Recent Dining Experiences - Reviews

[cochran]

Okay - Bob's BBQ Pattaya last night.

My gf and I met a colleague there for dinner last night, and it was pretty good.

They get points for serving Cuervo Especial (since no one seems to have Patron or Espolon, which are my favorites).

Appetizer was chips and salsa. Menu said that it comes with one mild and one spicy, but only one bowl appeared. The chips were warm and fresh, but the salsa was not very good. The Singha (bottled) was good and cold. Shots of Cuervo were appropriately served in shot glasses (I can't tell you how impressed I am by this simple thing), and came with lime wedges and salt on the side. The hand shaken gold margarita was too sweet, but the frozen version for some reason was spot-on.

Dinner was quite good actually, and made up for the appetizer. My girl had a half rack of ribs, and said the sauce was MUCH better than at More Bar & Grill (ref. earlier posts) as it was more smoky and less sweet. It was served with cole slaw, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes.

I had the medium sized bacon cheeseburger. Meat was well seasoned, but a little dry, and no mayo was served with the burger (it was very late and I was starving, so didn't want to wait and ask for any - my issue, not theirs). All toppings seemed fresh. Alas, no pickles!! Must have dill pickles for a good burger. My recommendation here is that you ask for extra cheese on the burger. For this much meat, one slice is not enough. The fries were cooked right. I'll say that this is the best burger I've had in Pattaya so far. Henry J. Beans has been recommended recently as having a really good burger. That's the next stop on the burger hunt, probably in April.

My colleague had the hamburger steak dinner and some chicken strips, and was well pleased. Side dishes with his dinner were same as on the rib dinner.

Both the Bacardi & Coke and Beam & Coke were served Western style (enough liquor to taste, and in a highball style glass), and were very nice.

Prices were not too bad, considering all we ordered and drank - around 2650 baht for all. Will definitely go back, as I want the ribs.

One warning - parking is a true PITA in this area. Not an issue with Bob's, just the general environment.

The owner was in the house, and provided good conversation during dinner, but was not obtrusive at all. Overall an enjoyable dinner experience.

Tonight's plan, provided I leave work at a reasonable hour: dinner at Mike's TexMex, then off to the Blues Factory tonight. My first trip to Walking Street!

[TheWalkingMan]

Thank you very much for taking the time to post your reviews.

TheWalkingMan

[LtCol]

Well Done to The Walking man , I believe that this Thread is the most , sensible , informative & practical posted in many many Moons

[cochran]

Thank you for the kind words. Glad to be of service!

[eyebee]

Hey Cochran,

Have you tried Cherry's Restaurant (3rd Road opposite X-Zyte disco) yet? Their set menu is very good value. For around 500 baht you get 6 or 7 courses including dessert! Mostly "nouvelle cuisine" type of food, so not huge portions, but very very good and I guarantee you will go away well-sated! Wine is quite expensive (as you'd expect), but a carafe of house red or white is not too bad. Last time we were there one of the options on the set menu was Kobe steak!

If you go please let us know what you think, as your reviews have been the best around.

Edited March 13, 2009 by eyebee

[cochran]

Haven't tried Cherry's. In fact, I don't recall even hearing of that one! But thanks for the heads up - it sounds like a place I'd like. On the list now.

I hear you on the wine. Really expensive everywhere, it seems. What would you compare the house red to at Cherry's?

[LtCol]

Okay , Beefeaters Today.

Had the Baby Back Ribs with Corn , love the ribs , love the Corn , Sauce was not bad , bit too ketchupy for me , wife had the Swiss meatballs as a Lunch Special at 199bht , she claims one of the best she has had & could not finish it .The mashed potato with it was scrumptious.

We'll be back

[suiging]

Cherry's is a personal top pick. Set meals at both lunch and dinner excellent value, well presented and always using top notch raw material. I have no idea how they do it for the price.

[cochran]

When you eat at restaurants so often, you're bound to find some really good ones and some...well, not so good. Last night we wound up with one of the best meals I've had in Pattaya.

A friend from work recommended Mike's Mexican Restaurant out near Jomtien, so we gave it a try last night. It was excellent.

The place is very unassuming in appearance - typical open-air establishment. But when we opened the menus for their drink selection, I was pleased to see that they had premium tequilas on offer. We each had a shot of Herradurra Anejo as a starter and enjoyed it very much. Then we had chips and salsa with a side of guacamole while our entrees were being prepared.

The guacamole is simply the best I've ever had. Period. It was not bland at all, which is my most common complaint about the stuff, and tasted very fresh (as did everything else we had here). The chips were warm and fresh. The salsa tasted like it had just been chopped and prepped as we ordered. A word of explanation here on the salsa - if you are expecting the heavy red sauce type of salsa (like in most US mexican restaurants, and most of the Pace or Ortega packaged goods in the market), this is not what they serve. It is a bowl of minced fresh ingredients, and its great. There's very little liquid or sauce in the bowl.

While we waited for the entrees (not to imply a long wait), my girlfriend indulged in a very infrequent treat and ordered a dessert. She asked them to bring it out immediately instead of at the end of the meal. It was their cinnamon fried bananas with ice cream. Another win. Warm and fresh and delicious, nothing extravagant about it, just a simple and good dessert.

Her entree was the beef chimichanga, with the spicy sauce. The sauce is not too hot, and according to a person in the restaurant (owner? manager? frequent guest?) is flavored with ancho chilies and cilantro, so nothing to be too concerned about Scoville-wise. The rice is good, but the refried beans are excellent. The beef was tender and flavorful.

Mine was the Monterey chicken fajita burrito. i'll say this is a must try if you go to Mike's. Outstanding. A lightly breaded and fried chicken breast, cut into chunks, then stuffed into a burrito with jalapenos and sauce.

The margaritas are picture-perfect.

Our only complaint was the pina colada was too sweet. Couldn't really taste the rum. But this is a very minor beef. We'll MOST definitely go back to Mike's. Strongly recommended.

[aussiechick]

Yes, I have always liked Mike's - used to live in the area and always popped in for a snack of chips and salsa with a side of guacamole also their peppers stuffed with sour cream. All washed down with margaritas!!!

[Roota]

Cherry's is a personal top pick. Set meals at both lunch and dinner excellent value, well presented and always using top notch raw material. I have no idea how they do it for the price.

I haven't met Khun Cherry but my understanding is that he's the former saucier from Bruno's. They've obviously kept expenses low on things like decor, but agreed, the value for money is just terrific.

[cochran]

Just got back from my first visit to the Pig & Whistle. I went for the full English, and it was pretty good. Ordered my eggs fried, and they were perfectly cooked. Forgot to say "hold the baked beans", so tried them when they got there. No joy.

I liked the change from grilled tomatoes to canned tomatoes. I think grilled tastes better, but the change of pace was nice.

My girl had the steak and eggs and liked the bubble and squeak.

Okay, time for a startlingly unpopular opinion. We both liked Shenanigan's english breakfast better than the P&W. We thought the sausages were a little better seasoned and the bacon a little leaner. I know that the P&W is highly rated on this forum, and the food was definitely good, but not my favorite.

We did like the atmosphere in the place, and we plan to go back for dinner sometime. The bar looks very well stocked.

Speaking of drinks, after dinner last night we went to the Blues Factory. The blues band played a really good set, and the rock band that followed them up was excellent. We will definitely go back. What's the tie in? We were with a group from work, a mixture of Americans, local Thais, and Thais who have travelled abroad, and we were discussing where we could get an Irish Car Bomb (for the uninitiated, this is halfpint of Guiness, a half shot of Bailey's, and a half shot of Jameson's. Drop the mixed shot into the Guiness and knock it off before the Bailey's gets all curdled.). The Blues Factory didn't have that kind of selection, but I'm sure the P&W could set some up!

[aussiechick]

Bout time you gave Jamesons breakfast a try then!

[cochran]

I'll have to try Jameson's breakfast. Their beef& guiness pie is a huge favorite, and if the breakfast measures up it'll have to be a winner. Thanks for the tip.

[fresnoboy]

When you eat at restaurants so often, you're bound to find some really good ones and some...well, not so good. Last night we wound up with one of the best meals I've had in Pattaya.

A friend from work recommended Mike's Mexican Restaurant out near Jomtien, so we gave it a try last night. It was excellent.

The place is very unassuming in appearance - typical open-air establishment. But when we opened the menus for their drink selection, I was pleased to see that they had premium tequilas on offer. We each had a shot of Herradurra Anejo as a starter and enjoyed it very much. Then we had chips and salsa with a side of guacamole while our entrees were being prepared.

The guacamole is simply the best I've ever had. Period. It was not bland at all, which is my most common complaint about the stuff, and tasted very fresh (as did everything else we had here). The chips were warm and fresh. The salsa tasted like it had just been chopped and prepped as we ordered. A word of explanation here on the salsa - if you are expecting the heavy red sauce type of salsa (like in most US mexican restaurants, and most of the Pace or Ortega packaged goods in the market), this is not what they serve. It is a bowl of minced fresh ingredients, and its great. There's very little liquid or sauce in the bowl.

While we waited for the entrees (not to imply a long wait), my girlfriend indulged in a very infrequent treat and ordered a dessert. She asked them to bring it out immediately instead of at the end of the meal. It was their cinnamon fried bananas with ice cream. Another win. Warm and fresh and delicious, nothing extravagant about it, just a simple and good dessert.

Her entree was the beef chimichanga, with the spicy sauce. The sauce is not too hot, and according to a person in the restaurant (owner? manager? frequent guest?) is flavored with ancho chilies and cilantro, so nothing to be too concerned about Scoville-wise. The rice is good, but the refried beans are excellent. The beef was tender and flavorful.

Mine was the Monterey chicken fajita burrito. i'll say this is a must try if you go to Mike's. Outstanding. A lightly breaded and fried chicken breast, cut into chunks, then stuffed into a burrito with jalapenos and sauce.

The margaritas are picture-perfect.

Our only complaint was the pina colada was too sweet. Couldn't really taste the rum. But this is a very minor beef. We'll MOST definitely go back to Mike's. Strongly recommended.

Sounds good ! For the un-initiated (myself ) can you give directions ?

regards,

[Jingthing]

I have a SAVE YOUR MONEY tip.

You know the Soi off Tukcom with the budget European restaurants very popular with expats?

There is that one location there that seems jinxed. Its hard to keep track of the joints that have opened and closed there in quick succession.

The location is directly across the street from the Bordeaux restaurant. I can't even see a name for the place yet but they serve German food and also pasta but it gives the impression of being a light and airy place with semi-trendy aspirations. Its hard to imagine how they will make it through low season because tried once, there is absolutely no compelling reason to ever return. This area being a draw for expats, I just don't see how they can make it on one off tourists

Anyway back to the joint, I had the goulash soup described on the menu as being some kind of massive monster of a bowl "German style" with enough bread to choke an army. What arrives? A thin soup in a cup that a Thai might consider a large cup but a German would consider a baby thimble. The soup itself is homemade of perhaps Progresso canned quality, very thin, very thinly settled, with just enough pieces of microscopic meat that you won't send it back. The bread - one tiny dinner roll. The cost? 125 B. A definite ripoff for this neighborhood. Already it is obvious the place is run by bean counters who have calculated exactly how little they can give without people refusing to pay.This soup was not awful or offensive, its just that you can get better at most any German place in town, so why return there?

Next, the pasta with pesto (claiming to home made pesto). What arrives is the smallest portion of pasta they could get away without people complaining, coated in a minimalist style with mostly olive oil and some homeopathic sized tiny specks of green stuff that may have been basil but really didn't taste of anything. The overall experience was olive oil (and probably butter) with a little green coloring. Not real pesto. The pasta was disturbing. Instead of serving the whole strands of spaghetti, the spaghetti like noodles (wasn't actually spaghetti) were split into about four pieces so basically it was mini spaghetti. I don't know if this is the latest trend in Milano but my impression is that the intention was to make the tiny portion appear larger, 4 times the pieces, what a deal! It didn't work, it just made it more annoying. The garlic bread wasn't bad and there were two decent sized pieces of it (the bean counter must have been dozing off). This was only 100 baht and not worth it but can't get very exercised about 100 baht. However, there is no rational reason to ever return there for their pasta. If you want really yummy pasta in the general area try the pasta with homemade pesto at Restaurant Volterra on Soi Yensabai area cooked by an Italian chef, using actual whole strands of spaghetti. Wonders never cease in Pattaya!

Anyway, this place doesn't deserve to make it. Save your money.

Edited March 15, 2009 by Jingthing

[cochran]

Fresnoboy - Take 3rd rd. toward Jomtien, straight across when you get to Pattaya Tai, then stay left when you get to the overpass. That should be Thepphraya rd., and Mike's will be on the left. Hope this helps, as I'm still not terribly familiar with getting around in Pattaya.

Cue the Saturday Night Live plug - time for "Weekend Update".

I've already made mention of my visit to Pig & Whistle on Saturday. Our typical weekend dining is two meals, as we are usually out late on Fri and Sat nights, and so sleep in a little and do a brunch then dinner. For Saturday night, we went to the downtown location of Mum Aroy.

This location is smaller than the other two Mum Aroy restaurants, but still has good intimate atmosphere. They did not have a band playing, but it didn't detract too much from the overall experience. I must say that this group of restaurants has definitely got consistency from location to location. We enjoy these restaurants so much that we always end up ordering too much food, as we want to get all of our favorites. On Saturday night, we had the herb salad with fried catfish, the whole fried seabass with mango salad, kaao pad gai, and chicken wings. It meets the standard of Mum Aroy's other spots - freshness, great taste, very reasonable prices. Satisfying meal, and no unpleasant surprises. I would not hesitate to recommend any of their locations.

Sunday morning we rose uncharacteristically early and followed aussiechick's suggestion of a Jameson's breakfast. We both had the full Irish, and those are the best sausages I've had anywhere. The seasoning is perfect, and the texture seems to be a lot finer than the typical pork sausage link. I was very impressed. Our verdict: a tie between Shenanigan's (Avenue location) and Jameson's. I think the perfect breakfast in Pattaya would have to be assembled from various locations: the bacon from Shenanigan's, the sausages from Jameson's, and the perfectly-cooked eggs from Pig & Whistle. They all have something good to offer. At Jameson's, I was also pleased with the potatoes (not quite as crunchy as the ones at P&W) and I confirmed that I prefer the grilled tomatoes over the canned (or tinned, if you will).

Since we were up early (at Jameson's at 8:30), we needed a little lunch, so for the first time I used Door 2 Door and we ordered in from the Sportsman. We'd eaten there before, so it was a fairly safe bet. My girlfriend ordered bangers and mash, which came with 3 sausages, mashed potatoes, a nice onion gravy, and english peas (which we didn't try). She really enjoyed the meal and was totally satisfied.

I had the beef & Guiness pie, served with french fries, brown gravy, and carrot/cauliflower/broccoli medley. The vegetables were cooked well without being mushy, and the fries were decent. However, lets just say that Jameson's needn't worry about competition in the beef & Guiness pie department. Jameson's version is one of my all-timie favorite dishes, and is superior in every respect - better pastry, better gravy, more tender meat, larger portion. The meal from Sportsman was decent, but not spectacular.

On Sunday evening, a colleague from Germany had arrived in town and is staying some distance from Pattaya. To keep from driving so much, we met up at The Green, which is between Pattaya and Laem Chabang International Golf Club. Its a large, open air place (but also has an enclosed area, and a separate karaoke room) which frequently serves as an after-work meeting place if a group of us wants to have dinner together. The food is uniformly good and inexpensive. Last night we had the river fish (toptim) with three flavor sauce, tom kha gai, herb salad, and pork leg.

The toptim was excellent, as usual. This place always gets the fried fish just right - crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and not overdone. Great sauce as well. The tom kha gai was the best I've ever had. It was not too spicy, but had enough heat to be enjoyable. The pork leg suffers in comparison to my past experiences. Last year, I spent almost two months in East Germany, and really enjoyed schweinshocksen (pork hock) as prepared there. The pork leg here is the same cut of meat, but just isn't as good. This is the ONLY dish I've ever had that tasted better in Germany, as I typically enjoy the food much more here. This item comes fried, and is served with a selection of sauces, a nice pickle (carrots, cabbage, and etc), and french fries.

What's next? Depends on how late I work tonight. If I can leave on time, we plan to hit Cherry's. After the enthusiastic recommendations from you guys, it has to be worth the trip. Otherwise, may have to grab something from Central Festival area.

[Lost in LOS]

When you eat at restaurants so often, you're bound to find some really good ones and some...well, not so good. Last night we wound up with one of the best meals I've had in Pattaya.

A friend from work recommended Mike's Mexican Restaurant out near Jomtien, so we gave it a try last night. It was excellent.

The place is very unassuming in appearance - typical open-air establishment. But when we opened the menus for their drink selection, I was pleased to see that they had premium tequilas on offer. We each had a shot of Herradurra Anejo as a starter and enjoyed it very much. Then we had chips and salsa with a side of guacamole while our entrees were being prepared.

The guacamole is simply the best I've ever had. Period. It was not bland at all, which is my most common complaint about the stuff, and tasted very fresh (as did everything else we had here). The chips were warm and fresh. The salsa tasted like it had just been chopped and prepped as we ordered. A word of explanation here on the salsa - if you are expecting the heavy red sauce type of salsa (like in most US mexican restaurants, and most of the Pace or Ortega packaged goods in the market), this is not what they serve. It is a bowl of minced fresh ingredients, and its great. There's very little liquid or sauce in the bowl.

While we waited for the entrees (not to imply a long wait), my girlfriend indulged in a very infrequent treat and ordered a dessert. She asked them to bring it out immediately instead of at the end of the meal. It was their cinnamon fried bananas with ice cream. Another win. Warm and fresh and delicious, nothing extravagant about it, just a simple and good dessert.

Her entree was the beef chimichanga, with the spicy sauce. The sauce is not too hot, and according to a person in the restaurant (owner? manager? frequent guest?) is flavored with ancho chilies and cilantro, so nothing to be too concerned about Scoville-wise. The rice is good, but the refried beans are excellent. The beef was tender and flavorful.

Mine was the Monterey chicken fajita burrito. i'll say this is a must try if you go to Mike's. Outstanding. A lightly breaded and fried chicken breast, cut into chunks, then stuffed into a burrito with jalapenos and sauce.

The margaritas are picture-perfect.

Our only complaint was the pina colada was too sweet. Couldn't really taste the rum. But this is a very minor beef. We'll MOST definitely go back to Mike's. Strongly recommended.

Sounds good ! For the un-initiated (myself ) can you give directions ?

regards,

good for Los Angeles and great for pattaya/jomtien

thappraya road [traveling down second road towards jomtien it turns into thappraya road after the overpass. will be on the left less than a kilometer. there is a large yellow sign with a cactus on it on a pole and it is an open air restaurant. good menu

[fresnoboy]

Cochran and Lost in LOS, thanks for your directions. I will try them out ASAP.

regards,

[LtCol]

Agrre with Jingthing , what a disaster on the Goulash i Soth patts..

BUT , recovered my faith at the Belgium Place adjacent to Soi Diana with a satisfying Belgium Goulash & the wife had the Bitterballen , she loved it & she is from Amsterdam, so it had to be OK.

The only thing that is concerning me at most of the decent Restaraunts as a Bacardi Drinker is the prices seem to have increased & 175 - 200 seems to be the norm , when a couple of months ago 105 - 120 was .??

Mostly Farang Senior Owners as well , so cannot blame the locals

An observation.

[cochran]

LtCol, do you have the name of the Belgian place? I'd like to add it to the list.

Following up on recommendations from this thread, we went to Cherry's restaurant last night on 3rd Rd. When we approached the restaurant, I wasn't too sure about it. It looked like one of the typical open air establishments, but I remembered people saying they were focused on the food, not the decor in this restaurant.

The hostess led us inside to the air conditioned dining room. While it could use a coat of paint, it was a decent place once we were inside. I was pleased to see real tablecloths and cloth napkins, and the room was not unpleasant.

We got there around 7:15, and the place was not too crowded. We were seated immediately, and we started off with ordering a bottle of Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet. The menu listed a 2005, but the waiter informed us that 2006 was what was available. 1500 baht for the bottle (just over $40 USD) was a little steep for this vineyard, but not atypical for this city. It was a very good bottle of wine if you enjoy this type of blend (and we do!).

My girlfriend was not incredibly hungry, so opted for the chef's selection of hors d'ouerves as her entree - crab terrine, pate, toast points, a smoked salmon rose, some type of sliced meat. She said everything was quite good, and she finished most of it off. The presentation was very nice and shows the attention to detail coming out of the kitchen.

I had the french onion soup - very good flavor. My entree was Norwegian cod, baked with rosemary, and served over whipped potatoes. There was a sauce on the plate with small carrots and spears of zucchini (or something similar) arranged around the outside. Incredible! Very tasty. I'm a sucker for rosemary anyway, and the fish was cooked perfectly - flaky and moist, well seasoned, delicious. Lest I forget, the entree included their salad bar. The selection was not extensive (and the lettuce was somewhat wilted), but there were some high points - their herb balsamico dressing is out of this world good, and they have a potato salad with mustard and bacon that is almost as good as mine from home. The salad bar as a stand-alone meal goes for 90 baht, and would make a perfect Saturday lunch or etc.

There was no room for dessert, unfortunately. The menu looked quite promising.

When the bill came, I was pleasantly surprised. Remember the 1500 baht for the wine? The total bill, wine included, was 2060 baht. I have no idea how they can provide this type of quality, with decent portion size, and charge so little. I was very impressed.

We will definitely be back.

One word of caution here, I'm sorry to say. When my entree came out, there were a few mussels arrayed around the edge of the plate, interspersed with the vegetables. As far as I remember, they weren't mentioned in the dish description on the menu. Like many others, I have a seafood allergy (I can eat fish, but not shellfish), and the inclusion of the mussels was a surprise. My allergy is quite mild, but this could be a serious problem for others. I recommend advising the staff if you have this same condition, and let them assist in your choice if there's any risk.

Otherwise, a total win. Great taste, good service, fantastic prices, and the parking wasn't so bad either.

Tonight we plan a return to Shenanigan's in the Avenue. Not so much for the food, but it is St. Patrick's Day, and we must needs indulge at an appropriate venue! Plus, Shenanigan's is within walking distance of home in case I get carried away

[Jingthing]

I believe the Belgium place off Soi Diana is Patrick's Belgium Restaurant. It is decent but I can't imagine doing cartwheels about it.

The place near Tukcom with the laughably minimalist goulash soup and pasta is called LOUNGE. Avoid unless you savor throwing money down a rathole. Best to help them die a quick death rather than a prolonged one so maybe the next batter up in this jinxed location decides to do it RIGHT for a change.

Edited March 17, 2009 by Jingthing

[cochran]

Quick update from Tuesday night:

Dinner with some friends at Shenanigan's in the Avenue on 2nd Road. Mixed bag, I'm afraid...

As usual, we were fairly late getting there (almost 8 pm - heavy traffic last night for some reason) and we were absolutely starving. I ordered a draft Stowford Press for me and a tequila for my constant companion, and asked for their Greek salad as a starter. The cider was great, the tequila was great, and the salad was...not. It had all the standard ingredients, but no flavor. The dressing tasted like mostly oil, with some lemon juice. We had a couple bites each and then asked the server to take it away.

When our entrees came out, different story. She had the chicken Kiev, and it was very good. The chicken was done, but still juicy, and with a nice crispy outside. The garlic flavor in the filling was great, and the dish came with fries, veg, and a nice onion gravy. Well done! Too much for her to finish, in fact.

I ordered the beef & Guiness pie. My reasoning: I LOVE this dish at Jameson's, and Kim Fletcher of Jameson's used to run Shenanigan's, so maybe similar. Turns out I was right - the pastry was good, the gravy was good, the meat was tender, and a generous portion. However, I have to say that Jameson's still is my fave for one simple reason - at Jameson's, the pie is served with great mashed potatoes and a steamed veg. At Shenanigan's, the pie is a la carte.

Our dining companions had the fish and chips and a chicken ceasar salad, and both seemed pleased with theirs, if empty plates are an indication. A decent meal, but the Greek salad at this place is to be avoided.

Prices were not shocking - with our salad, two entrees, one tequila, one Stowford, one Mojito, and one Irish car bomb, the tariff came to just about 2200 baht. A little steep, but not shocking.

Tonight's plan - Nag's Head (tentatively).

[Jingthing]

empty plates are an indication

No!

Empty plates are an indication of someone who was hungry and food that was edible! It doesn't mean the food was exceptional. That is like praising an actor by saying he didn't forget any lines!

[cochran]

Okay, so where did I leave off?

Wednesday night we went to Nag's Head. On a previous expedition, we'd seen their menu sign out front and decided that we'd go there eventually. It's within walking distance of home, so there we were.

We both started with a bottle of Singha, and they keep it cold, so good on that note. As a starter I ordered some garlic bread. It arrived hot, soft, and well seasoned. The plate was quickly emptied, and while this is not (as previously noted) always a sign of excellent food, I'm picky enough that it does mean more than edible. The garlic bread is quite good here.

Unfortunately, that's about the only thing I could recommend for the Nag's Head at dinner. I had the roast pork tenderloin with apples and dried prunes and balsamico vinaigrette, with rissole potatoes. The apples turned out to be a rather thin applesauce and the standard tableware here doesn't include spoons. Flavor was not great, and the meat was not very exciting. The potatoes were cooked correctly, so the meal was not a total loss. There was a nice veg mix on the side which was left still crisp and fresh, and was quite good.

My girlfriend had the Hungarian goulash, served with mashed potatoes and the same veg as above. It wasn't finished and did not get rave reviews.

Tonight we thought we'd give the Great American Rib Co. a try. Not a great success. I will say that they have the best margarita I've had in Pattaya, and the chicken wings were very very good - the medium sauce is just about right for us. She and I both ordered a half rack of ribs, hers with garlic bread and baked potato, and mine with potato salad and bbq baked beans. While the meat was tender, the sauce was sweet and had been allowed to carmelize on the ribs, leaving them sticky and somewhat crunchy on the outside. The baked potato was underdone, the potato salad underseasoned, and the baked beans way overcooked.

We won't be back to either of these establishments. Two losses in a row! The home team needs a real win. I'm thinking maybe Manhattan's or Bruno's. Is either of these a sure bet?

[Jingthing]

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.

[kicking]

There is a place called the Golf Bar on Soi LK Metro, the food is very good. They have a grilled steak and pork chop night on Wed, and Sun nights. The pork chop is excellent and a great value. Their spaghetti is also suprisingly good. You'll have to sit outside, but the food is worth it. The breakfasts are good too. Downside is the neighborhood and no aircon.

Also good value for money is Sailor restaurant, it's just inside Sailor bar which is on the beach end of Soi 8. Not a great atmoshphere but again, good value for money and good food.

Mantra is a great atmosphere with some food that is ok, other dishes aren't really that good. Great service, atmosphere, and some lucky food orders and you'll love it. It's kind of hit and miss with the food, you'll have to experiment to find something you like. Forgot to mention, good cocktails here.

Also try Toscana on Beach Road just before Soi 6. Good Italian. Downside is that the staff NEVER smiles.

Cheap and good Indian is at Tikka Center on Soi Buakhow. Get it to go because it's pretty ugly inside.

My take on Manhattan's - I agree with the other poster. It was expensive and I didn't think it was anything special. Bruno's, you will love the decor if you are old and gay. The food is not bad though.

Sorry, first post but I've lived here a number of years and have been to just about every restaurant. Try the first five I mentioned and let everyone know what you think. I'd be surprised if you were disappointed...

Edited March 19, 2009 by kicking

[Jingthing]

Cheap and good Indian is at Tikka Center on Soi Buakhow. Get it to go because it's pretty ugly inside.

Of those have only been to the Tikka. I thought it was very poor as did some other posters you will find if you search for it.

[kicking]

Cheap and good Indian is at Tikka Center on Soi Buakhow. Get it to go because it's pretty ugly inside.

Of those have only been to the Tikka. I thought it was very poor as did some other posters you will find if you search for it.

Not sure what to say about Tikka, ordered there at least 20+ times and sometimes it gets a bit greasy but overall it's about the best Indian I've had here. Probably been to every Indian place around as well. Oh well, to each his own. But hey, at least you have to agree on the interior!

Be real surprised if you didn't like the other four places though...

[Jingthing]

Oh, I was also at the Toscana. I like their pizza.