The Hit And Run Restaurant "review" Thread

[KittenKong]

So shorts no problem for lunch. I imagine people dress for dinner there then.

I doubt it. It's not really that sort of place, or that sort of location either.

Would you wear shorts to La Bocca or that nearby new Italian place in the evening? I would and I think this place is pretty similar.

[Jingthing]

So shorts no problem for lunch. I imagine people dress for dinner there then.

I doubt it. It's not really that sort of place, or that sort of location either.

Would you wear shorts to La Bocca or that nearby new Italian place in the evening? I would and I think this place is pretty similar.

OK. The pics on their website indicate frou frou aspirations.

[Ireland32]

If I may add a recommendation for a small Thai eatery in central Pattaya. 'Noi Reastaurant' is located on the right side of Soi Honey as you head up toward Soi Buakhow from 2nd road, about a third of the way up the soi, opposite the small car parking lot between the Intown Hotel and Honey Massage. Nothing fancy, but surely a relaxed place. About five tables, some out, some in, all open air.

it's open I believe from about 9:00 AM till about 7:30-ish for last orders. I'm surprised this place doesn't have more regular customers, given the location, foot, traffic, quality of what it offers, good value, etc. Thought I'd mention it here, see if it will help get a few folks to give it a try.

It offers Thai dishes, the basics, but still a fairly extensive menu for that. I find the dishes tasty, the ingredients fresh, the food is prepared quick enough, the drinks and beer are cheap (smalls, 50-60B), and prices of the dishes are quite reasonable,either the 'one-plate with rice dishes', or the standalone dishes, especially for the area. Very nice. It's operated by a couple of sisters; one cooks, the other serves. The type of place of which there used to be many but are disappearing, the type you hope can stick around.

I believe it's Closed, I'm staying near it , in hotel ,has for Rent sign on steel door, too bad , I wanted to try it.

[balo]

So shorts no problem for lunch. I imagine people dress for dinner there then.

I doubt it. It's not really that sort of place, or that sort of location either.

Would you wear shorts to La Bocca or that nearby new Italian place in the evening? I would and I think this place is pretty similar.

OK. The pics on their website indicate frou frou aspirations.

Laongs Bistro is my new favourite place in Jomtien. It's located next to the German bakery Back Fabrik mentioned earlier in this thread. I live nearby so for me it's a 10 minute ride with my bicycle.

They have a huge selection of western dishes , I always find something interesting to eat there. Also they offer buffets on different days of the week. Wednesday is pasta buffet and as already mentioned a new buffet on Fridays.

But I have to admit , the main reason I am eating there is the Eatigo discount I get from the smart phone app , you will get up to 50% discount on all the food (except buffet and drinks) .

I think some of the dishes are a bit on the high side (300 ++) so for me it's a perfect deal to get a good discount there.

The food is well prepared , I have never had a bad meal there.

.

[peeba7]

 

Just a heads up, with Big C on Second Road closing soon, I stopped in by 'Khao Suay' last night where I have enjoyed some great meals since Big C first opened.

And I was informed by the Cook that they will be moving at the end of the month, to Sukhumvit 21.

Very sad to lose another great Pattaya Restaurant to the other side of the Sukhumvit

 

I know of two big c's, one near Pat Tai and Suk and one on Pat Klang, there was a central on 2nd road north of Pat Klang or am I mistaken or did it become big c, there maybe one on Pat Nui? What am i missing?

[peeba7]

 

JASMINE RESTAURANT

On Soi Beaukow just south of Volare Italian restaurant intersection (west side of street).

I have now tried this place a few times and have some good things to say about it.

They serve both Israeli and Thai food.

I wouldn't go to an Israeli place for Thai so can only comment on the Israeli food.

The original menu when they first opened was a cramped two sided one pager, poorly designed, and very hard to understand especially for English speakers.

That has changed!

The new menu is crystal clear, with English and large pictures!

I have tried:

Shakshuka 140

Perfectly cooked poached eggs, tomato sauce too minimalist, served with side Israeli salad and pita.

Ordered spicy and got it.

NOT served in the metal plan as pictured on menu. Served on plate instead.

Coffee or juice included breakfast only.

This was one of the better tasting Shakshukas I've had in town, but there really wasn't enough sauce.

Hummous 110

With pita.

Tasted of some tahini in it (but not too much which is good for me) and some whole garbanzos on top.

Very good.

Eggplant in tahini (forget price)

Roasted large eggplant piece SWIMMING in tahini

Nice. But this is NOT baba ganoush (eggplant dip) which you can order but it's off the menu.

YEMENITE chicken soup 200

Very tasty. Smallish piece of chicken.

Served with two authentic side adds, one spicy.

I doubt it's world class Yemenite chicken soup because it's a COMPLICATED dish and uses really specialized spices ... but still, it was good eating.

IF you like things spicy, ask for either "spicy" or "Zhug" which isn't really pronounced that way to add to pretty much ANY Israeli dish.

Great with hummous.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhug

You'll usually find the GREEN version locally.

To add, the excellent Thai waitress as well as the Israeli owner are remarkably friendly and seem to really care to make their customers happy, regardless of nationality.

As regular Pattaya restaurant diners know, that quite often is NOT the case!

 

Is this south of soi 15, north of the place restaurant and action street, on the beach (west side of the street) usually not many people, decent sized place, not small?

[Jingthing]

Take the soi from the BACK of the Avenue Mall that goes to Soi Buakhow. Then turn right. Volare Italian will be on the left corner. Go down just a bit and JASMINE will be on your right. It's a small restaurant. There have always been some customers when I visited. The customers have been more diverse than The Place. Yes, it is north of The Place. It may be closed for PASSOVER, as The Place will be. Passover this year ends on the 30th. Cheers.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Jingthing

[KittenKong]

I know of two big c's, one near Pat Tai and Suk and one on Pat Klang, there was a central on 2nd road north of Pat Klang or am I mistaken or did it become big c, there maybe one on Pat Nui? What am i missing?

There is a third BigC on 2nd Road, directly opposite Siam@Siam.

That's the one that is closing as far as I know.

https://goo.gl/maps/6G3dZGj4JuB2

[buythisdashcam]

The only Vietnamese at Pattaya, Sophon soi is closed.

Should I ridiculously try to explain South of where and North of where like people keep doing on this thread ?

Edited April 27, 2016 by buythisdashcam

[Jingthing]

The only Vietnamese at Pattaya, Sophon soi is closed.

Should I ridiculously try to explain South of where and North of where like people keep doing on this thread ?

Don't bother please, as it is CLOSED. Thanks for the info. I never went.

There is that food court place in Central Pattaya beach mall, but as I said before, it will not excite anyone who's into Viet food.

[TaaSaparot]

The only Vietnamese at Pattaya, Sophon soi is closed.

Are you sure ?

It was open when I passed by on Saturday night.

[TaaSaparot]

I know of two big c's, one near Pat Tai and Suk and one on Pat Klang, there was a central on 2nd road north of Pat Klang or am I mistaken or did it become big c, there maybe one on Pat Nui? What am i missing?

Just a heads up, with Big C on Second Road closing soon

How much simpler do you have to make it on here ?

[TaaSaparot]

The only Vietnamese at Pattaya, Sophon soi is closed.

And it moved from Soi Sophon a couple of years ago

[petermik]

That buffet sounds great. Do you have to dress decently to go there? I hate snooty places in a beach resort.

Footie shorts/vest and knotted hankie on you head JT?................a real stylish man about town

[Jingthing]

That buffet sounds great. Do you have to dress decently to go there? I hate snooty places in a beach resort.

Footie shorts/vest and knotted hankie on you head JT?................a real stylish man about town

No, I'm not British.

[buythisdashcam]

Really ? So where was it if not Sophon ?

The only Vietnamese at Pattaya, Sophon soi is closed.

And it moved from Soi Sophon a couple of years ago

[TaaSaparot]

Really ? So where was it if not Sophon ?

It's on Soi 8 3rd Road.

[buythisdashcam]

Yes, and Sophon soi 10 it seems ?

I visited 2 soi and the vietnamese was not there.

Really ? So where was it if not Sophon ?

It's on Soi 8 3rd Road.

[kdrayong]

We decided to try La Taverna del Passatore tonight. I have to say we were underwhelmed. Prices are good and portions are large, but the puttanesca I had was mediocre. I asked for it with tagliatelli and they were out of it. I also tried their sausage. They were out of mashed potatoes. The sausage was salty and a bit undercooked. My bf's "special" seafood pasta was not good at all. We both decided it was not a place to return to.

Been at La Taverna des Passatore recently, I had a tuna salad with egg and spaghetti Bolognese.

The spaghetti was just standard, to be found far better at the nearby stand in Soi Diana. A huge portion though.

The tuna salad contained green salad, carrots, a half tomato (tasty though), a half egg, a heaped teaspoon (!) of tuna and sliced ham (compensation for the little amount of tuna?), Very poor. As very common in Italian restaurants the salad is served without any dressing. I don't complain about that.

The business is for sale, so I assume that they were running out of ingredients. I'm not in a hurry to return there.

[Jingthing]

Restaurant Ukraine

Soi Watbun, Jomtien

Traditional Ukrainian food including Russian standards

Location is a good ways down Soi Watbun from Jomtien Beach Road, on the left hand side. It's adjacent to a Russian restaurant with a no-English menu.

A landmark to look for on Jomtien Beach road is the Grand Jomtien Palace Hotel and the traffic light there.

http://grandjomtienpalace.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/hotelmap.gif

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g293919-d6893208-Reviews-Restaurant_Ukraine-Pattaya_Chonburi_Province.html

My grandparents were from Ukraine (Russian Federation era) so I have some context for understanding Ukrainian food. Most famous for BORSCHT and oddly Chicken Kiev, which according to Wiki was actually invented in CHICAGO! Ukrainian food is also known for a love of FAT. As in lard dips, fatty pork, etc.

There are so many Russian restaurants in town and most aren't anything exceptional. There are also Asian former Soviet Union type places and they tend to be more interesting.

This place obviously specializes in Ukrainian food and indeed they live up to that. Based on two visits, my impression of their food is that it is probably pretty authentic and quality-wise above average for Pattaya expectations, but not world class.

It's a cozy little place decorated Ukrainian style, Russian music videos playing on the t.v. ... so you can feel like you're taking a little Eastern European holiday right here in Jomtien.

Although the staff speaks almost NO English and they don't particularly expect non-Russian, non-Ukrainian customers, the menu is more accessible than at similar places. There are English translations and some pictures. If you know only Russian food, you may have to google some of the Ukrainian stuff and of course if there isn't a picture what you get might be a surprise.

Dishes I've tried are the Ukrainian borscht at 100 baht.

This was better than most borschts I've had in town but considering Ukraine is famous for borscht I thought it would be even better. Served with a chunk of fatty beef and sour cream of course. For a little extra you get "garlic donuts" with it. I only noticed that later.

Stuffed Red Pepper 180

Stuffed with ground beef and traditional grain (not rice) in a thin red sauce.

Excellent!

The only caveat is if you're palate is used to spicy Thai foods, you might find it too bland (which you can probably say about almost the entire menu).

"Kharcho" Soup 150

This is a Georgian soup, perhaps it's a Ukraine version. I read it's supposed to have walnuts in the recipe but I didn't notice. Also served with a chunk of fatty beef. I didn't think much of this rather heavy soup at this place and would suggest trying borscht or another soup if you want soup.

Crimean Beef Pilaf (Plov) 200

Served with small sides including pickled onions.

This was different than Russian plov in that the grain was not rice. Kasha I think, not sure, the same grain as in the pepper. The beef chunks were kind of odd, sort of variety meats, some pieces tasted like marrow. The not rice was a surprise. I very much enjoyed this dish one time as it was different, but I wouldn't be in any hurry to eat it again.

HOMEMADE KVASS 60

This is a fermented kind of natural soda drink made with bread, yeast, sugar, etc.

It was very enjoyable but I think an acquired taste for many.

One thing confusing to me is which main dishes are served with any sides and which are not.

For example my stuffed red pepper had no sides but had plenty of grain stuffed in it already.

The plov came with small vegetable based sides but of course plenty of grain in the dish.

I noticed another customer had what I assume is probably the "Ukrainian roast" which is just listed that way on the menu, but included mashed potatoes and vegetables on the plate.

Of course a la carte orders of everything are on the menu but hard to know if you need them based on reading the menu.

They didn't have everything on the menu and some dishes require 24 hours notice such as the roast duck with apples which looks really great on the menu picture.

Also, I have just scratched the surface of their menu. It is a moderately sized, very interesting and complete Ukraine food menu and even if they only have half of what's on it, that's still plenty of choices!

They didn't have fish in aspic or Chicken Kiev when I asked. Not sure if they ever have it or by special order only.

Like I said, no English speakers.

I think that's enough information for people to decide for themselves whether they want to try this place.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Jingthing

[balo]

Just curious , were the staff Ukrainian or Thai ? I might try them one day.

[Jingthing]

Just curious , were the staff Ukrainian or Thai ? I might try them one day.

There were two white ladies that I saw. I didn't ask for their papers! I assume they can probably speak Ukrainian and Russian.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Jingthing

[Becker]

Has anyone tried the restaurant called Tsunami Sushi Buffet near the Cherry Restaurant on third road?

[Jingthing]

Thai Express (chain restaurant from Singapore) at Royal Garden Mall, ground floor level beachside front.

I previously posted about this place after just perusing their menu.

I dropped by for a visit and had their top featured dish, Chicken Massaman, includes roti, at 300 baht.

Yes, that is quite expensive for that dish locally but their menu sells it as being special.

OK, here goes.

The actual dish and the menu picture were relatively close. The picture looked amazing. Nobody expects actual dishes to look like professional marketing pictures, so so far, so good.

This was the best version of Chicken Massaman that I've had in Pattaya.

Why?

Large piece of well cooked chicken on the bone (leg/thigh). Many places in town use filet or even that fake dried processed chicken pieces (YUCK!)

Delicious and somewhat complex curry paste. This was obviously their proprietary paste. Most places they use the same paste you buy at the grocery store.

Last but not least ... it was not too sweet! Amazing! So often, this dish is done sugar city style.

The rotis were OK. The portion was generous enough.

The staff seemed "westernized" ... there were some annoying attempts at upselling and hard selling more courses. (Corporate thing.)

Drink prices high. Water 45 baht.

Big surprise --- no plus plus!

On their Thai street food section, they have a dish I want to try later, chicken wings stuffed with fish and herbs. Sounds good and where else do you find it in town?

Prices for everything of course high for Thai food, but some interesting and different dishes.

Because of their prices, I won't be a regular, but definitely good enough to return to occasionally, and I do not usually like CHAINS.

To add, the Thailand chain menu differs from the Singapore menu in a SAD way.

The Singapore menu includes Singapore/Malaysian soup and noodles dishes like LAKSA.

Here ... sadly, not.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Jingthing

[balo]

Based on your recommendation I will try Chicken massaman next time , a dish I do not normally eat . But sounds like the best place to do it is at Thai Express.

[Jingthing]

Based on your recommendation I will try Chicken massaman next time , a dish I do not normally eat . But sounds like the best place to do it is at Thai Express.

Oh no. That's way too much pressure on me if you don't like it.

I should add I attempted to order it more spicy but I don't know if they ever do anything different as it's a corporate chain kitchen.

The waiter seemed very distressed so I don't know if that changed the cooking.

Perhaps, just perhaps, saying that prompted them to hold back on the sugar.

If you have it and it's sweet, then probably so.

[nickmanchester2]

Has anyone tried the restaurant called Tsunami Sushi Buffet near the Cherry Restaurant on third road?

I went last night on my own and they turned me away (its not me in the profile pic btw) they said has to be 2 people minimum, then as I was walking away, they shouted out something about coming back in 1 hour??

I went to Zen Sushi, quite a walk, but I had just parked up the car on 3rd road and could not be bothered hitting traffic again as it was about 7pm.

[TaaSaparot]

The only Vietnamese at Pattaya, Sophon soi is closed.

Should I ridiculously try to explain South of where and North of where like people keep doing on this thread ?

Don't bother please, as it is CLOSED. Thanks for the info. I never went.

There is that food court place in Central Pattaya beach mall, but as I said before, it will not excite anyone who's into Viet food.

As I suspected, Chanya Nem-Nuong Vietnamese is very much open for business.

I just presume people have a hard time understanding the location ?

Or forget that it does not open until 3pm. ?

[KittenKong]

Based on your recommendation I will try Chicken massaman next time , a dish I do not normally eat . But sounds like the best place to do it is at Thai Express.

For 45B (discounted in the evening) BigC on Klang do quite a nice one. Sweet but not too sweet. I always have one in the freezer along with a bag of rice, just in case. That's in the prepared food section between the bakery and the butchers.

[KittenKong]

Thai Express (chain restaurant from Singapore) at Royal Garden Mall, ground floor level beachside front.

I glanced in there today whilst on my way to Sizzler for a salad lunch. I was surprised to see it quite full with what looked like Thai diners. The prices are way too high for my taste so that's as close as I'm likely to get!