Why is there better Thai food in San Francisco than in Pattaya?

[Kinnock]

15 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I see my point wasn't understood too well, so I'll try again.

 

In  no way was I suggesting that all or most Thai food in the west, even in the great food cities, is as good or better than typical Thai food you can get in Pattaya at better Thai food restaurants here.

 

In Pattaya, yes just based on the pictures I'm pretty sure there isn't even one Thai restaurant that is selling Thai food even near the level of that place in SF, and yes there are multiple SF Thai restaurants at a similar high level, without Michelin stars. 

 

If there was, I'd be happy to open my wallet for it. I really don't think it exists here in Pattaya. That's a bit strange ... while this isn't Bangkok, it is a major restaurant market in Thailand. 

 

Bangkok is a different story. The high culinary level of Thai food is available there. But I really think not in Pattaya. 

 

 

I understand your point - but can we really compare SF with Pattaya?  I've travelled a lot, and I've never had Thai food outside Thailand that could compare to the best of Bangkok.  A better comparison to Pattaya may be Vegas, Florida or Atlantic Beach?

[1FinickyOne]

Sure gourmet style food compared to the same dish prepared on the street for 30 baht - not too difficult to guess which might taste better...

 

The small city I lived in USA had a Thai restaurant that was much tastier than most Thai restaurants  that I have been to here. Spicy dishes prepared a bit less spicy, maybe a bit creamier, richer and more to my palate and maybe most of all, using quality ingredients... 

 

$12 for a lunch plate of Penang Moo instead of 30 baht here... and I never minded paying for it... 

[anotheruser]

Who would have predicted this thread to end up with JT reverting to infantile ramblings? This thread had train wreck written all over it. This is his MO these days is to come up with some completely convoluted idea for a thread and then tell everybody they don't understand his deranged idea of whatever the hell he was trying to say in the first place. 

 

somebody is going cuckoo for cocoa puffs down in Patters.

[TheFishman1]

Me think they don't wash there hands 

[speckio]

Lived in SF for 10 years... yeah the thai food in SF is good but the food above is elevated for fine dining... pattaya really isnt really known for fine dining so you really cant say that the thai food in SF is better or make the comparison.

 

Plenty of awesome places to eat in Pattaya

 

for street level thai food in SF check out Noodle king...

 

 

 

[bubba45]

A few years back I was on a flight from BKK to Los Angeles, and I was sitting next to a Thai lady that worked in the consulate in L.A.  We got to talking about food and she said she found much of the food in L.A. to be better than Thailand, primarily because of better quality ingredients.  She said the good chefs in the thai part of town took what they learned in Thailand and improved upon it simply with better quality ingredients.

 

Makes sense to me.  Tough finding good quality ingredients in Thai restaurants, though they are there.  I was at a little place outside Chiang Mai a few weeks back and it was obvious the oil was fresh (deep fried som tam) and the food overall was very good.  But for every one of those I can find ten places where that's not true, and I won't even start with the MSG issue.

 

With that said, the few times I've eaten thai in the States, it can be iffy.  Again, cooked for local palates, substitution of ingredients with what's local (mainly vegetables).  If you can get the word to the chef you want the real deal, probably have a better chance of getting a more authentic meal.

Assuming he or she knows what they're doing in the first place.

[Jingthing]

21 minutes ago, speckio said:

Lived in SF for 10 years... yeah the thai food in SF is good but the food above is elevated for fine dining... pattaya really isnt really known for fine dining so you really cant say that the thai food in SF is better or make the comparison.

 

Plenty of awesome places to eat in Pattaya

 

for street level thai food in SF check out Noodle king...

 

 

 

Again I'm not really looking for fine dining. Just really good THAI food if it happens to be in a fancy setting that's not a plus but it's still interesting.

A  way to distinguish exceptional Thai food from boring/safe/average is if you remember the pleasure of eating the dish YEARS later.

Which reminds me the best Thai fried mussel dish I ever had was in Chicago in a total slum in a dive that couldn't even adequately heat the place. 

Yes that's basically a street food dish here but there as they didn't have Thai street food in the winter in Chicago, it was a restaurant dish, actually their signature dish. 

I'm a big fan of dives that are all about the food but that's not the same thing as dives with boring average food, which is more like most of the Thai food in Pattaya, except for the higher end places with boring average food.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

39 minutes ago, Kinnock said:

 

I understand your point - but can we really compare SF with Pattaya?  I've travelled a lot, and I've never had Thai food outside Thailand that could compare to the best of Bangkok.  A better comparison to Pattaya may be Vegas, Florida or Atlantic Beach?

Or Bangkok.

I don't see a great reason that there are so many Thai food places in Bangkok that can do it but here, seemingly not. 

Obviously not as many as there as that's a great metropolis, but Pattaya is hardly a tiny little town and let me check, yes, it IS in Thailand.

Years ago I visited Ibiza. The Spanish food I had there was awful ... 

Edited August 25, 2016 by Jingthing

[mcfish]

I don't touch sugar. Thais use so much of it you can have dinner and desert in the same meal

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[Jingthing]

53 minutes ago, Jiu-Jitsu said:

 

If you spent 1% of the energy that you spent posting petulant nonsense, into finding the location.....

 

http://www.pattayapeople.com/archives/N-2016Mar-issue542-week3/N-542-week3-Mar-2016.pdf

 

Page 4

 

That's the old location. The new is further into the resort.

OK. Thanks for that even though you have been so incredibly insulting.

But frankly, as you probably know that location is very obscure for me, you really haven't SOLD that the food there would be anything like the level I'm seeking.

[anotheruser]

LOL Now the location has to be on a  baht bus route as well. Please, do a better job of selling it Jiu-Jitsu. You won't get your bonus this month otherwise.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

6 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Or Bangkok.

I don't see a great reason that there are so many Thai food places in Bangkok that can do it but here, seemingly not. 

Obviously not as many as there as that's a great metropolis, but Pattaya is hardly a tiny little town and let me check, yes, it IS in Thailand.

Years ago I visited Ibiza. The Spanish food I had there was awful ... 

 

Did you visit Rincon de Pepe? I think not.

I was involved in the nightclub scene in Ibiza with some of the biggest weekly parties in the world.You need to know where to eat.

[F4UCorsair]

15 hours ago, Pdaz said:

It's not 'better'. It's just Thai style food made for Western Taste. The poncy Michelin judges wouldn't know what real Thai food is meant to taste like if it bit them on the a55.

 

It's no different to saying a Michilin starred resto's interpretation of "Roast Beef" is better than my home cooked version.. Their's maybe fancier and prettier to look at but it's not "better"

 

Horses for courses... 

 

Exactly.  The same reason Italian food tastes better in Melbourne, Indonesian food tastes better, Indian food tastes better, etc.

 

It's westernized Thai, Indian, Indonesian, etc., and most westerners wouldn't know if their butts were punched, bored or drilled, let alone how good Thai food really tastes.

 

Having said that, Cabbages and Condoms in Soi 12 Sukhumvit would have to be one of the best Thai restaurants at which I've eaten.  It is, and has been for 20+ years, superb, but with what is now largely a tourist clientele, it's changing.

Edited August 25, 2016 by F4UCorsair
spellcheck

[Jingthing]

Just now, Jiu-Jitsu said:

 

Did you visit Rincon de Pepe? I think not.

I was involved in the nightclub scene in Ibiza with some of the biggest weekly parties in the world.You need to know where to eat.

It was many years ago but I did visit one place that was pretty good. Maybe that was it.  But compared to Barcelona or Madrid -- overall almost shockingly crappy. 

[Jiu-Jitsu]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

OK. Thanks for that even though you have been so incredibly insulting.

But frankly, as you probably know that location is very obscure for me, you really haven't SOLD that the food there would be anything like the level I'm seeking.

 

Watch the YouTube video and laugh at yourself. It's definitely you. 

[Jiu-Jitsu]

6 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

OK. Thanks for that even though you have been so incredibly insulting.

 

 

 

Laughable, considering your attitude to other posters on this thread....your acting like a victim now garners no sympathy.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

6 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It was many years ago but I did visit one place that was pretty good. Maybe that was it.  But compared to Barcelona or Madrid -- overall almost shockingly crappy. 

 

Shows that you don't know much then doesn't it?

 

http://www.rincondepepe.net/index.php/en/

 

You know that you are completely ridiculous...don't you?

 

Obscure location? 

[tifino]

 

tangents aside, I reckon it's because over in SF,

they don't have to bend over to Russian tastebuds

[Jingthing]

10 minutes ago, Jiu-Jitsu said:

 

Shows that you don't know much then doesn't it?

 

http://www.rincondepepe.net/index.php/en/

 

You know that you are completely ridiculous...don't you?

 

Obscure location? 

The place looks very familiar. I was drinking a lot on that trip. Ibiza, you know? 

It's entirely possible that I did eat there but didn't remember it the same as other places in Spain. What I do remember is how BAD a lot of the "Spanish" food was there. 

Funny thing. The best paella I ever had was in MANILA. 

Edited August 25, 2016 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, tifino said:

 

tangents aside, I reckon it's because over in SF,

they don't have to bend over to Russian tastebuds

Well I don't think so. They're largely gone. It's more like tourism in general and beach resort on general. Captive audience. 

[MissAndry]

Don't know about Thai food, but SF has the best Chinese food in the world.

[connda]

There is better food coming out of my wife's kitchen than you'll find in San Fran and you don't have to pay $20 for a bowl of Tom Yum Goon.  And I doubt you are allowed to eat anything like 'Red ant egg salad.'  I'm sure there are a stack of regulations and health codes between you and an authentic Thai meal. 

[Jiu-Jitsu]

16 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

The place looks very familiar. I was drinking a lot on that trip. Ibiza, you know? 

It's entirely possible that I did eat there but didn't remember it the same as other places in Spain. What I do remember is how BAD a lot of the "Spanish" food was there. 

Funny thing. The best paella I ever had was in MANILA. 

 

You do know that Spain has regional food too, don't you? Masochistic tendencies?

Look for specialities of the region, rather than "Spanish" food or "Thai" food.

Seriously....stop. There may still be an opportunity to crawl out of the hole you are digging.

[Montecristo]

I enjoy Thai food in San Francisco. It is super tasty, very authentic and it can get spicy to levels that blow your mind. However, just like somebody wrote here: recently Caucasians dropped under 50% in this city. Even the Mayor is Chinese . It is not like that if you go just a bit east - to San Jose. 

There are restaurants owned by same people in Bangkok and San Francisco (Osha, near Lumpini Park and Asiatique, is also in San Francisco) . There is another excellent restaurant in San Franciaco: Saap Ver (u can find all of them on Yelp). I would say: Bangkok is still #1. Pattaya has very many restaurants , not all of them are that good ...

[Jingthing]

Don't know about Thai food, but SF has the best Chinese food in the world.

Yes indeed. Well up there anyway.

[Jingthing]

 

You do know that Spain has regional food too, don't you? Masochistic tendencies?

Look for specialities of the region, rather than "Spanish" food or "Thai" food.

Seriously....stop. There may still be an opportunity to crawl out of the hole you are digging.

Yes I realize. What are you doing here? Each post you make is a moronic insult.

[MANFROMBOCA]

i guess your tastes buds are just too sophisticated for the rest of us ( im presuming youve tasted the food there ) and your way too cerebral as you say we dont understand what your trying to say

 

and as far as relying on yelpers  well you can watch the link (beware for open minded people only )

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDlR_ccnZww&sns=em

[TaaSaparot]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

A  way to distinguish exceptional Thai food from boring/safe/average is if you remember the pleasure of eating the dish YEARS later.

 

And you have never experienced that in Pattaya ?

[akentryan]

But do they serve chicken feet in SF? Or the whole frog chopped up?

[alex8912]

I think eating alone makes the restaurant experience very different from eating with a bunch of good friends enjoying each other's company and the food and drink at the same time.  For sure eating alone makes some people obnoxious and insanely argumentative .