The Hit And Run Restaurant "review" Thread

[AlexCanada]

Royal Garden

 

Walked through Royal Garden this afternoon.  Pretty quiet for sure.  Noticed a handful of shops on the first floor that were either brand new or the space was empty.  That was not usually the case pre-T21.

 

On Beach Road where Hawker Chan once was there are 2 new restaurants coming, one on either side of Burger King.  One is an East Indian vegan restaurant and another is a Wine themed restaurant.  I likely won't be going to either but thought some here may be interested.

 

 

[AlexCanada]

7 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes many of the new restaurants are not getting much business while others like the usual mall chains are doing well.
I've noticed that Indian Chutney place seems to be really struggling even with 15 percent discount. Teddy's Big Burgers doesn't seem to be drawing them in and that's a shame as being from Hawaii they have an interesting menu including Hawaiian Moco Loco.
That Lao Kitchen seems to be super popular. Does anyone have a web link about that place? I can't find one.

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Yes Chutney Indian and Teddy's burgers were both completely empty this afternoon.  Beerfest had 2 customers.  That area where IO is located is a bit annoying with the live music as a deterrent.  Someone (Balo?) had already commented on how distracting it was during their meal.

 

Lao Kitchen is where my girlfriend first wanted to eat.  I balked at it.  It is Isaan food so likely will get a ton of business from all the Isaan bar girls in Pattaya.

[Jingthing]

49 minutes ago, AlexCanada said:

Yes Chutney Indian and Teddy's burgers were both completely empty this afternoon.  Beerfest had 2 customers.  That area where IO is located is a bit annoying with the live music as a deterrent.  Someone (Balo?) had already commented on how distracting it was during their meal.

 

Lao Kitchen is where my girlfriend first wanted to eat.  I balked at it.  It is Isaan food so likely will get a ton of business from all the Isaan bar girls in Pattaya.

Yes, and I think Lao Kitchen has a two for one now on Som tum! Don't quote me on that. I recall seeing that place before. Are they also in Harbor Mall on Klang? In any case it seems to be designed really well with a trendy vibe. I'll wait till the crowds thin a bit though. 

[Jingthing]

55 minutes ago, AlexCanada said:

Royal Garden

 

Walked through Royal Garden this afternoon.  Pretty quiet for sure.  Noticed a handful of shops on the first floor that were either brand new or the space was empty.  That was not usually the case pre-T21.

 

On Beach Road where Hawker Chan once was there are 2 new restaurants coming, one on either side of Burger King.  One is an East Indian vegan restaurant and another is a Wine themed restaurant.  I likely won't be going to either but thought some here may be interested.

…

That Saras is an all vegetarian place. They've been on the top floor of Royal Garden for several years already. The original one is from Bangkok and they have very good food. However, there are a number of local Indian places that have similarly good Indian vegetarian food.

[ThaiBob]

Central Festival was dead this afternoon except in basement.  Before declaring restaurants in trouble we should get reports during the dinner hours. 

[Jingthing]

Well, I've been a number of times already during dinner hours.

About Indian Chutney I have an idea for them in case anyone talks to them. (I won't bother.)

Do a higher end Indian buffet for lunch and dinner and forget about the menu.

Change the curries daily, serve fresh sizzling chicken tandoori (or paneer) and naan to every table.

Maybe even publish a set schedule of changing curries on Facebook. 

Sure you can do the same buffet all the time but that gets boring fast for locals.

Pattaya lacks anything like that. Being in a higher end mall, that would distinguish them from all other Indian places in town and a higher price than the typical tour bus 200 baht buffets could easily be justified. Maybe about 350 without drinks? 

Sure their profit per head would be less than their a la carte menu, but with a fabulous nowhere else in Pattaya Indian buffet like that, at least they'd have the potential of doing a volume business.

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by Jingthing

[lapd]

3 hours ago, AlexCanada said:

Yoshinoya Terminal 21

 

It was my girlfriend's choice again today.  I wanted to go to Marugame Udon but she asked about Yoshinoya next door.  I told her I had only tried it once in Jakarta and it was only ok.  She still wanted to go.  There were some specials but it's not what I wanted so ordered a full price item.  I got the Beef Bowl which came with a tiny but delicious salad, some extremely salty miso soup, and a green tea ice tea.  The beef bowl was ok but I prefer the gyudon at Sukiya at Central Marina more.  My girlfriend ordered the chicken teriyaki and she loved it.  I tried it and didn't like it.  Total bill for both of us was 410 baht.  

 

FYI, many seats available at Pier 21 and many restaurants completely empty.  Saw a Thai couple order what I believe is the Tomahawk Steak at Arno's and it looked mouthwatering.  My girlfriend isn't even a big beef eater and even she was drooling over it.  Arno's only semi busy now that the hamburger special is over.  

 

Saw a buffet called Washi International buffet or something like that.  It's a bit pricey at 799 baht for steak and seafood combo.  Cheaper optons available.  Anyone tried it?

4

If you want to be disappointed with food in Thailand, order the beef.  Especially from a non-beef specialized restaurant.

Edited October 26, 2018 by lapd

[DrTuner]

10 minutes ago, lapd said:

If you want to be disappointed with food in Thailand, order the beef.  Especially from a non-beef specialized restaurant.

It's been getting a little bit better in the last years, more imports and local Thai-French beef is now available. It's a different question how many can cook it without chopping it to mince first.

 

Jim's burgers also serves Thai-French cut into small slices, for those who don't do burgers. I'd say 7.5/10.

[AlexCanada]

2 hours ago, lapd said:

If you want to be disappointed with food in Thailand, order the beef.  Especially from a non-beef specialized restaurant.

Didn't we already have this discussion the last time I mentioned that I ordered beef?

 

Obviously I prefer Grade A Canadian beef even over American beef but clearly that isn't a choice living in Thailand.

Edited October 26, 2018 by AlexCanada

[balo]

On 10/26/2018 at 4:06 PM, Jingthing said:

Teddy's Big Burgers doesn't seem to be drawing them in and that's a shame as being from Hawaii they have an interesting menu including Hawaiian Moco Loco.

Yes , completely empty when I passed by .  

But that Hawaii theme sounds interesting. I might ask for a Moco Loco next time. 

 

 

[AlexCanada]

Hopefully someone here will give Teddy's a shot.  The burger photo is from Teddy's Facebook page.  My issue with Teddy's is that looks like a very small burger patty for a 260 baht cheese burger.  Not sure if those are Pattaya prices or from one of their 2 Bangkok restaurants. 

 

imo the location is not the best and likely doomed to fail.

 

[Jingthing]

The Cheese Tea Gods Were Listening!

 

Back at the ye olde T21 Mall, surprise surpise there is a NEW tea shop. It's so new they don't even have their sign up yet.

 

What is it?

Why it's DAKASI

Taiwan (bubble tea) brand, established 1990.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dakasi/140474506013560

On the Tokyo Floor in the middle across from XOHO Chinese restaurant.

As soon as I saw it, I had a feeling. I just knew there would be CHEESE TEA.

Indeed, CHEESE TEA is heavily featured there on their menu.

You can it with teas. You can have it with coffees. You have it with bubbles. 

I went with the large size Assam Black cheese tea, large size 75 baht.

It was all that, and more.

The tea is on the sweet side but when combined with the VERY salty cheese topping, it just totally works. 

They didn't offer a sugar chart for the drink to choose your level. Just the default. 

 

I reckon most mall visitors have noticed the long lines at Koi The. The as in TEA.

https://www.koithe.com/en

Again, a big TAIWAN brand, they aren't doing cheese teas, but many other choices including matcha lattes and taro balls instead of the usual tapioca bubbles. I had tried their standard bubble milk tea before and it was indeed very good bubble tea. Their brand is known for their GOLDEN colored bubbles. Yes, they were. I think I want to try their taro balls though I think Dasaki has taro balls on offer too and you can always order a cheese topping add there if you want.

Koi The DOES offer a sugar level chart, including sugar free. 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2018 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Kinkao

https://www.facebook.com/kinkaobkk/

 

T21 Mall

Visited to check out their SOUTHERN Thai specialties though that's not all they have (there is a focus on seafood).

They have an entire page of specifically SOUTHERN dishes.

Objectively this a moderately priced restaurant but when you add it all up (plussing the plus plus) it's definitely well into the cheap Charly no go zone.

 

Anyway, I went for some classic Southern Thai tastes --

 

gaeng kua pla kapong (Southern-style yellow curry of seabass with coconut shoot, 250) 

and pork cooked in shrimp paste 180. This turned out to be a very good combination as the pork dish was kind of salad like. Also cooling iced vegetables were served. The fish curry is supposed to be a VERY SPICY dish and as requested (in case they were tempted to farangatize it) indeed it was. The fish chunks were generous if a bit overcooked and the curry was spot on with expected sour Southern flavors. Overall the quality level reminded me of decent non-touristy restaurants in Southern Thailand but not at the highest gourmet level that I once experienced in Bangkok. (So, yes, I'm kind of spoiled by that.)

 

If you're cool with the prices, I would definitely recommend. 

Edited October 27, 2018 by Jingthing

[ThaiBob]

2 hours ago, AlexCanada said:

Hopefully someone here will give Teddy's a shot.  The burger photo is from Teddy's Facebook page.  My issue with Teddy's is that looks like a very small burger patty for a 260 baht cheese burger.  Not sure if those are Pattaya prices or from one of their 2 Bangkok restaurants. 

 

imo the location is not the best and likely doomed to fail.

 

I agree, not the best location and the Arno's beef burger is 200 grams vs this one at 140. And the price 260 vs 220.

[Jingthing]

3 Idiots The Veggie Hub

Tappraya Road, Jomtien

Multicuisine (mostly Indian) vegetarian restaurant

New on eatigo.com

Discounts as much as 50 percent

What took them so long?

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293919-d13737980-Reviews-3_Idiots_The_Veggie_Hub-Pattaya_Chonburi_Province.html

 

https://www.facebook.com/3-Idiots-The-Veggie-Hub-351930698615377/?utm_source=tripadvisor&utm_medium=referral

 

[Spidey]

Had lunch at the Beerfest Brewery T21 the other day.

 

Only draught beer available was Limburgse Witte, something between Hoegarten and a German weissebeer.

For me, better than either, loved it. Never seen it on draught before, 230 baht/pint.

 

I had a main of Goulash. Perfectly cooked and served with really nice roast potatoes. Only problem was a complete lack of paprika, still tasted yummy but beef slightly tough (TiT).

 

Wife had penne with mushrooms, pasta perfectly cooked served with a thick tasty mushroom sauce. Wife loved it.

 

Son had fish sticks (not pictured), posh fish fingers, cleared his plate.

 

No other customers, don't know how long it can survive, but hope it does if only for the beer. Slightly pricey but food well above average for a Pattaya restaurant.

 

 

 

[opporna]

If the goulash didn't have any paprika, what's the red sauce?

[balo]

22 hours ago, ThaiBob said:

I agree, not the best location and the Arno's beef burger is 200 grams vs this one at 140. And the price 260 vs 220.

 

If I understand correctly Arnos are running a promotion before 5 pm , so you'll get any burger set for 220 baht .  Teddy can't compete with that unless they do something with their prices. 

 

[Jingthing]

  If I understand correctly Arnos are running a promotion before 5 pm , so you'll get any burger set for 220 baht .  Teddy can't compete with that unless they do something with their prices.   

 

 

I think the basic Teddy's cheeseburger with choice of fries including tots is 195. Unless I was hallucinating when I read the menu tonight. Choice of bun too including potato bun which sounds good to me.  

You're right Arnos has a daytime special for burgers I think always.

 

BTW do go for the 50 percent off Hokkaido miso ramen at the Misoyu ramen place! I did a repeat already but it ends the 31st. Don't dillydally!

 

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[Jingthing]

The woon Sen with seafood in pot at 85 baht at the food court tastes better than most restaurant versions.

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[AlexCanada]

Pier 21 stall #12.

 

Ordered the sesame noodles with roasted duck and crispy pork.  As you see from the photo the sesame noodles really do not look appetizing.  TBH I was a bit turned off when I first got my plate.  Took it back to the table and started with a sample of the noodles. The noodles were lukewarm at best but tasted better than they look.  Not great not bad.  Next I tried the duck.  Nice piece of duck and definitely edible.  Next was the crispy pork.  Absolutely delicious.  Very crunchy skin.  The sauce is actually pretty good too.  I would return to this stall but would opt for rice over the noodles next time.  Not sure if that is an option.  I'd recommend this place.  The meat and sauce well worth 42 baht.  

 

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

Jiao Zi Guan

T21 Mall, San Francisco floor (south side)

Chinese, Northern Chinese Dumplings

 

Well that buffet went away much quicker than I was told. Like in a few days. They are now a regular restaurant with a four page menu, pictures, and questionable English descriptions.

 

First the part that is not a surprise. So many dumplings. Dumplings, dumplings, dumplings. Not dim sum. Dumplings. You can call this place the dumpling place.

They've got fish dumplings, they've got pork dumplings, they've got shrimp dumplings, they've got beef dumplings, they've got vegetarian dumplings. Mostly Northern style boiled dumplings. They are 100 baht for 8. They've even got famous Shanghai Xia Long Bao dumplings 109 (hot soup inside).

 

But wait, there's more. 

Some offal dishes. Some stir fries including two clam dishes 109. Sweet and sour pork 89. Some Chinese greens dishes. 

 

Many noodle dishes. Served with sauce, in soup, or fried. The noodles are bought in. (Sigh.)

 

I have high standards for Chinese food and these days in Pattaya there is actually really good Chinese food available. So for me, the level of this place is -- pretty good. Good enough to go back to for more dumplings and to try a few more of their dishes, but nothing to get excited about. 

 

I had the mackerel dumplings.

 

 

They were more like what I think Northern style boiled dumpling should be than last order (at the buffet) but still not al dente enough for me. This time not served with Thai dipping sauce but was served a bowl with some chilies and garlic in it and soy sauce on the table. No vinegar on the table. Next time I'll ask to see if they have it. 

 

Then the Kung Pao Chicken 120. A dry version. Decent chi of the wok. Pretty good but not great.

 

The noodle bowl dish I ordered is described on the menu as soybean sauce noodles.

 

A waitress said the one I ordered was Korean style and had ground pork in it (as it appeared to have in the misleading menu picture). What I got had nice bought in al dente noodles, fried eggs with simple soy sauce seasoning (not soybean sauce), and no meat. Seemed about as "Korean" as Jerry Seinfeld. I "complained" about it mainly to see if I was served a mistake but I didn't comprehend the explanation. In fairness the flavor was pretty good for what it was even if not what I thought I ordered. Also in fairness they were willing to take it back but not being sure what they were proposing to replace it with, I didn't bother.

 

The main dish on their menu that I wanted to order is a chicken pieces fried in salt and pepper but they didn't have it. Maybe later.

 

Not much Sichuan on the menu after all. Only that same fish in mala hot pot that I sampled before (with the super bony fish) and some kind of intestine dish.

Edited October 29, 2018 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Additional comment on Indian Chutney at T21.

As I said before I was told that they have a branch at Royal Garden top floor and I wondered if they meant in the food court there. 

Well, I did visit the top floor there and there is no Indian Chutney there that exists as a regular restaurant so I think it's fair to assume they are running as a food court vendor there.

I was also told they are in Bangkok too. Well, the only place I can find online with their name is also in a food court.

So I'm going to conclude from all that that the T21 location is probably this brand's first attempt at a full blown sit down restaurant. 

 

 

Before I mentioned that I have an idea for how they might be able to stimulate their business. The idea was a higher end daily lunch and dinner buffet for about 350 that includes sending a fresh tandoor dish and naan to each table. I then said I wouldn't bother suggesting that to them. 

I think that sounds like I'm being mean so I'll clarify.

It's their business. It's none of my business. I haven't even eaten there and I don't intend to even try it (prices too high and I have other Indian places that already work for me). I think I have a good idea for them but there is no way I could know for sure if it would really work. They might have thought of the idea themselves and already rejected it. So for a stranger who hasn't even eaten there to approach them and suggest a complete reorganization of their business plan is super presumptuous (even for me and I'm not shy!). Now if I had eaten there and had a rapport with a manager or owner there, I would mention the idea.

 

However, I would like them to hear this idea. I've seen it work in other cities to the point of being busy on weekday lunches. But it won't be me to suggest it to them. Perhaps someone reading this will eat there and get chummy with a manager … so I would be happy if you pass the idea along especially if you also think it might help them out.

 

To add, IF they did convert to a buffet as I described and the curries were good and they rotated the curries on different days, not only would I personally try it out I would go there regularly. But I'm only one customer. 

Edited October 30, 2018 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Vegetarian place

At the front, on the right

T21 Food court

Similar food is available many places around town, but I found the food I sampled there quite good. I had the brown rice with three choices at 40 baht to be a tasty nutritious starter although I guess for some it would be a full meal. Of course the food is sitting in trays, so it's room temperature. 

I guess the skeptics (including me) about how good and low priced the food court was going to be compared to T21 Bangkok have been proven wrong. So far … 

[KittenKong]

^^^ I saw that vegetarian place and put it on my mental list of ones to try. There are a couple of other places nearby that do rice and three toppings for 40B or just under, and they are on my list too.

 

All the dishes I saw in those places this morning looked good and fresh.

[Jingthing]

Shock and awe in the Jomtien pizza world. ????

Pizza Art suddenly REPLACED by Pizza Da Nicola.

Tappraya road (at View Talay 2 across from Jomtien Complex).

 

[AlexCanada]

Pier 21 - Anas Hanif Chicken Biryani stall #9

 

WINNER!

 

2nd stall in on the right side near the theatre, right next to the vegetarian place.

 

This place is putting a damper on me trying other places in T21.  I have now been here 3 times.  

 

The red curry is the Massaman Curry.  Definitely the spiciest massaman curry I have ever had.  I thought it was a bit too spicy and took away from the taste.  Guess that's what Thai people enjoy.  Still very good.

 

The real winner is the Roti with chicken curry.  The roti is sweet and delicious.  Only criticism is I wish they would reheat the roti before serving you but I guess it's more like fast food here so no time for that.  Contrary to the massaman curry this one is rather sweet.  Well at least it was 2 of the 3 days because today it was a bit spicy.  I actually had to ask the guy if he was giving me the right curry since it was almost as red as the massaman curry today.  The server matters here as the portion sizes are quite different depending on who serves you.  You can even see from the photos how much food one dish has compared to the other  This is a must try.

 

I like chicken biryani so I will try that next time.

 

 

 

 

[AlexCanada]

Japanese cheesecake.  I believe there is more than one Japanese cheesecake shops in T21 but this one remains one of, if not the only,  T21 shops that continually has a long line up.  It's located on Floor M near Hawker Chan.  FYI Hawker Chan actually had a handful of customers today.  Things are looking up!

 

Wondering if anyone has tried this place.  It isn't that cheap so it must be good.  

 

 

Edited October 31, 2018 by AlexCanada

[DMC1]

Japanese cheesecake.  I believe there is more than one Japanese cheesecake shops in T21 but this one remains one of, if not the only,  T21 shops that continually has a long line up.  It's located on Floor M near Hawker Chan.  FYI Hawker Chan actually had a handful of customers today.  Things are looking up!
 
Wondering if anyone has tried this place.  It isn't that cheap so it must be good.  
 
 

My Mrs tried this place, queued for one hour. Honestly, I was very disappointed with the taste/texture. My Mrs bakes and she has made much better Japanese cheesecake before.

[l4ml4m]

On 10/31/2018 at 8:56 PM, Jingthing said:

Shock and awe in the Jomtien pizza world. ????

Pizza Art suddenly REPLACED by Pizza Da Nicola.

Tappraya road (at View Talay 2 across from Jomtien Complex).

 

 

Hello,

 

Can I know where you like to eat around Jomtien, beginning of the beach or near Viewtalay on Thapraya road ?

 

And where is this pizza ? On the main street ? is it overpriced ?

 

Thanks.