Why Not Eat At "Why Not" Restaurant?

[OldeBellPedr]

I thought the Olde Bell had a 115 baht page on their menu with a pork chop on it, am I mistaken?

David

We do David, we have a range of meals priced for local expats at 113 baht (107 baht on Thursdays), We also do BBQ's most weekends priced at 100 baht for all you can eat - 85 baht for Gold Card holders (including one tonight (Friday 15th) and one tomorrow night (Saturday 16th) but some sorry individuals never let facts get in the way of their relentless vendetta's.

Back to the thread, as I asked earlier, does anyone know if this new venture is in addition to Sergio's existing business called Pizza e Vino, just behind Thapae Gate or is he closing that to concentrate on this? We often eat in Sergio's esblishments and it's good to keep up to date with his latest goings on!

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

You could ask them on their Facebook Wall.

I don't seem to see anything about the various branches. The fact they don't have a FB page for Pizza Vino is maybe a bad sign.

They do have some pictures, menu updates and general discussion there

Why Not Facebook Wall

Edited April 15, 2011 by CobraSnakeNecktie

[uptheos]

You could ask them on their Facebook Wall.

I don't seem to see anything about the various branches. The fact they don't have a FB page for Pizza Vino is maybe a bad sign.

They do have some pictures, menu updates and general discussion there

Why Not Facebook Wall

Looks like a wonderful selection and salmon steaks too!

I wonder how long Sergio can keep this at 189 baht for?

[NancyL]

I'll make a note to scout out the lunch buffet at "Why Not" after May 1.

[mallmagician]

Looks great, so I think I will take the Mrs there soon. She likes Italian food, so its a good choice for us. Good pricing too.

Think I will wait till after Songkran though.

[jdinasia]

I have 6 Thai lecturers coming in town next week. The place is an obvious choice to take them, again thanks to the OP for pointing it out!

[CMSteve]

I am also interested in getting a meat pie for less than "Why Not's" buffet price. Can you tell me if the expat discount is open to all local expats and what is required as proof ?

Thanks

What you may have missed mallmagician is that this guy stalks The Olde Bell around the forum posting negative comments at every possible opportunity. He wasn't trying to compare British food prices with Sergio's buffet, he was having a swipe at The Olde Bell because he doesn't like the place. He does it with monotonous regularity. For the record - The Olde Bell have a steak and Veg pie with potatoes on the menu at 175 baht less 10% for local expats so 158 baht. Most of the meat pies are 205 baht, same as for Meals on Wheels, but with 10% off for expats - 15% on a Thursday!! making them cheaper than Sergio's buffet - but, as I said, the comparison is ridiculous - If you're in the mood for Italian you aint going to be satisfied with a meat pie and if you want British fare, you won't want an Italian buffet. He really should stop making posts on food threads because he has no interest in dining out - he made up some story about going out for Sunday Lunch at Red Mango and having a long chat with Tony a few weeks ago - I went up to RM the next day and had a chat with Tony and he'd never even heard of a a curly haired geezer called <Edited>. He's another sad individual with no mates who spends his days posting trash on the internet because he has nothing better to do with his life. Nuff said!!

[OldeBellPedr]

I am also interested in getting a meat pie for less than "Why Not's" buffet price. Can you tell me if the expat discount is open to all local expats and what is required as proof ?

Thanks

What you may have missed mallmagician is that this guy stalks The Olde Bell around the forum posting negative comments at every possible opportunity. He wasn't trying to compare British food prices with Sergio's buffet, he was having a swipe at The Olde Bell because he doesn't like the place. He does it with monotonous regularity. For the record - The Olde Bell have a steak and Veg pie with potatoes on the menu at 175 baht less 10% for local expats so 158 baht. Most of the meat pies are 205 baht, same as for Meals on Wheels, but with 10% off for expats - 15% on a Thursday!! making them cheaper than Sergio's buffet - but, as I said, the comparison is ridiculous - If you're in the mood for Italian you aint going to be satisfied with a meat pie and if you want British fare, you won't want an Italian buffet. He really should stop making posts on food threads because he has no interest in dining out - he made up some story about going out for Sunday Lunch at Red Mango and having a long chat with Tony a few weeks ago - I went up to RM the next day and had a chat with Tony and he'd never even heard of a a curly haired geezer called <Edited>. He's another sad individual with no mates who spends his days posting trash on the internet because he has nothing better to do with his life. Nuff said!!

The discount is open to all local ex-pats who are resident in Chiang Mai for more than 4 months a year. All you need is a valid email address, your word is good enough to prove your residency status. The discount card gets you 10% off pretty much everything apart from few promotional items. You get 15% on Thursdays. We're a bit short of meat pies until Tuesday as this thread caused a rush in sales yesterday!!

At the moment we've got:-

Steak and Kidlney Pie (Sausage King)

Steak and Onion Pie (Sausage King)

Mixed Vegetable Pie (Sausage King)

Chicken and Mushroom Pie (Sausage King)

Aussie Meat Pie (Lady Pies, Phuket)

Steak and Vegetable Pie ( A bloke named Roy who doesn't have a company name)

In a simiar vein, we also have:-

Cornish Pasties (Tower Bridge Foods)

Pork Pies (Yorkies, Pattaya)

These are served with either British/Australian Chips, boiled new potatoes or mash, together with vegetables and gravy. enjoy!

We also do various Italian dishes - but we couldn't compete with Sergio's 189 baht buffet. Has anyone been yet as a result of this thread? Any chance of some feedback?

[CMSteve]

Thank You Pedr. Much appreciated!

I am also interested in getting a meat pie for less than "Why Not's" buffet price. Can you tell me if the expat discount is open to all local expats and what is required as proof ?

Thanks

What you may have missed mallmagician is that this guy stalks The Olde Bell around the forum posting negative comments at every possible opportunity. He wasn't trying to compare British food prices with Sergio's buffet, he was having a swipe at The Olde Bell because he doesn't like the place. He does it with monotonous regularity. For the record - The Olde Bell have a steak and Veg pie with potatoes on the menu at 175 baht less 10% for local expats so 158 baht. Most of the meat pies are 205 baht, same as for Meals on Wheels, but with 10% off for expats - 15% on a Thursday!! making them cheaper than Sergio's buffet - but, as I said, the comparison is ridiculous - If you're in the mood for Italian you aint going to be satisfied with a meat pie and if you want British fare, you won't want an Italian buffet. He really should stop making posts on food threads because he has no interest in dining out - he made up some story about going out for Sunday Lunch at Red Mango and having a long chat with Tony a few weeks ago - I went up to RM the next day and had a chat with Tony and he'd never even heard of a a curly haired geezer called <Edited>. He's another sad individual with no mates who spends his days posting trash on the internet because he has nothing better to do with his life. Nuff said!!

The discount is open to all local ex-pats who are resident in Chiang Mai for more than 4 months a year. All you need is a valid email address, your word is good enough to prove your residency status. The discount card gets you 10% off pretty much everything apart from few promotional items. You get 15% on Thursdays. We're a bit short of meat pies until Tuesday as this thread caused a rush in sales yesterday!!

At the moment we've got:-

Steak and Kidlney Pie (Sausage King)

Steak and Onion Pie (Sausage King)

Mixed Vegetable Pie (Sausage King)

Chicken and Mushroom Pie (Sausage King)

Aussie Meat Pie (Lady Pies, Phuket)

Steak and Vegetable Pie ( A bloke named Roy who doesn't have a company name)

In a simiar vein, we also have:-

Cornish Pasties (Tower Bridge Foods)

Pork Pies (Yorkies, Pattaya)

These are served with either British/Australian Chips, boiled new potatoes or mash, together with vegetables and gravy. enjoy!

We also do various Italian dishes - but we couldn't compete with Sergio's 189 baht buffet. Has anyone been yet as a result of this thread? Any chance of some feedback?

[Soulwy]

This is just a review of an impartial consumer: I went to the "Why Not: Buffet and this is my list with pros and cons:

+

Very nice setting outside, with 2 tables with mosquito nets!!

Charming staff

A lot of food choice:

Antipasti /tapas

2 Soups

Grilled meat/ fish

Lasagna, meat + vegetarian

Several Pasta + sauces

Fish, Seafood, meat dishes

Pizza, quiches

Bread

-

Antipasti was good, but the mozzarella was like rubber

Vegetarian Lasagna had no taste + too mushy

Pasta, too spicy to eat

Pizza with... sausage ..?

Mussels were tough, not chewable

I tried many things and usually Italian food is my comfort food. But sorry to say, in the end it left me unsatisfied, I was missing the usual Italian bliss after having Italian. I doubted if I'd ever come back. But then... I had some dessert, tiramisu and cheesecake. This combination (bitter, sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy) made me smile...

I will come back, but will order an a la carte- dish and have some dessert again.

PS. Owner, please, invest in decent dessert cutlery! The tiny plastic spoon wasn't very useful with the cheesecake. And maybe it's an idea to have pepper & salt on tables (instead of having it only at the buffet)

3 out of 5.

[Soulwy]

Oh, and you have 1,5 hour time to enjoy the buffet. Every half hour longer is 40 baht extra. Time of arrival will be written on the receipt.

[uptheos]

Oh, and you have 1,5 hour time to enjoy the buffet. Every half hour longer is 40 baht extra. Time of arrival will be written on the receipt.

Thanks for the review, sounds as if there are a few things to be ironed out and hopefully the owner will take note.

The 1.5 hour thing is good IMO. It's plenty of time to eat a leisurely lunch without feeling feeling rushed.

[rebo]

We visited "Why not" yesterday evening and, yes, it's worth the money.

These green lights at the garden places .... We found it disturbing.

The variaty and quality of desserts is better than average but the plastic cups and spoons ...

Will come again.

[Ulysses G.]

The variety and quality of desserts is better than average but the plastic cups and spoons ...

I used the metal eating utensils and pottery bowls from the buffet section.

[jkfkr]

We visited "Why not" yesterday evening and, yes, it's worth the money.

These green lights at the garden places .... We found it disturbing.

Orange light strips over the buffet and green ones over the table meant that I could never make out what colour my food was, which I found disturbing.

Foodwise I didn't think it was anything special, but I will go back in a couple of weeks to give it another shot.

[venturalaw]

We visited "Why not" yesterday evening and, yes, it's worth the money.

These green lights at the garden places .... We found it disturbing.

Orange light strips over the buffet and green ones over the table meant that I could never make out what colour my food was, which I found disturbing.

Foodwise I didn't think it was anything special, but I will go back in a couple of weeks to give it another shot.

Funny - lighting has never been a concern for me when it came to cuisine (unless it was pitch black and I couldn't see what I was eating). I guess for some people, a shade of color can put one off their meal. Fortunately, I've never had that problem. I'm more interested in the taste and the price.

Edited April 17, 2011 by venturalaw

[playyer]

I thought the food was very nice, and im rather picky. Looking at the pictures on facebook and considering the price i really wasnt expecting very much, looked a bit industrial on facebook, but most dishes were very flavorful. I never tried the pasta cooking section thought, it seemed to be unmanned when i was there so cant comment on that. Service dont really seem to be 100 percent yet, but i guess the place is new. Dont really care much about service anyway when its a buffet. Seemed like rather big selection of desserts too. Never really thought about the lighting:)

[james24]

Just got back, bloody good value.

I can see this plave growing into something special aswell as 'Sahara' round the corner (morrocan)

The only thing I will say and it was probably a genuine mistake was that the change was 100bt short when it came back. Apart from that well pleased.

[cheshiregent]

went there last night. Not bad, good value, but not great either.

My only criticism is that the buffet dishes were cold, but overall it was good.

serving hot food on cold plates is a huge no no especially something like pasta

i dont care how hot the room is but i like my food to be hot or i cant eat it yuk

[james24]

Went there again the other night and food was great, but this is my worry.

Everytime Ive been there I get quite ill the next day and no matter how much I eat I never get full. This is exactly what msg does and that could be the reason it tastes so good.

Obviously being in Thailand its hard to avoid unless you specify but eating it in large quantites like that isnt good for you.

On another note one of the waiters is definately on the take, same guy 3 times always give the wrong change and always takes ages getting it.

Apart from those two concerns I think "whynot" is still pretty good.

[Ulysses G.]

This is only an opinion, but it seems to me that some people are very much, overly paranoid about MSG and pretty much all the studies support the premise that almost no one is affected by it in a negative way.

Edited May 23, 2011 by Ulysses G.

[techno]

Has Why Not restaurant opened at lunchtimes now. Also does he sell wine as well?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

This is only an opinion, but it seems to me that some people are very much, overly paranoid about MSG and pretty much all the studies support the premise that almost no one is affected by it in a negative way.

.. well, at least not when used in sensible quantities, and when the person does not have to keep to a low-sodium diet. Overall I see it pretty much the same as regular table salt: very helpful in small quantities, but it's not a health benefit, especially not in larger quantities or to people with certain health conditions.

I use MSG in cooking myself, mostly because it's part of the Ros Dee seasoning, also made by Ajinomoto. I don't really use straight MSG, though perhaps I shoud; Ros Dee is also very salty, so it limites the opportunity to add other things that are salthy such as good soy sauce, fish sauce or oyster sauce. When using straight MSG instead of Ros Dee I keep more options open in my culinary symphonies..

[elektrified]

Has Why Not restaurant opened at lunchtimes now. Also does he sell wine as well?

Yes to both. Opens @ 11:00.

[james24]

Like Ulysses says mine is only an opinion so I cant be sure if "whynot"s food is laced with it.

The thing that gets me about msg is the way it manipulates the neurons of the brain. Its telling you how things taste, how full you are etc, I find that a bit scary.

As for health issues there are also numerous studies saying that msg can cause heart attacks, strokes and blood clots.

But I will probably still go to whynot again

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Like Ulysses says mine is only an opinion so I cant be sure if "whynot"s food is laced with it.

The thing that gets me about msg is the way it manipulates the neurons of the brain. Its telling you how things taste, how full you are etc, I find that a bit scary/

What do you mean 'manipulate' and change taste.. you mean in any way that different from what table salt does?

As for health issues there are also numerous studies saying that msg can cause heart attacks, strokes and blood clots.

Right, not unlike table salt. When used in really, REALLY big quantities, or for people with particular health conditions.

[MangoAndCo]

But somehow I don't like to be 'clocked', time of arrival will be written on the receit and after 1,5 hour they will charge you extra. When you're alone 1,5 hour gives you plenty of time to enjoy the meal, but when you are with company... Let's face it, "all you can eat"... how many people take this literally...?

I don't eat more than I usually do, only because it's a buffet.

I like Khun Churn for this reason, several drinks, informal, uplifting setting, light conversations with familiar faces... but yeah, I know, it's not Italian ;-)

[james24]

Like Ulysses says mine is only an opinion so I cant be sure if "whynot"s food is laced with it.

The thing that gets me about msg is the way it manipulates the neurons of the brain. Its telling you how things taste, how full you are etc, I find that a bit scary/

What do you mean 'manipulate' and change taste.. you mean in any way that different from what table salt does?

As for health issues there are also numerous studies saying that msg can cause heart attacks, strokes and blood clots.

Right, not unlike table salt. When used in really, REALLY big quantities, or for people with particular health conditions.

Msg is nothing like table salt. Table salt ACTUALLY DRAWS out flavors from the food, whereas msg does not.

Both are bad for you in large quantities. and I tend to stay away from both as much as I can.

[llp]

Heard this place is closing down soon, never got enough business.

Sad to see such a great valued buffet disappear.

Sure will miss that cheesecake.

[Strawberryfields]

Heard this place is closing down soon, never got enough business.

Sad to see such a great valued buffet disappear.

Sure will miss that cheesecake.

Will they be closing the coffee shop/ gelati as well then?

The cheese cake & tiramisu... anytime...