Pattaya Confidential! "Secrets" of the Central Festival Basement Food Court!

[Jingthing]

You're busted.

It's not a secret anymore.

I know a lot of you eat at the Central Festival Pattaya Beach basement food court.

 

What are your go to stalls and dishes there?

 

Please be as specific as possible. Like you're in a FOOD confession booth.

 

I think I know the joint but often I see people with trays holding dishes and I don't know where they got them? 

 

Let it all out.

 

You'll feel better after you do.

 

"Believe me" 

 

Nobody is watching. 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2017 by Jingthing

[Spaniel]

I don't like the Central Festival food court.   I eat at the much more "upscale" food court at Big C/Home Pro on Pattaya Klang.

[champers]

A different brekky dish is the bacon fried rice with a fried egg on top. A stall somewhere in the middle of the food court. Somwhere else sells lamb chops for about 150 Baht.

I never pay attention to the names of the stalls, so pardon my lack of detail.

[alocacoc]

Food Court? Are this the strange places where you have first to buy a card with some value on it to pay the food? No thanks. Not my way.

[thaibeachlovers]

51 minutes ago, alocacoc said:

Food Court? Are this the strange places where you have first to buy a card with some value on it to pay the food? No thanks. Not my way.

????? That's a very common way to eat all over Thailand- nothing strange about them.

 

I tried the place a few times during my recent stay, but not happy with what I got, so preferred to go to Kiss over the road.

However, if going to the movies, it's a better place than the fast food shops ( I won't call them restaurants ) for a quick meal.

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, Spaniel said:

I don't like the Central Festival food court.   I eat at the much more "upscale" food court at Big C/Home Pro on Pattaya Klang.

I used to go there just for the satay which was good value at 40 baht, but they put the price up to some ridiculous price, so don't any more.

[DMC1]

Normally, if I pop in there I just go for broccoli with crispy pork and rice. It is a bit pricey for a food court tho but not bad.

[petermik]

Not saying.............your bound to bash me for my choice,I,ve read your comments on your "hit and run restaurant review thread" so there

[Jingthing]

30 minutes ago, petermik said:

Not saying.............your bound to bash me for my choice,I,ve read your comments on your "hit and run restaurant review thread" so there

That's a false accusation.

If you recall, I defended a member who posted about 7-11 food as offering useful information to those that were interested.

 

[Jingthing]

 

On the food court, I don't eat there nearly as often as I used to.

I used to like the pak boong fai daeng at the main cook to order Thai restaurant there.

Also their bitter gourd shrimp curry.

 

Also the Singapore fried noodles at the Duck Chinese place across from there.

 

This topic occurred to me last night because I tried the latest version of Ma Po Tofu at that same Chinese place.

It had improved!

I would actually say it doesn't totally suck now.

 

The current version features triangular tofu pieces with ample minced pork in an improved sauce.

I did ask for phet phet, very spicy and the staff was very resistant, even laughing at me, saying it's not spicy.

Now that is stupid because Ma Po Tofu is by definition a spicy dish.

It's labelled there as Sechuan Tofu, same thing.

110 baht, 20 for rice.

I held my ground as I motioned to walk away at the rude treatment and then they got serious, still mocking me, and agreed to cook the dish spicy.

Too much work, yes?!?

Anyway the resulting dish was spicy enough, I could see they added some small pieces of red chilli but the base sauce is the important thing. 

That's where this gets almost shocking.

IN the base red sauce there was a BROAD BEAN. 

What that means is they are actually using Sechuan bean paste which contains broad beans.

I had noticed the flavor had improved from in the past, but this Sechuan broad bean paste is really difficult to source in Thailand.

So I think this is a "find" worthy of the "secrets" thread.

 

Also tried the BORSCHT from the Russian stall, 95.

I never understood why people diss borscht as a dreadful food.

I think that's more about some retro Soviet era phobia than about the classic soup's culinary value. 

To me beets are a wonderful food. 

Now I would probably want to off myself if I had to eat borscht every day, but occasionally, it's a great soup.

The borscht there was an ample portion, red with beets but not enough beets, large chunks of potato, small chunks of beef, with a generous dollop of sour cream in the serve. I like a "beet-ier" borscht but I've had worse, and it's better than it has to be for a food court borscht. 

 

Another fun thing about eating borscht at a popular food court is that when you're walking around with it and eating it pretty much everyone will assume you're Russian! Good for espionage? 

Edited June 9, 2017 by Jingthing

[balo]

I like the Japanese food there, probably the cheapest Japanese dishes you'll find in Pattaya. Dishes like Curry Udon , not sure if they are authentic, you'll have to ask a local , but I like the taste.

[champers]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

????? That's a very common way to eat all over Thailand- nothing strange about 

The one at Swampy airport is always rammed to the gunnels.

[Jingthing]

Another dish I have there occasionally is the Khao Soi (Northern Thai curry noodle soup) with chicken, 70 baht from the specialist stall. 

It's just an OK version of the dish but good enough considering this ain't Chiang Mai. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khao_soi

Edited June 9, 2017 by Jingthing

[little mary sunshine]

Some of the best Pho and only B60... I try to

go at least once a week for lunch.

[lockyv7]

dis i hear someone say  broccoli with crispy pork and rice, that's what i usually look for. 

[NoshowJones]

23 hours ago, alocacoc said:

Food Court? Are this the strange places where you have first to buy a card with some value on it to pay the food? No thanks. Not my way.

Agreed, having to queue twice, then having money left over which you lose if you don't go back within a short time.

[NoshowJones]

22 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I used to go there just for the satay which was good value at 40 baht, but they put the price up to some ridiculous price, so don't any more.

A lot of folk probably were not buying it, that's why they put the price up.

[williewolf]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Agreed, having to queue twice, then having money left over which you lose if you don't go back within a short time.

Queue three times and get your remaining money back

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, williewolf said:

Queue three times and get your remaining money back

Do you? Probably some places do, but there are some who expect you to use what money is left the next time to go there, within a short time.

[4737 Carlin]

Broccoli with crispy pork, chicken with basil, chicken biriyani or a nice (fresh) papaya salad for 60 baht. Tuna sandwich with fries if i'm after foreign food. Most of the food down there is ok in my experience.

[zoza]

at Central my favourite is the grilled chicken with pilua rice and cucumber, no hassle

a nice lunch at 80 baht, my first choice would be" kiss" just before the market at Jomtien

asparagus and prawns 120 baht followed by a stroll along the beach and a few sherbets. 

[DD13]

If your that interested.....get yourself a clipboard and wander around the tables asking people what they are eating

 

You'll be a big "Hit".   ?

[wump]

Central Food Court is heavily overpriced. You can eat cheaper in most Thai restaurants, even in Kiss.

 

Edit: Only applies to 80% of the shops there.

Edited June 10, 2017 by wump

[sloperating]

If you tire of the Food Court,  the nearby Tops Supermarket has a pretty good deli bar (avoid the tasteless beetroot). And that reminds me: Deli Diner (on the soi to the west of TukCom) is worth a visit.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

On 6/9/2017 at 5:15 AM, alocacoc said:

Food Court? Are this the strange places where you have first to buy a card with some value on it to pay the food? No thanks. Not my way.

Not your way. Well that's good for you. But i think its a good idea for the Thai family with, hubby,wife,aged parent, and two kids, who have to eat on a budget. They can limit the money on the card that they can afford.

[wump]

1 hour ago, sloperating said:

If you tire of the Food Court,  the nearby Tops Supermarket has a pretty good deli bar (avoid the tasteless beetroot). And that reminds me: Deli Diner (on the soi to the west of TukCom) is worth a visit.

Agree that the food there is excellent and they even doing the 2-for-1 at night time again. The regular food price is a bit pricey but it is quite convenient getting good food straight away and not having to wait or sit down in a hot restaurant. The prepacked salad is quite nice too. Doesn't give you the shits and unlike Big C etc they don't just put a nice top layer and fill up the rest with cheap cabbage. In fact, there is no cabbage at all.

[grs90]

1 hour ago, sloperating said:

If you tire of the Food Court,  the nearby Tops Supermarket has a pretty good deli bar (avoid the tasteless beetroot). And that reminds me: Deli Diner (on the soi to the west of TukCom) is worth a visit.

The nearby Tops Supermarket (if you mean the one at the junction of Pattaya Klang & Second Road) has been closed for ages - unless it has re-opened in the last 3 or 4 weeks.

[Foozool]

Very funny , hahaha

[wump]

41 minutes ago, grs90 said:

The nearby Tops Supermarket (if you mean the one at the junction of Pattaya Klang & Second Road) has been closed for ages - unless it has re-opened in the last 3 or 4 weeks.

I think he was talking about Central Food Hall (which is essentially a larger Tops)

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, possum1931 said:

A lot of folk probably were not buying it, that's why they put the price up.

So they lost a customer that was buying it. I can understand a 10 baht increase, not a 40 baht one.