Jingthing Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Foomanlou Chinese Restaurant Dumplings, noodles, hot pots, many side dishes, perhaps more Regionally it seems to be centered on BEIJING style dumpling cuisine 2nd road at north corner entrance to CITY WALK a block south of Royal Garden Mall. This rates it's own thread I think as opposed to a one post mention on the Hit and Run review thread. Chinese food lovers in town suffer from a lack of half decent choices for non-luxury hotel OK priced authentic regional Chinese food. There is Pao (if and when it happens to be open) and there is Shanghai (but it's not in Central Pattaya) and both of those are worthy places to go. However the opening of this place is a rather a major development. Given the very central location and large space and undoubtedly HIGH RENTS, the prices here are NOT CHEAP and probably can't be cheap; they are certainly higher than Shanghai for similar items. However, there are a LOT of dishes offered nowhere else in town and it's not luxury hotel expensive, so it's still going to definitely be of interest to the Chinese food lovers among us. Have been once and had two dishes Noodle soup w/ beef stew like meat 200 baht Cold shredded potato side dish which I SPECIAL ORDERED Sechuan style (MALA) 100 baht Communication was a BIG PROBLEM. I mean really, no kidding. If you speak some Chinese language you'll be doing well, but if you speak English, Russian, or Thai you will have a big problem asking for any info about the food. The menu is clear enough with English and pictures, but the trouble is in asking any questions. I really wanted to know about the NOODLES in the soup dishes and persisted. At first a chef type guy seemed to indicate in sign language that they were hand pulled noodles, but I was skeptical. I then talked to a Chinese lady who had enough language to say they were bought in noodles. I got it across that I wanted in house handmade noodles and then they seemed to give me a CHOICE of those and showed me a huge brick of dough and made motions of hand slicing the noodles. That sounded great to me! As far as what I got in the soup, frankly, I wouldn't bet any money that they were actually the hand sliced noodles they mimed to me or not! An expert might be able to tell. I did LIKE the noodles, they were al dente and reminded my a lot of a style of noodles I used to love at a Chinese Muslim restaurant in California. The beef stew meat was a bit sparse but tasty, there was bok choy, and the broth was adequate. Overall I was happy with that 200 baht dish. If you do order any noodle dish there on the chance I really got what they indicated, I would suggest trying also to get that style of noodle instead of anything bought in. Good luck on that though! Comparing to Shanghai's version with hand pulled noodles, well different style of noodle and the beef meat is tastier at Shanghai, and the dish costs much less there. Anyway, on the potato dish, I know that could be done Sechuan style so I pushed it. The chef understood me and what was presented was very pleasing indeed to me. Plenty of redness, and even a large amount of Sechuan peppers. Went great with the soup. The Sechuan peppers themselves were not that fresh (hard to get in Thailand) so there wasn't much sizzle but the dish did still have Sechuan flavor. Again, no way will you get this in the special style I got if you don't push for it hard. Probably the bulk of their menu is BOILED DUMPLINGS in a large range of fillings. They also offer large HOT POTS with different style broths (they can do Sechuan style as well but you need to ask for it CLEARLY). These appear to be 350 for the setup and then you order the a la carte items to cook in the broth. At least is seemed that way to me. This would easily add up to an expensive meal of course. My general impression is that I would not be super excited about this place opening in San Francisco, but for Pattaya, this is really something. BTW, the offering of SCALLION cake bread is pretty exciting to me. Haven't tried it there yet. Goes great w/ soups and dumplings. A lot of their menu. About their menu, they have their main menu and they ALSO have some extra menu CARDS that include other items. Insist on seeing the cards too. Boiled (mostly) dumplings chives and egg shrimp 200 mushrooms pork 200 pork picked veg 200 pork and celery 200 pork and leek 200 scallops 350 pan fried dumpling 300 steamed buns 90 Noodles wontons in soup 150 green pepper noodle soup 150 tomato egg noodle soup 150 beef noodle soup 200 pickles noodle soup 150 cold noodle shredded chicken 150 cold noodle mushroom 150 Side dishes, etc. boiled peanuts 100 fried peanuts 100 cucumber 100 spinach garlic 200 boiled chicken 350 minced preserved egg w/ ginger sauce 150 minced cold potato 100 pig ear salad 250 jellyfish vinegar 250 fried octopus 300 preserved egg and tofu 150 mixed tofu and shallot 100 steamed buns 90 Rice fried rice soy sauce 200 yangzhou fried rice 200 Breads/Pies scallion cake 150 meat pie 200 Large Hot Pots hot pots choice 350 for broth setup plus add ons (I think) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 Oh, just in case you didn't get this from the OP, this is some kind of NORTHERN Chinese style eatery. Meaning it is very WHEAT based rather than rice based. While there are two fried rice dishes, the rest of the menu is not really "dishes to eat with rice" style. Mentioning this as many Thai people who are rice-centric might not appreciate such a place so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMGImInPattaya Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Foomanlou...I thought it was a new Peter Sellers movie review. With those prices and the general lack of parking in that area I'll pass. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Wow great post JT ! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I hope the cook does not decide to thump Jingthing for asking too many questions. I want more reports on this place. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 Wow great post JT ! ThanksYou're welcome. I am also not thrilled with the price level but such is life. Hopefully they will succeed. Just went by and there were two tables of Chinese looking people. I reckon they will mostly attract Chinese tourists and also Russians who are often familiar with Chinese wheat based cuisine like meat pies. Thais and Thai Chinese not so much. I guess f-rangs are the x factor. Sent from my GT-S5360B using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 I hope the cook does not decide to thump Jingthing for asking too many questions. I want more reports on this place.No they already like me for understanding their food.Sent from my GT-S5360B using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabC Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 And you have the bare faced cheek to call 5 Star Hotels expensive . Let's not forget the food quality plus, I get understood in English and do not play food Russian Roulette with some non English speaking waiter. Move along nothing to see here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMGImInPattaya Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I hope the cook does not decide to thump Jingthing for asking too many questions. I want more reports on this place. More likely thumped over the head with some fresh wheat noodles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabC Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I hope the cook does not decide to thump Jingthing for asking too many questions. I want more reports on this place.Why does it really affect you in Chaing Mai or you just want aboard the Jing one opinion bus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banglay Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Is it safe to go there on a baht bus ??? or should I take my body guard? just a light hearted reply not to be taken seriously Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 Just a fun food thread here ... no reason to make it hot ... To be clear I am not raving about their food but I do consider it a very welcome addition to the local Chinese food scene. Now a 'normal" person could have done my same order and maybe would't have gotten the same noodles as me ... not sure ... but I am sure the potato dish would have been boring without the extra Sechuan kick. So yes maybe you need to be a bit adventurous to dine there; you definitely need to be tolerant. Sent from my GT-S5360B using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 Is it safe to go there on a baht bus ??? or should I take my body guard? just a light hearted reply not to be taken seriously It's a baht bus ridin' wet dream!Sent from my GT-S5360B using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thailandbeachisland Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Thank you <3 Really hope that they won't be suxxers as Pao... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I hope the cook does not decide to thump Jingthing for asking too many questions. I want more reports on this place.Why does it really affect you in Chaing Mai or you just want aboard the Jing one opinion bus? I visit Pattaya fairly often. It is not that hard to figure out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drx13 Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 The cook,<deleted> Yoo,is the author of ''The Endangered Species Cookbook'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddyjenkins Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 200 baht for fried rice....sounds very overpriced to me....tourist ripoff place 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMGImInPattaya Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I hope the cook does not decide to thump Jingthing for asking too many questions. I want more reports on this place.Why does it really affect you in Chaing Mai or you just want aboard the Jing one opinion bus? I visit Pattaya fairly often. It is not that hard to figure out. A most welcome visitor...both in person and in-virtual personas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 (edited) 200 baht for fried rice....sounds very overpriced to me....tourist ripoff place This is authentic style Chinese food which is in very short supply in Pattaya. This is not Thai food which you can get everywhere here. I'm defending their price structure because they have a specialized CHINESE chef, large space, large staff, modern clean / attractive restaurant with comfortable seating, and very prime LOCATION. I don't see how a place like that can have any hope of being economically viable at budget prices. The same concept in a smaller space, lower rent location, and smaller staff could have charged lower prices.I don't think it's fair to label such a place a rip off unless you experience their actual food and decide they aren't delivering a good product. So far I think they are showing some promise. I would say Shanghai is better value for money. However, it's location is inconvenient for many and they don't have all of the same dishes or the same chef. Hopefully there is room for all kinds of new Chinese places in town now with the increase in incoming Chinese tourism, and these current places are the tip of the iceberg. Edited December 9, 2013 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMGImInPattaya Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 (edited) 200 baht for fried rice....sounds very overpriced to me....tourist ripoff placeThis is authentic style Chinese food which is in very short supply in Pattaya. This is not Thai food which you can get everywhere here. I'm defending their price structure because they have a specialized CHINESE chef, large space, large staff, modern clean / attractive restaurant with comfortable seating, and very prime LOCATION. I don't see how a place like that can have any hope of being economically viable at budget prices. The same concept in a smaller space, lower rent location, and smaller staff could have charged lower prices.I don't think it's fair to label such a place a rip off unless you experience their actual food and decide they aren't delivering a good product. So far I think they are showing some promise. Do they serve shark fin soup? If so, this may be a factor in many people's choice of whether to patronize this establishment. If they do, it would certainly negatively affect my opinion of the place. Edited December 9, 2013 by OMGImInPattaya 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Flint Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Sirs May i jump in here,if one like british CANTONESE CUISINE There is one that has just opened on soi bukhaw,virtualy opposite Jollys restaraunt,that has the most delightful food,and far better than China Garden.They also do takeaways,and home delivery,And the establishment is called Wok and Rock,the old Vikings bar. I believe the owner is SCOTTISH AND HIS THAI WIFE OF 10 YEARS,HAS A SCOTTISH ACCENT,QUITE NICE REALY. I here there is an official opening on the 13th,with plenty of free food 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleJ Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Not the same as Thai fried rice. Ripoff? 200bt is not allot of money although I do know people (basement dwellers) that refuse to eat anything over 100bt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMGImInPattaya Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Sirs May i jump in here,if one like british CANTONESE CUISINE There is one that has just opened on soi bukhaw,virtualy opposite Jollys restaraunt,that has the most delightful food,and far better than China Garden.They also do takeaways,and home delivery,And the establishment is called Wok and Rock,the old Vikings bar. I believe the owner is SCOTTISH AND HIS THAI WIFE OF 10 YEARS,HAS A SCOTTISH ACCENT,QUITE NICE REALY. I here there is an official opening on the 13th,with plenty of free food BRITISH Cantonese cuisine...cooked by a Scotish/Thai couple...sounds yummy...NOT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 (edited) Sirs May i jump in here,if one like british CANTONESE CUISINE There is one that has just opened on soi bukhaw,virtualy opposite Jollys restaraunt,that has the most delightful food,and far better than China Garden.They also do takeaways,and home delivery,And the establishment is called Wok and Rock,the old Vikings bar. I believe the owner is SCOTTISH AND HIS THAI WIFE OF 10 YEARS,HAS A SCOTTISH ACCENT,QUITE NICE REALY. I here there is an official opening on the 13th,with plenty of free food That's the type of item that would best fit in the long standing HIT AND RUN restaurant review thread, but thanks for the news! While my preference is for more "authentic" regional Chinese Chinese food, Britain is a region as well ... Good food is good food whether it's "authentic" or not. Hopefully this new place will deliver ... good food. Edited December 9, 2013 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 (edited) 200 baht for fried rice....sounds very overpriced to me....tourist ripoff placeThis is authentic style Chinese food which is in very short supply in Pattaya. This is not Thai food which you can get everywhere here. I'm defending their price structure because they have a specialized CHINESE chef, large space, large staff, modern clean / attractive restaurant with comfortable seating, and very prime LOCATION. I don't see how a place like that can have any hope of being economically viable at budget prices. The same concept in a smaller space, lower rent location, and smaller staff could have charged lower prices.I don't think it's fair to label such a place a rip off unless you experience their actual food and decide they aren't delivering a good product. So far I think they are showing some promise. Do they serve shark fin soup? If so, this may be a factor in many people's choice of whether to patronize this establishment. If they do, it would certainly negatively affect my opinion of the place. No! I posted most of the menu. There are plenty of shark fin specialist menus in town, especially set menus for Chinese tourists. That is well covered (and doesn't interest me personally). There is a also the Sharks fin / Birds Nest place long standing about a block away in front of Royal Garden that has a much more robust menu besides featuring those items. I don't happen to personally like their food much and have commented specifically on some of it in past. Edited December 9, 2013 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMGImInPattaya Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 200 baht for fried rice....sounds very overpriced to me....tourist ripoff placeThis is authentic style Chinese food which is in very short supply in Pattaya. This is not Thai food which you can get everywhere here. I'm defending their price structure because they have a specialized CHINESE chef, large space, large staff, modern clean / attractive restaurant with comfortable seating, and very prime LOCATION. I don't see how a place like that can have any hope of being economically viable at budget prices. The same concept in a smaller space, lower rent location, and smaller staff could have charged lower prices.I don't think it's fair to label such a place a rip off unless you experience their actual food and decide they aren't delivering a good product. So far I think they are showing some promise. Do they serve shark fin soup? If so, this may be a factor in many people's choice of whether to patronize this establishment. If they do, it would certainly negatively affect my opinion of the place. No! I posted most of the menu. There are plenty of shark fin specialist menus in town, especially set menus for Chinese tourists. That is well covered (and doesn't interest me personally). There is a also the Sharks fin / Birds Nest place long standing about a block away in front of Royal Garden that has a much more robust menu besides featuring those items. I don't happen to personally like their food much and have commented specifically on some of it in past. Good on them...good luck to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smedly Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Sirs May i jump in here,if one like british CANTONESE CUISINE There is one that has just opened on soi bukhaw,virtualy opposite Jollys restaraunt,that has the most delightful food,and far better than China Garden.They also do takeaways,and home delivery,And the establishment is called Wok and Rock,the old Vikings bar. I believe the owner is SCOTTISH AND HIS THAI WIFE OF 10 YEARS,HAS A SCOTTISH ACCENT,QUITE NICE REALY. I here there is an official opening on the 13th,with plenty of free food BRITISH Cantonese cuisine...cooked by a Scotish/Thai couple...sounds yummy...NOT! maybe you might want to try it before making stupid comments like that It is the best I've tasted in Pattaya by a long shot and I've been here nearly 10 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canman Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Just a fun food thread here ... no reason to make it hot ... To be clear I am not raving about their food but I do consider it a very welcome addition to the local Chinese food scene. Now a 'normal" person could have done my same order and maybe would't have gotten the same noodles as me ... not sure ... but I am sure the potato dish would have been boring without the extra Sechuan kick. So yes maybe you need to be a bit adventurous to dine there; you definitely need to be tolerant. Sent from my GT-S5360B using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app "normal" person Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 (edited) Just a fun food thread here ... no reason to make it hot ... To be clear I am not raving about their food but I do consider it a very welcome addition to the local Chinese food scene. Now a 'normal" person could have done my same order and maybe would't have gotten the same noodles as me ... not sure ... but I am sure the potato dish would have been boring without the extra Sechuan kick. So yes maybe you need to be a bit adventurous to dine there; you definitely need to be tolerant. Sent from my GT-S5360B using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app "normal" person Love it! Could have also said basic or mediocre. If you want to get the most out of dining experiences, especially when there is a language issue, it sometimes takes some actual effort. I don't think most people are up for that and will just accept "whatever" and not even care or try to get something closer to what they actually want (or they don't even know what they want). Of course not everyone is PASSIONATE about enjoying food either; there is no right or wrong about that. Good restaurants are out to please customers and some customers are seeking information about what is being sold and/or requesting certain variations be done within reason and possibility of course. Restaurants don't NEED to help with that, that's their business choice. but GOOD ones at least try to. This place even with the language issue, was definitely interested in TRYING to understand, and I think they did pretty well in actually responding. I give them credit for that. Edited December 9, 2013 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canman Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Just a fun food thread here ... no reason to make it hot ... To be clear I am not raving about their food but I do consider it a very welcome addition to the local Chinese food scene. Now a 'normal" person could have done my same order and maybe would't have gotten the same noodles as me ... not sure ... but I am sure the potato dish would have been boring without the extra Sechuan kick. So yes maybe you need to be a bit adventurous to dine there; you definitely need to be tolerant. Sent from my GT-S5360B using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app "normal" person Love it! Could have also said basic or mediocre. If you want to get the most out of dining experiences, especially when there is a language issue, it sometimes takes some actual effort. I don't think most people are up for that and will just accept "whatever" and not even care or try to get something closer to what they actually want (or they don't even know what they want). Of course not everyone is PASSIONATE about enjoying food either; there is no right or wrong about that. Good restaurants are out to please customers and some customers are seeking information about what is being sold and/or requesting certain variations be done within reason and possibility of course. Restaurants don't NEED to help with that, that's their business choice. but GOOD ones at least try to. This place even with the language issue, was definitely interested in TRYING to understand, and I think they did pretty well in actually responding. I give them credit for that. I get it mate, if I'm paying for it i also like to be sure I get what I want. Not having a go at you, just found the phrasing to be amusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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