Recent Dining Experiences - Reviews

[PattayaParent]

It's reviews.

They have to be eaten first before you can review them.

[BlackJack]

It's reviews.

They have to be eaten first before you can review them.

maybe someone ate Christmas dinner last year ???

Edited December 24, 2009 by BlackJack

[cochran]

It's reviews.

They have to be eaten first before you can review them.

That was funny! Needed that, what with working on Christmas Eve...and Christmas Day.

That being said, there's another thread currently open that lists all the places having a "do" for Christmas lunch and dinner. Among them, Cherry's, Manhattan's, Jameson's, Royal Cliff, Amor, Casa Pascal, etc etc. Best of luck, Merry Christmas...and stop back on this thread afterward and let us know how you fared!

[cochran]

New post, Christmas Eve.

The evil giant corporation has me working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This afternoon, I had a business meeting with another TV member because of our respective jobs, and he happened to mention that there was excellent schweinshaxe to be had at Klein Heidelberg, soi 18 Naklua (just down from Leo's Blues Bar, same side of the street). I haven't had good Schweinshaxe in quite a while (though I know Hopf on Walking St has been recommended for this dish), and haven't tried Klein Heidelberg at all, so off we went.

We got there a bit before 7, and the place was already doing good business. During our time there, it got quite full. We each ordered schweinshaxe (hers with mashed, mine with fried potato, and both served with a mild but delicious sauerkraut) and an order of potato pancakes, as we were both quite hungry. We ordered an apfelwein to sample (not to our taste, though), but wound up with Erdinger weissbier for me and a mai thai for her.

Drinks came out quickly. There was a note in the menu explaining that there was additional prep time required for the potato pancakes, and this turned out to be accurate. We waited, and then waited some more. Truth be told, it probably wasn't all that long, but seemed an eternity because I was hungry, and the food being served to other tables looked and smelled delicious.

Our server stopped by to make sure we were okay, to apologize for the wait time, and to explain that it was because of preparing everything fresh. Eventually, the food came out....and it was definitely worth the wait!!

The potatoes were cooked perfectly - a little browned on the outside, tender on the inside, but not overcooked to mush. A taste of fried onion was mixed in for a great overall flavor. The sauerkraut, mentioned above, was perfect - warm, a little salty, a little sour, not overpowering at all. And the knuckle itself? Perfection. For starters, its a large portion. You'll be hard pressed to finish it unless you're absolutely famished or have a spectacular appetite. The skin on the outside is cooked to a crisp crackle, and when you peel it away, you reveal the most moist, flavorful, and tender pork I've had in Thailand yet. The meat easily peeled away from the skin and the small amount of fat with no effort. Nothing was overseasoned; nothing was overdone or underdone; everything was delicious.

The potato pancakes became almost an afterthought, which is a shame, as they were excellent as well. Crisp around the edges but tender in the center, these tasted very fresh and were lightly salted. Served with a small dish of applesauce, these would make a great light meal on their own.

I recommend this place highly, and thanks for the recommendation that got me there tonight. We'll for sure be back - next up to bat is the roast chicken. It must be a hallmark dish there, as they were serving it up left and right as fast as they could get it out of the kitchen.

Stop in, let me know what you think!! Just bear in mind the wait time, and be patient....

[cochran]

Have to disagree with you, timekeeper. My experiences from both places were just the opposite! Totally thrilled with Grappa, but you'd need a cattle prod to get me back into the PanPan at Jomtien.

Goes to show you - each of us has his own opinions, and our experiences vary a great deal. Always good to hear other points of view, though.

Everybody - keep them coming!!

i respect your views Cochran and have always enjoyed reading your reviews but for Grappa at least, i felt i was right on the money

my company on the day was a previous head chef from a fancy restaurant in Australia.

he liked the overall decor but not the chandeliers and thought the spag bol he had at 280 baht was small portioned and very ordinary.

i am no chef, but i thought the small ham and mushroom pizza at 180baht was passable and the very small rissotto at 240 baht i had, was salty and i subsequently left half of it

the bill with a few soft drinks was around 1600baht, (when i could get a waiter over to deliver the bill)

maybe its better at night but i won't be going back to find out

i added to my review as i wanted to put a bit of meat on the bone, so to speak .......

Timekeeper,

I spoke with an Italian acquaintance this weekend, and his opinion of Grappa matches yours. I'm paraphrasing, but he found it absolutely terrible in terms of taste and quality.

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one. I'll admit that when I tried their buffet one night, I was less than impressed, and I haven't had breakfast there, but really enjoyed the pastas I've ordered from the menu.

[raro]

Glad that you liked the pork knuckle, it is indeed the best in town AFAIK.

We also had to wait for a while, they were preparing an outside catering that day and got rewarded a digestive on the house for our patience.

Lesson learned: Good food is not fast food.

[aussiechick]

Have to disagree with you, timekeeper. My experiences from both places were just the opposite! Totally thrilled with Grappa, but you'd need a cattle prod to get me back into the PanPan at Jomtien.

Goes to show you - each of us has his own opinions, and our experiences vary a great deal. Always good to hear other points of view, though.

Everybody - keep them coming!!

i respect your views Cochran and have always enjoyed reading your reviews but for Grappa at least, i felt i was right on the money

my company on the day was a previous head chef from a fancy restaurant in Australia.

he liked the overall decor but not the chandeliers and thought the spag bol he had at 280 baht was small portioned and very ordinary.

i am no chef, but i thought the small ham and mushroom pizza at 180baht was passable and the very small rissotto at 240 baht i had, was salty and i subsequently left half of it

the bill with a few soft drinks was around 1600baht, (when i could get a waiter over to deliver the bill)

maybe its better at night but i won't be going back to find out

i added to my review as i wanted to put a bit of meat on the bone, so to speak .......

Timekeeper,

I spoke with an Italian acquaintance this weekend, and his opinion of Grappa matches yours. I'm paraphrasing, but he found it absolutely terrible in terms of taste and quality.

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one. I'll admit that when I tried their buffet one night, I was less than impressed, and I haven't had breakfast there, but really enjoyed the pastas I've ordered from the menu.

Do NOT repeat NOT have the breakfast there - unless you like garlic with everything!!! Even then it is the worst breakfast I have ever had - I would rather have breakfast at Lek Hotel and that saying something!!!

[Millard]

Pig & Whistle serves the best English breakfast I've tasted in Pattaya. Also, the fish and chips are excellent and HUGE. I chatted with the owner and he stated that they do all their butchering, sausage-making on site. He feels the local butchers can't provide the high quality he demands.

[BlackJack]

I had CHristmas dinner at Rich Man Poor MAn and I must say it was miserable.

THe people (bar flies) the food (turkey dinner) and the atomosphere was very poor indeed.

My GF had the thai food at 300 baht and it was mostly inedible - she left hungry and we went elsewhere

The turkey dinner ( 450 or 490 baht) meat was OK but covered in a creme coloured gravey. Mash potatoes and vegies.

There was a buffet in this price as well but is was not presented well and didnt taste that great.

I had pumpkin soup and some bread to fill up.

NEVER again.

[timekeeper]

my family had a wonderful xmas dinner at Cherries

we went last year and although it was excellent and deserved a return visit, we felt it lacked some traditional (essential) xmas vegetables

so before the big day, i paid extra and ordered some roasties, peas, carrots, broccoli and parsnips

this rounded out a very good xmas feast, with excellent service

thanks for a great day Cherries!!

[ernieK24]

What amazes me is how ANYONE can include in a restaurant revue with some classy and delicious offerings, a pig pen like Apex Hotel for a "delicious buffet breakfast". The ONLY good thing about it is the price, 105 baht, and open till 1 pm. Every dish I've ever sampled there was cold. Cold fried eggs, cold "french" toast, cold pancakes.....cold everything. Don't take my word for it, put your hand on the stainless steel pan that holds the eggs, french toast, and the pancakes. The only thing warm is the toast, if you can find a toaster that works, to put the frozen butter patties and putrid marmalade on. The only place I've eaten breakfast that serves imitation orange and pineapple juice. Go once, you'll never go again. Even the Lek Hotel is better, and that's pretty bad. The Danna Inn was a better choice for breakfast buffet, at the same price, but they start closing at ten oclock, and they moved the buffet from the air conditi0oned dining room in the Dianna In to the Green Bottle next door, which is not A/C'd. I'm assumiong they own both properties.

If you like cold food and dirty silverware, dishes, and glasses with lipstick on them.....be my guest. Never again for me.

[Jingthing]

New restaurant report:

Great India Restaurant

Located on 2nd Road across the street from the new Joe Louis theater

Menu claims: Best Indian and Bangladeshi food in town!

Food is Hallal

Opened: One week

Asked if they offered any specific Bangladeshi curried. No, they don't.

Ordered:

Sweet lassi (large glass, good taste) 50 baht

Chicken vindaloo (tiny portion, asked for it extra spicy, got it medium spicy and extra SALTY), contained 4 small pieces of chicken breast meat and a few chunks of tired soft potatoes in a thick sauce that didn't taste like vindaloo to me 145 baht

Pallau rice, OK, tiny portion 50 baht

Vegetable pakora, generous portion, good taste, not greasy, however most of it was really onion bhaji, some had thin sliced potatoes, and some had thin slice broccoli, really very little vegetable, however the dish was good for what it was and the price was right 80 baht

Mentioned to proprietor that serving such tiny portions on the curry and the rice was not going to attract REPEAT local customers. He appeared not interested. I find that weird and unpleasant in a new restaurant. They should be in the process of figuring out what they need to succeed. Customers offering feedback are doing them a favor! However, I think the reality is they are looking for mostly one off Middle Eastern tourists and don't really care about their reputation.

The other weird thing about the place. Generous portions on the lassi and pakora and tiny portions on the rice and curry. Oh well, another Indian place to write off the list.

Ha ha, I wasn't kidding when I said another Indian place to write off the list.

Now -- OUT OF BUSINESS. After just about 3 months.

Now ... a ... drum roll ...

PIZZA PLACE

Oh well, no loss as they clearly didn't care. It lasted a few months longer than that so called Korean Mexican place on Pattaya Klang that was neither Korean, Mexican, or Korean Mexican.

I wonder if this new pizza place has the same owners as Great India. Hopefully not as that location could use a new GOOD pizza place.

Edited January 3, 2010 by Jingthing

[pitrevie]

Try the Ritz in Jomtien Complex for dinner. Manhattan's is a rip off. The chicken wings are so good at the Great American Rib that it's worth going there just for them.

Is that the one run by the elderly Brit? Quite good if I remember.

There are one or two others inside the Jomtien complex worth checking out..swiss or german

There are so many elderly Brits about its difficult to tell. Yes, it is run by a local Brit restauranteur well known in the gay expat community, but you don't have to be gay to eat there.

just to set the record straight about John the proprietor of Cafe Ritz in the Jomtien complex, he may be well known in the gay community and its true that he does have many gay patrons but he is certainly not gay himself.

he is in fact a happily married man whose beautiful wife works with him in the restaurant.

i have known him for many years, he is a great character and he deserves every success in the world with this enterprise.

i thoroughly recommend Cafe Ritz to all, wether you be straight, gay, bi or third gender.

I heartily agree whenever I visit Pattaya I make several visits to the Ritz and haven't been let down once, excellent food.

[ericg1953]

Had breakfast today at O'Garas inside the Tara Court on Soi 5 Pratunmak...great food, very comfortable room and very inexpensive...ham and cheese omlette with home fries,toast,oj and all the fresh brewed coffee you care for...115 baht

[luckyluke]

I have been lately for the first time to Café des Amis, elegant place, good service, one negative point, according to me, but I am not English, I had the lamb and the garnish sauce was some Bistro sauce just like in an ordinary English eatery. I think for a place like this they should make the effort to make an own sauce something like a Sauce Diable.

Edited January 23, 2010 by luckyluke

[cochran]

Can you believe we're in April already?

Not much time today, but wanted to post a quick blurb about a few places I've been in the interim.

Suan Beer, just off Sukhumvit on the Farside. Best potato salad ever, bar none. Really quiet place, with retro American pop playing at a reasonable volume, good (not great) beer selection, and outstanding sauerkraut. RaRo's earlier exhortation to "try the Thueringer" is dead-on - really good sausages, served with a decent mashed potato and the aforementioned sauerkraut. Prices are very very reasonable as well. We've been twice, ordered two 0.5L German beers, two appetizers, and two entrees each time, and I think under 700thb each trip.

Easy Corner, off of Pattaya Nua near Differ night club. Its really dark in there! The music is sometimes okay, sometimes not, and always loud, but the best three-flavor fish I've had anywhere. Stop in for the fish and for the smoked salmon terrine, but beware - cocktails here get expensive quick.

Blue Terrace on Pattaya Nua. This is convenient to my home and has pretty decent Thai food and fairly typical pricing. If you like Tom kha gai, they do a good one here. Moo daed daew, three-flavor fish, steamed veg, and cabbage in soy sauce all good choices at this place, and the green curry with beef is also recommended. Huge projector TV outside for soccer matches, live band, etc. On more than one occasion, they've not been able to fill drink orders (Singha beer has been out on two occasions, and no gin and tonic available another night). This place is not extraordinary, but decent.

Tried to get a table at Au Bon Coin for tonight, but all booked up. Will try to get in at Romanasia instead. Let's get this thread "happening" again!!

[PattayaParent]

I thought you must have been on a diet for the last 3 months?

Looking forward to some more mouthwatering reviews.

[cochran]

PattayaParent, I had to take a different position at work and the load has been very, very heavy since mid January. Not so much on a diet, as being forced to grab quick meals wherever and whenever due to schedule. Seriously, 6 days a week and 12 to 14 hours a day, plus the commute, really makes it tough.

Anyhow, we did manage to get out last night to a place that was recommended quite some time ago - Romanasia off of Pratumnak on soi 9.

When you get to Romanasia, there is a feeling that the surroundings are meant to be sort of neo-Classical, with a footbridge over a pool, small villas on each side, and the restaurant straight ahead. The restaurant is quite nicely decorated, earth tone paint on the walls, bric-a-brac here and there and fabric screens to break up the room. The dining room is small, and according to their website seats 28 people. When we arrived at about 7:30 pm, we were the only people there.

Like pulling off a band-aid, let's get the bad news over with quickly.

When we first arrived, we were easily able to hold a conversation while waiting for food and drink to arrive, with some music in the background. A short while later, another customer arrived, and asked the staff to turn on the television so that he could watch the soccer game. Until this happened, I had been blissfully unaware that there was a big screen tv in the place, just over the bar. So they turned on the game, which pretty much ruined the ambience that we'd been enjoying up to that time. In a restaurant that's this nice, it was really an out of place touch. Party foul.

Secondly, the drinks menu needs some work. I was fine with a gin and tonic, but there are no real cocktails available. House wines are not very tasty, as usual, and the red was served well chilled. Strike two.

Finally, one of our entrees was roast lamb, which came to the table a little dry. Not a major calamity, but detracted from the overall experience.

I have to say that the food here was a very pleasant surprise. The aforementioned gaffes aside, dinner here was, gastronomically, quite successful!

My girlfriend started out with a mushroom and garlic on toast appetizer. On a base of sliced small baguette, they pile on tender mushrooms that have been sauteed in butter with garlic, onion, black pepper, and (I think) a little white wine. Very smooth and savory, with the bread not toasted too hard and the mushrooms at the perfect consistency. The flavors were very complimentary in this dish. Serving size is three pieces. Not enough for a meal in itself, but perfect for an appetizer.

My appetizer was salmon chunks sauteed in butter. The fish was in small, bite size pieces, in a specialized iron pan with little divots (think tiny round muffin pan, maybe), with each morsel capped by a ceramic lid to hold in the heat. This comes to the table sizzling and tastes great. The fish is not overcooked, but buttery and hot and supported by a ton of finely chopped roast garlic. The only warning: its hot! I burned my tongue because it was too good to wait for it to cool. Outstanding dish.

For mains, she ordered a roast lamb with rosemary gravy, mashed potato and mixed vegetables. Presentation on the plate was decent, but not spectacular. When it arrived, it looked like a quite small portion, but turned out to be the perfect size. We didn't leave hungry, and we didn't leave stuffed either. No complaints there. The rosemary gravy was not overloaded with rosemary; used just enough to lend bouquet and flavor to the velvety sauce. With the only negative being that the meat was a little dry, this was still a good meal.

I chose the Indian style butter chicken with garlic rice. Decent portion size, very tender and flavorful chicken, and a nice gravy (sauce?) over the meat. While Indian by Nature puts out better, this was still very good, especially considering this isn't an Indian restaurant. There was more rice than I felt like finishing. Overall quite tasty.

We capped this off with a blueberry crumble each. These are served in a tiny tartlet pastry shell, with one small scoop of vanilla ice cream, a decorative sprinkle of strawberry syrup on the plate, and a couple sprays of whipped cream. While the ice cream was nothing out of the ordinary, the little blueberry crumbles were delicious!! The pastry was crisp, the filling was sweet, but with a touch of tartness to offset it perfectly, and melting a little ice cream on top made this a hot and cold, sweet and tart, soft and crispy delight. Outstanding dessert!!

With two glasses of wine for her (one each of red and white, and both best avoided) and two completely acceptable gin and tonics for me, this three course meal for two came to just under 1100 thb. We've added this to our list of favorites and will for sure return.

And to think we only went there because Au Bon Coin was all booked solid!!

Edited April 4, 2010 by cochran

[PattayaParent]

^just don't go on a Saturday or Sunday evening when you're likely to encounter more football matches.

And there'll be no respite in the close season 'cos tis year it's the World Cup.

[Godolphin]

Had breakfast today at O'Garas inside the Tara Court on Soi 5 Pratunmak...great food, very comfortable room and very inexpensive...ham and cheese omlette with home fries,toast,oj and all the fresh brewed coffee you care for...115 baht

I'll go along with you on O'Garas mate. Nice atmosphere too.

They do a nice steak too but I'm not enamoured of their weekend roasts.

[KunMatt]

Dickynee - My favourite Thai seafood place would have to be Sea Zone - about 50 metres down Walking Street on your right out over the water. Been going there for 2 years on a regular basis and never had a bad meal. Some nights the service isn't perfect but really a minor problem. Finish the meal off with an Irish Coffee, perfect finish.

We went to Seazone last night and I have to express an opinion which is the exact opposite to what you said!

Our regular favourite sea food restaurant is Nang Nual which is much further down Walking street and also on the sea side, but we saw the menu and reps outside Sea Zone and it was my snap decision to give it a try instead, so all blame goes to me but if you don't try new places then you never chance finding somewhere better.

I was out for steak and seafood which is exactly what was written under the logo of Sea Zone which I think is what pulled me in. The food in the menu outside looked beautiful however when I saw the pictures (and the price) of the beef steaks once we had sat down I opted against it.

My gf's wine was rancid; obviously red wine does not store well in 40 degree heat for a few weeks. Shame because they had a wide selection of wines and seemed very proud of that.

The food was terrible; "Fried squid in garlic and black pepper sauce" was just deep fried squid in a pool of lard for B350. "Baby clams in chili paste" was literally 15 small clams and lots of onions, again very oily - this dish should be a mountain of shells. And their pièce de résistance - Tom Yam Talay - was stunning, I have never known anyone to mess this dish up but Sea Zone managed it. No fish - only sliced fishballs (never seen this done before!), 2 squid rings and 3 tiny prawns in a very sour and not spicy soup, and this was the large ring bowl over the flame I'm talking about, not a small one person bowl!!

And to top it all everything cost 50% to 100% more than Nang Nual!! Whole Sea Bass in Tom Yam soup = B500, Black Pepper Crab = B1100. At Nang Nual these are B250 and B600 respectively.

At one point we were ready to leave the food, get the bill and go to the restaurant we had originally planned on! I see your review is from one year ago so I'm curious maybe the food has gone way downhill since you wrote it?

In keeping with my contrasting review, the service was great!

The restaurant was quite busy (more than 40% capacity) but I expect it's because people like me who are hungry walking down Walking Street go to Sea Zone because it is one of the first seafood restaurants you come across, and also their menu outside looks great, but it's experiences like this which make me not want to venture to new places and just stick to places you know are good!

[aussiechick]

UKMatt - I am sorry you didn't enjoy Sea Zone - I was there 2 months ago and it was still good. I have taken clients there and they have actually been back the next night they enjoyed it so much. I must say I am not a fan of Nang Nual and they must have dropped their prices because it used to be one of the most expensive "tourist" seafood places.

As I said in my comment "my favourite Thai seafood place" and it will remain my favourite - BTW I also like Mom Arooys and Bang Saray and the one right at the end of Jomtien.

[KunMatt]

I know most of those places and mostly agree. Also agree Madras Darbar is a great find. But I never liked Ali Baba at all. You are also correct Shenanigans Jomtien is crap.

I always find it risky going to an Indian restaurant in Thailand but I love Ali Baba, been there twice over the last year and both times food was very good, and the restaurant itself is great. If I have time I will try Madras Darbar and see if it tops Ali Baba for me...

Indian restaurants not as risky as Irish though! Every single meal I've had all over Thailand in Irish restaurants/bars have been shit and I now refuse to have any more horrific dining experiences in them!

[KunMatt]

UKMatt - I am sorry you didn't enjoy Sea Zone - I was there 2 months ago and it was still good. I have taken clients there and they have actually been back the next night they enjoyed it so much. I must say I am not a fan of Nang Nual and they must have dropped their prices because it used to be one of the most expensive "tourist" seafood places.

As I said in my comment "my favourite Thai seafood place" and it will remain my favourite - BTW I also like Mom Arooys and Bang Saray and the one right at the end of Jomtien.

I was gutted because I was soooo hungry and everything was pretty inedible, I tried to salvage the soup but patting all the lard off of the squid with 20 napkins and putting it in the soup with lots of seafood chili sauce but it didn't help much!

The Oysters were good! But again more expensive (B60 at SeaZone, B50 at NN).

I don't think I know "Mom Arooys" or "Bang Saray", I'll find out where they are...

[neilf]

went to cafe uno 2 days ago had gammon ------------175 baht and very good--------proper chips !!

also steaks at 205

[aussiechick]

OK - I have to mention this even though I know "someone" will have a go at me.

I was at Jameson last night for the trial run of "Pasta Night" - you choose you own ingredients and then the chef cooks it for you. Ingredients; 3 different kinds of pasta; seafood (squid, prawns, crab sticks) minced chicken, pork and beef, onions, tomato, mushrooms, olives, chillis, and more. put it all on you plate take to the chef he will cook your ingredients, and add either (again your choice) a tomato based sauce, or a beef based sauce or white sauce or seafood sauce and voila dinner is ready. It was very tasty (but then again pick the ingredients you like and you can't go wrong) and also out was salads and a vegetarian lasagne. This is appparently starting next Tuesday officially and my personal opinion is it should go over well.

I was asked to come as I was in the night before for the weekly special (3 courses) which once again I think is good value for money.

[Michaelaway]

OK - I have to mention this even though I know "someone" will have a go at me.

I was at Jameson last night for the trial run of "Pasta Night" - you choose you own ingredients and then the chef cooks it for you. Ingredients; 3 different kinds of pasta; seafood (squid, prawns, crab sticks) minced chicken, pork and beef, onions, tomato, mushrooms, olives, chillis, and more. put it all on you plate take to the chef he will cook your ingredients, and add either (again your choice) a tomato based sauce, or a beef based sauce or white sauce or seafood sauce and voila dinner is ready. It was very tasty (but then again pick the ingredients you like and you can't go wrong) and also out was salads and a vegetarian lasagne. This is appparently starting next Tuesday officially and my personal opinion is it should go over well.

I was asked to come as I was in the night before for the weekly special (3 courses) which once again I think is good value for money.

How much...?

[Michaelaway]

OK - I have to mention this even though I know "someone" will have a go at me.

I was at Jameson last night for the trial run of "Pasta Night" - you choose you own ingredients and then the chef cooks it for you. Ingredients; 3 different kinds of pasta; seafood (squid, prawns, crab sticks) minced chicken, pork and beef, onions, tomato, mushrooms, olives, chillis, and more. put it all on you plate take to the chef he will cook your ingredients, and add either (again your choice) a tomato based sauce, or a beef based sauce or white sauce or seafood sauce and voila dinner is ready. It was very tasty (but then again pick the ingredients you like and you can't go wrong) and also out was salads and a vegetarian lasagne. This is appparently starting next Tuesday officially and my personal opinion is it should go over well.

I was asked to come as I was in the night before for the weekly special (3 courses) which once again I think is good value for money.

How much...?

[aussiechick]

Edited April 28, 2010 by aussiechick

[aussiechick]

Michaelaway: Pasta night not set in concrete yet but at this point Baht 245 as much as you can eat

Three Course special Baht 255 (Monday - Sunday)