Money changers in Pattaya

[PattayaParent]

Try the North Korean restaurant in the soi down the side of Woodside Resort.

Good food and a show.

The North Korean restaurant has now closed and moved to Bangkok.

[Jingthing]

Oh boy!

Yet another Korean restaurant review.

This one, sad to say, is largely negative but still mixed.

Suffice it to say, I LEFT HUNGRY, and that is not a happy thing!

The place --

Gayarang Korean restaurant, North Pattaya Road, just to the left of FAIRTEX

The ambiance --

a tad bit upscale for a local Korean place, but not much

The welcome --

What welcome? Somewhat of an unfriendly vibe.

The scam --

They shamelessly tried THREE times to steer me to the BBQ menu, lied two times that the other menu was exactly the same. I know they were lying because I had been there before some years ago. The have both BBQ and other dishes menu. I wanted other dishes, they wanted to sell BBQ. I don't blame them, more money, but lying to customers and assuming they are ignorant is SLEAZY! The generous interpretation of this (not much) is they assumed I was ignorant of the food and as a westerner would only like the BBQ dishes, so doing me a favor, ha ha.

The background --

I had been there years ago for their boiled mackerel soup. I remember it to be all that you would ever want in a Korean boiled mackerel soup (also lots of mackeral) so this gave me the false impression that everything would be good there. Wrong! BTW, I don't think I will want boiled mackerel soup every again in my life, so even though it MAY still be good there, I won't be ordering it again.

The ordering error --

Ordered dolsot bibimbap "with beef" which is of course bibambap done in a hot stone bowl. As I have said before, finding decent bibambap in Thailand is difficult, I have yet to have excellent bibimbap in this country, but have had decent. I figured this was a good restaurant based on the mackerel so thought they would also have good bibimbap. Nope!

The side dishes -- taste and quality fine

8 side dishes. That's alot! Two I didn't eat, a western salad thingie with salad cream and some rubbery thing I couldn't identify. Most everything else a kimchi variation. Service never offered refills but likely would have if asked. I didn't want refills as the overall BALANCE of the side dishes was poor, not enough variety, so what was offered was all I wanted of that stuff

The dolsot bibimbap --

Correctly served in a stone bowl. The bowl wasn't even hot. NONE of the rice sticking to the bottom as it should. I felt it was a fake presentation, stone bowl just acting as a bowl. The portion was way too small. The vegetable assortment was inadequate, for example no bean sprouts. The beef portion was hilarious!!!! It was minced beef (better bibimbaps have sliced grilled beef) and it consisted of between 5 and 10 small mince granules. Seriously under an ounce of meat, I would estimate 1/8 of an ounce. Beef in this dish is supposed to be only a flavoring, not a serious portion, but the size of this beef portion was seriously comical. You might as well order it vegetarian, would make no difference. The egg was overcooked. That is all wrong. The egg yolk is supposed to be runny in this dish to mix it up with the rice mixture. Chili sauce was not hot enough, too sweet. I suspect the dish may have been farangatized, perhaps thinking westerners don't like runny egg, or rice sticking to the stone bowl, and maybe they even served me the sweet farang Korean chili sauce, it tasted that way to me. But not sure, maybe they are just bad for everybody.

The side soup with two small clams in a clear broth --

good.

Water. Most every Korean resto in town brings FREE drinking water. It's a local custom and I like it. This place, no. Bottled water, 30 baht.

The hope --

Maybe they just have crappy bibimbap. Maybe their BBQ is good. Maybe their spicy soups are still good. I don't know but in no rush to go back and will never be ordering their bibimbap again, that's for sure.

Edited October 9, 2010 by Jingthing

[anothertorres]

Speaking of picture menus, are there any good Thai restaurants with picture menus?

no.

best post of my life.

anyway, i'm all about Hanwoori.

[JimmyTheMook]

Oh boy!

Yet another Korean restaurant review.

This one, sad to say, is largely negative but still mixed.

Suffice it to say, I LEFT HUNGRY, and that is not a happy thing!

The place --

Gayarang Korean restaurant, North Pattaya Road, just to the left of FAIRTEX

You saved me a meal there then , as considered trying this place but it looked a bit like a tourist dive.

I still like the place reviewed in the 1st post but have indeed been turned away when they were loaded with tour bus patrons , the owners did seem genuinely sorry though.