Food Critic

[bubblegum]

I’m absolutely amazed and a bit disgusted by the standard of Western cooking in Thailand. I cannot understand how some of you give very good reviews on restaurants that would be out of business in no time in your home country.

Let me tell you where I’m coming from; I used to own a restaurant in The Netherlands and after 4 years of hard word we finally got ourselves a Michelin star. So I do know a bit about the business.

So far I have not eaten a decent meal in any of the Western kind of restaurants. Ok, sure, not all of Phuket has been visited, mainly Rawai and Nai Harn.

The most appalling about eating out are the sauces, could this be a old fashioned British influence? Sauce (a good one) is not made out of thick gravy added with whatever you want to call the sauce.

To name a few of the mishaps I have encountered (without names);

Lasanga is not a blub of pasta

Lamb cooked medium will not work if 1 piece is twice thicker than the other

T-bone cannot be ½ cm thick

Béarnaise sauce is first of all a reduction of white vinegar and tarragon, not mayonnaise. You make that with you egg yolks later in the process.

If you make fresh fish with the skin on, do NOT boil it in butter, fry please

Steak does not do well if you cook it in the microwave

Same goes for pasta, it will only burn your costumers mouth

Pasta a dente means just cooked, not mashed

Thick gravy barfff……………excuse me

Steak need high, direct temperature, turn only once

Aux Bain Marie is very good to keep a sauce warm, better than microwave

Risotto is patience !!! Undercooked is grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Garlic sauce in NOT oil with garlic clove’s inside

Pepper sauce is NOT gravy (here I go again)

Burgers may be seasoned

Please use good cheese

Rant over !

[NADTATIDA1]

TIT

Try a restaurant of your own in Thailand and maybe you will understand it is not as easy as in the west!

I think you should try some of the leading hotels in Bangkok,i have enjoyed the Marriots restaurants top notch!

[bubblegum]

TIT

Try a restaurant of your own in Thailand and maybe you will understand it is not as easy as in the west!

I think you should try some of the leading hotels in Bangkok,i have enjoyed the Marriots restaurants top notch!

I understand it is not as in the west but then again standards are standers, thanks for the tip I try the Marriots next time I'm in Bangkok.

[Jonathanpattaya]

I tend to agree.

Western food is "generally OK" or usually "a bit disappointing" but only on a few occasions have I though it "really good".

Consequently, I usually eat Thai food.

[NanaFoods]

I would tend to agree as well....

However, one can say similar things about Thai restaurants in the States.... there are a few good ones, but most suck.

Edited April 6, 2010 by ChefHeat

[maxjay]

bubblegum wrote:

To name a few of the mishaps I have encountered (without names);

Lasanga is not a blub of pasta

Lamb cooked medium will not work if 1 piece is twice thicker than the other

T-bone cannot be ½ cm thick

Béarnaise sauce is first of all a reduction of white vinegar and tarragon, not mayonnaise. You make that with you egg yolks later in the process.

If you make fresh fish with the skin on, do NOT boil it in butter, fry please

Steak does not do well if you cook it in the microwave

Same goes for pasta, it will only burn your costumers mouth

Pasta a dente means just cooked, not mashed

Thick gravy barfff……………excuse me

Steak need high, direct temperature, turn only once

Aux Bain Marie is very good to keep a sauce warm, better than microwave

Risotto is patience !!! Undercooked is grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Garlic sauce in NOT oil with garlic clove’s inside

Pepper sauce is NOT gravy (here I go again)

Burgers may be seasoned

Please use good cheese

I think that is why, most of us "foodies" on TV, who have lived here in Thailand for any length of time, cook ourselves. Plus, it is just plain less expensive to cook ourselves.

bubblegum wrote:

So far I have not eaten a decent meal in any of the Western kind of restaurants. Ok, sure, not all of Phuket has been visited, mainly Rawai and Nai Harn.

Try Superburger, DaVinci, and M&M Italian in Nai Harn. Seafood restaurants along Rawai beach. Wine Connection in Chalong. All good, IMO.

Edited April 6, 2010 by maxjay

[needforspeed]

Have some knowledge myself, seems you never went to the right restaurants.

Some restaurants in Thailand are on the same level as 1-2 michelin star restaurants in Holland , Belgium and France

And if you cant find the right one , just keep cooking for yourself.

Good Luck

Edited April 6, 2010 by needforspeed

[H2oDunc]

You are in Thailand not the EU. I have been in many michelin rated restaurants across the EU and UK and found most to be run by chefs / managers so far up their own bottoms the food is CRAP. A minuscule piece of undercooked meat with half a small potato, 3 pieces of mange tou to decorate the plate and a drizzle of cranberry or some other irrelevant JUZ leaves one not only a lot lighter in the wallet but still hungry. I am more than happy here with good well cooked food at a very reasonable price. Maybe the fact that there is a dearth of michelin class restaurants here is they are not wanted ?

Sorry but if I want to eat crap I go back to the UK. I for one quite like the different varieties on offer here

[Tejas]

You can't even get good Western-style bread here without really going out of your way to find it.

It is odd.....there are lots of foreigners here, but most restaurants that cater to them are crap.

I have actually had better Western food in nearby Cambodia!

There is actually only one thing that I think keeps Westerners here and most of you know what that is

[needforspeed]

You can't even get good Western-style bread here without really going out of your way to find it.

It is odd.....there are lots of foreigners here, but most restaurants that cater to them are crap.

I have actually had better Western food in nearby Cambodia!

There is actually only one thing that I think keeps Westerners here and most of you know what that is

Not agree, Many 5 star hotels have very good western restaurants.

[bubblegum]

Have some knowledge myself, seems you never went to the right restaurants.

Some restaurants in Thailand are on the same level as 1-2 michelin star restaurants in Holland , Belgium and France

And if you cant find the right one , just keep cooking for yourself.

Good Luck

So how about pointing me in the good direction? But please do not mention M&M, Da Vinci, Amalfi, Ellis !

[bubblegum]

You are in Thailand not the EU. I have been in many michelin rated restaurants across the EU and UK and found most to be run by chefs / managers so far up their own bottoms the food is CRAP. A minuscule piece of undercooked meat with half a small potato, 3 pieces of mange tou to decorate the plate and a drizzle of cranberry or some other irrelevant JUZ leaves one not only a lot lighter in the wallet but still hungry. I am more than happy here with good well cooked food at a very reasonable price. Maybe the fact that there is a dearth of michelin class restaurants here is they are not wanted ?

Sorry but if I want to eat crap I go back to the UK. I for one quite like the different varieties on offer here

Different varieties ???

Pizza, burgers, bad steak and the same menue in every thai eatery?

[HDRIDER]

After 9 years in Thailand and only been back in Europe once, a lot of the Farang food taste good enough for me

[Kiwi/Thai]

Go try the Rum Jungle. Down past Don's cafe on the same side, opposite the bright yellow bank that houses western union. Post back your thoughts on Tony's food. I think it's one of the best.

[cdmtdm]

your restaurant must have been the only one in holland to have a michelin star , in my opinion of all the countries i have been to and thats many , holland has the most boring and overpriced food , if you are happy to name the bad places you have eaten at here in phuket , then tell us the name and details of the so called business you had , so we have a level playing field. When you do come across a good establishment here in phuket, if your ego allows , please tell us ..... i am intrigued as to which place does it for you.....

[Ping]

The expectations of the day...

The OP should have tried dining in Phuket around 25 years ago. Believe me, things have improved incredibly over the past few decades.

I, for one, enjoy the variety of food on offer. Sure, there are plenty of places that get it wrong, but the variety and value are just fine for me. Indeed, there is some bargain dining to be done of very good quality cuisine. Like most regulars and expats, I have a small list of places of varying international cuisines that I tend to stick with (but I also enjoy my own cooking). But then again, I'm not a food snob either.

[needforspeed]

So how about pointing me in the good direction? But please do not mention M&M, Da Vinci, Amalfi, Ellis !

As i posted before many 5 star hotels have good restaurants, Hilton Phuket(Italian restaurant), next to the water, not looking at the layout not happy with that, but the food and wines are very good.

[stevenl]

For good western food IMO Le Celtique is excellent.

[BillR]

9th floor + floyds for 5 star

super burgers for excellent burgers and wings.

[Benjie]

Strange that the OP has such knowledge of food yet is simply unable to choose a restaurant where the food is nice, Plenty of them around.

[fredob43]

Strange that the OP has such knowledge of food yet is simply unable to choose a restaurant where the food is nice, Plenty of them around.

The OP is not asking for nice food but good food, Fish and meat cooked well with a good sauce. Should not be hard to find. But it seem's it is. When I go to a Thai restaurant new to me, the first thing I order is a omelette. Thai style, And I can tell you only 2 out of 10 Thai chef's can do that well, so what chance the rest of the meal. And bar none if the omelette crap so the rest of the food. Western food good, no chance. You must have seen it. Gravy made with Bisto.!!! the best thing since sliced bread. As said before cook it your self.

[Capex]

Try Chu's in Chalong in the same soi as the infamous Mr. India and on the opposite side. Zero for ambiance and 9 fot the food. The best western food outside of a 5 star establishment on this island - and the price is right too! Chu has been trained in France and in 5 star restaurants and it shows! Bon appetit!

[H2oDunc]

Different varieties ???

Pizza, burgers, bad steak and the same menue in every thai eatery?

No I eat at Thai restaurants not up your own arse expensive farang ones so the variety I have is excellent. You obviously eat at very different places to me

[grumpyoldman]

Have some knowledge myself, seems you never went to the right restaurants.

Some restaurants in Thailand are on the same level as 1-2 michelin star restaurants in Holland , Belgium and France

And if you cant find the right one , just keep cooking for yourself.

Good Luck

So how about pointing me in the good direction? But please do not mention M&M, Da Vinci, Amalfi, Ellis !

Give The Family a go, nice mediterranean food, chicken pita excellent. It's at the entrance of the little Tesco Lotus on Viset in Chalong.

Fatties in Chalong has some good food.

[KarenBravo]

No I eat at Thai restaurants not up your own arse expensive farang ones so the variety I have is excellent. You obviously eat at very different places to me

You maybe surprised at this, but, many "Thai" restaurants actually serve pretty good western food.

[sadman]

The only times I've had what might be politely termed 'tummy problems' in LOS is when eating western food, so I avoid it, but why would you expect the western food to be great in LOS? It's a different part of the world with access to different ingredients and with chefs having a different expertise. I guess if you picked up a western chef and dropped him in Phuket with his chosen ingredients, you'd get the same as he'd cook in the west - but that's not the way it is.

Similar to previous posts, I've eaten Thai food all over the world and not found many places worth going to (I know only 3 good ones in London - there must be more but I've knocked my brains out looking).

My wife ran a restaurant in Paris and is a great cook (check my waistline for evidence), but she and I both eat very well in LOS. Not western food, though

[bubblegum]

Go try the Rum Jungle. Down past Don's cafe on the same side, opposite the bright yellow bank that houses western union. Post back your thoughts on Tony's food. I think it's one of the best.

Thank you for directing me this way. Tonight I had the most beautifull meal since I've been here.

Fish fresh, rabbit cooked very tender, pork absolute tender!

A few foot notes: Calimari was very tender but the crispy ring were a little soppy. Maybe put up the heat on the oil just a little bit. Tuna Carpaccio very good but ( and this is my own taste... I like it with a little heat, same as salmon, just to counter balance the soft, butter like taste of the fish).

All in all thank you Tony !! And thank you, whoever you are to tipping me!

Food Critic,

PS The Bill was very reasonable !!!

[needforspeed]

BG, if you have the knowledge and there is a huge market and no competition, why not open your own restaurant

[steelepulse]

BG, if you have the knowledge and there is a huge market and no competition, why not open your own restaurant

I was thinking the same but I'm sure the OP doesn't want the headache, grief and stress.

[fiddlehead]

When in Thailand..................

I probably eat Thai food 80% of the time.

It is usually awesome.

Now, getting Thai people to cook western food does not go over well IMO.

Probably the same problems if you would try to cook their food.

I've been trying to teach my wife how to make "eggs over easy" for 6 years now.

She gets it right about 10% of the time.

But she can make a dam_n good Larb Moo!

I live in Rawai and if I want to, can have Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian, Italian, French, German, Swedish, foods all within 2 kms from my house. And a 15 baht banana shake too!

I'm appreciating the food here. Sorry you are not.