Breakfast Like A King...

[Ulysses G.]

I agree that some of the portions do not match up to some of the other places in town, but the variety of unusual items (for Thailand) and quality of most of the baked goods is so good that I don't mind ordering something extra to make sure that I feel full.

My guess is that because they use so much cream and butter in their recipes, they have a choice of a higher price or smaller portions on some things. Personally, I would rather pay a little more, but many people would not agree.

Edited April 4, 2010 by Ulysses G.

[gotlost]

Just compare the BLT for example...

A BLT for breakfast?

[Oneman]

Butter is Better, really? Franckly, I was disappointed with this new place.

Me, too.

After reading so many gushing reviews on this forum, I was looking forward to a great breakfast of bacon & eggs at the new Butter is Better (Changklan Road, near Pantip Plaza, across from Giorgio's.)

But what I got was, just like "Cib", frankly disappointing:

One strip of bacon cut into two pieces, maybe trying look like more.

Whole wheat bread that had no flavour and a strange, crumbly texture, like a dry cake rather than moist, yeast bread.

Eggs decent.

Rather slow service in late morning with few other customers, but "mai-pen-rai" this is Thailand.

On the positive side, a very pleasant, charming, chatty, lady who introduced herself as the owner.

It's only polite to give a new place time to settle in.

And I always want to encourage any new business and wish them success.

But Butter is Better has had a month already, and breakfast is the simplest meal to prepare and serve.

I was expecting something better.

-- Oneman

Chiangmai

.

[gotlost]

Butter is Better, really? Franckly, I was disappointed with this new place.

Me, too.

After reading so many gushing reviews on this forum, I was looking forward to a great breakfast of bacon & eggs at the new Butter is Better (Changklan Road, near Pantip Plaza, across from Giorgio's.)

But what I got was, just like "Cib", frankly disappointing:

One strip of bacon cut into two pieces, maybe trying look like more.

Whole wheat bread that had no flavour and a strange, crumbly texture, like a dry cake rather than moist, yeast bread.

Eggs decent.

Rather slow service in late morning with few other customers, but "mai-pen-rai" this is Thailand.

On the positive side, a very pleasant, charming, chatty, lady who introduced herself as the owner.

It's only polite to give a new place time to settle in.

And I always want to encourage any new business and wish them success.

But Butter is Better has had a month already, and breakfast is the simplest meal to prepare and serve.

I was expecting something better.

-- Oneman

Chiangmai

.

We are in Chiang Mai and as for American breakfast this is probably as good as its going to get. IMO most people set their goals to high for this town. You are not going to find a Denny's or IHOP. (I WHISH)

[Ulysses G.]

The owner mentioned to me that they are experimenting with ways to increase portions while retaining the excellent quality of the food and without raising the price. They have only been open for a few weeks and are going through some growing pains.

[gotlost]

The owner mentioned to me that they are experimenting with ways to increase portions while retaining the excellent quality of the food and without raising the price. They have only been open for a few weeks and are going through some growing pains.

I agree UG. They have made major improvements already. Great little restaurant.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

The owner mentioned to me that they are experimenting with ways to increase portions while retaining the excellent quality of the food and without raising the price. They have only been open for a few weeks and are going through some growing pains.

Wrong way around. Start with proper food and proper portions, then when successful see if you can tweak things to sort out the profit margin, and then do it by working the purchasing/inventory side first, not the customer side. Let your bottom line be the guinea pig and the affected party of any growing pains, not your customers. Customers don't want to suffer a business' growing pains.

To state the obvious, you can only make a first impression once, but you have plenty time to tweak costs while customers keep coming in.

And that applies ESPECIALLY when taking over a successful business. You need to be MORE generous at first to keep the customer base, which presumably was a reason to take over an existing business in the first place.

Edited April 5, 2010 by WinnieTheKhwai

[butterisbetter]

Butter is Better, really? Franckly, I was disappointed with this new place.

Me, too.

After reading so many gushing reviews on this forum, I was looking forward to a great breakfast of bacon & eggs at the new Butter is Better (Changklan Road, near Pantip Plaza, across from Giorgio's.)

But what I got was, just like "Cib", frankly disappointing:

One strip of bacon cut into two pieces, maybe trying look like more.

Whole wheat bread that had no flavour and a strange, crumbly texture, like a dry cake rather than moist, yeast bread.

Eggs decent.

Rather slow service in late morning with few other customers, but "mai-pen-rai" this is Thailand.

On the positive side, a very pleasant, charming, chatty, lady who introduced herself as the owner.

It's only polite to give a new place time to settle in.

And I always want to encourage any new business and wish them success.

But Butter is Better has had a month already, and breakfast is the simplest meal to prepare and serve.

I was expecting something better.

-- Oneman

Chiangmai

.

First off, I'd like to thank those who made kind comments about Butter is Better. It is much appreciated. I would like to point out that while it may seem that our cookies and cakes are richer because of the butter, that is not the case. It's just that butter, unlike margarine, or Crisco, or any other artificial trans fat, actually has a lot of flavor. So it is detectable as such in pastries, cakes, and whatever it is used in. Actually, for what it's worth, butter is slightly lower in calories than margarine. Of course, in our pastries and cakes that use lots of whipped cream, they are going to be rich. But I don't think any richer than the imitation whipped cream used by most bakeries here.

As for the bacon. The previous establishment used a very high quality German bacon. But German bacon is very salty. So the strips are cut thin and small. We use an American style bacon that is cut very long and thick. I guarantee you that one strip of this bacon outweighs 2 of the German kind.

As for the whole wheat bread having no flavor. That is about as close to impossible as any culinary assertion can be. Unlike most bread calling itself whole wheat in Chiang Mai, our bread actually is made with virtually 100 percent whole wheat flour. (I say "virtually" because about 1 teaspoon of wheat gluten is added to each loaf. Wheat gluten is the part of the wheat that enables bread to rise. Whole wheat needs some help. ) One thing whole wheat flour does not lack is flavor. It can't help but be flavorful. One may not like the flavor, but that's a different thing.

As for it being dry. Real whole wheat bread can never be as soft as white bread or what passes for whole wheat in chiang mai. That's why white bread is so popular. So it's texture may you lead you think that whole wheat is dry compared to white bread. That said, we have lots of people who regularly buy loaves of our whole wheat bread.

As for your expecting something better… I believe you are the person who recently made some strange and unpleasant accusations against a couple of other advertisers on this site. I leave it to others to decide where your true hopes and expectations lie.

[butterisbetter]

The owner mentioned to me that they are experimenting with ways to increase portions while retaining the excellent quality of the food and without raising the price. They have only been open for a few weeks and are going through some growing pains.

Wrong way around. Start with proper food and proper portions, then when successful see if you can tweak things to sort out the profit margin, and then do it by working the purchasing/inventory side first, not the customer side. Let your bottom line be the guinea pig and the affected party of any growing pains, not your customers. Customers don't want to suffer a business' growing pains.

To state the obvious, you can only make a first impression once, but you have plenty time to tweak costs while customers keep coming in.

And that applies ESPECIALLY when taking over a successful business. You need to be MORE generous at first to keep the customer base, which presumably was a reason to take over an existing business in the first place.

Usually, when restaurants launch, they begin with what is called a soft opening. No publicity, no solicitations. Just to give the restaurant time to get itself in order. A restaurant is a complicated thing to orchestrate. I remember going to the Dukes when it first opened. I wasn’t real impressed. But it has steadily and relentlessly improved over time and keeps on improving over its already high standard. That’s what we are doing too. With a restaurant you haven’t got much choice. If you’re not getting better, then you’re getting worse.

That said, I think the quality of our food is already high. And our baked goods even higher.

And our breakfast portions are growing in size. And I swear that is without the benefit of steroids.

As for working the “the purchasing inventory side first” , maybe if we were a foundry manufacturing ingots of pig iron, this might apply. ( I’m guessing here that one ingot of pig iron is pretty much like another. Forgive me, connoisseurs of pig iron, if I am in error.)

But we are not manufacturing a commodity. Compare something as simple as 2 chocolate chip cookies. One may be made with cheap bleached flour, margarine, artificial vanilla, and chocolate chips very low in actual chocolate while the other contains top quality dark couverture chocolate, unbleached flour, genuine vanilla, and real butter. The only way to make the latter match the former in price would be to stage a heist on an upmarket bakery supply truck, or maybe start a cacao plantation.

Clearly, Mr. Winnie-the-Kwai is a believer in the magic of the marketplace. Me, I’m a believer in the science of the marketplace.

That said, our menu items are mostly priced in line with other establishments. We have conducted clandestine reconnaissance missions on their most closely guarded menus, just to assure ourselves of the fact.

Also, we did not take over an existing business. Bake and Bite is still very much in business in bigger and better quarters elsewhere. Two elsewheres, actually. We just rented the premises formerly occupied by them, And would have done so even if the place was previously a discount chainsaw outlet. Location, location, location.

[gotlost]

"As for the bacon. The previous establishment used a very high quality German bacon. But German bacon is very salty. So the strips are cut thin and small. We use an American style bacon that is cut very long and thick. I guarantee you that one strip of this bacon outweighs 2 of the German kind."

This was a major complaint I had with the previous establishment their bacon tasted like it had come from The Salton Sea. I tried it one time and never had it again..Keep up the good work hope to have breakfast tomorrow.

[Ulysses G.]

I LOVE the bacon in both establishments. (Meat lovers) Pum Pum and the Olde Bell (British style) also have excellent bacon.

[butterisbetter]

I like that German bacon too. It's just different but very well made. No corners were being cut there.

[gotlost]

Gunther's German food is fantastic. Including his bacon. The bacon that Bake and Bite was using the taste was like drinking salt water. Other people have commented on it farang and Thais alike on how salty it was.

www.muantae.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=87

[butterisbetter]

Gunther's German food is fantastic. Including his bacon. The bacon that Bake and Bite was using the taste was like drinking salt water. Other people have commented on it farang and Thais alike on how salty it was.

www.muantae.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=87

I went out there once. Had a very impressive meal. Hard to find, though. Did I read somewhere that GM now has a branch of their restaurant somewhere in the city?

[MartinBKK]

+1 for PRATIES at Rimping. Very good food, nice coffee and not expensive.

I would really recommend this place - i have no financial interest in it at all i just enjoy going there and want the place to stay open!!!!

[Thaihog]

+1 for PRATIES at Rimping. Very good food, nice coffee and not expensive.

I would really recommend this place - i have no financial interest in it at all i just enjoy going there and want the place to stay open!!!!

I'll second Praties. Good pub food, cheap and decent sized portions.

Cheers