2014 All Food Related.restaurants,recipes, Suggestions Etc...

[Virt]

Uhmmm massaman curry.

I practically eat it everyday when i'm on Samui and it's true there are a lot of various recipes, where some are ok and some are great.

Great food for the daily hangovers

Last trip i had the best massaman ever in 5 vacations, but off course i can't remember where is was. Has to check with GF if she can remember.

About the Roti.

Maybe you could ask some of the usual vendors that makes roti's with banana etc, , if you could bring your own massaman and they could make a roti with the massaman inside?

[Dancealot]

Lamb Shish Kebab at the excellent Turkish restaurant Roman's, Maenam, Samui. Served with freshly steamed broccoli, carrot and fried potatoes.

[evadgib]

Lychees are back! My first bunch of the season were a little sour but the sweet ones should hit the shelves by the weekend...

Newcomers should note that they have a very short season (gone by 01 July) so you'll need to get in quick

[philthebook]

Any Chinese restaurant recommendations around Chaweng?

[Birdman]

I know just 1 Chinese Restaurant on Chaweng, it's in Soi Colibri left hand side. Another is at Samui Palm Beach, but don't know exactly about quality.

[notmyself]

I know just 1 Chinese Restaurant on Chaweng, it's in Soi Colibri left hand side. Another is at Samui Palm Beach, but don't know exactly about quality.

I wonder if the member is looking for westernized Chinese which then leads to an even bigger issue as all western countries have their own play on Chinese food. I'm very partial to beef with green pepper in black bean sauce and have eaten this particular dish in a couple of dozen countries and they have all been very unlike each other. Even in the UK, the dish in London is markedly different to that in Liverpool.

Couple of links to show variation....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chow_mein

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_suey

[philthebook]

I know just 1 Chinese Restaurant on Chaweng, it's in Soi Colibri left hand side. Another is at Samui Palm Beach, but don't know exactly about quality.

I wonder if the member is looking for westernized Chinese which then leads to an even bigger issue as all western countries have their own play on Chinese food. I'm very partial to beef with green pepper in black bean sauce and have eaten this particular dish in a couple of dozen countries and they have all been very unlike each other. Even in the UK, the dish in London is markedly different to that in Liverpool.

Couple of links to show variation....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chow_mein

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_suey

Yes I prefer western style Chinese, I have a craving for beef in black been sauce and roast duck in pancakes.

Surprised there are so few Chinese restaurants on the Island with all the Chinese visitors here.

[notmyself]

I have a craving for beef in black been sauce and roast duck in pancakes.

You can make a generic beef in black bean sauce using ingredients that can be found on the island. Tesco used to sell sachets of black bean sauce but I've not seen it in the Lamai branch for quite a while but Makro or Big C may well have it. On the assumption you can get a decent piece of beef it's very easy to make if you follow this chap.

A list of ingredients and amounts can be found here.

His YouTube channel also shows how to make black bean sauce using dried black beans that have previously been fermented but I doubt those would be easy to find on the island. Dried black beans are readily available but they would need to be fermented, I don't know how to do that.

Peking style or crispy aromatic duck with rice pancakes is doable but it does take quite some time. This works quite well but getting 500ml of duck fat could be a problem! You could make it yourself by steaming a whole duck for many hours with a bowl underneath to catch the drippings (duck fat). Calibri may sell duck or goose fat but I bet it wouldn't be cheap.

Good luck.

[Mole]

I suddenly felt like some kebab and decided to revisit that place at the entrance of Soi Green Mango just beside Burger King.

They just opened and there were only 2 Burmese workers there. I asked about a slice, and he picked it up with his fingers, and I'm like, aww man, I've changed my mind. You're touching that pizza!! I asked them about the "cheese" and he showed me the pack and sure, it's some kind of imitation "pizza cheese" pre grated. At closer inspection the dough looks kinda raw to me.

Nope, definitely no pizza for me.

Then there's the döner kebab, which I already have a bad feeling about it since they've just opened and most likely that stuff may have been leftovers from the night before. I asked to have it with durum bread, but when they showed me the bread, which they held it with their bare hands again, it looked still raw to me. Then suddenly I saw they started taking the bread out of the filthy oven, bang straight on a foam box nearby, I was flabbergasted!

The bread you see on top of that foam box are supposed to be just out from the oven, but they sure still look raw to me.

Notice the nearby trashcan for good measure...

Floor are all filthy, there's flour freaking everywhere on the floor.

So, nope, I really don't want some day old kebab together with raw durum bread which has been inside a filthy oven and onto a dirty foam box.

I've had bad kebab before years back when I lived in Norway and I'd rather not have the same experience again, so no kebab for me tonight.

Just W T F man...

Edited June 2, 2014 by Mole

[junglechef]

No kebab for YOU! Mole your a man after my own heart and TV posting, could have sworn your rant was one of mine, keep up the good work (so I don't look so bad!) - Thanks

[Mole]

I would have written a gleaming review if it deserved it, but that foam box beside the open garbage bin was a major turnoff.

Honestly the other kebab places further inside Soi Mango didn't really look much more appealing either.

[Birdman]

Kebab at Festival Foodpark was also very disappointing, meat was cold. Think, cheap staff just don't know about Kebab

However the 250 Indian plate at the Indian inside was delicious. However the Tandooris roti (bread) was black on one side and therefore uneatable, told that to them and get a huge very nicely Nan garlic pepper. Good place.

[Tropicalevo]

Angelas Bakery has done it again!

I am a big fan of Angelas food - really tasty and high quality, but she has excelled herself now.

Angela has just made a batch of home-made individual pork pies. Excellent. Really scrummy - but you may have to wait to taste them. I bought the lot! (To be fair - I did leave one on the tray but I am regretting it now.)

[Mole]

Fresh from Dao seafood market this morning. They deliver to restaurant all over the island. It's not local catch though.

The heads are broken, so they go at 50% price 350bt/kg.

[Can samui]

Hi, really wanting to make pickled onions to go with Badgers pork pies, does anyone know if you can get canning jars anywhere on Samui?

Thanks!

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[notmyself]

Makro sell Mason jars.

[Can samui]

Cheers, will pop by tomorrow and have a look.

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[notmyself]

At certain times of the year there is a glut of various produce and the prices go through the floor. Around late September there is a glut of those little red onions which I think would be perfect for pickling. They call them red shallots but they are just mild onions really. Saw a truck parked at the local market last year selling them at 20 Baht for 5kg. You may also consider making dill pickles with the little cucumbers. The water content is quite high so better to cut into quarters (spears) then deseed before pickling and use a little Alum to keep the crispness. Could also pickle garlic, eggs, quails eggs and mushrooms though I don't ever recall seeing a glut of mushrooms.

The supermarket in Nathon (Samphet?) might be able to order you a 5 gallon drum of white vinegar too I imagine.

In any case, would be interested to hear how the pickled onions turn out.

[Can samui]

Got jars and spices and am using Indian shallots......see what happens I guess!

Updates to follow.

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[AnotherOneAmerican]

Why not make the pies as well.

Fraction of the cost and twice the quality.

[Can samui]

The pastry in a decent pork pie is everything and I am not that good yet, besides, they are 50thb each!

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[notmyself]

Hot water pastry. 50 Baht is not bad at all!

[Can samui]

Yeah, what I thought. It is so hard to get the pastry right but Badger has nailed it.

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[Can samui]

Ok...mission accomplished. Did two large jars and now will wait to see what happens. Can't really see them being bad, just a matter of how good I think.

3 to 4 weeks resting time then game on.

Will report on results.

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[Can samui]

Update....did about 100 pickled quails eggs yesterday, why not! On a roll.

Again, more info to follow as to results, not afraid to report failures either.

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[notmyself]

Update....did about 100 pickled quails eggs yesterday, why not! On a roll.

Again, more info to follow as to results, not afraid to report failures either.

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Pickled quails eggs take a bit of time to peel but they are the bomb.

How big are the jars and how much were they?

[Can samui]

Yep, had few beer peeling them little buggers!

Jars are 45 baht with one piece lids, would guess them a little over one litre per.

Mix of white and malt vinegar, onion, peppercorns and mustard seed. About three weeks then will give them a try.

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[notmyself]

Yep, had few beer peeling them little buggers!

Jars are 45 baht with one piece lids, would guess them a little over one litre per.

Mix of white and malt vinegar, onion, peppercorns and mustard seed. About three weeks then will give them a try.

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Good size and price I think.

This may be of interest to you with limes rather than lemons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preserved_lemon

[Can samui]

Cheers for the link, gonna see how my first two experiments turn out first!

One thing though, my Thai wife has already wrinkled her nose at the mere mention of pickled anything! More for me I guess! I have not told her yet about the inevitable consequences of consuming pickled eggs......oh well....

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[notmyself]

One thing though, my Thai wife has already wrinkled her nose at the mere mention of pickled anything!

True enough. I know a few Thais who quite like the sweet dill pickles but that is about it. Other types of food preservation such as brining, sun drying, salting are quite popular here. I made a huge pan of bigos (A polish stew which used sauerkraut) at a friends restaurant a few weeks back and the kitchen staff loved the taste of the sauerkraut. You will no doubt seen large bowls of Chinese cabbage preserved in brine at Thai markets? Somewhat similar to kimchi without additional flavourings.

I've noticed over the last week that there is a lot of sato (สะตอ) around at present at cheap prices. I know they are brined for export but wonder if they could also be preserved in a mild solution of vinegar. I'm very fond of these beans and would like to preserve some for the winter so I shall be returning in September with a commercial food grade vacuum sealer I bought off of eBay for 80 quid. Should also come in handy for home made bacon and sausages too.