Problems With Our Favorite Eating Spots

[Michaelaway]

A few observations (based on what's been written on TV and personal experience)- feel free to add more:

The NY style Deli- everyone agreed: not cheap, but great food (you get what you pay for), but then they closed. Then they re-opened, but nobody seems to know their exact hours or menu. And, how many locations do/will they have...?

The Mexican Place- some like it; some don’t. Food’s too sweet, we’ll fix it, says owner, but not the plus-plus pricing policy which irritates many patrons. Open at the Avenue, then closed at the Avenue. Open now at Big (we’ll) C… Oh, and the quesadillas ("a quesadilla is made with a tortilla and is filled primarily with cheese.” -Wikepedia) which may, or may not have cheese… hmm.

The Chinese Place- everybody raves about the food… but, when in the wild, wild world of sports will they have open hours that can (possibly) be termed, normal?

The Hilton- the lunch buffets at the beautiful Edge resto started out soooooo gooooood, but now… not so much.

American Burger Places- Let’s all sign a petition urging these multinationals to re-train the French fry trainers who’ve been teaching the Thai kids to assault (not merely, salt) the French fries. Wow, any expat leaving Pattaya for a desert oil posting or someplace super-hot would be well-served stopping for an order of fries on the way to the airport. And remember: a limp French fry is an unacceptable French fry… so make ‘em crispy, please!

Pizza Places- Oy, where to begin? Many pizza sauces here are too sweet and most pizza cheeses are b-l-a-n-d = boring. Hot dogs aren’t sausages (and, btw, not many good sausages around), and should never be offered as a pizza topping. Ketchup? Not allowed through the doors of the resto, sorry. Also, please tell the kitchen that any given pizza is much better over-cooked… than under-cooked. Lastly, squid pizza?? Ok, ok- when in Rome…

Indian Places- Some seem to be ok, but many folks wonder if anybody is ever going to get it right, and open a place that serves a consistent menu of authentic tasting Indian foods at reasonable prices?

Takeaway Places- Please cut holes in the Styrofoam (bad) boxes containing often-ordered fried foods… so that by the time we get home the steamed, limp sogginess doesn’t totally ruin the experience. And, from this day forward, if anything I order has a sauce… puh-lease put it in a plastic bag; not a foam box. No more puddles in the takeaway bag!

Bakery Breads- is it the water, or what? Why on earth does so much of the bread around here look so good when you buy it… and taste so blah when you get it home??

Our neighborhood Kow Mun Gai lady- will she ever actually taste the soup she includes with every order? Soooooooo salty & peppery, yuk! But, maybe that’s why her chicken broth-rice is so especially tasty... hmm. Also, she sells chicken: steamed, fried or glaze-roasted (best)!

[boogiewoogie]

What chinese place?

[EmptyBasementBin]

You'll be a millionaire when you open and manage all these perfect places.

Good on ya.

[Jayman]

What chinese place?

Pao on Pattaya Klang just across from the football stadium.

[cathy211]

There's only 1 place that's a "sure thing" every time and that's affectionately known as the Hole In The Wall on soi Buakow. It is a no name little Thai joint opp. Sugar Sugar a gogo. All dishes are in large quantity with a big plate of rice and free water. I've dined there hundreds of times without ever having 1 bad meal. Open 24 hours.

[Jingthing]

There's only 1 place that's a "sure thing" every time and that's affectionately known as the Hole In The Wall on soi Buakow. It is a no name little Thai joint opp. Sugar Sugar a gogo. All dishes are in large quantity with a big plate of rice and free water. I've dined there hundreds of times without ever having 1 bad meal. Open 24 hours.

If you say so. It's cheap. The portions are large. But even something so basic as pad krapow there just barely average.

[JakeBKK]

Simple Simon's breakfast - proper toast, good sausages, nice atmosphere and so on... never had a bad brekkie there.

[Ulysses G.]

You're not in Kansas any more and the foreign restaurants there are not so good either.

[LennyW]

Surely it would be a bigger problem if you did not have such a wide variety of options??

[Jimmyd]

There's only 1 place that's a "sure thing" every time and that's affectionately known as the Hole In The Wall on soi Buakow. It is a no name little Thai joint opp. Sugar Sugar a gogo. All dishes are in large quantity with a big plate of rice and free water. I've dined there hundreds of times without ever having 1 bad meal. Open 24 hours.

It's Western -Thai food, not authentic Thai. The customer base is largely Western, so it's understandable, but the couple times I ate there it was not very good. Many, many other places serve much better Thai food--but many Westerners actually don't like authentic Thai food very much. Horses for courses.

[Tolley]

There's only 1 place that's a "sure thing" every time and that's affectionately known as the Hole In The Wall on soi Buakow. It is a no name little Thai joint opp. Sugar Sugar a gogo. All dishes are in large quantity with a big plate of rice and free water. I've dined there hundreds of times without ever having 1 bad meal. Open 24 hours.

If you say so. It's cheap. The portions are large. But even something so basic as pad krapow there just barely average.

I beg to differ. I also have eaten there many times and for the price and the style I rate it very good.

However if you want to pay a bit more and still cheap the Thai joint next to Fuji in Big C is my stand out choice for great Thai food at very reasonable prices.

[ChangFai]

If you say so. It's cheap. The portions are large. But even something so basic as pad krapow there just barely average.

Thank you.

I thought it was just me, that thought it was extremely average.

I always worry when I enter a place, and the majority of customers are eating "Khao Pat",

[ChangFai]

However if you want to pay a bit more and still cheap the Thai joint next to Fuji in Big C is my stand out choice for great Thai food at very reasonable prices.

Agreed, Khao Suay has consistently excellent for years now.

[Jayman]

However if you want to pay a bit more and still cheap the Thai joint next to Fuji in Big C is my stand out choice for great Thai food at very reasonable prices.

Agreed, Khao Suay has consistently excellent for years now.

Is that at Big C south or North (or The big C extra Central). I believe all 3 Big C locations have Fuji. I have never seen this Khao Suay place (I don't think anyways)

[sodapop]

Simple Simon's breakfast - proper toast, good sausages, nice atmosphere and so on... never had a bad brekkie there.

<deleted>, Onions cooked with margarine on the superman breakfast

The hole breakfast tastes of this.

DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jingthing]

However if you want to pay a bit more and still cheap the Thai joint next to Fuji in Big C is my stand out choice for great Thai food at very reasonable prices.

Agreed, Khao Suay has consistently excellent for years now.

Is that at Big C south or North (or The big C extra Central). I believe all 3 Big C locations have Fuji. I have never seen this Khao Suay place (I don't think anyways)

I think (but am not sure) the restaurant he means is at Big C North (2nd road) located near the entrance. It is small place with open windows and a large blackboard on the wall listing some of their suggested dishes. They close early. If I lived closer I'd eat there three times a week. Authentic flavors, more sophisticated than average cooking style, fair prices, mostly middle class Thai customers. I don't know the name and not sure if it's actually called Khao Suay.

[ChangFai]

However if you want to pay a bit more and still cheap the Thai joint next to Fuji in Big C is my stand out choice for great Thai food at very reasonable prices.

Agreed, Khao Suay has consistently excellent for years now.

Is that at Big C south or North (or The big C extra Central). I believe all 3 Big C locations have Fuji. I have never seen this Khao Suay place (I don't think anyways)

I think (but am not sure) the restaurant he means is at Big C North (2nd road) located near the entrance. It is small place with open windows and a large blackboard on the wall listing some of their suggested dishes. They close early. If I lived closer I'd eat there three times a week. Authentic flavors, more sophisticated than average cooking style, fair prices, mostly middle class Thai customers. I don't know the name and not sure if it's actually called Khao Suay.

Its Definitely called Khao Suay.

Its Definitely at Big C on 2nd Road.

I do eat there at least three times a week.

Their opening hours are the same as the mall itself, but they start to run out of items in the early evening, especially the seafood, which I think is a good sign.

Their Tom Yam, Chicken with Basil Leaves, and Squid with Salted Egg are probably the best examples of those dishes to be had in Pattaya ..... and I dont say that lightly.

For a long time they never had an English menu, but that is not the case now.

Edited July 20, 2012 by ChangFai

[Jingthing]

Great. Their name never registered with me. I think I recall they were open as early as 1998 (my first trip here) so maybe even before then. I have enjoyed them for many years and wish they were closer to me. Yes do they do indeed run out of some dishes at night but it's a big, varied, interesting menu and I'm sure all Thai food lovers won't have any problem finding something good to eat there.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Jingthing

[Jayman]

Agreed, Khao Suay has consistently excellent for years now.

Is that at Big C south or North (or The big C extra Central). I believe all 3 Big C locations have Fuji. I have never seen this Khao Suay place (I don't think anyways)

I think (but am not sure) the restaurant he means is at Big C North (2nd road) located near the entrance. It is small place with open windows and a large blackboard on the wall listing some of their suggested dishes. They close early. If I lived closer I'd eat there three times a week. Authentic flavors, more sophisticated than average cooking style, fair prices, mostly middle class Thai customers. I don't know the name and not sure if it's actually called Khao Suay.

Its Definitely called Khao Suay.

Its Definitely at Big C on 2nd Road.

I do eat there at least three times a week.

Their opening hours are the same as the mall itself, but they start to run out of items in the early evening, especially the seafood, which I think is a good sign.

Their Tom Yam, Chicken with Basil Leaves, and Squid with Salted Egg are probably the best examples of those dishes to be had in Pattaya ..... and I dont say that lightly.

For a long time they never had an English menu, but that is not the case now.

Do they only have the 1 location? I'll have to give them a shot when I'm at big C north (which is almost never)

[Jingthing]

I think just the one. I like their soups a lot. Never even had the tom yum because they have a number of more unusual ones.

[Tolley]

I dont think I have had a bad dish there.

Everytime I eat there I cant believe how good it is for the price. Puts most other thai eateries to shame.

[Awohalitsiktoli]

Just a comment on the original post. The "problems" seem related to these things: 1) no experience at all in restaurant business (just doing it to get a visa or think it is a good idea), 2) extreme difficulty finding a "chef" that knows how to cook the food items in a way that is "authentic," 3) lack of authentic ingredients, 4) lack of understanding of what type of food items people want (e.g., to date, nobody has served really good Mexican food, or really good Chinese food, or really good American food), 5) owners attempt to serve way too many items and can't seem to focus on making even one of the excellent. I do not know of one place that has overcome all of these challenges. It is possible to go to a restaurant with many items and find maybe one that is outstanding. The best example of this in Pattaya-Jomtien is, I think, Delizza (spelling), which serves an amazing corned beef/Reuben sandwich.

[Gone]

What chinese place?

Pao on Pattaya Klang just across from the football stadium.

Theres a football stadium on Pattaya Klang?

[ChangFai]

I think just the one. I like their soups a lot. Never even had the tom yum because they have a number of more unusual ones.

In their version of Tom Yam Goong, they use Basil Leaves which gives it an extra level of peppery spiciness, and the prawns are always super fresh.

Not a better one in Pattaya IMO.

I am pretty sure it opened the same year as Big C did, and I cant remember anything else that has ever been in that spot, so definitely longer than 1998, and its had at least two renovations during that time.

A branch of Pink Lady used to sit across from it for a few years, but it was no competition and has since long closed.

Edited July 21, 2012 by ChangFai

[ChangFai]

Theres a football stadium on Pattaya Klang?

Sure, one of those 5 a side astro turf type ones.

[Jingthing]

Just a comment on the original post. The "problems" seem related to these things: 1) no experience at all in restaurant business (just doing it to get a visa or think it is a good idea), 2) extreme difficulty finding a "chef" that knows how to cook the food items in a way that is "authentic," 3) lack of authentic ingredients, 4) lack of understanding of what type of food items people want (e.g., to date, nobody has served really good Mexican food, or really good Chinese food, or really good American food), 5) owners attempt to serve way too many items and can't seem to focus on making even one of the excellent. I do not know of one place that has overcome all of these challenges. It is possible to go to a restaurant with many items and find maybe one that is outstanding. The best example of this in Pattaya-Jomtien is, I think, Delizza (spelling), which serves an amazing corned beef/Reuben sandwich.

I think some of the dishes at Pao are indeed really good Chinese food. They might not be the specific Chinese dishes you are looking for though. So there! Edited July 21, 2012 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Theres a football stadium on Pattaya Klang?

Sure, one of those 5 a side astro turf type ones.

Yep.

Another way to find it.

Pao is right next door to Fascino Pharmacy on Pattaya Klang.

It is between 2nd and 3rd north side.

It is on the other side of the street as the famous Leng Kee restaurant but further east.

[cathy211]

hole in the wall on soi buakow with blue awning. top pick for me.

Edited July 22, 2012 by cathy211

[Jayman]

hole in the wall on soi buakow. top pick for me.

the spot between the gold shop and the clinic?

[Jayman]

Just to make it clear for those that don't read Thai... here is Kao Suay.

Edited July 29, 2012 by Jayman