Mobi’s - The New Bar on Lake Mabprachan

[Mobi]

Nothing wrong with the place or Mobis. It is up to the individual to control his drinking and if they are concerned about driving (and they should be not just of getting caught) they pace their drinks and space them with softdrinks and food. I am sure Mobi is a good host and does not pour the beer down your throat. What you do is up to you not him.

Far be it for me to interfere with the comings and goings of the law, and whether crossing back and forth to the ‘Darkside’ at night will or won’t invite a spot check at a police road block.

All I will say is that there are literally dozens of routes form the ‘Dark’ to the ‘Light’ side, including one that doesn't even involve crossing the railway lines.

It would all depend on exactly where you live on the Light side as to whether these alternative routes would be practical.

My understanding is that the cops are looking for drugs, not alcohol, (except during major holidays such as Songkran), but I could be wrong.

Needless to say, as reformed drunk who had some pretty serious accidents towards the end of my drinking career, I do not in any way condone drunk driving, and trust that our customers drink in moderation, (or have a sober partner who can drive), and get home safely after a happy night at Mobi’s.

[Mobi]

Someone, (who should know as he is a bar owner himself), told me last night that we have a unique 'niche' market as we are the only place around the Lake that will serve food after 10 pm.

He said that we should promote it more.

So here it is:

Mobi's

FOOD IS AVAILABLE FROM NOON TO MIDNIGHT

(Including a a take-out service for Mobi's customers)

[Mobi]

Wanted - A freezer chest.

With our ever expanding food menu, we have run out of freezer space.

I was just wondering if anyone out there has a 2nd hand freezer at home they are not using and would be prepared to sell to a 'good cause'..

We can collect.

If so, please PM me.

Many Thanks

Mobi

[Mobi]

Mobi’s

Tales From a Barfly

I have just renewed Mobi's sponsorship with Thai Visa for another 3 months, so I’m afraid that you will continue to be assailed with my ‘Tales from a Barfly’ for a few more months.

Last night started slow, but as seems to be a growing pattern, as the evening wore on, a few drinkers started to drift in, including the now legendary, self -named Mr ‘Ting Tong’ who has now been adopted as Mobi’s resident drunk.

He arrived with a friend – another German, then left with him after an hour so, only to return alone some ten minutes later and continue his drinking until the small hours.

In the meantime, yet another sole German drinker became ensconced with a couple of Mobi’s girls, and when Mr Ting Tong realised that the only other customer was also German, it didn’t take long for them to join forces and claim Mobi’s as German territory….

Where’s Raro when he’s not needed?

But then a Brit arrived and commandeered some of the still vacant territory along with the still ‘vacant ladies’ and they all sat smooching and occasionally dancing to the very best of Mobi’s 80’s & 90’smusic.

Close to midnight, yet more customers appeared out of the woodwork and sat in the darkened bar and enjoyed their nightcaps while listening to the slow and soulful songs.

One of these midnight customers was so pissed that not only was he incapable of drinking the coffee he ordered, but once he sat down, was completely unable to rise to his feet again.

It eventually became quite a performance to half carry, half drag this gentleman to the vehicle, where his ‘partner in crime’ finally drove him home.

Then it was Mr Ting Tong’s turn. He was pretty far gone, having been drinking steadily for around 6 hours, and I feared for his journey home. We offered to drive him, but he adamantly refused and insisted that he was sober enough to ride his bike.

It took quite a while to get him on his bike, and one of the girls had to start it for him. I wondered whether he could balance, but sure enough he moved off and drove perfectly, in a straight line across to the other side of the road. But instead of straightening out his bike to drive along the road, he kept going in the same direction and hit a tree on the other side of the road.

He wasn’t hurt and the girls all rushed over and got his bike and Mr Ting Tong, back on the road. They pointed him in the right direction and off he drove. I do hope he got home OK.

Once Mr Ting Tong had finally departed, we noticed that there was still a motor scooter parked outside the bar. By this time it was well past 1 am and there was no sign of its owner.

Lek recognised it – it belonged to one of our neighbours. So we moved the scooter into the bar forecourt and covered it over, and Lek tried to call the owner’s Thai wife.

We thought she were sleeping as she didn’t pick up the phone, so Lek was in the process of sending an sms when a SUV came hurtling down the road, braked violently and reversed back until it was adjacent to our bar.

It was the couple looking for their missing bike.

So all’s well that ended well, and the Thai woman drove the scooter home with the somewhat ‘worst for wear’ farang at the wheel of the SUV.

It’s not a great situation with all these drunk drivers on the road, but what can I - a lowly ‘bar observer’ - do about it.?

If I remonstrated with the drunk drivers, they would simply go elsewhere – there is no way they are going to stop their drunk driving until the government and the cops decide to get serious about it.

In the meantime….

Last night I tried out a steak and mushroom pie that I had bought from one of my food wholesalers. Lek had been instructed on how to heat it from frozen and the results were absolutely delicious.

I have said before that I have always found most pies in Thailand a bit short of the mark, and while I can’t claim that the pastry was completely up to the best of English standards, the filling more than made up for it and it was absolutely delicious.

Unlike all the previous pies I have tried in Pattaya, this one was full of large chunks of steak and was very filling.

So I am seriously thinking of adding ‘Steak Pie and chips’ to Mobi's food menu and I would appreciate any feedback.

Would any of you order such an item if I put it on the menu?

[Mattd]

Definitely I would order such an item, especially if said pie was cooked in an oven or griller, as microwaving really doesn't work for a pie, even better if served with baked beans

[prk888]

I too would go for the baked beans (an extra) too plus HP sauce ! I assume you'd have a variety of pies (steak and ale, steak and kidney, steak and onion etc). If they are well received could you do chicken pies too?

[Mobi]

I keep forgetting to mention that due to customer requests, we now stock:

Jameson Irish Whisky, Bombay Sapphire Gin, and Thatchers Gold Cider.

If in doubt, please ask to see our full bar price list, which can also be found on the website:-

http://mobithailand.com/mobis-the-new-bar-on-the-lake/

(Scroll down on the narrative and just before the picture gallery, click on "Bar Price List")

[wales01]

I like my pie steamed with coffee machine and fill the holes with HP sauce.

[Mobi]

I too would go for the baked beans (an extra) too plus HP sauce ! I assume you'd have a variety of pies (steak and ale, steak and kidney, steak and onion etc). If they are well received could you do chicken pies too?

I will have to see if the wholesaler will allow us to order a variety of pies for our minimum order.

HP sauce is no problem, I could do baked beans, but will have to take wastage into account after the can has been opened. Unless I could freeze it?

[Mobi]

After several requests from customers, I am building up a nice little collection of late 70’s – 80’s pop videos.

Many of the clips are very creative and entertaining, (as well as being bloody good music), – unlike these days where the vid makers just put loads of semi-naked flesh on their videos clips and consider the job done.

So if your penchant is for 80’s music and Mobi’s are not playing it when you arrive, please tell one of the girls and we will try to satisfy your needs…

[harrry]

I too would go for the baked beans (an extra) too plus HP sauce ! I assume you'd have a variety of pies (steak and ale, steak and kidney, steak and onion etc). If they are well received could you do chicken pies too?

I will have to see if the wholesaler will allow us to order a variety of pies for our minimum order.

HP sauce is no problem, I could do baked beans, but will have to take wastage into account after the can has been opened. Unless I could freeze it?

Can of baked beans...45 baht be generourous...seriously two days in a fridge no problems ...the loss then is only 20 baht not like steaks.

You could try baked bean jaffles...Then less beans. But the regular eaters may have to eat outside:)

Edited July 31, 2014 by harrry

[prk888]

googling says 'yes' in an airtight container (not too full) but when thawed re-heat slowly so they do not go to mush

[emilymat]

Mobi

Follow your blogs with interest.

On topic............I would certainly enjoy a good pie as they are hard to find. Gravy( granules) would be my preferred addition.

Off topic....I am horrified by this German guy, and others, who have to be placed on a motorbike and sent off three sheets to the wind. I took my wife - to catch a bus up north -,down Siam Country Club road last night. I have had a clean driving licence for 50 years but I avoid night time driving here wherever possible, as last nights experience once again taught me. Swerving vehicles, 3 cars and 6 motorbikes with no lights etc. etc. Don't misunderstand me, I am pointing the finger at them, not your bar, which I can fortunately walk to.

I wonder how many of these sort of people say I am endangering their health by having a quiet fag in Mobi's. Hope you get my point - just had to get it off my chest.

Best wishes, and look forward to a pie this week-end.

[jmccarty]

I may never get to visit, living close by, but imprisoned by a jealous filipina wife!

[Upnotover]

I may never get to visit, living close by, but imprisoned by a jealous filipina wife!

Take her with you? Just an idea.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[surangw]

I may never get to visit, living close by, but imprisoned by a jealous filipina wife!

Take her with you? Just an idea.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

and depending on how jealous she is, don't get cought looking at the other girls

[smokie36]

I'd rather see a fantastic krapow moo sap on your menu....but that's me....and a taxi home....at any hour....mind you I don't like to go too early.....

[tuvia]

I don't

agree with how you are handling the drunken ting tong. At the very least, I think you should tell the guy you are not comfortable serving him if he is going to be driving himself home. And certainly none of your staff should help him onto his bike - by doing so you've become complicit in whatever happens next. There is always the long shot that had you not helped him onto his bike, he may have been unable to do it himself and instead fallen over and done a face plant in the parking lot and slept there til dawn . A better result than him colliding with a mother and two young kids riding triple in the opposite direction for example.

Anyway , I am wondering is there any moto taxi options out there? I am staying soi lengkee and wouldn't mind paying a visit myself sometime but unsure of the cost and availability of transportation.

[Mobi]

I'd rather see a fantastic krapow moo sap on your menu....but that's me....and a taxi home....at any hour....mind you I don't like to go too early.....

The taxi is no problem, but unfortunately our little kitchen doesn't run to Thai food. Not yet anyway.

I'd be happy to see you any time.

Mobi

[Mobi]

Mobi

Follow your blogs with interest.

On topic............I would certainly enjoy a good pie as they are hard to find. Gravy( granules) would be my preferred addition.

Off topic....I am horrified by this German guy, and others, who have to be placed on a motorbike and sent off three sheets to the wind. I took my wife - to catch a bus up north -,down Siam Country Club road last night. I have had a clean driving licence for 50 years but I avoid night time driving here wherever possible, as last nights experience once again taught me. Swerving vehicles, 3 cars and 6 motorbikes with no lights etc. etc. Don't misunderstand me, I am pointing the finger at them, not your bar, which I can fortunately walk to.

I wonder how many of these sort of people say I am endangering their health by having a quiet fag in Mobi's. Hope you get my point - just had to get it off my chest.

Best wishes, and look forward to a pie this week-end.

Thank you for your good wishes.

I completely agree about driving at night, and I try to restrict such driving to local journeys after dark. Whenever I go up country, I always try to reach my destination in the daylight hours, as it it after dark that a vast majority of drunk drivers hit the roads.

I'm afraid you are jumping the gun by expecting a pie this weekend. I am still in the 'survey stage' but as all the feedback has been positive (including those I canvassed at the bar) we are looking to put it on the menu within the next week or so.

I will report back on this thread when the pies, chips and beans (with HP sauce) are 'up and running'.

In the meantime, how about a jumbo hot dog, chips, chicken nuggets, spring rolls or a chunky chicken curry?

[Mobi]

As previously stated, I completely condemn drunk drivers and I would support any measure that would reduce this deplorable practice.

Having said that, there is absolutely zero that we, a lowly bar, can do that will make one iota of difference to drunken driving.

If we try to in any way discourage it, then we will simply lose the business and the drivers will go elsewhere.

As it is, we do more than most bars, by trying to check if drinkers are in a fit state to drive, offering a taxi service, and even driving drunks home for free which we have done on a number of occasions.

I wonder how many bars in Thailand have even done even this much?

As for Mr 'Ting Tong', we tried without success to persuade him to let us drive him home, but he was adamant that he was capable of leaving under his own steam. With or without our assistance he would have eventually got on his bike started and driven home. That much was very clear and at least by watching him closely in his attempts to drive away, we ensured that he didn't fall over and hurt himself before he had even got onto the road. (If he had, then we would have intervened and driven him home, as this is how we came to drive him home on previous occasions)

I really don't know what more you expect us to do, save refuse drinks to all those over the limit who have driven to our bar, or hide their bikes so they have to walk or call a taxi....and that would be total suicide to our business.

Drunks go to bars every day of the week in Pattaya and throughout Thailand, and at least I have been prepared to write about it on this thread. Would you rather that I never mentioned it? At least then I wouldn't open myself to criticism, in which I am effectively dammed if I do and damned if I don't.

Most bars turn a completely blind eye to it and pretend that it doesn't exist.

I appreciate that this business of drunk-driving is an anathema to many western people - as indeed it is to me these days - and I share the outrage expressed in this forum.

May I respectfully suggest that we leave it at that.

[Mobi]

I have just received the bar’s electricity bill for July, and it has more than doubled from around 3K in June to over 7K in July.

The landlord was also surprised at the large increase and showed us the meter readings to confirm the charge. She asked us if we had been doing anything to cause such a large jump.

We cannot think of anything. We have a drinks cooler, a chest freezer, plus many fans and lighting and that’s about it except for the micro wave.

The only thing that varies from the previous month is much greater use of the microwave.

Could this account for such a large increase?

I wouldn’t have thought so, but maybe I’m wrong….

Any suggestions?

[petercool]

Check that next door is not tapping into your lines anywhere ?

[Phil Conners]

Switch off everything and check if the meter still runs.

[Robroona]

I have just received the bars electricity bill for July, and it has more than doubled from around 3K in June to over 7K in July.

The landlord was also surprised at the large increase and showed us the meter readings to confirm the charge. She asked us if we had been doing anything to cause such a large jump.

We cannot think of anything. We have a drinks cooler, a chest freezer, plus many fans and lighting and thats about it except for the micro wave.

The only thing that varies from the previous month is much greater use of the microwave.

Could this account for such a large increase?

I wouldnt have thought so, but maybe Im wrong.

Any suggestions?

Don't quote me, but Heath Robinson sound systems are a bugger for electric

[Mobi]

Check that next door is not tapping into your lines anywhere ?

Yes, that has occurred to me. Not quite sure how to check, but will try to look into it.

I somehow doubt it - for a number of reasons - not least of which, the owners are decent folk and I can't see their staff even bothering.

[Mobi]

I have just received the bars electricity bill for July, and it has more than doubled from around 3K in June to over 7K in July.

The landlord was also surprised at the large increase and showed us the meter readings to confirm the charge. She asked us if we had been doing anything to cause such a large jump.

We cannot think of anything. We have a drinks cooler, a chest freezer, plus many fans and lighting and thats about it except for the micro wave.

The only thing that varies from the previous month is much greater use of the microwave.

Could this account for such a large increase?

I wouldnt have thought so, but maybe Im wrong.

Any suggestions?

Don't quote me, but Heath Robinson sound systems are a bugger for electric

It may be a bit Heath Robinson, but it consists of one amp, 4 speakers and a sub-woofer, all genuine Sony - from Europe.The speakers are not active (except the sub w???). Seems pretty unlikely, but thanks for the suggestion

[harrry]

Every time you open the fridge you lose cool == more money. i guess you are selling proper cool beer too which costs more than warm beer (check the door seals too). every degree lower adds much more power. Large tvs also use power. THere has been about a 10% incresase in the last couple of months.

My home bill for one freezer,,,one aircon all the time but not too cool, one fridge and an oxygen concentrator which uses 100 watts 24 hrs a day plus large computer and electric cooking has gone from 3000+ 6 months ago to 4000+ now.

Edited August 1, 2014 by harrry

[NanLaew]

Along the lines of more beer being sold = more fridge door opening & closing; sounds quite plausible but in itself can this cause a 100% hike? Has the last month been notably hotter? Fridges also need good airflow and cooler ambient temperatures particularly around the heat-exchanging coils. Has the cooler been pushed back against a wall or further into a corner?

As mentioned before, it's possible there's a door not sealing right (bottom seals are notorious as you never see them) and something is running twice as much as it has to. I didn't see what type and age of refrigeration you have on my three visits as there was always a certain young lady interfering with my... view. However, there's also the chance that if the refrigerant is low, it's running overtime or, if it's a 'legacy' appliance, the compressor is about to kick off.

Here's a tip, even if you do get the gas checked and coils cleaned, think about positioning a simple desk top fan blowing air in and around the back of the fridge just to move the warm air out faster. Only use the fan during the hottest parts of the day like late afternoon and early evening? use a thermometer to suss that out.

Anyway, I will be back in 13 days so get it sorted!

Edited August 1, 2014 by NanLaew

[Chang_paarp]

Another thing to check, are the heat exchange fins on the fridge and freezer clean. A build up of dust can make them reduce efficiency, just vacuum or brush to clean.

As suggested above, to check the system, turn off all the equipment and look at the meter. If the meter is still turning there is something not on your system attached to your power.