Indian Food Reccomendation....

[properperson]

after 3.5 years living here and having experienced the not that good, the pretty darn bad and the positively ugly - A new place has opened that shines out like a shaft of gold when all around is dark:

The place - Cheap Charlie's, Soi Lenkee

i had chicken tika masala with garlic nan, which as i recall cost 280b - the quality of which is on a par with the decent quality indian restaurants i frequented when i lived in the UK....

The owner used to have an Indian restaurant in Birmingham (UK)....

[Jingthing]

Cool. Sounds interesting. Would you say this is UK style Indian food? I know that style can be very good, just inquiring.

[properperson]

yes - 100 % uk style........

[Jingthing]

yes - 100 % uk style........

Cool. It's on my list.

Is that a new restaurant? I've not heard of it before.

[worgeordie]

Cheap Charlie's, does not sound like any Indian restaurant,,

I have been in ?

regards Worgeordie

[Jingthing]

Cheap Charlie's, does not sound like any Indian restaurant,,

I have been in ?

regards Worgeordie

True that but it sounds like it could be British, and if they're serving UK style Indian food, why not? Anyway, you don't EAT the name. I agree with your skepticism though so I'm on the case! Edited December 17, 2012 by Jingthing

[BlackPuddingBertha]

Cheap Charlies seems to do just about every sort of food one could possibly imagine and as such it seems unlikely that they can do all of it very well.

At 280B for one tikka masala and naan it doesnt seem at all cheap to me, and this is confirmed by the other prices I have seen there.

[Jimmyd]

Strange place--Charlie Chaplin on the sign and named Cheap Charlie's but not cheap at all as far as I can see. Do the owners know the negative connotation of 'Cheap Charie' I have to wonder? Why name a place Cheap Charlie and still have prices higher than the restaurants around you? As I recall, they even have lobster. I obviously just don't get this place. By the by, I haven't tried it and rarely see any customers in there.

[Jayman]

Cool. Sounds interesting. Would you say this is UK style Indian food? I know that style can be very good, just inquiring.

By the name of it, sounds British to me.

The curry place I've been eating a ton of on Soi Khao Noi sells the chicken Tikka Marsla with either rice or chipathi for 150thb (165thb for lamb). So, 280thb seems like a lot to me.

Edited December 17, 2012 by Jayman

[Psych01]

In the OP it states,

"The owner used to have an Indian restaurant in Birmingham (UK)...."

Also, it could be that the owner is having a laff at all us "cheap charlies", by calling it Cheap Charlies???

[BlackPuddingBertha]

The curry place I've been eating a ton of on Soi Khao Noi sells the chicken Tikka Marsla with either rice or chipathi for 150thb (165thb for lamb).

That's much more like the sort of price I would expect to pay here for that dish.

[Woody1]

The curry place I've been eating a ton of on Soi Khao Noi sells the chicken Tikka Marsla with either rice or chipathi for 150thb (165thb for lamb).

That's much more like the sort of price I would expect to pay here for that dish.

Properperson, thanks for the recommendation, will give it a go soon.

Jingthing, if you get there before me could you give us one of your unbiased reviews on the food, I'm not too bothered about the name!

As for the conspiracy theories, negative connotations, etc, about the name mentioned above, could it not be something as simple as perhaps the owner might be named Charlie?

As for prices, it's common sense that the same meals (but not gauranteed the same quality) will be cheaper on Khao Noi, to start with rent is probably half what it is in Soi Lenkee, and the staff will also be paid less. This applies to virtually all businesses when comparing Darkside prices against the center of town, i.e. bars, restaurants, massages, spa's, etc, so lets try not to ruin what is a positive thread, by complaining about prices again (there's another thread already running for real cheap charlie's), before anyone else has had a chance to try the curries!

One thing that always bewilders me is the type of comment above, quote, "That's much more like the sort of price I would expect to pay here for that dish.", why would you expect an Indian dish prepared / served in UK style here to be cheaper? I can assure you that if you wanted it Indian style in India or UK style in the UK, you would get it cheaper.

[Jayman]

When people talk about what they expect to pay for food it's usually based on how much the ingredients cost and the general cost of living trading into account the type of food might be a common or specialty that requires a certain skill.

The place I mentioned on soi khao noi has no staff. It's a British Indian guy and his Filipino wife that do it all. The food is of good quality and very much reasonably priced for the serving sizes. Of course you are right that it's not fair to compare the prices on the dark side with the bright side but not all of us live on the bright side so I thought it'd mention it again to try to get him some exposure. I don't want to see him close down for lack of business as its just oh so convenient, tasty, and reasonable.

[Jingthing]

I have heard word that that darkside place will DELIVER as far as Jomtien!

This is the place, right?

http://www.mydestina...0/amin-tandoori

Anyway, I am feeling a little skittish about trying that Cheap Charley place.

Perhaps someone actually FROM Bradford can try it first? Ha ha.

The thing is I have been told by an insider that many (most) of those British places serving curry as part of their larger menu just buy the curries in from a central source, like you can buy FROZEN at places like Foodmart.

I may mosey on by the CC place and sniff around. If I don't like the vibe, I'm walking!

Speaking of Bradford curries. The site is a good intro to UK style Indian:

http://website.lineone.net/~bradfordcurryguide/frintro.htm

Edited December 18, 2012 by Jingthing

[Orac]

When people talk about what they expect to pay for food it's usually based on how much the ingredients cost and the general cost of living trading into account the type of food might be a common or specialty that requires a certain skill.

The place I mentioned on soi khao noi has no staff. It's a British Indian guy and his Filipino wife that do it all. The food is of good quality and very much reasonably priced for the serving sizes. Of course you are right that it's not fair to compare the prices on the dark side with the bright side but not all of us live on the bright side so I thought it'd mention it again to try to get him some exposure. I don't want to see him close down for lack of business as its just oh so convenient, tasty, and reasonable.

I went to try the Khao Noi place on Sunday and it was closed - notice on the door says closed Sun, Mon, Tues so hopefully back open tomorrow.

[Jingthing]

So the place of my link is a different place?

I don't know from the darkside.

[Orac]

So the place of my link is a different place?

I don't know from the darkside.

Different - the one in your link is way down SSCC before you get to the lake.

[Jingthing]

So the place of my link is a different place?

I don't know from the darkside.

Different - the one in your link is way down SSCC before you get to the lake.

Aha. Thanks.

[Woody1]

So the place of my link is a different place?

I don't know from the darkside.

Jingthing, the place in your link is a different place to where Jayman is refering to. The place you are looking at is on Soi Siam Country Club (where I happen to live) versus Soi Khao Noi where Jayman has recommended.

The Amin place link doesn't mention deliveries, only eat in or take out, but I'll try to call in for a bite to confirm this. It also states that it's run by the chef that used to work at the Fisherman's (on Mapbrachan Lake), the Indian food from there was good, so if it's the same chef as I think it is, I would expect the same of this place. (Fisherman's Indian food is still good BTW)

[Jayman]

Yes the one on khao noi is not the one from the link jt posted. Also, they are closed for a few days doing a visa run to Laos I believe. Normally they are open from like 7am- midnight 7 days a week.

If you search for darside curry you will find a post I started on them where I post their menu that also includes a phone number for those wanting to call ahead.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Jayman

[Jingthing]

So the place of my link is a different place?

I don't know from the darkside.

Jingthing, the place in your link is a different place to where Jayman is refering to. The place you are looking at is on Soi Siam Country Club (where I happen to live) versus Soi Khao Noi where Jayman has recommended.

The Amin place link doesn't mention deliveries, only eat in or take out, but I'll try to call in for a bite to confirm this. It also states that it's run by the chef that used to work at the Fisherman's (on Mapbrachan Lake), the Indian food from there was good, so if it's the same chef as I think it is, I would expect the same of this place. (Fisherman's Indian food is still good BTW)

Their MENU does mention deliveries. The part about willingness to go to Jomtien is something I got from a forum:

http://cdnstatic-1.mydestination.com/pattaya/Photos/81320/RestaurantMenu.20120912-045425.pdf

[BlackPuddingBertha]

One thing that always bewilders me is the type of comment above, quote, "That's much more like the sort of price I would expect to pay here for that dish.", why would you expect an Indian dish prepared / served in UK style here to be cheaper? I can assure you that if you wanted it Indian style in India or UK style in the UK, you would get it cheaper.

The simple reason as to why just about anything should be cheaper here than in the UK is that nearly all the costs involved are lower here than they would be in the UK. Property rentals, taxes, wages, other labour costs, ingredients, transport, etc. etc. You can see the result of this just a few yards from the place in question, where you can easily find a typical British or other European meal for less than half what it would cost in the country of origin. Often less than one third, and that is entirely normal. To expect otherwise would be foolish.

The only things that could be excused for costing more here are things that have a large percentage of imported content. Caviar and Maine lobsters for example, regular local lobster being much cheaper. The ingredients of chicken tikka masala and naan bread are not expensive anywhere in the world as there is absolutely nothing special or unusual about them.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

The thing is I have been told by an insider that many (most) of those British places serving curry as part of their larger menu just buy the curries in from a central source, like you can buy FROZEN at places like Foodmart.

Actually many things that one eats in restaurants here come from Makro, either frozen or fresh. Not just the British places either, just about any farang or Thai catering business will be selling stuff that came from Makro in one form or another.

I've lost count of the number of familiar restaurant faces I have seen in there, pushing huge trolleys around.

[Jingthing]

The thing is I have been told by an insider that many (most) of those British places serving curry as part of their larger menu just buy the curries in from a central source, like you can buy FROZEN at places like Foodmart.

Actually many things that one eats in restaurants here come from Makro, either frozen or fresh. Not just the British places either, just about any farang or Thai catering business will be selling stuff that came from Makro in one form or another.

I've lost count of the number of familiar restaurant faces I have seen in there, pushing huge trolleys around.

I'm sure but personally if I'm eating out, I want my food to be cooked in the kitchen of the restaurant, and preferably not frozen, and preferably not microwaved. Of course we don't always get what we want. Maybe it's OK for tourists who don't shop for groceries and cook at home but why eat out if you're getting bought in food? Yes sadly I agree these shortcuts are massively common.

I'd be especially suspicious of restaurants with huge, multi-national menus. Like a bar that has Mexican, Indian, Thai, English and German food. Must be an interesting freezer they've got and the Thai food is probably the best bet.

(OMG: Just imagine a Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares in Pattaya!)

As far as restaurant prices, that's always a complicated business thing. Cost of food only one factor and not the dominant factor. Obviously all operating costs and overhead. Then there is the VALUE ADD, what you might call the X factor in cases where there is really good cooking going on. If a chicken tikka masala tastes exceptional and is being cooked by a skilled chef in house, that's worth more than a bought in frozen one, even with the same portion size and basic ingredients.

All of us as consumers make our own decisions all the time on whether a price is worth it or not. If you try a place and don't feel satisfied with the value, don't go back.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Jingthing

[Woody1]

One thing that always bewilders me is the type of comment above, quote, "That's much more like the sort of price I would expect to pay here for that dish.", why would you expect an Indian dish prepared / served in UK style here to be cheaper? I can assure you that if you wanted it Indian style in India or UK style in the UK, you would get it cheaper.

The simple reason as to why just about anything should be cheaper here than in the UK is that nearly all the costs involved are lower here than they would be in the UK. Property rentals, taxes, wages, other labour costs, ingredients, transport, etc. etc. You can see the result of this just a few yards from the place in question, where you can easily find a typical British or other European meal for less than half what it would cost in the country of origin. Often less than one third, and that is entirely normal. To expect otherwise would be foolish.

The only things that could be excused for costing more here are things that have a large percentage of imported content. Caviar and Maine lobsters for example, regular local lobster being much cheaper. The ingredients of chicken tikka masala and naan bread are not expensive anywhere in the world as there is absolutely nothing special or unusual about them.

This is going off topic, so will be my last post until I've tried the Indian meals concerned, but let me point out judging by the above it's suffice to say you have no idea what you're talking about!! You make statements that are completely unfounded, without any knowledge of what you're claiming to be fact.

You obviously haven't had a good look at the cost of property rental, wages, etc, here, or you wouldn't make such an example.

Also, we were discussing a specific type of meal, not a typical British or other European meal as you mention, so please when trying to justify your earlier comment try to keep the focus on the subject. I could have easily quoted numerous high end restaurants that are as expensive, if not more so than overseas establishmets. Remember it's apples for apples, not pears!

I think everything else I wanted to mention JT has covered and explained in greater detail above.

PS, I think you might find the regular local lobster's you mention are not actually lobster's, they have a couple of bits missing that would automatically raise their value

[PattayaPhom]

Another Indian curry thread............all good info for those wishing to try however my last try at Palm leaf will be the last so although tempting I couldnt do with another dissapointment, luckily my Mrs cooks a very fine, byriani, vindaloo, madras and masala, all with ingredients bought cheaply, so a very decent curry with rice at home that tastes better than most UK places for about 40 baht...only thing I cant get is a good naan bread for take away...any ideas where?

[RabC]

Another Indian curry thread............all good info for those wishing to try however my last try at Palm leaf will be the last so although tempting I couldnt do with another dissapointment, luckily my Mrs cooks a very fine, byriani, vindaloo, madras and masala, all with ingredients bought cheaply, so a very decent curry with rice at home that tastes better than most UK places for about 40 baht...only thing I cant get is a good naan bread for take away...any ideas where?

Friendship now has two different makes of locally produced Naan in the freezer, cant comment on quality as I bring the mini ones back from UK. I can say that the curries these two companies make get good reviews from mates. One of them does Chicken Tikka (just the meat) that is pukka tasting.

Edited December 18, 2012 by RabC

[Jingthing]

Another Indian curry thread............all good info for those wishing to try however my last try at Palm leaf will be the last so although tempting I couldnt do with another dissapointment, luckily my Mrs cooks a very fine, byriani, vindaloo, madras and masala, all with ingredients bought cheaply, so a very decent curry with rice at home that tastes better than most UK places for about 40 baht...only thing I cant get is a good naan bread for take away...any ideas where?

Friendship now has two different makes of locally produced Naan in the freezer, cant comment on quality as I bring the mini ones back from UK. I can say that the curries these two companies make get good reviews from mates.

And I'm sure you can get those very same frozen curries at jacked up prices at many "fine" British restaurants about the town.

[Jayman]

Another Indian curry thread............all good info for those wishing to try however my last try at Palm leaf will be the last so although tempting I couldnt do with another dissapointment, luckily my Mrs cooks a very fine, byriani, vindaloo, madras and masala, all with ingredients bought cheaply, so a very decent curry with rice at home that tastes better than most UK places for about 40 baht...only thing I cant get is a good naan bread for take away...any ideas where?

Friendship now has two different makes of locally produced Naan in the freezer, cant comment on quality as I bring the mini ones back from UK. I can say that the curries these two companies make get good reviews from mates.

And I'm sure you can get those very same frozen curries at jacked up prices at many "fine" British restaurants about the town.

Jt, I think you misunderstood. No one wad saying that frozen prepared food was being brought in makro to be served in local restaurants. I believe we are talking about raw ingredients being bought from makro which is akin to Costco back home.

All the curries I get you the street are definitely not frozen pre maxed but are freshly made to order. Just a chicken tikka from them is 120 thb.

If they were not so close to me I probably wouldn't travel far to go there. Likewise, I have no intention of traveling to cheap Charlie's for Indian food that I know I can get much cheaper around the corner.

That shouldn't stop those close to that location from giving it a try if they are in search of a new Indian spot.

I do hope to hear more reviews and if it's all the rave I will add it to my list of places too easy when in town.

[Jingthing]

Again, I know for a fact a number of restaurants all over the world, perhaps more so in Pattaya, buy in their main dishes, ready-made. I wish menus were forced to tell you that, everywhere.