graymatter

It might depend on which tooth and perhaps your jaw. Best to ask the dentist whats the situation in your case. I can only say what was good for me.,

The going rate for a dental in plant is 45000 baht so it seems the price has dropped a bit but there is definitely a set price all over Pattaya. I arrived with a missing front tooth and all my xrays from back home where I was quoted $5000 to do an in plant. The alternatives included a denture and a bridge but I didn’t fancy either of these. I had the broken tooth stump taken out before leaving Aus and gave it a few weeks to settle before travelling to Thailand. I gave myself two weeks to get it done but that turned out all wrong. I was staying in Soi Lengkee (opposite Ned Kelly Bar) and dropped in to the dentist over the road (Dr Hollywood) but he wasn’t available so I marched off to find someone else. Until you start looking you don’t know how many dental places there are in Pattaya. I think I tried a dozen by just walking down Soi Buakhou to Central. You would think that dentists were a service industry but my experience was anything but. I was ignored in many centres as I patiently waited in reception with my Xrays in my hand. You would think a guy with Xrays was serious but no one was interested. Apart from a lack of interest in my problems it turns out that ALL the prices amounted to the same. The ones quoting 23,000 baht didn’t include the crown etc. Finally after a few hours I went back to my room and dropped in to Dr Hollywood on the way. He was available and his girls spoke english. I sat in his chair and explained to situation. Now I had made mistakes. I should have had him take out my tooth and he could have put in the stump for the in plant almost immediately. As it was I needed to wait a few weeks to get to this point. I made arrangements to return just before I left to go home. He wanted me to wait for 3 months before fitting the crown. The good news is that he only asked for 20,000 baht and I had three months to save for my crown. I am a diabetic and he used a special injection which turns out works great and wears off very quickly. The funny thing is that on my first session I told the nurse that I hate pain and she would have to hold my hand. We all laughed and I promptly forgot making the comment. During the in plant procedure I had the dentist and his assistant looking down my throat. Then there was the girl with the suction pipe who took her job very seriously and I’m sure someone was swabbing my brow. Just as we got started I felt another hand snake through the mass of bodies and latch onto my left hand to hold it just as I had joked a week earlier. All in all I managed to get my in plant and had a great excuse to return in a few months for the crown. Dr Hollywood has very good english and in the middle of the procedure he would turn off the light and put on his serious face and explain everything he had done and was about to do. He didn’t need to do it but it was good to boost my confidence in his ability, I have recommended him to many other guys on other forums and only had good words.

https://www.google.com.au/maps/@12.923019,100.878751,3a,92.4y,136.31h,88.05t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1srSBVUK56DxQesJxAwfdw5w!2e0?hl=en-AU Easy to find if you start fro Tukcom its about 159 meters down the soi on the left.

I mentioned Belem Medical Clinic after taking a BG to see her. A course of anti-bio-tics and everything was OK but I was interested in the fact that we jut walked in got to see the doctor straight away and there was no fuss. I mentioned this to another mate who made a point of telling me that he got a script for some ED meds from the same place. It just seems easy compared to back home. If Belen Clinic is shut perhaps someone can nominate another clinic with similar service.

I wondered about this when I tried to get some Sidagra (Thai Viagra). I tried a few pharmacies around LK metro and one place offered me a packet but they were more expensive than I thought and it was explained that they take a chance supplying me without prescription so I need to pay more. seemed reasonable to me and I mentioned this to a mate. He went to a doctor in a soi opposite soi 6/1. Its about 30 meters south but easy enough to find. Opposite the Centra Hotel lobby. I think its Dr Belen clinic and he gave him a script and he got his sidagra cheaper than me. If you want a few packets the cost of the Dr is easily paid by the savings on the medication. For what its worth here are the details but I have not actually been there so the info is third hand. Not expensive and save any trouble.

My favorite western Australian vineyard is called "Jane Brook" and they sell a sparkling wine which has 23 carrot gold leaf in the wine. I have tried a few glasses but at $100 per bottle its a special occasion wine. and I can tell you that I can't tell the difference in taste from the normal $35 bottle without gold leaf. You guys have given me an idea though. If I tell the girls that the gold leaf is excreted in sperm I might get some enthusiastic blow jobs. Thai girls love their gold.

I have only been to London once and ran into a nice day like that. I spent it wandering around Kew Garden and much to my embarrassment I got a touch of sunburn. Coming from Perth and spending two weeks in Pattaya the last thing I would admit to was getting sunburn in London. I left the next day for a wedding in Paphos and had to get straight out in the sun before my pommie mates found out.

love the way you have photo shopped the blue sky over Heathrow....

The report is based on a survey from "British publication Express" which I have no doubt will involve 2000 Brits who get sick while overseas. If we took the same survey using 2000 "Americans" then I'm sure the survey will be different . I would expect that Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean would be in their top 10. Not because these are places where they serve bad food but simply because more Americans travel to these countries. I met a guy in Soi 23 in Bangkok who was starting a "Fusion" restaurant where you could enter his shop and stand at a counter while his staff prepared the food in full view of the diners. His food was very good and the presentation excellent. It would attract the yuppie diners in any city in the world and the prices looked very reasonable. I ordered and sat on plastic stools on the sidewalk and enjoyed Thai food that I had never seen before. The owner came out to have a chat and survey his customers. Turns out he had lived in Melbourne for a few years and thought he could combine both cultures. We talked about a few things and I congratulated him on maintaining the Thai influence. Its one of the principle things that Westerners love about Thailand. No point serving Western food that we can get in our hotel. The biggest criticism I had was that there was no barrier between the diners waiting in the shop and the people preparing the food. You can have the cleanest kitchen in the world but you can't control your customers. A simple Perspex barrier would go along way to addressing the problem. I love street food and eat from carts 75% of the time. The only two times I have been sick in Thailand has been eating Western dishes. One time I had a steak from a hotel in Soi Dianna and the other time I ate pork from a buffet in a Gogo bar.

Last year I was getting rump steak for $12 per kilo. This year the same steak is costing $25 per kilo. Even if we allow for the effect of the seasons and of course the lower price for AUD then the prices have definitely gone up for the locals. Of course the Aussie farmers are eternal pessimists as demonstrated in this bush poem Said Hanrahan PJ Hartigan © by John O'Brien "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan in accents most forlorn, Outside the church, ere Mass began one frosty Sunday morn. The congregation stood about coat-collars to the ears, And talked of stock, and crops, and drought as it had done for years. "It's looking crook," said Daniel Croke; "Bedad, it's cruke, me lad, For never since the banks went broke has seasons been so bad." "It's dry, all right," said young O'Neil, with which astute remark He squatted down upon his heel and chewed a piece of bark. And so around the chorus ran, "It's keepin' dry, no doubt." "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "Before the year is out." "The crops are done; ye'll have your work to save one bag of grain; From here way out to Back-o'-Bourke they're singin' out for rain "They're singin' out for rain," he said, "And all the tanks are dry." The congregation scratched its head, and gazed around the sky. "There won't be grass, in any case, enough to feed an ass; There's not a blade on Casey's place as I came down to Mass." "If rain don't come this month," said Dan, and cleared his throat to speak - "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "If rain don't come this week." A heavy silence seemed to steal on all at this remark; And each man squatted on his heel, and chewed a piece of bark. "We want an inch of rain, we do, "O'Neil observed at last; But Croke "maintained" we wanted two, to put the danger past. "If we don't get three inches, man, or four to break this drought, We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "Before the year is out." In God's good time down came the rain; and all the afternoon On iron roof and window-pane it drummed a homely tune. And through the night it pattered still, and lightsome, gladsome elves On dripping spout and window-sill kept talking to themselves. It pelted, pelted all day long, a-singing at its work, Till every heart took up the song way out to Back-o'-Bourke. And every creek a banker ran, and dams filled overtop; "We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "If this rain doesn't stop." And stop it did, in God's good time; and spring came in to fold A mantle o'er the hills sublime of green and pink and gold. And days went by on dancing feet, with harvest-hopes immense, And laughing eyes beheld the wheat nid-nodding o'er the fence. And, oh, the smiles on every face, as happy lad and lass Through grass knee-deep on Casey's place went riding down to Mass. While round the church in clothes genteel discoursed the men of mark, And each man squatted on his heel, and chewed his piece of bark. "There'll be bush-fires for sure, me man, there will, without a doubt; We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "Before the year is out."

For any of you who actually like Australian Beef, I have some bad news. The forward orders in the USA together with a serious drought in the North of Australia have caused shortage of supply and huge price increases. I accused my local butcher of supplying a family pet when I looked at the prices last week. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-27/cattle-projections-beef-production-down-prices-up/6049130 I might need to try some USA grain fed beef in the future. It will be the cheaper option. Looks like the chooks are endangered for a while.

I think that most of the overweight middle age guys in Pattaya have high blood pressure so you are not alone. Definitely go and talk to your GP about your ED problems and ask about the use of Viagra and Cialis. Unless you have very high BP then they will probably just caution you and tell you not to over do it. I take my BP meds and keep my numbers around 135/85. You can pay $100 for 4 tablets in Australia or you can use a local product. I use the Thai made Sidagra which I get from the pharmacy. The Thai government recognise that Viagra was a product that the population wanted but could not afford. As soon as the patent ran out the set up the government labs to produce Sidagra which reportedly uses the same formula. They planned to sell the product for about 200 baht when it first came out. I bought some for 400 baht although without a prescription you can expect to pay 800 baht in most places. Don't take more than the recommended dose.

let us know the answer then? egg.bmp

Try O.Tailor in 10 Soi Daynight 2. Along side of Tucom. Tel 038-413615 or mob 0818648096 I dropped in to see Mr O and his wife Pat to get some trousers made. I had specific requirements regarding the material, th cut and the pockets. He was very helpful and understood my “english”. It took two days and I paid about 1200 baht which I concidered very reasonable. I could have found cheaper but I wanted quality as well. Unlike many so called tailors these guys make things in house. I have recommended Mr O to several BM's on other forums and they have sent me PMs thanking me after getting work done.

Since the beginning of this thread I have learned a lot more about steaks. The process of dry aging reduces the weight of the steal and increases the price conciderably. Since the introduction of cryovac packaging I believe that very few restaurants in Australia sell dry aged beef and I can honestly say that I have not bought dry aged beef. The beef sellers don't market the meat and the economics would suggest that this might be difficult with the price being at least double the normal price. I have decided to try some well aged steaks and was surprised that my local drinking hole was listed as one of the few places that sells dry age steak in Perth. Fibber Mcgees is more your pub meal type of place and I usually get their steak and stout pie. Who knew that their steaks were international standard. "The Beef at Fibber McGee's comes from the best local W.A. producers. We 'Dry Age' all our beef on-site. We char-grill all our steaks and serve with organic vegetables when possible. Dry Aged Rump Steak $38 300 grams Dry Aged Rib-Eye Steak $48 500 grams Dry Aged Sirloin Steak $39 300 grams Dry Aged Fillet Steak $45 250 grams All steaks served with hand cut chips, onion rings, mushrooms, greens and your choice of: Peppercorn sauce, red wine jus, mushroom sauce or blue cheese butter." Apparently the dry aging concentrates the flavours so it is much different. I'll try it first but I might need to re visit some of my comments. I have attached a link to explain the various cuts of meat because it seems we all have different names for the same cuts. http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/03/the-four-high-end-steaks-you-should-know-ribeye-strip-tenderloin-t-bone.html This was interesting to me because I wasn't sure about a "new York Strip" and there have been different comments about sirloin steaks. In Perth restaraunts the number one choice is fillet but it appears that the New York strip is the steak of choice in the USA. Turns out that I'm a fan of the T-bone which gives me the best of both worlds. Having made these comments, I eat red meat twice a week but over the past 5 to 10 years I have rarely invested in a steak. I prefer to cook my meat in a slow cooked method and by far my favourite is to take some Chuck steak which I marinate with a curry paste for a few hours before cooking for a couple of hours in coconut milk. I have a local "indian" shop who makes their own curry paste and all I add is a sprig of curry leaves. I'm not sure which component is the killer one but the result is a curry with meat that melts in your mouth. Every one comes back for seconds. It costs me $5 per serve against the $45 for a good steak so its a no brainer for me.

Makes even more sense when the government pays farmers to grow the grain that feeds the cattle.

My local pub nails a couple of T bones to the ceiling above the bar. The idea is that anyone who can stand on the bar and eat the T Bones gets to drink for free. I dropped in last week and the Publican said "go on have a go at it". I gave it one look and said.."sorry but the steaks are too high!"

Not funny, juvenile and no its not OK anywhere!

So you guys are learning whether you are glass half full or glass half empty kind of people?.... Look on it as a chance to improve your sense of humour.

Dude...You need to lighten up on the Mexican bashing.

There are many different subsidies at work and I'm not a US beef producer but a simple Wikipedia search would suggest that there are subsidies for beef production. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_subsidy "An agricultural subsidy is a governmental subsidy paid to farmers and agribusinesses to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities, and influence the cost and supply of such commodities. Examples of such commodities include; wheat, feed grains (grain used as fodder, such as maize or corn, sorghum, barley, and oats), cotton, milk, rice, peanuts, sugar, tobacco, oilseeds such as soybeans, and meat products such as beef, pork, and lamb and mutton." To be fair the sudsidies in the beef industry are probably to do with the feed more than anything but they are there Market distortions due to subsidies have led to an increase in corn fed cattle rather than grass fed.[54] Corn fed cattle require more antibiotics and their beef has a higher fat content.[54]

https://www.google.com.au/?gws_rd=ssl#q=sirloin I'm no butcher but it looks very similar to me.

Thanks for identifying the origins of that photograph. In Perth we have a restaurant called Out Back Jacks and this is what I was thinking about. Not my favorite but my brothers and sisters often use it as a meeting place. I tend to avoid theme restaurants if I can help it. The image I was searching for was a 2 foot long steak kebab which is hung vertically from a chrome stand when delivered to your table. It looks impressive but your food gets cold too quickly. I picked this image because it clearly looks more appetising than the one on display. I am surprised that the USA has a restaurant called “outbacks” because this is an Australian term which refers to the interior of the continent but I suppose there is good reason for an Australian themed restaurant that specialises in steaks. Australia is one of the leading exporters of beef in the world and a good percentage of this market is to USA. The USA also exports its beef so why buy it from Australia?. The secret comes from the difference between grain fed and grass fed. The producers in the USA prefer to grain feed their top quality beef where as the Aussie farmers and big on grass feed. What’s the difference? Well the industry is split on which is the best.Grain feed produces more tender meat but the grass fed beef has better flavours. Which do you prefer? Tender or tasty? At the moment grass fed is more popular with top restaurants and that results in 75% of Australia’s beef being exported. This annoys me because the demand has raised prices in the local market. Australia doesn’t subsidise its farmers like the US does, but our government uses interest rates to manipulate the value of the Aussie dollar. When the dollar is low our exports are very attractive which means the local market has limited supply and we have to pay $50 per kilo for good steaks. I understand that the US market grades the meat with the top 3% graded as prime. Australia has similar grades of beef and I assure you that our prime beef compares very favourably with US prime beef but with smaller herds we have a higher percentage. Our grading system is called MSA and producers label all the quality meat this way. When you look at the various things that are checked to match up with the grading you realise how intricate it can be. Just for interest sake the following list gets used. Body number and lot number – cattle from individual vendors will be kept in separate lots Carcase weight – important in determining weight for maturity Sex – male or female Tropical breed content– the hump height is also measured to guarantee the most accurate eating quality grade Hanging method– determined as being either Achilles hang or tenderstretch Hormonal growth promotants– will affect MSA score obtained for different muscles Ossification– measured to determine carcase maturity Marbling– using both the MSA and AUS-MEAT measurement systems Rib fat – a minimum of 3mm is required, measured at the AUS-MEAT standard site. Overall fat cover is also assessed including any hide puller damage pH and temperature– pH is measured using a pH meter and must be below 5.71. Temperature should be below 12˚C according to AUS-MEAT standards Meat colour – recorded using AUS-MEAT standard meat colour chips. Meat colours in the range of 1B to 3 are accepted depending on the abattoir or brand specification So as a guide to determine the quality of steak I am happy with MSA quality beef. Now I don’t know where Outback Restaurants get there steaks from but in a country of high quality beef, with a thorough testing system I believe that they are likely to purchase it locally using Aussie grass fe meat. If Peter Lugar is only using USA grain fed beef as you are suggesting then they are missing out on some great flavours. Your OP did talk about the ”look” of the steak dinner and my comments have been based on that statement, I will reaffirm that the pictures chosen do not look that appetising. If you genuinely believe that your picture looks superior then I will simply beg to differ. We all have opinions. As to the “Best” steak houses in the world then I would not include This Peter Lugar restaurant in my top 100. I say this having never been there and I will give you my reasons. Firstly the prices. I understand it is very expensive and yet the picture shows laminated tables and uncomfortable looking bentwood chairs. The table linen crockery and cutlery resemble a road side cafe rather than a top restaurant. I believe the owners motto is that “the customer is always wrong” and he has been likened to Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi. This is not what I would expect in a top restaurant. I have already commented on the way the food looks and I will give them the benefit of the doubt due to poor photography. What I can’t excuse is he presentation with the cream of spinach, the slices of tomatoes and bowl of chips. These is absolutely no flair or imagination in the presentation and I can pick any of Perth’s ordinary restaurants to find better. Please don’t tell me this is what passes as the “best in New York” or America. If it is then you need to get out more. It wouldn’t rate in my country. (Remember we expect good steaks from every place) Decor, flair and service make a huge difference.

I lifted the picture from the web site of a local Perth restaurant, I wasn't trying to compare the quality of the steaks but simply to demonstrate he difference in the photography .As you didn't take the pictures of your steaks then I thought this was a fair comparison. Before I get accused of American bashing again, I respect the American passion for their steaks but there are other opinions in the world.I would like to bring up the old claim that the average American has 5 lbs of undigested red meat in his gut but the fact is it just isn't true, Your digestive system self cleans every 24 hours so the only red meat is what you have eaten in the last day. That being said I don't think a diet with a lot of red meat is that healthy with heart disease and cancer among the better known consequences. Personally, I limit my intake to a couple of times a weak and rather than a large 16 oz steak I prefer a smaller 8oz in a better cut. Every guy I know thinks he can cook the perfect steak. I have a reputation for being good with food but I doubt that I could cook the best steak for you. I could however, cook the best steak for me. I start by choosing the best meat. Western Australia is 3 1/2 times as big as Texas and we produce a lot of beef. Unfortunately the steak from the north has had a hard life. The arid climate and limited food mean the meat is tough. To over come this the producers will ship cattle to the southwest for a month before slaughter. This fattens them up and I think increases the marbling that the buyers want to see, The alternative is to buy beef that has been grown in the southwest and fed on good food most of its life. By far the best Australian beef comes from the Melbourne area where the pastures are often knee high. Now price has an influence with good fillet steak selling for $45 per kilo and average rump steaks fetching $25 per kilo. I like my steak medium rare and I don't think you can go past a good grill but everyone is different. If I visited New York I would try a big steak and then I could pass judgement but I doubt that I would be as impressed as many would have me believe. I am spoilt for choice in my home city.

You gotta love a menu when they don't need to put the prices on it. It takes a special skill to photograph food to make it look good. Unfortunately. the photographs in this thread don't look appetising to me. The steaks look burnt on the outside and although they seem medium rare they look dried out. Why cream spinach when fresh looks, tastes and is so much better and calling sliced tomatoes a salad is taking liberties. I can't even suggest that the chips would pass muster. They are double fried but don't look crispy. As I said, the photographs probably don't do the food justice but maybe there are issues with the food. I have included a photograph of a Sirloin steak crusted with herbs. I have had this steak several times and it tastes good but the one in the picture probably wouldn't. It will have been sprayed with extra oil to make it glisten and has probably got something underneath it to make it look plump. The enhanced lighting takes out any imperfections and gives us the fresh appearance. So which is the best steak...that is a good question and very. subjective