owner of Kik Bar when it's going to open but he's just about the most unapproachable bar owner I have ever met so didn't bother.

Had a chance to try this place, Basta Pasta [or was it Pasta Basta, I can't remember] for the first time yesterday for lunch with a friend. WHAT A FIND...AND IT'S HERE ON THE FARSIDE!!! It was some of the best pasta I have had in Pattaya in the 7 years of I lived here. My friend had been before and between his earlier trip and yesterday, we have sampled 3 of the pasta dishes so it gives me at least a decent selection for this review.

First off, it's located at the top of soi Kao Talo, just past the Kao Noi junction and past the 7-11 (next to the Castro Gym and opposite their parking lot). They are open for both lunch and dinner (till 10 pm). They have taken a double-wide shop-house and completely remodeled the interior into a very classy Italian bistro type resto, with proper cutlery and glassware. At present, there is no air-conditioning but plenty of large ceiling fans (which is fine for the next month or so but could present a problem in April and May ). Overall, the ambiance is as pleasant as anything on the "other" side. The service staff have also been well trained and are friendly and efficient. OK, now on to the food...

I am an Italian food lover - especially good pasta and I could eat it everyday [sorta like Thais and som-tam]. So I am always on the lookout for a good pasta resto. There are a few places, unfortunately mostly on the Brightside [Ticino/Tocino being a welcome exception] in Pattaya that I have found over the years that do a decent pasta at a reasonable price [basically B 150-B 250 a dish IMHO]. Being mostly on the Brightside, they are sometimes inconvenient to get to and parking can be a hassle with a car. But no more! Basta Pasta, as its name implies, specializes in pasta. The menu is basically all pastas, with maybe 4-5 other meat entrees available. Starters are also limited to a cutacuria meat plate and I believe some bruschuttas. But it's not a problem because all pasta dishes come with bread rolls and a bowl of hearty soup included. The pasta selection is vast...both the noodles and the sauces they come with. There must be a dozen different pasta noodles available and maybe two-dozen sauces to choose from to put on top. There are all the basic sauces, e.g., tomato, bolonaise, carbonara, etc., but where BP shines are in the unusual one, like how about octopus or pork and shrimp in white-wine cream sauce! I have not seen such a selection in sauces in any other Italian resto in Pattaya [or Bangkok for that matter]. There is a good selection of wines by both the bottle and the glass. Espresso and a good selection of ice-creams are available for dessert.

So having all those interesting sauces on the menu is great...but can the kitchen actually come through and deliver the goods?. This is often the downfall for many a resto...but BP succeed in carrying this off in spades. For my main, I chose the rigatoni with parma ham, mushroom, and walnuts in a white-wine cream sauce. It was excellent, with the noodles cooked "el dente" and the sauce including copious amounts of quality thin-sliced parma ham crudo, tasty imported wood-ear mushrooms, and finely ground walnuts in the sauce. They also serve quality shaved Parmesan cheese to top-off the pasta...not the ground-up stuff found in your typical Italian resto. The serving size is very generous and I was fully sated by the end of my meal. As noted earlier, the meal also includes rolls, served with olive oil, and a bowl of soup, which for us was vegetable. I don't know if this soup changes day by day. The soup was not a large portion but was very good and stuffed-full of healthy veggies.

My dining companion had the rigatoni with Italian sausage and tomato sauce. He too pronounced it very good; his only demerit was that he would have preferred the sausage be more spicy. However, the dish was very good and he gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Previously, he had had the raviolis and he was very pleased with that dish as well. My companion also had an espresso and we both had ice-creams as well. My friend pronounced the espresso to be to his taste and we both enjoyed the ice-creams . While the ice-creams are not made on the premises, they are "home made" from a smaller distrubutor in Pattaya and have a good flavor to them. However, be aware that they are not so much of the creamy variety, with slightly more emphasis on the "ice" rather than the "cream."

So there you have it. One of the best pasta places I have had to pleasure to dine at and it's right here on the Farside. Anyone who enjoys pasta has to give this place a try. I know it will be a regular stop on my eating rounds from now on. And I forgot to mention, the chef in Belgium, so that probably has something to do with the quality of the food served from his kitchen :jap:

farangbudda

despite your best efforts to change its name to farside in any DARKSIDE thread on TV

this is a thread about eating out on the DARKSIDE, thats the title of this discussion -THE DARK SIDE

the DARKSIDE nickname was attributed to a well known, highly regarded and now deceased too young bar owner on the DARKSIDE

it is not called the pathetic sounding farside

so if not for me, but out of reverence to his memory lets leave it exactly as it is and not try to change it to some more attractive PC sounding name that you have created

you may not like it but for me its the DARKSIDE and always will be, as it will be for many more who live around here and are proud to call the DARKSIDE home

[Rimmer]

Oh Dear

[FarangBuddha]

farangbudda

despite your best efforts to change its name to farside in any DARKSIDE thread on TV

this is a thread about eating out on the DARKSIDE, thats the title of this discussion -THE DARK SIDE

the DARKSIDE nickname was attributed to a well known, highly regarded and now deceased too young bar owner on the DARKSIDE

it is not called the pathetic sounding farside

so if not for me, but out of reverence to his memory lets leave it exactly as it is and not try to change it to some more attractive PC sounding name that you have created

you may not like it but for me its the DARKSIDE and always will be, as it will be for many more who live around here and are proud to call the DARKSIDE home

So within OUR OWN replies, we are all obligated to refer to the area in terms dictated by you so that you may honor your deceased bar-owning friend's memory...I THINK NOT!

And I suppose East Pattaya is also verboten too...sheeze...get a life dude...it's only something over 1000 replies and 60k plus views and this is what you have to contribute to the thread. Why not actually get out of the house and away from your keyboard for a few hours and try a restaurant on the Farside and report back...instead of contributing a useless rant to the discussion

And, for your edification, I often refer to East Pattaya as "The Farside" not out of any sense of political correctness but in reference to the funny, unusual, and odd-ball characters who populate the area, and who are not dissimilar to the characters in the famous Gary Larson cartoon of the same name.

Edited February 2, 2011 by FarangBuddha

[timekeeper]

farangbudda

despite your best efforts to change its name to farside in any DARKSIDE thread on TV

this is a thread about eating out on the DARKSIDE, thats the title of this discussion -THE DARK SIDE

the DARKSIDE nickname was attributed to a well known, highly regarded and now deceased too young bar owner on the DARKSIDE

it is not called the pathetic sounding farside

so if not for me, but out of reverence to his memory lets leave it exactly as it is and not try to change it to some more attractive PC sounding name that you have created

you may not like it but for me its the DARKSIDE and always will be, as it will be for many more who live around here and are proud to call the DARKSIDE home

So within OUR OWN replies, we are all obligated to refer to the area in terms dictated by you so that you may honor your deceased bar-owning friend's memory...I THINK NOT!

And I suppose East Pattaya is also verboten too...sheeze...get a life dude...it's only something over 1000 replies and 60k plus views and this is what you have to contribute to the thread. Why not actually get out of the house and away from your keyboard for a few hours and try a restaurant on the Farside and report back...instead of contributing a useless rant to the discussion

And, for your edification, I often refer to East Pattaya as "The Farside" not out of any sense of political correctness but in reference to the funny, unusual, and odd-ball characters who populate the area, and who are not dissimilar to the characters in the famous Gary Larson cartoon of the same name.

if you were to actually read this extensive thread about the DARKSIDE you would see that i have contributed many more times than you have and i was doing so well before you ever surfaced from your mousehole mooban to squeak out

i have been to 95% of the restaurants on the Darkside in the ten years i have been here, so i do feel able to comment on them and often have, but more often have not, as they were not worth wasting my time writing about

the person who coined the phrase Darkside was not my friend, i did not even know him but to be pedantic the thread is actually titled and exclusively about the DARKSIDE not the Farside or even East Pattaya

as to getting out of the house, i do that every day, i go to the beach and into Pattaya almost everyday and unlike you i do not need to abuse the free parking in Central Festival to be able to do so.

i pay in the secured parking section and do so every time i visit.

i do that rather than drive around for hours following freeloaders like you looking to dump the motor at someones else expense thinking they are being clever

its a far more civilised way to park, in fact i did that just today when i went for lunch at the Hilton

i would review it for you all but its not on the DARKSIDE

at the end of the day, like most of your posts on TV, this is another example of unresearched, defensive and offensive ranting from another faceless keyboard warrior, AKA the cowardly and cruel dog poisoner of the DARKSIDE

in my opinion you hit the bottom of the barrel when you poisoned that poor dog and then crawled right under it when you felt moved to boast about kiiling a defenseless animal in such a cowardly, painful manner and then finding it amusing

personally i hope it comes right back at you and you die in exactly the same way as that poor dog

i for one would not miss you

so as to opinions spewing forth from such low morals personages such as yourself, truth is, in my book, it don't really matter what you think Dude.....

[prefabs]

How's about we shake hands, call it the Farside till 6pm, then call it the Darkside after that. Come on lads, bit silly to be arguing about this

[timekeeper]

How's about we shake hands, call it the Farside till 6pm, then call it the Darkside after that. Come on lads, bit silly to be arguing about this

the OP started a thread and called it ''The Dark Side'' sub thread: ''Places to eat and drink east of Sukhumvit ?''

all responses to his thread have been in relation to the Dark Side in its generally understood location on the east of sukhumvit except those contributions of farangbuggha who refers to some place called the Farside

doesn't that make his contributions to the thread 'off topic''?

[ciaociao]

farangbudda

despite your best efforts to change its name to farside in any DARKSIDE thread on TV

this is a thread about eating out on the DARKSIDE, thats the title of this discussion -THE DARK SIDE

the DARKSIDE nickname was attributed to a well known, highly regarded and now deceased too young bar owner on the DARKSIDE

it is not called the pathetic sounding farside

so if not for me, but out of reverence to his memory lets leave it exactly as it is and not try to change it to some more attractive PC sounding name that you have created

you may not like it but for me its the DARKSIDE and always will be, as it will be for many more who live around here and are proud to call the DARKSIDE home

So within OUR OWN replies, we are all obligated to refer to the area in terms dictated by you so that you may honor your deceased bar-owning friend's memory...I THINK NOT!

And I suppose East Pattaya is also verboten too...sheeze...get a life dude...it's only something over 1000 replies and 60k plus views and this is what you have to contribute to the thread. Why not actually get out of the house and away from your keyboard for a few hours and try a restaurant on the Farside and report back...instead of contributing a useless rant to the discussion

And, for your edification, I often refer to East Pattaya as "The Farside" not out of any sense of political correctness but in reference to the funny, unusual, and odd-ball characters who populate the area, and who are not dissimilar to the characters in the famous Gary Larson cartoon of the same name.

if you were to actually read this extensive thread about the DARKSIDE you would see that i have contributed many more times than you have and i was doing so well before you ever surfaced from your mousehole mooban to squeak out

i have been to 95% of the restaurants on the Darkside in the ten years i have been here, so i do feel able to comment on them and often have, but more often have not, as they were not worth wasting my time writing about

the person who coined the phrase Darkside was not my friend, i did not even know him but to be pedantic the thread is actually titled and exclusively about the DARKSIDE not the Farside or even East Pattaya

as to getting out of the house, i do that every day, i go to the beach and into Pattaya almost everyday and unlike you i do not need to abuse the free parking in Central Festival to be able to do so.

i pay in the secured parking section and do so every time i visit.

i do that rather than drive around for hours following freeloaders like you looking to dump the motor at someones else expense thinking they are being clever

its a far more civilised way to park, in fact i did that just today when i went for lunch at the Hilton

i would review it for you all but its not on the DARKSIDE

at the end of the day, like most of your posts on TV, this is another example of unresearched, defensive and offensive ranting from another faceless keyboard warrior, AKA the cowardly and cruel dog poisoner of the DARKSIDE

in my opinion you hit the bottom of the barrel when you poisoned that poor dog and then crawled right under it when you felt moved to boast about kiiling a defenseless animal in such a cowardly, painful manner and then finding it amusing

personally i hope it comes right back at you and you die in exactly the same way as that poor dog

i for one would not miss you

so as to opinions spewing forth from such low morals personages such as yourself, truth is, in my book, it don't really matter what you think Dude.....

;)Some all the east side of pattaya the OUT-BACK.

[timekeeper]

farangbudda

despite your best efforts to change its name to farside in any DARKSIDE thread on TV

this is a thread about eating out on the DARKSIDE, thats the title of this discussion -THE DARK SIDE

the DARKSIDE nickname was attributed to a well known, highly regarded and now deceased too young bar owner on the DARKSIDE

it is not called the pathetic sounding farside

so if not for me, but out of reverence to his memory lets leave it exactly as it is and not try to change it to some more attractive PC sounding name that you have created

you may not like it but for me its the DARKSIDE and always will be, as it will be for many more who live around here and are proud to call the DARKSIDE home

So within OUR OWN replies, we are all obligated to refer to the area in terms dictated by you so that you may honor your deceased bar-owning friend's memory...I THINK NOT!

And I suppose East Pattaya is also verboten too...sheeze...get a life dude...it's only something over 1000 replies and 60k plus views and this is what you have to contribute to the thread. Why not actually get out of the house and away from your keyboard for a few hours and try a restaurant on the Farside and report back...instead of contributing a useless rant to the discussion

And, for your edification, I often refer to East Pattaya as "The Farside" not out of any sense of political correctness but in reference to the funny, unusual, and odd-ball characters who populate the area, and who are not dissimilar to the characters in the famous Gary Larson cartoon of the same name.

if you were to actually read this extensive thread about the DARKSIDE you would see that i have contributed many more times than you have and i was doing so well before you ever surfaced from your mousehole mooban to squeak out

i have been to 95% of the restaurants on the Darkside in the ten years i have been here, so i do feel able to comment on them and often have, but more often have not, as they were not worth wasting my time writing about

the person who coined the phrase Darkside was not my friend, i did not even know him but to be pedantic the thread is actually titled and exclusively about the DARKSIDE not the Farside or even East Pattaya

as to getting out of the house, i do that every day, i go to the beach and into Pattaya almost everyday and unlike you i do not need to abuse the free parking in Central Festival to be able to do so.

i pay in the secured parking section and do so every time i visit.

i do that rather than drive around for hours following freeloaders like you looking to dump the motor at someones else expense thinking they are being clever

its a far more civilised way to park, in fact i did that just today when i went for lunch at the Hilton

i would review it for you all but its not on the DARKSIDE

at the end of the day, like most of your posts on TV, this is another example of unresearched, defensive and offensive ranting from another faceless keyboard warrior, AKA the cowardly and cruel dog poisoner of the DARKSIDE

in my opinion you hit the bottom of the barrel when you poisoned that poor dog and then crawled right under it when you felt moved to boast about kiiling a defenseless animal in such a cowardly, painful manner and then finding it amusing

personally i hope it comes right back at you and you die in exactly the same way as that poor dog

i for one would not miss you

so as to opinions spewing forth from such low morals personages such as yourself, truth is, in my book, it don't really matter what you think Dude.....

;)Some all the east side of pattaya the OUT-BACK.

i think that maybe you are thinking of the Golf orientated bar of the same name near to the lake not the actual area

Edited February 2, 2011 by timekeeper

[FarangBuddha]

Well, at least it has livened up the thread a bit...as I guess most of the places worth mentioning have been noted on the thread so not much new to post of late. I don't care what Timekeeper, or anyone else, calls the Farside, as long they post their reviews of any new restaurants they come happen to come across in East Pattaya.

[raro]

could we please get back on topic which was.....drum roll..."The Dark Side" and something about eating and drinking but certainly not bickering. thanks.

[timekeeper]

could we please get back on topic which was.....drum roll..."The Dark Side" and something about eating and drinking but certainly not bickering. thanks.

so back on topic

i thought i would venture out from the darkside tonight to the Pasta Basta

we went out in the wife's car as i fancied a drink and upon arrival she was frustrated that there was no parking available

parking in the space opposite was restricted to Castro gym and although there was ample parking space for 5-6 cars outside the restaurant this was blocked off by cement bollards and occupied only by motorbikes

she asked the lady in the restaurant where she should park and they said out on the road

whilst asking she noted there was one person in the restaurant

so at my behest and encouragement she parked outside the restaurant on the road

a wayward motorbike rider nearly hit her car almost the moment she walked away from it

this did not help her mood and she made it clear she was not happy and did not want to stay to eat

so i agreed with her and we drove away

i expect not to return to the delights of the pasta basta which is a shame by all acounts

so we went down soi kow noi and passed on the red palm mexican i have seen talked about on TV, which looked like it was closing down and ended up in the White Horse near the railway line which was a delight

the falang and thai food was excellent as was the friendly informal service

the guitarist and vocalist was good fun and melodic, i enjoyed his singing and playing

not too loud, just right

the pattaya players came in during our meal and seemed a jolly bunch

all in all it was a surprising treat after a disappointing start

so well done White Horse, you saved the day, we will be back............

Edited March 13, 2011 by Rimmer
Name calling

[Upnotover]

could we please get back on topic which was.....drum roll..."The Dark Side" and something about eating and drinking but certainly not bickering. thanks.

so back on topic

i thought i would venture out from the darkside tonight to the Pasta Basta

we went out in the wife's car as i fancied a drink and upon arrival she was frustrated that there was no parking available

parking in the space opposite was restricted to Castro gym and although there was ample parking space for 5-6 cars outside the restaurant this was blocked off by cement bollards and occupied only by motorbikes

she asked the lady in the restaurant where she should park and they said out on the road

whilst asking she noted there was one person in the restaurant

so at my behest and encouragement she parked outside the restaurant on the road

a wayward motorbike rider nearly hit her car almost the moment she walked away from it

this did not help her mood and she made it clear she was not happy and did not want to stay to eat

so i agreed with her and we drove away

i expect not to return to the delights of the pasta basta which is a shame by all acounts

so we went down soi kow noi and passed on the red palm mexican i have seen talked about on TV, which looked like it was closing down and ended up in the White Horse near the railway line which was a delight

the falang and thai food was excellent as was the friendly informal service

the guitarist and vocalist was good fun and melodic, i enjoyed his singing and playing

not too loud, just right

the pattaya players came in during our meal and seemed a jolly bunch

all in all it was a surprising treat after a disappointing start

so well done White Horse, you saved the day, we will be back............

btw, that was Khao Talo you ended up in, not Khao Noi.

[anothertorres]

a wayward motorbike rider nearly hit her car almost the moment she walked away from it

this did not help her mood and she made it clear she was not happy and did not want to stay to eat

come on.

[timekeeper]

could we please get back on topic which was.....drum roll..."The Dark Side" and something about eating and drinking but certainly not bickering. thanks.

so back on topic

i thought i would venture out from the darkside tonight to the Pasta Basta

we went out in the wife's car as i fancied a drink and upon arrival she was frustrated that there was no parking available

parking in the space opposite was restricted to Castro gym and although there was ample parking space for 5-6 cars outside the restaurant this was blocked off by cement bollards and occupied only by motorbikes

she asked the lady in the restaurant where she should park and they said out on the road

whilst asking she noted there was one person in the restaurant

so at my behest and encouragement she parked outside the restaurant on the road

a wayward motorbike rider nearly hit her car almost the moment she walked away from it

this did not help her mood and she made it clear she was not happy and did not want to stay to eat

so i agreed with her and we drove away

i expect not to return to the delights of the pasta basta which is a shame by all acounts

so we went down soi kow noi and passed on the red palm mexican i have seen talked about on TV, which looked like it was closing down and ended up in the White Horse near the railway line which was a delight

the falang and thai food was excellent as was the friendly informal service

the guitarist and vocalist was good fun and melodic, i enjoyed his singing and playing

not too loud, just right

the pattaya players came in during our meal and seemed a jolly bunch

all in all it was a surprising treat after a disappointing start

so well done White Horse, you saved the day, we will be back............

btw, that was Khao Talo you ended up in, not Khao Noi.

very likely, the wife was driving, if the road turns when she does its no more than a coincidence.....

Edited March 13, 2011 by Rimmer

[timekeeper]

a wayward motorbike rider nearly hit her car almost the moment she walked away from it

this did not help her mood and she made it clear she was not happy and did not want to stay to eat

come on.

if i am reading you correctly, you seem to be calling me a liar

care to put some meat on that bone?

[galowgala]

i have just got in from an inpromptu meal decision at Oscars off Siam Country Club Road and i just had to tell you all what a delight it was

the food looked & was delicious

the prices were reasonable

the service was excellent

good quality sound, played at the right levels

good music choices (for me anyway)

the surroundings were romantic

Oscars puts others to shame and is a great find in my view

i would never have known about it without this thread

i will be going back very soon

i just wish i had made the effort and gone sooner

here here il 2nd that im a regular there

[changnaam]

could we please get back on topic which was.....drum roll..."The Dark Side" and something about eating and drinking but certainly not bickering. thanks.

so back on topic

i thought i would venture out from the darkside tonight to the Pasta Basta

we went out in the wife's car as i fancied a drink and upon arrival she was frustrated that there was no parking available

parking in the space opposite was restricted to Castro gym and although there was ample parking space for 5-6 cars outside the restaurant this was blocked off by cement bollards and occupied only by motorbikes

she asked the lady in the restaurant where she should park and they said out on the road

whilst asking she noted there was one person in the restaurant

so at my behest and encouragement she parked outside the restaurant on the road

a wayward motorbike rider nearly hit her car almost the moment she walked away from it

this did not help her mood and she made it clear she was not happy and did not want to stay to eat

so i agreed with her and we drove away

i expect not to return to the delights of the pasta basta which is a shame by all acounts

so we went down soi kow noi and passed on the red palm mexican i have seen talked about on TV, which looked like it was closing down and ended up in the White Horse near the railway line which was a delight

the falang and thai food was excellent as was the friendly informal service

the guitarist and vocalist was good fun and melodic, i enjoyed his singing and playing

not too loud, just right

the pattaya players came in during our meal and seemed a jolly bunch

all in all it was a surprising treat after a disappointing start

so well done White Horse, you saved the day, we will be back............

Yes, totally agree. I have mentioned this place before, and we go fairly regularly for food and to watch football. Everytime the food (Thai and Farang) has been excellent. Aside from the location being a downside I cannot believe that we are always the only customers. Give it a try people definitely not be dissappointed.

[santol]

Not seen any mention of it on here but Mr Moo has opened a shop recently on Soi Khaotalo.

Are they still open? I've driven by many times, but whenever I do they're never open. Does anyone know the story? Have I just been unlucky? Have they closed? Have they already moved to yet another location?

[anothertorres]

a wayward motorbike rider nearly hit her car almost the moment she walked away from it

this did not help her mood and she made it clear she was not happy and did not want to stay to eat

come on.

if i am reading you correctly, you seem to be calling me a liar

care to put some meat on that bone?

oh no way, not calling you a liar. i was just making light of such an irrelevant comment regarding your visit to a restaurant.

Edited February 12, 2011 by anothertorres

[timekeeper]

a wayward motorbike rider nearly hit her car almost the moment she walked away from it

this did not help her mood and she made it clear she was not happy and did not want to stay to eat

come on.

if i am reading you correctly, you seem to be calling me a liar

care to put some meat on that bone?

oh no way, not calling you a liar. i was just making light of such an irrelevant comment regarding your visit to a restaurant.

if you think its irrelevant that a kid on a motorbike pulling wheelies to impress his friends outside the 7-11 near to the restaurant and during the show nearly hit the wifes car parked nearby, then i can tell you do not know my wife at all

it made her even more annoyed that we could not park on the forecourt of the restaurant for some reason and made her not want to stay anyway

most restaurants would give the mothers teeth for some car parking and this restaurant owner blocks it off!

whenever we go out in her car, she likes to park it where she see it if at all possible and if anyone goes near it she is reaching for a gun.........

a motorbike taxi was unfortunate enough to hit her at the front end on sukhumvit road near to Heaven and the fancy sports car showroom

i would call it a minor head on collision, in which he was winded and dazed by his impact with the handlebars

she dived out the car, took his keys from the bike and kicked him and the bike to the floor

took a quick picture of him and the bike with reg number with her phone then warned him that if he tried to run away she would run him over

then called the police and insurance from inside the car whilst glaring at him and revving the engine

almost daring him to make a try for it

man, she loves that car more than me

(the car is more lovable though, i would begrudgingly admit that..........)

[Andy71]

Sold! I will try it tonight. Many thanks for the comprehensive review, I'll post about my experience tomorrow.

On another note but slightly related, there is a new restaurant opening at the temple end of Khao Talo next to the new Kik Bar called Pasta Basta. Same owner as the Kik bar next door, it looks like it could have good potential. I would have asked the owner of Kik Bar when it's going to open but he's just about the most unapproachable bar owner I have ever met so didn't bother.

Had a chance to try this place, Basta Pasta [or was it Pasta Basta, I can't remember] for the first time yesterday for lunch with a friend. WHAT A FIND...AND IT'S HERE ON THE FARSIDE!!! It was some of the best pasta I have had in Pattaya in the 7 years of I lived here. My friend had been before and between his earlier trip and yesterday, we have sampled 3 of the pasta dishes so it gives me at least a decent selection for this review.

First off, it's located at the top of soi Kao Talo, just past the Kao Noi junction and past the 7-11 (next to the Castro Gym and opposite their parking lot). They are open for both lunch and dinner (till 10 pm). They have taken a double-wide shop-house and completely remodeled the interior into a very classy Italian bistro type resto, with proper cutlery and glassware. At present, there is no air-conditioning but plenty of large ceiling fans (which is fine for the next month or so but could present a problem in April and May ). Overall, the ambiance is as pleasant as anything on the "other" side. The service staff have also been well trained and are friendly and efficient. OK, now on to the food...

I am an Italian food lover - especially good pasta and I could eat it everyday [sorta like Thais and som-tam]. So I am always on the lookout for a good pasta resto. There are a few places, unfortunately mostly on the Brightside [Ticino/Tocino being a welcome exception] in Pattaya that I have found over the years that do a decent pasta at a reasonable price [basically B 150-B 250 a dish IMHO]. Being mostly on the Brightside, they are sometimes inconvenient to get to and parking can be a hassle with a car. But no more! Basta Pasta, as its name implies, specializes in pasta. The menu is basically all pastas, with maybe 4-5 other meat entrees available. Starters are also limited to a cutacuria meat plate and I believe some bruschuttas. But it's not a problem because all pasta dishes come with bread rolls and a bowl of hearty soup included. The pasta selection is vast...both the noodles and the sauces they come with. There must be a dozen different pasta noodles available and maybe two-dozen sauces to choose from to put on top. There are all the basic sauces, e.g., tomato, bolonaise, carbonara, etc., but where BP shines are in the unusual one, like how about octopus or pork and shrimp in white-wine cream sauce! I have not seen such a selection in sauces in any other Italian resto in Pattaya [or Bangkok for that matter]. There is a good selection of wines by both the bottle and the glass. Espresso and a good selection of ice-creams are available for dessert.

So having all those interesting sauces on the menu is great...but can the kitchen actually come through and deliver the goods?. This is often the downfall for many a resto...but BP succeed in carrying this off in spades. For my main, I chose the rigatoni with parma ham, mushroom, and walnuts in a white-wine cream sauce. It was excellent, with the noodles cooked "el dente" and the sauce including copious amounts of quality thin-sliced parma ham crudo, tasty imported wood-ear mushrooms, and finely ground walnuts in the sauce. They also serve quality shaved Parmesan cheese to top-off the pasta...not the ground-up stuff found in your typical Italian resto. The serving size is very generous and I was fully sated by the end of my meal. As noted earlier, the meal also includes rolls, served with olive oil, and a bowl of soup, which for us was vegetable. I don't know if this soup changes day by day. The soup was not a large portion but was very good and stuffed-full of healthy veggies.

My dining companion had the rigatoni with Italian sausage and tomato sauce. He too pronounced it very good; his only demerit was that he would have preferred the sausage be more spicy. However, the dish was very good and he gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Previously, he had had the raviolis and he was very pleased with that dish as well. My companion also had an espresso and we both had ice-creams as well. My friend pronounced the espresso to be to his taste and we both enjoyed the ice-creams . While the ice-creams are not made on the premises, they are "home made" from a smaller distrubutor in Pattaya and have a good flavor to them. However, be aware that they are not so much of the creamy variety, with slightly more emphasis on the "ice" rather than the "cream."

So there you have it. One of the best pasta places I have had to pleasure to dine at and it's right here on the Farside. Anyone who enjoys pasta has to give this place a try. I know it will be a regular stop on my eating rounds from now on. And I forgot to mention, the chef in Belgium, so that probably has something to do with the quality of the food served from his kitchen :jap:

[JimmyTheMook]

Pasta Basta , 100 baht for an ice cream?

what does a pasta dish cost then ?