Fish and chips

[CMKiwi]

The Pun Pun on the river also does a very big portion of fish and chips..... sometimes too much for lunch but then a mid day siesta is always a nice change afterwards

[beau thai]

My only purpose in kicking this off was to suggest a place that, to my taste, has great F & C. Did I claim to be a connoisseur,? No.

You've twice avoided posting the price, that means it's scary?

As other posters have stated, Gekko at 109bht is good enough and plenty on the plate.

No I didnt avoid mentioning the price- I dont think I was asked?? I dont want to quote it wrongly and honestly cant recall except in my view it was cheap. There were different sizes on offer and I ordered the small size at, I think, 95baht. Plenty big enough for me- I am trying unsuccessfully to lose weight and Christmas wont help.

I bow to others superior knowledge about availability and price of cod - it was described as cod and it was firm, meaty and tasty - definitely not soggy and bland as described by Eyecatcher- maybe he was there on a bad day. And they do serve malt vinegar- importantly!

Immaterial to me whether it was genuine cod- for me the taste is more important than the name.

[Chiengmaijoe]

My only purpose in kicking this off was to suggest a place that, to my taste, has great F & C. Did I claim to be a connoisseur,? No.

You've twice avoided posting the price, that means it's scary?

As other posters have stated, Gekko at 109bht is good enough and plenty on the plate.

What a ridiculous statement. Plenty of people in the real world recommend places without listing the price of everything. If it is good, who cares about the price? It's not like it's going to be anything more than a few hundred baht. Oh, I forgot, this is TVCM, where price is everything.

Just out of curiosity, what is a 'scary' price for Fish n Chips in a place like that?

Edited December 21, 2014 by Chiengmaijoe

[eyecatcher]

It is not Cod (Dory) and the chips are not home made. The fish can be a little soggy.

Rob and the staff are very friendly and nice people. The breakfasts are good although a little over priced compared to SK.

I had my first f+c in 4 years at kellys a couple of months back.

I must say i was expecting something better because of the previous hype.

For me it was average and no better than anywhere else. Yes the fish was a bit soggy and quite bland tasting.

Money for money it will never come close to a pad krapow or a dukes pizza.

But hey maybe i am a fish a chip snob from the North of England and what is ever going to live up to that?

Good luck to Kellys though I hope they are successful.

Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy,

Thou shall hev a haddock when the boat comes in.

Am no' ras far North as that; but you got one thing reet.

The fish must be haddock. I think cod is a southern softies fayre. Haddock does have flavour and taste, and white flakes that separate delicately. You wont get cod in a chippy up North.

Cod is mush by comparison.

[northernjohn]

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I find the fish and chips at Sunee's to be good.

I do too and also at The Cathouse. Unfortunately, neither place has malt vinegar available and - to me - it is not real English-style fish and chips without it.

You'd think they would invest in a bottle.

Sunee's and The Cathouse. Where are these places?

What kind of fish are we talking about? Thanks!

The best I can explain Sunee's is they are next door on the south side of Verachie (not sure of spelling) Court. On a soi that runs from Tha Pae road to Chang Moi I believe it is soi 3 or lane 3 could be 2 not sure. Going towards Tha Pae Gate it is the second right after you cross the canal.

As for malt vinegar Sunee learned to cook in Hawaii might not be big there. I have never tried it but if Gecko's has it I will give it a whirl.

Sunee is just a small hole in the wall with seating for about 20. She has in my estimation the best Fried Potatoes in Chiang Mai. Have no idea of where the cathouse is. Also no idea of what the fish are.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

My only purpose in kicking this off was to suggest a place that, to my taste, has great F & C. Did I claim to be a connoisseur,? No.

You've twice avoided posting the price, that means it's scary?

As other posters have stated, Gekko at 109bht is good enough and plenty on the plate.

Yes.. And at 109 Baht for that much food it's hard to complain. But let me put in an effort anyway. : I mean the fish itself is not very firm. Overall it was okay, not the worst I've seen, but also not something I would wholeheartedly recommend as Fish & Chips in a British sense.

I've had some reasonable ones in Pattaya. In Chiang Mai indeed Kelly's comes closest, and I'll readily trust the recommendation of Duke's, based only on the fact that Dukes is so reliable at everything they do.

Prices at Kelly's are nothing to be scared about, or I would have remembered what they were. (If I don't remember the price then that's a good sign. )

Edited December 21, 2014 by WinnieTheKhwai

[soblue2001]

Sunee's is Soi 2, off Thapae Road. She is beside Veerachai Court.

Her food is excellent.

[Ulysses G.]

Sunee is just a small hole in the wall with seating for about 20. She has in my estimation the best Fried Potatoes in Chiang Mai. Have no idea of where the cathouse is. Also no idea of what the fish are.

The Cathouse is not far from Sunne's, but explaining how to get from one to the other would not be easy. Instead, if you are on the outer moat road near Miguel's Mexican, you go South about 1/2 a block and you will see the new branch of The Salad Concept. You turn onto the small Soi beside it and The Cathouse is about 1/2 way down that street on the right hand side. Descent, very reasonably priced, healthy food is their forte.

Soi 1 Bar is close-by on the other side of the Soi. They are not as cheap, but great roast dinners and lots of other stuff as well. Phillip, the chef, owned a seafood restaurant in England and a French restaurant in France as well as the Euro Cafe - near the UN Irish pub - and Phil's diner on Thapae Road. He knows his way around good food.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

My only purpose in kicking this off was to suggest a place that, to my taste, has great F & C. Did I claim to be a connoisseur,? No.

You've twice avoided posting the price, that means it's scary?

As other posters have stated, Gekko at 109bht is good enough and plenty on the plate.

What a ridiculous statement. Plenty of people in the real world recommend places without listing the price of everything. If it is good, who cares about the price? It's not like it's going to be anything more than a few hundred baht. Oh, I forgot, this is TVCM, where price is everything.

Just out of curiosity, what is a 'scary' price for Fish n Chips in a place like that?

250bht would be scary.

Considering Gekko provide more fish than I can eat for 109bht.

If you were given the choice of two petrol stations, one charging 20bht/l and one charging 60bht/l, which one would you choose?

Everyone, who isn't a fool, cares about the price.

So tell me, why is eating different?

[Mekong Bob]

in response to truth in labeling,

"immaterial to me whether it was genuine cod- for me the taste is more important than the name"

and, for many other TV Forum members, price and quantity (portions) are more important than taste or in knowing just exactly what you are eating.

these standards of measurement are very common among our TVF food critics and restaurant recommends. this leaves this reader with a less than complete report every time.

[quidnunc]

My only purpose in kicking this off was to suggest a place that, to my taste, has great F & C. Did I claim to be a connoisseur,? No.

You've twice avoided posting the price, that means it's scary?

As other posters have stated, Gekko at 109bht is good enough and plenty on the plate.

What a ridiculous statement. Plenty of people in the real world recommend places without listing the price of everything. If it is good, who cares about the price? It's not like it's going to be anything more than a few hundred baht. Oh, I forgot, this is TVCM, where price is everything.

Just out of curiosity, what is a 'scary' price for Fish n Chips in a place like that?

250bht would be scary.

Considering Gekko provide more fish than I can eat for 109bht.

If you were given the choice of two petrol stations, one charging 20bht/l and one charging 60bht/l, which one would you choose?

Everyone, who isn't a fool, cares about the price.

So tell me, why is eating different?

Well, if you think of fish as fodder then, it's all about the price. But if the taste of the fish you're eating actually matters, then price is only one factor. Anyway, enjoy the contents of your feed bag.

[DLock]

Pictures people, pictures.

Does your smartphone not have a camera?

This thread would be much more interesting with pictures of said Fish and Chips.

[Chiengmaijoe]

Well, if you think of fish as fodder then, it's all about the price. But if the taste of the fish you're eating actually matters, then price is only one factor. Anyway, enjoy the contents of your feed bag.

Sadly his reply is very typical of so many Chiang Mai expats. Going out to eat is only about filling the stomach. It isn't about the ambience, the service, the quality or taste, or having a good time, it's all about price. The 'filling the tank' analogy is about right.

They more than likely weren't like that before they came here, but a couple of years of being charged different prices for the same product or service because of the Asian system of haggling and they've become so obsessive about price that they're verging on mental illness.

They will embarass their friends or partners when going out, and will take every price difference as a personall attack. A good example of that .... Rimping. These guys think that Rimping is conning them (farangs) and treating them as mugs. Their perception is so flawed and their actions are so irrational that they don't even see the majority Thais that shop there, and will use words like 'ripped off' and 'trap' to describe it. Words that perfectly highlight their paranoia. 'Scary' is also one of those words.

I gave an example a few months back of two reasonably well off Chiang Mai farangs I know that said they drink Archa beer because it's cheap, even though thay agreed it was horrible. I guarantee that a few years back, when they were in their home country they not only wouldn't have drank cheap nasty beer, they would also have seen the absurdity of the idea of drinking it because it's cheap, which in their previous experience was what only alcoholics did.

Until I came to live here my idea of going out to eat was pretty normal - good food, a decent selection of beers, a nice place, good service, good company - but since i've been living here I sometimes feel like I'm the odd man out. I'm an average working class guy that is practically thought of as being a snob (and a fool, of course) for holding the very same values that were considered as being normal back home, because all I should think about when going out is ..... PRICE! Me a snob! Strange isn't it?

Edited December 22, 2014 by Chiengmaijoe

[worgeordie]

Feeling OK Joe?, it does not take much for you to kick off,

its just about Fish and Chips,if people want to eat cheap

food or very expensive food its up to them and all you

say will not covert them,in the end it all ends up in the

same place, down the toilet,maybe quicker with the cheap

food.

regards Worgeordie

P.S. I don't anybody would think of you as "average"

[Chiengmaijoe]

Feeling OK Joe?, it does not take much for you to kick off,

its just about Fish and Chips,if people want to eat cheap

food or very expensive food its up to them and all you

say will not covert them,in the end it all ends up in the

same place, down the toilet,maybe quicker with the cheap

food.

regards Worgeordie

P.S. I don't anybody would think of you as "average"

It certainly is up to them, as is their assumption that we are the fools.

You're quite right, it was just about Fish n Chips, but then the Cheap Charlies came in and made it just about price.

I was average back home, but you know what they say, "in the kingdom of the blind..... "

Edited December 22, 2014 by Chiengmaijoe

[Ulysses G.]

Pictures people, pictures.

Does your smartphone not have a camera?

This thread would be much more interesting with pictures of said Fish and Chips.

Pictures can be VERY deceiving. Every burger in town looks good in a photo, but almost none of them pass the taste test. A lot of Western food is like that in Thailand.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Well, if you think of fish as fodder then, it's all about the price. But if the taste of the fish you're eating actually matters, then price is only one factor. Anyway, enjoy the contents of your feed bag.

In CM Fish and chips is fodder.

No cod, haddock or huss in Thailand.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Well, if you think of fish as fodder then, it's all about the price. But if the taste of the fish you're eating actually matters, then price is only one factor. Anyway, enjoy the contents of your feed bag.

Sadly his reply is very typical of so many Chiang Mai expats. Going out to eat is only about filling the stomach. It isn't about the ambience, the service, the quality or taste, or having a good time, it's all about price. The 'filling the tank' analogy is about right.

They more than likely weren't like that before they came here, but a couple of years of being charged different prices for the same product or service because of the Asian system of haggling and they've become so obsessive about price that they're verging on mental illness.

They will embarass their friends or partners when going out, and will take every price difference as a personall attack. A good example of that .... Rimping. These guys think that Rimping is conning them (farangs) and treating them as mugs. Their perception is so flawed and their actions are so irrational that they don't even see the majority Thais that shop there, and will use words like 'ripped off' and 'trap' to describe it. Words that perfectly highlight their paranoia. 'Scary' is also one of those words.

I gave an example a few months back of two reasonably well off Chiang Mai farangs I know that said they drink Archa beer because it's cheap, even though thay agreed it was horrible. I guarantee that a few years back, when they were in their home country they not only wouldn't have drank cheap nasty beer, they would also have seen the absurdity of the idea of drinking it because it's cheap, which in their previous experience was what only alcoholics did.

Until I came to live here my idea of going out to eat was pretty normal - good food, a decent selection of beers, a nice place, good service, good company - but since i've been living here I sometimes feel like I'm the odd man out. I'm an average working class guy that is practically thought of as being a snob (and a fool, of course) for holding the very same values that were considered as being normal back home, because all I should think about when going out is ..... PRICE! Me a snob! Strange isn't it?

As I previously posted, fish and chips in CM is low quality food made from low quality fish.

Doesn't matter where you eat it, they can't get the quality fish we are used to in the west.

In the west the best fish and chips are not sold in premium restaurants, it's street food.

My personal favourite in the UK was Huss and chips, it was quality and it was cheap, the ambiance was eating while walking along the road.

Nothing wrong with Rimping, some of there products are cheaper than anywhere else.

Scary is paying 3x more for the same product. A low class and low quality product cooked in rat infested kitchens.

Beer in Thailand, again it's all sh_it, a choice of poor quality, you want quality beer, Belgium and Germany are the place to go.

If you want good food, a decent selection of beers, good service ..... Thailand isn't the country for you ...... go home.

But if you want a decent selection of young and available women, you're in the right place.

Little else here for foreigners.

[Konini]

Pictures can be VERY deceiving. Every burger in town looks good in a photo, but almost none of them pass the taste test. A lot of Western food is like that in Thailand.

Off topic, but when we lived in Wellington NZ in the mid-late 1980's, we met a farmer's son at a wedding who was a really nice bloke (about our age, early 20's) who was a real country bumpkin and had rarely been out of his village/township. The day before the wedding he tagged along with a few of us to McDonalds and seemed totally out of his depth. When he unwrapped his burger, he went back to the counter with the burger in one hand and pointing at the picture above the counter with the other one said "I want one that looks like that please".

True story. I've heard a few variations on it, but this one actually happened. And he was very polite. Ended up keeping the same burger but getting his money back. On the way out he went to the counter and thanked them (he did this almost everywhere we went), but made a point of telling them that their chips weren't very good and that 'those skinny things' would never catch on.

Hotel rooms are the other thing that ALWAYS look good in photo's.

[Diplomatico]

Pictures can be VERY deceiving. Every burger in town looks good in a photo, but almost none of them pass the taste test. A lot of Western food is like that in Thailand.

Hotel rooms are the other thing that ALWAYS look good in photo's.

Obviously you've never used an on-line dating site.

[alfieconn]

It is not Cod (Dory) and the chips are not home made. The fish can be a little soggy.

Rob and the staff are very friendly and nice people. The breakfasts are good although a little over priced compared to SK.

Perhaps they are doing Cod and Home made chips now if they are not then the OP coming on here singing their praises about good F & C and think's he was eating Cod and Homemade chips is hardly a connoissseur of F & C.

My only purpose in kicking this off was to suggest a place that, to my taste, has great F & C. Did I claim to be a connoisseur,? No.

But before evaluating Kelly's on here, wouldnt it make sense to go and try it? What's to lose? A few baht and possible disappointment over one meal in your life-what's to gain? Somewhere else to eat out economically that, like us, you may enjoy. Suspend your disbelief until yu have tried the product!

No you did not, but you did imply that you was an aficonado

just a happy customer giving a heads up to any other F & C aficionados.

Where an I evaluating Kelly's ? I was more evaluating your expertise on different types of fish and for your info I have tried it and did enjoy it, but would have enjoyed it a lot more if it was a different kind of fish !

Edited December 22, 2014 by alfieconn

[Konini]

I've noticed a few comments from people down on the ever changing location of the mobile fish and chips - I'm quite sure that Mr K has Dee's mobile number after trying in vain to track him down when he first started out, and he goes out drinking with him sometimes now. He's not home at the moment so I can't be certain and I'm not sure if it would be appropriate to post it here anyway.

This has given me the fancy for fish and chips tonight, and as I don't have any fish or enough oil for the deep fat fryer, we might just find out where Dee is tonight......

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Pictures can be VERY deceiving. Every burger in town looks good in a photo, but almost none of them pass the taste test. A lot of Western food is like that in Thailand.

Hotel rooms are the other thing that ALWAYS look good in photo's.

Obviously you've never used an on-line dating site.

LOL !!!

Yes.. Though, with enough experience and a bit of a sixth sense you can definitely see it when things aren't as good as it would look to someone less initiated.

And that goes for food, hotels and dates alike.

Following examples.

At first glance, this looks like an okay breakfast. Unless you've spent time in Thailand, then you immediately recognize the complete horror:

(Though there are added points for the condiments, and the beer of course. )

Second, hotel rooms. Just looking at the following picture I get Thai-Hotel-Smell already entering my nostrils. You can see by the dated furniture and phone (and often Aircon model, TV, etc.) that this is a decade old picture. Or maybe more, as the bedside table is one of those models with a radio built in, which makes it downright 1980s looking. So you KNOW this room hasn't been updated, ever.

And then dating sites.. can't really post a sample picture here but the same pointers about a more dated style apply. As well as the appearance of digital photos taken with a recent phone or camera vs one from years ago.

You have to 'observe between the lines'..

Edited December 22, 2014 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Gonzo the Face]

Pictures can be VERY deceiving. Every burger in town looks good in a photo, but almost none of them pass the taste test. A lot of Western food is like that in Thailand.

Hotel rooms are the other thing that ALWAYS look good in photo's.

Obviously you've never used an on-line dating site.

LOL !!!

Yes.. Though, with enough experience and a bit of a sixth sense you can definitely see it when things aren't as good as it would look to someone less initiated.

And that goes for food, hotels and dates alike.

Following examples.

At first glance, this looks like an okay breakfast. Unless you've spent time in Thailand, then you immediately recognize the complete horror:

10805761_10153475197226664_4317308187098441950_n.jpg

(Though there are added points for the condiments, and the beer of course. )

Second, hotel rooms. Just looking at the following picture I get Thai-Hotel-Smell already entering my nostrils. You can see by the dated furniture and phone (and often Aircon model, TV, etc.) that this is a decade old picture. Or maybe more, as the bedside table is one of those models with a radio built in, which makes it downright 1980s looking. So you KNOW this room hasn't been updated, ever.

And then dating sites.. can't really post a sample picture here but the same pointers about a more dated style apply. As well as the appearance of digital photos taken with a recent phone or camera vs one from years ago.

You have to 'observe between the lines'..

I know, I know the connection between the original post and this hotel room photo is the plate on the table by the window , at one time was used to serve fish and chips....... back on topic PLEASE

[Konini]

Nothing wrong with Rimping, some of there products are cheaper than anywhere else.

Scary is paying 3x more for the same product. A low class and low quality product cooked in rat infested kitchens.

Beer in Thailand, again it's all sh_it, a choice of poor quality, you want quality beer, Belgium and Germany are the place to go.

If you want good food, a decent selection of beers, good service ..... Thailand isn't the country for you ...... go home.

But if you want a decent selection of young and available women, you're in the right place.

Little else here for foreigners.

I have to say that some of the English, Spanish and German products in Rimping are not that much more expensive than in Australia. I'm talking imported cheese, salami, pickles, olives etc. There are local versions available much cheaper, but if you want HP sauce, Branston Pickle, Atora suet etc and nothing else will do, it's about the same price as here. Same with the Spanish olives and expensive boxed Italian pasta (which I always look at wondering why anyone would pay so much for). A couple of weeks ago I bought some capers and they were actually cheaper than I paid 8 years ago in Melbourne - same brand and size. I suppose anything Australian or NZ sourced would be the same for Europeans.

Good food, good beer and good service are all here, you just have to pay the same as you would back home. Fancy meal with excellent service back home would probably cost more than the same at the Chedi (who's new name I've forgotten) or Four Seasons if you aren't a wine drinker. Seriously, imagine going to a 5 star hotel for a slap up meal in your home country; I mean a real 5 star place, comparable to the Chedi.

I recoil at the cost of a coffee from Starbucks - I bought my own espresso machine to avoid paying for it, but when in Australia or England I pay the same without thinking about it. Sometimes, I just have to have a double whopper with cheese and onion rings, and it seems crazy paying so much for it (I cook most nights, we don't often eat out), but once you get it into your head that you want one it's hard not to give in to the urge (a bit like when you want a Chinese or kebab). Again, back home you just buy it without thinking about the price, which will be the same as it is here because such things are pretty much the same price the world over It's because you CAN do it so much cheaper here if you want to. That makes it stick in the throat of a lot of people when they pay what they would back home in a developing country. I'll admit, occasionally it sticks in my throat, but I try not to let it bother me because sitting here now, I know how irrational it is. But it does still catch me out occasionally. I'm pleased to say though that I have got over my horror at the price of quality white chocolate and rarely go to supermarkets now without picking out my bar of Lindt for just under 100 baht (it's cheapest in Rimping). It took 5 years for me to come to terms with it and just buy it. I've also discovered Big C Casino brand, 2 bars of white chocolate for less than 100 baht, of course not the same quality, but white chocolate is white chocolate. (I've been known to munch on white compound cooking chocolate when desperate. Not recommended for anything other than an emergency fix)

(The Christmas pudding from Rimping was just too much. No matter how much I want it, there is no way in the entire world I'm going to pay $17 for a Christmas pudding even though I would eat it all by myself with home made custard or brandy sauce or fresh cream because Mr K doesn't like them).

[Ulysses G.]

At first glance, this looks like an okay breakfast. Unless you've spent time in Thailand, then you immediately recognize the complete horror:

The "breakfast hotdogs" are always a giveaway to us old hands.

[Konini]

I found Dee's Facebook page here. It lists his mobile number.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Konini

[onthedarkside]

This topic has run far and wide from the original topic - Fish and Chips

Be advised that any more posts not relating to the topic will be removed without further notice.

Thank you.

[Ulysses G.]

Philip - at Soi 1 Bar - told me to call him 30 minutes before ordering fish and chips, so that he could defrost it before deep frying, and he is a really good cook.

If I remember correctly, he said it was not necessary for the pan fried varieties. I don't get a lot of fish that is "mushy" here and I mostly eat the cheaper types for F&C. I suspect that some places just don't know how to cook it right.

[Konini]

Had fish and chips from Dee's mobile tonight and they were lovely., the fish was particularly nice. I just wish I'd thought about it earlier in the day and made some mushy peas. Reported to be very busy at opening (6 o'clock), people waiting for him.....