Eating Anything Other Than Thai Food In BKK A Disappointment?

[ExpatJ]

Indian food- Indus soi 26 excellent and has 500 baht all you can eat lunches at weekends.

Steaks- Marriott's New York steak house- great steaks (a bit pricey- dinner for 2 will set you back 15,000 baht (and that does not include desserts :-P

Buffets- four seasons, sheraton grande- both great.

15,000 Baht????? I like to spend money on my food but that is a little over the top.

I was surprised a bit myself- more expensive than any meal i paid while living for several years in Manhattan!

[Bpuumike]

For good inexpensive Italian try Cozies Suk Soi 10

[FritsSikkink]

If your taste goes to burgers, fish and chips or English food you are not qualified to comment on good restaurants

You forgot the pizza

[TheSpade]

OK I might need to check out Beirut and Shahrazad some time and that all you can eat Indian buffet could be an idea but buffets aren't usually good. Is it actually good food or just cheap slop?

[Mark79]

Indian food- Indus soi 26 excellent and has 500 baht all you can eat lunches at weekends.

Steaks- Marriott's New York steak house- great steaks (a bit pricey- dinner for 2 will set you back 15,000 baht (and that does not include desserts :-P

Buffets- four seasons, sheraton grande- both great.

15,000 Baht????? I like to spend money on my food but that is a little over the top.

I was surprised a bit myself- more expensive than any meal i paid while living for several years in Manhattan!

NY at JW Marriott is probably my favorite steak joint in BKK but like you say can be a bit pricey. I do really like El Gouchos on Soi 19 too, very good quality steaks and a lot cheaper than the Marriott, bill normally comes in around 3-4k for two. I tried Dallas Steakhouse the other week which has recently opened on the corner of Suk 33 (used to be Coyotes), not as good as Gouchos or JW Mariott but very reasonably priced at around 900baht for a decent steak.

[TheSpade]

These high end / expensive steak places what type of beef are they using? What country is it coming from?

I considered El Gauchos before but the reviews I read online were mixed. Wasn't 100% convinced it would be worth it. Worth trying?

Edited November 1, 2013 by TheSpade

[Jingthing]

These high end / expensive steak places what type of beef are they using? What country is it coming from?

Gaucho's uses U.S. beef.

[TheSpade]

OK thanks.

[poooket]

NY at Marriott is also one of my favorite for a steak. Neil's tavern is another good one.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[isawasnake]

I can get better Vietnamese food in the USA than in Thailand. I think that says it all.

[Curt1591]

I can get better Vietnamese food in the USA than in Thailand. I think that says it all.

Actually, it might have something to do with the massive Vietnamese population in the States. There are even entire cities that are now predominately Vietnamese.

[isawasnake]

Well, ok, doesn't that just help bolster the point though? Namely, that "Thailand" can't cook non-Thai foods (nearly as well).

Whatever the case, I totally agree with the OP. Actually, I will take it a few steps further. ANYTHING foreign is a total mess here. Health, food, halloween (from another running thread), education..........

[hanno]

Well, ok, doesn't that just help bolster the point though? Namely, that "Thailand" can't cook non-Thai foods (nearly as well).

Whatever the case, I totally agree with the OP. Actually, I will take it a few steps further. ANYTHING foreign is a total mess here. Health, food, halloween (from another running thread), education..........

Expatriates....

[smokie36]

OK I might need to check out Beirut and Shahrazad some time and that all you can eat Indian buffet could be an idea but buffets aren't usually good. Is it actually good food or just cheap slop?

If you want a good Indian buffet go on a Sunday lunchtime to the top floor of the Rembrandt hotel.

850 Baht pp.....go there hungry.

For fiah I go to New Orleans by Khao San for the roasted sea bass....around 200 Baht....you have to wait half an hour for it but with rice it is a good meal for two. Absolutely delicious!

[smokie36]

Beirut btw is pretty average for the prices imho.

[hanno]

OK I might need to check out Beirut and Shahrazad some time and that all you can eat Indian buffet could be an idea but buffets aren't usually good. Is it actually good food or just cheap slop?

If you want a good Indian buffet go on a Sunday lunchtime to the top floor of the Rembrandt hotel.

850 Baht pp.....go there hungry.

For fiah I go to New Orleans by Khao San for the roasted sea bass....around 200 Baht....you have to wait half an hour for it but with rice it is a good meal for two. Absolutely delicious!

Rembrandt also do good Mexican in the evening and the Mexican band is great.

[razorramone]

Plenty of great non-Thai restaurants on Thong Lo.

And some good cheaper/mid-range places in the centre too. Viet Cuisine and HK Noodle are both place I could go every day and not get bored.

[TheSpade]

Looked at Beruits menu online and I hope it tastes better than it looks in their photos.

[Curt1591]

Rembrandt also do good Mexican in the evening and the Mexican band is great.

Some of Señor Pico's offerings is tasty. But, as far as "good Mexican" goes, it's more "variations on a theme".

[millwall_fan]

One of the problems many Western restaurants have is that its very difficult to get work permits to employ foreign chefs and other kitchen staffs, which means that all except high-class restaurants, restaurants in hotels and those with 'good connections', restaurants are stuck with trying to train up Thai staff, which is difficult, particularly as they quit whenever they are bored and will usually try to change your methods as soon as your back is turned to the easiest, most expedient 'Thai way' of doing things, even if that doesn't result in the best quality.

The other point, as has been state,d is that the imported ingredients are so expensive by Thai standards that prices are inevitably pushed higher: For the price of an (excellent) steak and kidney pie at The Londoner, I could eat in Thai mom and pop places 3 or 4 times.

That said, we are enjoying finding some very nice places to eat all round Bangkok - both Thai and foreign - its a question of mix and match according to budget really.

[hanno]

Rembrandt also do good Mexican in the evening and the Mexican band is great.

Some of Señor Pico's offerings is tasty. But, as far as "good Mexican" goes, it's more "variations on a theme".

Admittedly I have never been to the US or Mexico; I can only compare with what is on offer outside those countries and I thought it measured up well. And the band IS excellent.

[hanno]

Rembrandt also do good Mexican in the evening and the Mexican band is great.

Some of Señor Pico's offerings is tasty. But, as far as "good Mexican" goes, it's more "variations on a theme".

Admittedly I have never been to the US or Mexico; I can only compare with what is on offer outside those countries and I thought it measured up well. And the band IS excellent.

[Ulysses G.]

Admittedly I have never been to the US or Mexico; I can only compare with what is on offer outside those countries and I thought it measured up well. And the band IS excellent.

If you have never been to the US or Mexico, you have never had excellent Mexican food. There are a few places in Thailand that I enjoy and are not bad, but nothing like what is commonly available back home.

[hanno]

Admittedly I have never been to the US or Mexico; I can only compare with what is on offer outside those countries and I thought it measured up well. And the band IS excellent.

If you have never been to the US or Mexico, you have never had excellent Mexican food. There are a few places in Thailand that I enjoy and are not bad, but nothing like what is commonly available back home.

That's what I hear but I guess that is true for most foods. But that is OK, as I have never had the "real" deal, I am happy with what I get. Though I have American friends that tell me that the food in Mexico is actually pretty bad outside Mexico City.

Edited November 3, 2013 by hanno

[Ulysses G.]

I don't blame you. Good is good, but I always describe good Mexican (and most Western) restaurants in Thailand as something that I would not be angry about if I ate there in my hometown. That is good for Thailand.

[hanno]

I don't blame you. Good is good, but I always describe good Mexican (and most Western) restaurants in Thailand as something that I would not be angry about if I ate there in my hometown. That is good for Thailand.

As far as any country is "home" for me, it would be Kenya. Compared to that, Thailand is a gourmet's heaven........

[Ulysses G.]

My hometown is San Francisco - one of the best restaurant towns in the world - so I have high standards, but Thailand is indeed a gourmet's heaven compared to when I first got here and I am very grateful.

[Curt1591]

Although I have found some decent "non-Thai" eats, my favorite finds are always the tiny shops that specialize in a particular Thai dish.

[TheSpade]

One of the problems many Western restaurants have is that its very difficult to get work permits to employ foreign chefs and other kitchen staffs, which means that all except high-class restaurants, restaurants in hotels and those with 'good connections', restaurants are stuck with trying to train up Thai staff, which is difficult, particularly as they quit whenever they are bored and will usually try to change your methods as soon as your back is turned to the easiest, most expedient 'Thai way' of doing things, even if that doesn't result in the best quality.

The other point, as has been state,d is that the imported ingredients are so expensive by Thai standards that prices are inevitably pushed higher: For the price of an (excellent) steak and kidney pie at The Londoner, I could eat in Thai mom and pop places 3 or 4 times.

That said, we are enjoying finding some very nice places to eat all round Bangkok - both Thai and foreign - its a question of mix and match according to budget really.

I haven't ate at The Londoner yet every time I've been there always had dinner already and just stuck to the beer but I have heard a lot of good things. Though isn't that always the way...

[millwall_fan]

for me as a newbie from Chiang Mai, Spade, being able to drink fine ale for 107B a pint (between 3 and 7pm) is one of the compensations of having to move to Bangkok! The food is good quality -as good or better than I would expect in UK. It's on the pricey side for me -though one of their bargains is the 'Londoner Tapas' - a mini portion of fish 'n chips, A Banger and mash, and a few others for 120 Baht each. 2-3 makes up a meal. I like the atmosphere - they're happy for my 6 year old son to come in. Haydn's a convivial host, the Thai staff are very friendly, I'm getting to know the locals (mainly Americans and Indians) and its a fun place to be. Beer heaven!!

Another cuisine that has come on leaps and bounds in Bangkok in recent years is Middle Eastern. A couple of times I've sat on Suk soi 3 with a hooker pipe, a mint tea and a very palatable bowl of hummus or something similar, and the bill at the end is very reasonable. I like soi 3 generally for its Middle Eastern atmosphere.

As for Mexican food, apart from a plate of Nachos with a beer, the wife hates the stuff and I'm not over keen - I think it fulfills a need amongst Americans in the same way that Indian food does with Brits.My Yank friends are uber critical of Mexican food as Brits are with Indian - you can't get a decent British curry in Thailand apart from in the supermarket - 'Curry Nights' Chicken Vindaloo or Tikka Masala really hits the Anglo-Indian spot - trouble is in Foodland they are a whopping 180 Baht. I still have to have one every month or so!!