Oink Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Does the 10% include cooking the food or is that an optional extra? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmyd Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 I went there yesterday for the all-you-can-eat taco special. It's an ok value. Overall, I rate Sunrise as a work in progress. My main problem with the place is it seems to me there is no real chef there--i.e. no one who has a vision for the food. Whoever decided that large chunks of fruit belong in a taco made a bold decision--and a wrong one in my opinion. There is also too much meat per taco--the meat/tortilla balance is off. Add to that the fact that the soft corn tortillas lack sufficient texture to hold together when eating, and the whole experience is just lacking. I want this place to be good, but it's just not now. I believe they need to rethink their food. Jingthing says (I believe) that you can get something good if you order correctly, but to me the normal stuff they send out of the kitchen should be a lot better than it is currently. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 (edited) Interesting comments on the taco days. The last time I tried it I noticed they were serving a much smaller portion of meat than on previous visits (previously yes, lots of meat). Even on the fish tacos, the amount of fish was measly. I'd prefer too much meat to too little meat (you can always spoon it off). Also on taco days, you get only one soft corn tortilla with each taco instead of two on their normal taco menu. I figured they cut down the meat on taco days to cut costs, but maybe its just different every time you go. On the fruit with the carnitas or Al Pastor on taco days or on the regular menu, simply ask them to hold the fruit -- they will. The fruit with pork is part of their corporate menu standards, it would be a big ask to ask one location not to follow the standards of the company. I agree there is usually a problem with the soft corn tortillas holding together, it's a shame and I doubt they will fix that. It's kind of related to their style of soft corn tortilla, but at least it has decent flavor. I agree they could use a full time Mexican chef in the kitchen ... but, dream on. I overall agree that the place isn't stellar, but there are some good things on the menu and you can order things your way, especially the burritos. I really wouldn't expect much in improvement of food quality either, it is what it is. The focus is obviously profits and their typical customer is obviously not a Mexican food foodie. To me, there is enough there if you choose selectively to make it possible to get very enjoyable meals. And yes, I do love their tortilla chips and its the only salsa bar in town. Edited April 7, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmyd Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Well, the time before this there was too much meat also. I'll try asking them to hold the fruit next time. I'll also ask them to hold the sickly salad cream they put on the fish taco--yech. Oh, forgot to mention, when I went to the salsa bar, they had salsa fresca/cruda--whatever you want to call it. Great idea. However, the other sauces I had to stir as they had separated into solids vs. liquids. Again, lack of someone there who knows what things should be like, I'm guessing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 (edited) Well, the time before this there was too much meat also. I'll try asking them to hold the fruit next time. I'll also ask them to hold the sickly salad cream they put on the fish taco--yech. Oh, forgot to mention, when I went to the salsa bar, they had salsa fresca/cruda--whatever you want to call it. Great idea. However, the other sauces I had to stir as they had separated into solids vs. liquids. Again, lack of someone there who knows what things should be like, I'm guessing. Our tastes are very similar, I think. Good idea to ask for the fish taco goop to be served either on the side or not at all, but to be fair Baja tacos are typically served with some kind of white goop. Agreed their salsas are not world class but I think they are serviceable enough for being in Thailand. When we get a world class Mexican restaurant in Pattaya, it will be dancing in the streets time. Edited April 7, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toenail Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 I like Mike's bettter...but I think it depends on what dish you order with any of the two " Mexican" restaurants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 (edited) I like Mike's bettter...but I think it depends on what dish you order with any of the two " Mexican" restaurants Which specific dishes do you enjoy at Mikes? Edited April 7, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunriseTacos Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 I like Mike's bettter...but I think it depends on what dish you order with any of the two " Mexican" restaurants Which specific dishes do you enjoy at Mikes? Mikes has excellent margaritas, and the Huevos rancheros are great. Check his place out, you will enjoy it. Gil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunriseTacos Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 Well, the time before this there was too much meat also. I'll try asking them to hold the fruit next time. I'll also ask them to hold the sickly salad cream they put on the fish taco--yech. Oh, forgot to mention, when I went to the salsa bar, they had salsa fresca/cruda--whatever you want to call it. Great idea. However, the other sauces I had to stir as they had separated into solids vs. liquids. Again, lack of someone there who knows what things should be like, I'm guessing. I am there everyday. Gil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 (edited) Well, the time before this there was too much meat also. I'll try asking them to hold the fruit next time. I'll also ask them to hold the sickly salad cream they put on the fish taco--yech. Oh, forgot to mention, when I went to the salsa bar, they had salsa fresca/cruda--whatever you want to call it. Great idea. However, the other sauces I had to stir as they had separated into solids vs. liquids. Again, lack of someone there who knows what things should be like, I'm guessing. I am there everyday. Gil I think he means, like ... a Mexican chef, eh?(Anyway, as you know, I think a good portion of the flavors there are decent but there's always room for improvement.) Edited April 7, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunriseTacos Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 I went there yesterday for the all-you-can-eat taco special. It's an ok value. Overall, I rate Sunrise as a work in progress. My main problem with the place is it seems to me there is no real chef there--i.e. no one who has a vision for the food. Whoever decided that large chunks of fruit belong in a taco made a bold decision--and a wrong one in my opinion. There is also too much meat per taco--the meat/tortilla balance is off. Add to that the fact that the soft corn tortillas lack sufficient texture to hold together when eating, and the whole experience is just lacking. I want this place to be good, but it's just not now. I believe they need to rethink their food. Jingthing says (I believe) that you can get something good if you order correctly, but to me the normal stuff they send out of the kitchen should be a lot better than it is currently. We have a full time Mexican chef on our staff in BKK. He reviews all recipies, and if anything is changed or improved, it is rolled out across all locations. To me, this is one of the best things about Sunrise Tacos, and why I stand so strongly behind our brand (and I eat the food daily). Running a restaurant business (now with multiple locations) is a like lot learning a language. Always a work in progress. We are pleased to hear all constructive comments, and we do listen. Best, Gil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whyowhy Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 I think the hovering issue is a sign of a good staff trying too hard. I did notice the hovering in the earlier days of the restaurant. Yes, very annoying, but I've seen worse. Haven't noticed that lately. It's uncanny when it happens though. Staring back at Thai staff doesn't seem to give the hint at all to stop it. Also in stores, I have tried playing hide and seek, but they still go on the chase. Retail shopping in Thailand, for anyone sensitive about being followed around, is frankly an unpleasant experience. Some of my clothes are 8 years old because of it. Either that, or I am just like my Dad who wore some of his clothes for 20 years +. LOL. What is it about old people and clothes?? Gil My pet peeve about Thai restaurant folks is that they hover over you as soon as they give you the menu. Even when I give the drink order they still stand there, waiting... I HATE this, and occasionally need to act 'Russian-like' to send them away to look at the menu in peace. The only ordering issue at Sunrise is that the Thai order-takers only seen to understand key words, I need to use the word 'crispy' for my tortilla choice and I will get a blank stare from them with if I order 'hard'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 (edited) ... Running a restaurant business (now with multiple locations) is a like lot learning a language. Always a work in progress. We are pleased to hear all constructive comments, and we do listen. Best, Gil Great.Have you heard the criticisms from multiple people about the "soft" corn tortillas not holding together when you pick them up? (Also it was mentioned here before a number of times right after you opened.) Any plans to fix that or for some reason is that not fixable? Does the Mexican chef guy in Bangkok recognize that as a problem (and if not, why not)? BTW, I totally recognize and respect the hard work involved in running any kind of restaurant. Edited April 7, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 ... The only ordering issue at Sunrise is that the Thai order-takers only seen to understand key words, I need to use the word 'crispy' for my tortilla choice and I will get a blank stare from them with if I order 'hard'. I had the same experience with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSixpack Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 ... The only ordering issue at Sunrise is that the Thai order-takers only seen to understand key words, I need to use the word 'crispy' for my tortilla choice and I will get a blank stare from them with if I order 'hard'. I had the same experience with that. An issue to be anticipated. Remember where you are; stop expecting the impossible. You use the words on the menu, speak them in Thaiglish, and point to the pictures as needed. Was in a popular bar with a farang friend recently who ordered simply "water" from a Thai waitress--a old, senior waitress (relatively) w/ many years' experience working there. She ddin't understand at first. Finally she understood and corrected him: wah-TUH! He should have known. If you can't learn the proper Thai word, at least pronounce Thaiglish correctly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Anyway, some of their staff have been Pinoys. No English issues with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauljones Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 The soft corn tortillas have been holding up for me. Not crumbly like they served the first visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javabear Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 (edited) Last week I was in the Jomtien location and tried the Jalisco soup (I think that's what it was called). Awesome. It will be a regular item for me. Are there any plans to expand further to the East like Rayong? Edited April 8, 2012 by Javabear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Last week I was in the Jomtien location and tried the Jalisco soup (I think that's what it was called). Awesome. It will be a regular item for me. Are there any plans to expand further to the East like Rayong? No Jalisco soup. Do you mean the tortilla soup? Yes, it's good. Also the birria (beef not goat) is quite tasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 (edited) The soft corn tortillas have been holding up for me. Not crumbly like they served the first visit. OK, like I said before sometimes they have been OK, sometimes not. Now I recall months ago the manager said they weren't using a separate mix from the chips to make the "soft" corn tortillas because of poor demand for them (implying to make them correctly they would need to do that extra labor). That might still be the reason that SOMETIMES they are still falling part; maybe sometimes that are done properly and sometimes not. In any case, those falling apart ones really shouldn't be served or people should be warned that it would be better to order another tortilla choice. In my view, serving an item like that if it is known there is a problem like that is something a place catering to one off tourists might do, not a place concerned about long term satisfaction with residents. Another possibility is that the falling apart ones are simply STALE. Yes, I admit, speculating here. Edited April 8, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunriseTacos Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 Last week I was in the Jomtien location and tried the Jalisco soup (I think that's what it was called). Awesome. It will be a regular item for me. Are there any plans to expand further to the East like Rayong? At the moment, we are only seeking a second location in Pattaya, likely North or Central. Best, Gil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javabear Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Last week I was in the Jomtien location and tried the Jalisco soup (I think that's what it was called). Awesome. It will be a regular item for me. Are there any plans to expand further to the East like Rayong? No Jalisco soup. Do you mean the tortilla soup? Yes, it's good. Also the birria (beef not goat) is quite tasty. No it was't the Tortilla Soup. It was something red with beef. Very spicy with an excellent flavor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunriseTacos Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 I think the hovering issue is a sign of a good staff trying too hard. I did notice the hovering in the earlier days of the restaurant. Yes, very annoying, but I've seen worse. Haven't noticed that lately. It's uncanny when it happens though. Staring back at Thai staff doesn't seem to give the hint at all to stop it. Also in stores, I have tried playing hide and seek, but they still go on the chase. Retail shopping in Thailand, for anyone sensitive about being followed around, is frankly an unpleasant experience. Some of my clothes are 8 years old because of it. Either that, or I am just like my Dad who wore some of his clothes for 20 years +. LOL. What is it about old people and clothes?? Gil My pet peeve about Thai restaurant folks is that they hover over you as soon as they give you the menu. Even when I give the drink order they still stand there, waiting... I HATE this, and occasionally need to act 'Russian-like' to send them away to look at the menu in peace. The only ordering issue at Sunrise is that the Thai order-takers only seen to understand key words, I need to use the word 'crispy' for my tortilla choice and I will get a blank stare from them with if I order 'hard'. Yes, I can understand this comment. I think the Thais think it is good service to be at a clients beck and call continously. I have been out with some powerful and senior Thai folks before, and the standard at those restaurants was to have the wait person hover at the table like a humming bird. I hate it. I have trained all of my staff to drop the menu, and then LEAVE the table. They are supposed to come back in 2-3 min to take only the drink order, or the entire order if they sense the clients are ready. If not, they can take the food order directly after dropping the drinks. All of this is very counter-intuitive to them. We are getting better though. I was at Fuji the other day, and the gal hovered by my table despite asking her 3 times (in Thai) for more time to casually read the menu. From my perspective, hovering at a table is a huge waste of time, and massively inefficient. Alas, does anyone know a Thai who works to save time and strives to reach peak efficiency? Let me know, we are hiring! Gil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 (edited) Last week I was in the Jomtien location and tried the Jalisco soup (I think that's what it was called). Awesome. It will be a regular item for me. Are there any plans to expand further to the East like Rayong? No Jalisco soup. Do you mean the tortilla soup? Yes, it's good. Also the birria (beef not goat) is quite tasty. No it was't the Tortilla Soup. It was something red with beef. Very spicy with an excellent flavor. That's the beef birria soup. Yes, the meat in there is very good! More people should order that one, for sure!That's on page 8 of the menu: http://www.sunriseta...seTacosMenu.pdf Yes it mentions the recipe is Jalisco sourced. Hey, speaking of Jalisco, how about for the new menu: POZOLE! OK, now I am tripping. Carne en su jugo Torta ahogadas Edited April 8, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerry53 Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 JT please tell us more of Mexican food and Sunrise Tacos (ST). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 (edited) JT please tell us more of Mexican food and Sunrise Tacos (ST). Maybe better to ask the owner? Speaking of carne en su jugo or tortas ahogadas. If you want these in Thailand, I think we must cook ourselves! Edited April 8, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerry53 Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 But JT you have produced more posting on his topic than he has I believe - please tell us more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 But JT you have produced more posting on his topic than he has I believe - please tell us more. Aw shucks. What would you like to know? I'm here to serve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerry53 Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 But JT you have produced more posting on his topic than he has I believe - please tell us more. Aw shucks. What would you like to know? I'm here to serve. Could this be a delusions of grandeur issue? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 (edited) But JT you have produced more posting on his topic than he has I believe - please tell us more. Aw shucks. What would you like to know? I'm here to serve. Could this be a delusions of grandeur issue? So no questions then. You're such a tease. Edited April 8, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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