Items You Would Love To See In A Pattaya Chinese Restaurant

[Jingthing]

Congratulations again to China Garden for fulfilling the desires of so many for well cooked Westernized Chinese food with ample portions and very fair pricing!

China Garden's menu is already large and ambitious for what they are doing in their size of restaurant, so it wouldn't be so fair to ask them to do additional dishes to please those with somewhat more varied palates in the Chinese department.

But maybe they'd want to introduce a few such items as weekly or monthly specials? Or better yet how about a totally new restaurant to cater to this other kind of market.

A few of these dishes may be available at some places in town, but either overpriced, not done well, or both I'm afraid.

Here are the kinds of Chinese dishes I am talking about. Please add some of your own, assuming you understand what I am getting at here (less westernized but absolutely wonderful Chinese dishes) --

- Clay pot casserole dishes!!!!

The classics such as

Super combo w/ fried tofu, seafood, meats, cabbage, etc.

Tofu, chicken, salted fish

Beef brisket or similar

Lamb with bean curd skin, garlic, cabbage, etc.

Oyster with pork belly, garlic, cabbage etc. !!!

Sizzling chicken

Duck pieces with taro

Sesame Scallion Bread

Shanghai Soup Dumplings (the soup's inside)

Hand pulled noodles in spicy soup with seafood

Black bean sauce variations

Squid/Crab/Clams with black bean sauce

Beef chow fun with black bean sauce (onions/green peppers)

Chinese beef stew noodle soup

Lion's Head (Pork) Meatballs

Spicy Chinese eggplant

Hakka salt baked chicken served with ginger oil

Beef with chinese broccoli (gai lan) over pan fried noodle

Ma po tofu

Sechuan hot pot with fish and numbing peppercorns

Beef with bitter gourd

pea sprout LEAVES(豆苗; dòu miáo) stir fried

Chinese broccoli w/ oyster sauce

West Lake Beef Soup

Crispy Cantonese Fried Chicken (no batter, served with head)

Salt and pepper whole prawns (fried with heads)

Mango pudding type dessert (as seen at dim sum places)

Edited April 14, 2011 by Jingthing

[fredob43]

Duck noodle soup.

Crab "Hole" in ginger and spring onion's.

Chicken feet with chinese mushroom's.

[Jingthing]

Duck noodle soup.

Crab "Hole" in ginger and spring onion's.

Chicken feet with chinese mushroom's.

You might have lost a lot of us with the chicken feet.

[fredob43]

Duck noodle soup.

Crab "Hole" in ginger and spring onion's.

Chicken feet with chinese mushroom's.

You might have lost a lot of us with the chicken feet.

Trust me Delish. Used to order them in Gerard St, Soho, London, every time I went. Every other week.

I can see me now. With just the above menu. + some green and oyster sauce. No rice the bizz.

My good lady make's the greatest chicken's feet in Thailand.

I can send you some it you want.

[xen]

A lot of the Cantonese restaurants in Sydney started doing Salt & Pepper Squid some years ago . Now almost every asian restaurant does a version, some with chilies some with tempura batter , some , like a few restaurants here in LOS just squid in a batter. As long as the squid is fresh i would love to see this dish here if it is well done , on a bed of fried snowpea leaves with a thin tempura batter with salt and chilli .

[Jingthing]

I like your other two dishes. Three dishes on a menu, not enough. Yes I've tried chicken feet and that's enough, no need for more.

[fredob43]

I like your other two dishes. Three dishes on a menu, not enough. Yes I've tried chicken feet and that's enough, no need for more.

With the green if your on your own more than you can eat. That's why no rice.

They do a nice squid with egg grilled with soy sauce in the Thai restaurant the crab one at the end of jomtien beach would go well in any Chinese place.

Edited April 14, 2011 by fredob43

[JomtienEats]

Delivery would be nice!

I know about the Waiter on Wheels service but they tend to add in a rather steep markup on the food. Usually better when the place that is making the food does the delivery too.

[Jingthing]

I like your other two dishes. Three dishes on a menu, not enough. Yes I've tried chicken feet and that's enough, no need for more.

With the green if your on your own more than you can eat. That's why no rice.

They do a nice squid with egg grilled with soy sauce in the Thai restaurant the crab one at the end of jomtien beach would go well in any Chinese place.

I mean a menu at a restaurant, not one meal! Anyway ...

[Awohalitsiktoli]

Hunan Chicken

Hunan Beef and Chicken

Szechuan Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken

Beef and Scallops

Moo Goo Gai Pan

Pork with Black Bean Sauce

Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

Sweet and Sour Pork/Shrimp

Bell Pepper Beef

Edited April 15, 2011 by Awohalitsiktoli

[fredob43]

I like your other two dishes. Three dishes on a menu, not enough. Yes I've tried chicken feet and that's enough, no need for more.

With the green if your on your own more than you can eat. That's why no rice.

They do a nice squid with egg grilled with soy sauce in the Thai restaurant the crab one at the end of jomtien beach would go well in any Chinese place.

I mean a menu at a restaurant, not one meal! Anyway ...

As you can see by the reply's best to open a western Chinese one as most peep's know what they are going to get.

The restaurant "Tin Look" more an upmarket cafe i used to dine in in London. Had set menu's on the back page for two and up if there were a few of us used to order one of those. Don't panic, they were all in Chinese no farang sub title's. Always consisted the obligatory rice + a soup you name it it was in it served at the end of the meal, several other dish's at least one was an intestine suprise. Did ask the waiter once what the dishes where called reply Chinese food....... I could eat with gusto any of the above dish's that have been recomended, but i think the chance's of getting any one of them well done in Pattaya is a No No. Maybe a good idea is to ask the chef at the China Garden what he eat's, and ask him to put it on the menu as a dish of the day. Might even get the dreaded foot chicken. Delish.

Edited April 16, 2011 by fredob43

[Jingthing]

OK, I guess I need to clarify the idea of this thread some more.

Awohalitsiktoli's list is largely ALREADY covered by the new EXISTING place in Pattaya, China Garden.

Generally, the kinds of foods I am hoping for are kind of a different category.

So excuse me while I make a gross generalization about three kinds of westerners eating Chinese food. I realize there is lots of overlap and it is very simplistic, so give me a break here, I am just trying to communicate a concept.

Category One

Classic/Traditional Westernized Chinese Style

The kind of westerner who usually orders or goes to restaurants specializing these kinds of Westernized dishes:

Sweet and Sour Pork

Egg drop soup

Chow Mein (western style)

Egg Rolls

Fried Rice

Egg Foo Young

Sechuan Chicken (made with western flavor profile/more sugar, etc.)

Category Two (closer to where I am)

More Sophisticated Chinese dishes using authentic regional Chinese flavor profiles/More adventurous eaters

The kind of westerner who usually orders or goes to restaurants (IF they exist where he lives) specializing in these kinds of authentically Chinese dishes:

More unusual (to westerners) Chinese regional cuisine dishes

See the entire list in my OP! I think many westerners aren't even aware of many of these dishes, and most of them would be entirely accessible to most westerners if they tried them. Some may be served with heads on, but you don't have to eat the heads, and heads of more mainstream foods to westerners, like chicken, shrimp, and fish. Usually excluding organ meats and more unusual animals not found in the western diet and nothing like squid served alive and jumping at the table.

Category Three

People who appreciate unusual INGREDIENTS cooked in authentic Chinese styles that most westerners don't/Also more adventurous eaters

The kind of westerner who usually orders or goes to restaurants (IF they exist where he lives) specializing these kinds of authentically Chinese dishes:

Stir fried duck tongues

Goose feet

Donkey Bowel casserole (I made that one up but don't kid yourself if they have donkeys in China you can probably get it)

It is true that in Chinese food culture, most everything is eaten. Good for them!

Clearly, I started the thread to talk about Category Two. At least in the US in the big cities there are more and more westerners loving those kinds of food. Category Three, not so much.

Edited April 16, 2011 by Jingthing

[Pdaz]

Think you gonna suffer Jingthing.. Pretty sure most guys Idea of 'Chinese' IS Kung Po wotsit in one of those cardboard cartons they have on the 'Friends' show.

But for me I'd love to get a decent South East Asian Chinese or mainland canto/Hokkien/Teo Chew food here in Pattaya. Been eating that style for so long now that the stodgy UK/USA styles leftover from the 1970's doesn't really appeal. Decent HK canto food is a World apart from that too.

Sar Bo fun - Claypot rice. A real one cooked over charcoal in an unglazed clay pot.. Chicken, Chinese sausage and salted fish would be the best style.

A decent beef Gway Teao or beef Ho fun or a 'beggars chicken' A whole chicken stuffed with herbs and steamed/roasted would be find too. Not to mention 'carrot cake' with black sauce or chillis.

Southern style dishes like you mentioned already like the Do Meao fried with garlic, egg tofu with minced pork and chilli or even pork rib soup ( Bak kut teh ) would be brilliant.. Amazing that sutch a variety of ethnic Chinese dishes are available throughout South East Asia but very hard to get in Thailand apart from BKK ( even there some are a struggle )

Oh and I've worked in China many times and have eaten more than my share of 'Class 3' dishes... Dog - roasted/braised, snake - fried, etc etc.. IMHO much of what is eaten everyday in China would be seen as very unpallatable by most Westerners.. Lots of gooey fat, cartilidge and internal organ meat. Plus lots of pretty tasteless stodgy dough balls (fried or steamed). Plus wood fungus, dried/salted fish/duck etc etc..

Edited April 16, 2011 by Pdaz

[Jingthing]

I am hoping with a greater influx of Chinese people in town that there will be some places offering more of the "Category Two" type dishes. Eventually.

There is a place on 2nd road east side of street between Big C and Pattaya North that has some "Category Two" type dishes and definitely caters to Chinese people as opposed to Chinese Thai. The trouble is I thought their food kind of sucked when I tried it. I should try it again, they've been in business a long time, maybe they got better.

Edited April 16, 2011 by Jingthing

[Pdaz]

I am hoping with a greater influx of Chinese people in town that there will be some places offering more of the "Category Two" type dishes. Eventually.

There is a place on 2nd road east side of street between Big C and Pattaya North that has some "Category Two" type dishes and definitely caters to Chinese people as opposed to Chinese Thai. The trouble is I thought their food kind of sucked when I tried it. I should try it again, they've been in business a long time, maybe they got better.

Yep I've been there.. The food was pretty authentic when compared to average Chinese mainland fare.. A lot of Chinese food is very bland without a lot of flavouring. As a rule many don't like 'spice' or chilli. Soy, ginger and garlic plus preserved tofu/ salted beans provide most of the flavours. There is a shark fin place on 3rd rd that does pretty good simple dishes as well as shark fin but all are very mild in flavour and rely on the flavour of the veggies or seafood alone. Some of the Chinese Thai seafood places can make decent Chinese style veg and rice dishes plus the odd dish with pork ribs etc.. But basically it's a bit of a wasteland for rich, spicy or dishes beyond the usual homecooked family style.. Shame !

[Jingthing]

I should try it again. I'm not complaining about the spice. I like plenty of Chinese dishes that aren't heavily spiced; it depends on the dish. (A Sechuan fish hot pepper pot, that's needs to spiced and spiced at obscene levels really.) I tried it a long time ago. I think I recall ordering the Salt Baked Chicken and it was totally crappy compared to what you would get at a Hakka restaurant in San Francisco (and no ginger based side sauce which I consider a necessity for that dish).

Here is that dish, but not from that place on 2nd road, sadly

(From one of my old regular places! Yummy.)

Edited April 16, 2011 by Jingthing

[Pdaz]

I should try it again. I'm not complaining about the spice. I like plenty of Chinese dishes that aren't heavily spiced; it depends on the dish. (A Sechuan fish hot pepper pot, that's needs to spiced and spiced at obscene levels really.) I tried it a long time ago. I think I recall ordering the Salt Baked Chicken and it was totally crappy compared to what you would get at a Hakka restaurant in San Francisco (and no ginger based side sauce which I consider a necessity for that dish).

Here is that dish, but not from that place on 2nd road, sadly

(From one of my old regular places! Yummy.)

Funny isn't it.. Despite plenty of ethnic Chinese here decent food is hard to find..even with all the ingredients available.. But in 'Chinatowns' the World over you can get some pretty good representations.. Maybe just not enough potential customers here as Thais used to label anything without chilli as bland and uninteresting.. I still can't believe it when I see them eating Sushi.. 15 yrs back they would have rather beed publically whipped than eat something like that.. Same for Western food and the suchlike..

Luckily I get to got to Singapore/Malaysia and HK quite often so get my fix there.. Luckily I can cook some of my favourites but many are long winded to prepare..

[Panhandler007]

I am still looking for COMBO #3!

[Jingthing]

I hate to have to say this, but based on a more recent experience as well as a report from another poster by PM, in all good faith I'm going to have to take down my previous high marks of China Garden some notches. There may be some serious CONSISTENCY problems, or even worse. Not that rare of course anywhere but especially in Thailand. Remember they are still a VERY NEW restaurant. I suggest being patient with them and wishing them the best in getting their act more together. Their success is to our benefit as well (those who like good Chinese food of their style).

Edited April 22, 2011 by Jingthing

[manarak]

ah, that's just the restaurant retaliating against the closing of my earlier thread about them!

LOL

I haven't visited again since the first time.

[Awohalitsiktoli]

I hate to have to say this, but based on a more recent experience as well as a report from another poster by PM, in all good faith I'm going to have to take down my previous high marks of China Garden some notches. There may be some serious CONSISTENCY problems, or even worse. Not that rare of course anywhere but especially in Thailand. Remember they are still a VERY NEW restaurant. I suggest being patient with them and wishing them the best in getting their act more together. Their success is to our benefit as well (those who like good Chinese food of their style).

My guess is that the positive reviews led to a rush on the place that the owner/chef could not keep up with. I hope they can reach a level of positive consistency. I, like many others, love good Chinese food.

[manarak]

Update on China Garden... the cook is gone.

New reports would be interesting.

[Jingthing]

Update on China Garden... the cook is gone.

New reports would be interesting.

That's fascinating but not exactly surprising. I stopped going after they served me a nearly inedible dish (world class over salting) that was not actually cooked by the old chef. I stupidly ate it; I was justified to send back (it did make me sick).

So I guess this means they never started the lunch buffet?

Hoping they keep trying with a new chef. But if they are relying on the Thai cooks who were "trained" -- sounds like really bad news.

[BugJackBaron]

What we all miss from the west....The fortune cookie!

[gmac]

Update on China Garden... the cook is gone.

New reports would be interesting.

That's fascinating but not exactly surprising. I stopped going after they served me a nearly inedible dish (world class over salting) that was not actually cooked by the old chef. I stupidly ate it; I was justified to send back (it did make me sick).

So I guess this means they never started the lunch buffet?

Hoping they keep trying with a new chef. But if they are relying on the Thai cooks who were "trained" -- sounds like really bad news.

I've eaten there a couple of times recently and have no complaints. In fact this would appear to be a pretty general feeling as the other night I couldn't even get a table as the place was packed solid at about 6.30 in the evening despite most other restaurants in the area having the usual 2 or 3 tables occupied and several completely empty.

[Michaelaway]

Items You Would Love To See In A Pattaya Chinese Restaurant:

Chinese people

[Pacificperson]

If you want to step outside your westernized comfort zone, then move to Chinese seafood. Take the attitude that if they can eat it, I can eat it. It will be interesting.

[Jingthing]

If you want to step outside your westernized comfort zone, then move to Chinese seafood. Take the attitude that if they can eat it, I can eat it. It will be interesting.

What dishes are you talking about exactly? I don't recall Chinese seafood dishes being much of a challenge to enjoy, except if you're talking about eating fish heads/shrimps served with heads (no biggie). Oh I can think of another item westerners may find weird -- Chinese dried squid. It's one of my favorites in some dishes (like Chinese curry) but don't know any place that serves it in Pattaya. A funny story, never MICROWAVE dried squid if you don't want your house (or large workplace, which is how I learned this!) to be totally stinked up with the smell of DIRTY SNEAKERS! Yum.

Edited July 4, 2011 by Jingthing

[PattayaParent]

^^maybe he means eating live octopus???

[Jingthing]

Items You Would Love To See In A Pattaya Chinese Restaurant:

Chinese people

Braised or deep fried? Please add lots of GARLIC.