Eating Out In Pattaya - My Opinion

[RandomSand]

(my apologies in advance for the following rant)

I'm eating out in Pattaya once or twice a day. Mainly western food at B 100 - B200 a time.

It's my experience that most western cafes & restaurants choose to serve too much low quality meat at the expense of vegetables.

Also; it's rare to be served vegetables with butter and even rarer to be given a black pepper grinder.

As far as basic errors... The two most (very) common that kill off my custom are; 1. Egg whites not cooked enough (I don't like salmonella thank you). 2. Meagre portions of baked beans or chips.

Whilst I'm writing let me say this: Where';s the imagination?

Just off the top off my head I can rustle up a couple of fusion dishes:

Beef/Pork//Chicken Steak with a spicy Thai salad, or, Grilled pork in Thai mint salad served with western French fries.

...Both dishes easy for a Thai cook to prepare and can be sold at a competitive price level.

[Psych01]

Hi rant excepted. I usually find that the eggs are cooked to a crisp, if fried, or definitely over cooked. I like my yolk to be a bit on the runny side in all forms of cooked eggs.

As for the fusion and imagination, don't forget you are in Thailand therefore, it will carry a farrang price for the fusion and imagination.

[Woody1]

Since you're eating mainly western food once or twice a day, and given that you're annoyed enough by some of the practices these cafes and restaurants carry out very commonly that kill off your custom to start a thread on it, I'm guessing you must have visited an awful lot of different establishments by now?

Would you care to mention the names of the ones which you paricularly like, or are satisfied with, and the ones that don't cut the mustard for you, without naming and shaming of course?

[hm1973]

If you are spending that sort of money on Western dishes then I would suggest the quality of the food presented to you would not be of a particularly high quality. At that price the restaurant would struggle to supply you with quality cuts of meat and I would hazard a guess that the chef/cook may not be on a particularly high salary with food at the prices you are quoting, and therefore may not be trained to a particularly high standard.

Try a slightly more expensive restaurant and compare the quality of food there with what you have experienced before and report back

[Upnotover]

Butter with vegetables? Does that happen at home in a 2 quid cafe?

[Woody1]

Butter with vegetables? Does that happen at home in a 2 quid cafe?

The meal wouldn't even be served on a plate for 2 quid, let alone with buttered vegetables!!

[Swiss1960]

Western food at 100-200 Baht a dish? You'll have to tell me where you get real western food at that price and you have to tell me how anybody in the world could serve you good quality (read: imported) beef at that price...

[RandomSand]

Would you care to mention the names of the ones which you paricularly like, or are satisfied with, and the ones that don't cut the mustard for you, without naming and shaming of course?

I like Jolly's for an English breakfast. 18 Coins is good all round and consistently good too. Both of these are on Soi Buakhao. There was an excellent Thai/Egyptian place on 3rd road near the LK residence (but sadly no more it would seem).

For Indian I always head to a place on 2nd road with a big fish tank in the window, tables & chairs outside, about 100M before Sara's in the direction of Jomtien.

[londoedan]

Would you care to mention the names of the ones which you paricularly like, or are satisfied with, and the ones that don't cut the mustard for you, without naming and shaming of course?

I like Jolly's for an English breakfast. 18 Coins is good all round and consistently good too. Both of these are on Soi Buakhao. There was an excellent Thai/Egyptian place on 3rd road near the LK residence (but sadly no more it would seem).

For Indian I always head to a place on 2nd road with a big fish tank in the window, tables & chairs outside, about 100M before Sara's in the direction of Jomtien.

I enjoy an English breakfast now and then - there are loads of places that do a decent spread for 100-200 baht.

In the longer term I would try and wean yourself off the Western grub and eat more Thai food. Your money will go a lot further, particularly at that price range.

Have you tried the Lek hotel buffets ? the breakfast and dinner prices are roughly what you're lookin for and they have a range of stuff on offer.

[RandomSand]

Western food at 100-200 Baht a dish? You'll have to tell me where you get real western food at that price and you have to tell me how anybody in the world could serve you good quality (read: imported) beef at that price...

Interesting that you go for the jugular on the beef issue. I try to avoid it as it gives me constipation and instead look for variety of vegetables.

hmm,, I think my talk of fried eggs and chips was not needed.

[RandomSand]

In the longer term I would try and wean yourself off the Western grub and eat more Thai food. Your money will go a lot further, particularly at that price range.

Yeah you're right on that and it's more healthy... but I feel deprived of calories if I eat too much of it.

Have you tried the Lek hotel buffets ? the breakfast and dinner prices are roughly what you're lookin for and they have a range of stuff on offer.

Thanks for the suggestion. Ate there in the past, but never enough to extract value, and with their recent price increase, no more.

Edited November 9, 2012 by RandomSand

[PattayaPhom]

Am sure if you asked for french fries to compliment a Thai dish you would get them...hey presto, there is your fusion

[sgunn65]

I find that, on the whole, at the cheaper end of the market Thai places do not do Western food at all well. Go to a western owned place and you will find you will get excellent Western food at a reasonable price. Simple Simons Soi 5 Jomtien and the Devonshire Arms on Soi Lengkee to name but two. They also serve decent Thai food for the girlfriend, if that is an issue.

[RandomSand]

Butter with vegetables? Does that happen at home in a 2 quid cafe?

There's a French guy with a restaurant on Soi Rungland (runs behind Ton'y gym 3rd road). His place is called "Le Cantina", if I remember correctly. Last meal I had in there was sliced duck served with potatoes covered in a home cooked sauce. Price less than B200. Very good food.

There are places that strive to serve decent food in Pattaya, thankfully.

Could I find this food in France at the same price (i.e less than €5.00) ?.. I don't know - who cares - what matters is what's available in Pattaya.

Edited November 9, 2012 by RandomSand

[RandomSand]

I find that, on the whole, at the cheaper end of the market Thai places do not do Western food at all well. Go to a western owned place and you will find you will get excellent Western food at a reasonable price. Simple Simons Soi 5 Jomtien and the Devonshire Arms on Soi Lengkee to name but two. They also serve decent Thai food for the girlfriend, if that is an issue.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try em out.

[londoedan]

In the longer term I would try and wean yourself off the Western grub and eat more Thai food. Your money will go a lot further, particularly at that price range.

Yeah you're right on that and it's more healthy... but I feel deprived of calories if I eat too much of it.

Have you tried the Lek hotel buffets ? the breakfast and dinner prices are roughly what you're lookin for and they have a range of stuff on offer.

Thanks for the suggestion. Ate there in the past, but never enough to extract value, and with their recent price increase, no more.

Tropical Berts on Soi 6/1 and La Katai on Soi Lengkee. The kippers in Berts are great !

[JSixpack]

It's my experience that most western cafes & restaurants choose to serve too much low quality meat at the expense of vegetables.

Chicken's chicken, pork's pork. Thai beef isn't Western beef, don't expect it.

So, order extra vegetables. Sorted.

Also; it's rare to be served vegetables with butter and even rarer to be given a black pepper grinder.

Have your footman apply a pat of butter to your vegetables and grind some black pepper for you, your Lordship.

As far as basic errors... The two most (very) common that kill off my custom are; 1. Egg whites not cooked enough (I don't like salmonella thank you). 2. Meagre portions of baked beans or chips.

The eggs are cooked well enough, no need for paranoia. Get used to it.

You need to eat less baked beans and chips, useless starches just making you fat. So this is good.

OK. Next!

[nanapong]

For Gods sake what do you expect for that sort of money. Don't be a cheapy charlie. Break the bank and go eat as much as you want at the Hilton Hotel buffet. 300 bahtish. depends what day you go. Superb food and i'm certain you'll get all the extras you want inclusive.

[seasia]

Butter with vegetables? Does that happen at home in a 2 quid cafe?

There's a French guy with a restaurant on Soi Rungland (runs behind Ton'y gym 3rd road). His place is called "Le Cantina", if I remember correctly. Last meal I had in there was sliced duck served with potatoes covered in a home cooked sauce. Price less than B200. Very good food.

There are places that strive to serve decent food in Pattaya, thankfully.

Could I find this food in France at the same price (i.e less than €5.00) ?.. I don't know - who cares - what matters is what's available in Pattaya.

Thanks for the Le Cantina mention, may try that sometime.

As to egg whites not being cooked well enough, experienced that in various places a fair few times, even when asking for the eggs to be well done.

[gerry53]

Western food at 100-200 Baht a dish? You'll have to tell me where you get real western food at that price and you have to tell me how anybody in the world could serve you good quality (read: imported) beef at that price...

Interesting that you go for the jugular on the beef issue. I try to avoid it as it gives me constipation and instead look for variety of vegetables.

hmm,, I think my talk of fried eggs and chips was not needed.

It may be a good idea not to combine food recommendations and bowel habits in the same post. But thanks for sharing that!

[BlackPuddingBertha]

Break the bank and go eat as much as you want at the Hilton Hotel buffet. 300 bahtish. depends what day you go. Superb food and i'm certain you'll get all the extras you want inclusive.

Actually 380B (incl ++) weekdays except Friday when it is 420B.

The extras I want (water) are not included and cost 30B/bottle extra (incl ++).

This is more or less the price of a fancy burger and chips in one of those ghastly places in the basement that I would never frequent.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

"Also; it's rare to be served vegetables with butter and even rarer to be given a black pepper grinder.

...... Meagre portions of baked beans or chips."

Baked beans and potatoes are both quite expensive and also quite poor quality here, presumably due to them being imported. I think the same probably applies to proper black pepper. They could put a knob of butter on vegetables here, and some places do, though you have to remember that the local way of preparing vegetables is stir-fry/broiling with a little oil. And there's nothing wrong with that as far as I'm concerned.

In spite of what others might say you do not need to spend more than 200B to get a decent western meal here. You just need to look harder for the right places. I hardly ever spend more than 200B on a non-buffet style western meal, not that I eat them very often.

[MZurf]

Break the bank and go eat as much as you want at the Hilton Hotel buffet. 300 bahtish. depends what day you go. Superb food and i'm certain you'll get all the extras you want inclusive.

Actually 380B (incl ++) weekdays except Friday when it is 420B.

The extras I want (water) are not included and cost 30B/bottle extra (incl ++).

This is more or less the price of a fancy burger and chips in one of those ghastly places in the basement that I would never frequent.

If your idea of a ghastly place you'd never frequent is the McD or the BK outlet in the basement of Central then I really wonder how you can stay in Pattaya at all.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

This is more or less the price of a fancy burger and chips in one of those ghastly places in the basement that I would never frequent.

If your idea of a ghastly place you'd never frequent is the McD or the BK outlet in the basement of Central then I really wonder how you can stay in Pattaya at all.

Very easily, by not eating in those places or places like Starbucks etc. There are very few of them, thankfully, and so they are not hard to avoid. There are none at all in Jomtien, for example.

[JSixpack]

. . . those places or places like Starbucks etc. There are very few of them, thankfully, and so they are not hard to avoid. There are none at all in Jomtien, for example.

OMG, if there were a McD or Starbucks in Jomtien, it mean the end of good food and coffee everywhere, not just in Pattaya as now. I'd lose the will to live and probably have to jump off a balcony.

[nanapong]

Break the bank and go eat as much as you want at the Hilton Hotel buffet. 300 bahtish. depends what day you go. Superb food and i'm certain you'll get all the extras you want inclusive.

Actually 380B (incl ++) weekdays except Friday when it is 420B.

The extras I want (water) are not included and cost 30B/bottle extra (incl ++).

This is more or less the price of a fancy burger and chips in one of those ghastly places in the basement that I would never frequent.

Well ok 400 bahtish but so what. The food is superb and you can eat as much as you want. Not to mention the surroundings are rather nice. I don't understand people coming to Thailand and trying to eat on the cheap. I'd sooner not bother or come for a shorter period and have a blast. Isn't that the idea of a holiday. Like most things in life you tend to get what you pay for. I must admit though , a few of the 2000bt a night Roger Moores i've sampled haven't been good value for money while i've have some great encounters for 1000bt. The Chinese place on Soi Lenkee just down from the chippy is very good. It's the same farang owner i believe.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

Actually 380B (incl ++) weekdays except Friday when it is 420B.

The extras I want (water) are not included and cost 30B/bottle extra (incl ++).

This is more or less the price of a fancy burger and chips in one of those ghastly places in the basement that I would never frequent.

Well ok 400 bahtish but so what. The food is superb and you can eat as much as you want. Not to mention the surroundings are rather nice. I don't understand people coming to Thailand and trying to eat on the cheap. I'd sooner not bother or come for a shorter period and have a blast. Isn't that the idea of a holiday.

I live here permanently so I prefer to spend the time to find good places that don't cost too much (of which there are many, thankfully). That said the Hilton is good value and so I go there perhaps 3 or 4 times a month. I would get bored with it if I went more often.

[Jayman]

I agree on the Hilton buffet. I find it good value for the quality and as I live here permanently I could easily bore of it if I go there too often. Once a week to 2x a month is about where I'm at with it.

But also I'm very happy to eat Thai food (is one of the reasons I moved here) and I'm fortunate that my wife is an excellent cook. I don't often eat Thai food outside the house as she can make me exactly what I want and how I like it.

That all said, of course I want some western food for variety every now and again. Thankfully we live in Pattaya where we all have tons of choices with lots of variety to fit everyone's tastes and budgets.

[nanapong]

Actually 380B (incl ++) weekdays except Friday when it is 420B.

The extras I want (water) are not included and cost 30B/bottle extra (incl ++).

This is more or less the price of a fancy burger and chips in one of those ghastly places in the basement that I would never frequent.

Well ok 400 bahtish but so what. The food is superb and you can eat as much as you want. Not to mention the surroundings are rather nice. I don't understand people coming to Thailand and trying to eat on the cheap. I'd sooner not bother or come for a shorter period and have a blast. Isn't that the idea of a holiday.

I live here permanently so I prefer to spend the time to find good places that don't cost too much (of which there are many, thankfully). That said the Hilton is good value and so I go there perhaps 3 or 4 times a month. I would get bored with it if I went more often.

Fair comment. I myself get bored with the same place all the time. I recently stayed at the Thai Garden Resort with my girl and our children. It's the first time i've stayed there and must admit i enjoyed it. They have a buffet every night which was very good value at 299bt. Even smoked Salmon for those who like it. A very good salad bar with cold meats. Probably about 6-7 different hot dishes. They BBQ'd a pig on a Thursday. Kids food was free , 6 & 4 yrs old.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

But also I'm very happy to eat Thai food (is one of the reasons I moved here) and I'm fortunate that my wife is an excellent cook. I don't often eat Thai food outside the house as she can make me exactly what I want and how I like it.

I dont have any specific rule or schedule but I find that on average over the week I eat two Thai meals to every one Farang meal, which seems like a good balance. All eaten out though.