Evil Penevil

On Sunday I ordered the "special of the day" for delivery. It was an excellent meal. To crossthe 250 ฿ threshold for free delivery, I added a 50 ฿ side order of diced potatoes, onions and sweet peppers to bring the order total over the 250 ฿ threshold for free delivery. This is what the order looked like upon arrival after a one-hour wait. Everything had been packaged separately so all the components remained hot and weren't soggy. The Country Fried Steak order included country gravy, brown gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed mixed veggies as well the steak itself. Country fried steak, also known as chicken fried steak, is a U.S. favorite which dates to the 1850s in Texas. German immigrants are usually credited with inventing it as an adaptation of the classic Austrian wiener schnitzel. In its modern form, country fried steak is a piece of top sirloin or round that has been tenderized through pounding or with a blade tenderizer. The meat is dipped in egg batter and dredged in seasoned flour, then fried in a skillet or deep fried. It is most often served smothered in country gravy, aka white gravy, milk gravy, sausage gravy, sawmill gravy and several other names. In some areas of the U.S., country fried steak is served with brown gravy with onions instead of country gravy. The steak had been cut into strips. I'm guessing that was out of consideration for delivery customers in hotels who don't have access to metal silverware and have to use the plastic knife and fork that comes with the order. It's not always easy to cut meat with a plastic knife. The cubed steak was tender and flavorful. It had been properly breaded and wasn't overcooked. The steamed carrots, broccoli and cauliflower were fresh. Only the kernels of corn had been frozen. The country gravy was the right consistency, had been well seasoned and contained plenty of American-style sausage bits. The mashed potatoes were the weakest point, bland and a bit stodgy, but the brown gravy helped a lot. Bottom line: It was a very good meal that I enjoyed a lot. The portion size was perfect for me. I saved the side order of potatoes for another meal. I had them with corn on the cob from 7/11 and a couple of eggs that I did a bad job of frying myself. Two filling meals for less than 300 ฿ isn't bad at all. Evil

It's a joint military and civilian airport under the control of the Royal Thai Navy. It's the home base for the RTN's First Air Wing. You can find more information here (Link). Evil

Oishi has an all-you-can-eat option at the Oishi Eaterium at Central Festival. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds similar to the Oishi buffet that used to be on the second floor of The Avenue. It's not cheap at about ฿800 (including 7% VAT), but it is still value-for-money because it's not just sushu and sashimi. The Eaterium has a whole array of 88 Japanese and "international" hot and cold dishes from soups and appetizers through main dishes(some cooked to order) and desserts. I'm not sure I can do justice to 800 baht's worth of food in one sitting any longer. You have 1 hour 45 minutes in which to eat all you want. From the Oishi Website:

I planned to have dinner last night at Cheap Charlie's on Soi Buakhao, but when I got there at 6.30 p.m., every single seat, inside and out, at the counters and tables, was taken. The pic below is from an hour later and the crowd had thinned a bit, but it was still very busy. I've been critical of the food at Cheap Charlie's, but you can't argue with success. They must be doing something right and it can't just be low prices. Maybe the discount "Rewards" card was a smart move? The Hungry Hippo and the Chunky Monkey also had plenty of customers, but not a full as CCs. Nearby Prime Burger, Harry's and Kilkenny were well frequented as well. I tend to avoid crowded restaurants as that's when serving times get long and it's easy for the cook and service staff to make mistakes. I popped across the street and had dinner at 18 Coins. It was good, but since I had Thai food, a review would be out of place in this thread. I did notice one of the least enticing promotions I've ever seen, plus a creepy robot watched me eat: Some Saturday specials in the LK Metro area. Most pics are from Facebook. Cottage pie and lasagne at Kilkenny. The Robin's Nest is under new management. I haven't tried it, but hopefully the food has been lifted from its previous steep decline. As I passed by, a staffer handed me a 10% discount coupon. Note that it's "local fish." The Tuesday special looks good. You can have beer and lasagne specials on Thursday: The regular menu includes pasta bowls and paninis. Harry's has a value-for-money pork planksteak every day. I've had it and it's good. This isn't a special, but Prime Burger has begun with a Beyond Meat plant-based burger. To the right is a pic of Prime's signature smash burger for comparison. A bit away from LK Metro at The Avenue Shopping Plaza you have the Robin Hood Tavern with some decent specials. The chicken parm is today's special, but I would have been more tempted by Tuesday's special, the Cajun salmon with penne pasta. Both are ฿249. Evil

This is what the intersection of Pattaya Klang and 3rd Road looked like late afternoon a few days ago: And the same intersection today at about 6.00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon: And Friday: Looking down Klang towards Beach Road: At about 4.30 p.m., parts of Beach Road were gridlocked. I got off the baht bus at the intersection of Klang and Beach Road because trafic was at a standstill. By the time I had walked to Central Festival, traffic still hadn't moved. Evil

What a scumbag. I hope they do report him to the police. Evil

Before I get into the nitty-gritty, it's important to note the downing of Iran Air 655 in July , 1988, came in the wake of the Stark incident. About a year earlier, in May, 1987, the USS Stark had been attacked in neutral waters by a Iraqi jet that mistook it for an Iranian oil tanker. Two missiles hit the Stark, killing 37 sailors and wounding 21. This caused huge public outrage in the U.S. and prompted some major policy changes within in the U.S. government and Navy. A court of inquiry recommended the court martial of the Stark's captain and chief executive officer, both career Navy men, for failing to defend their ship. The top Navy brass chose not to court martial them, but they were reprimanded and forced to resign. The two officers had been accused of delaying defensive action too long as they attempted to determine if the plane was military and had hostile intentions. The Navy sent a clear message to all its captains that defending their ships and the lives of U.S. personnel were their primary duties. On the technical side, the radar of the Stark's anti-missile system had failed to pick up the two missiles attacking it. This exposed weaknesses in the naval radar used to defend many U.S. warships at the time. It was against this background the USS Vincennes had been ordered into the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Good Will to protect U.S. vessels that were escorting Kuwati oil tankers during the "Tanker War" phase of the Iran-Iraq War. This could get complicated and very lengthy. Some of the accounts of the incident that appeared in the mainstream media weren't accurate. You can find the best and most complete account here. The USS Vincennes was one of the first Navy warships to be equipped with the Aegis integrated naval defense and weapons system. The commander of the Vincennes was thought to be under "secret" orders to test the system as thoroughly as possible under actual combat conditions. He also had very firm orders to protect the billion-dollar Aegis system as well as the ships which were being escorted. But to answer your question- no, he was not reprimanded for his actions in connection with the downing of Iran Air 655. The official report felt he had ordered the shooting down of Iran Air 655 on the basis of faulty information from his crew. There was a design flaw in the display function of the Aegis system that had to do with the tracking numbers assigned to aircraft which the system detected. For a long time investigators were mystified as to how the 18-man crew that manned the Aegis system could have mistaken the Airbus for a military jet. For over a decade, the Navy felt the most plausible explanation was a mass psychological factor called "scenario fulfillment." However, other information emerged after 2000 that indicated the screens of the Aegis system were confusing and may have displayed the wrong information. Basically, the display led the crew to believe the ascending Iran Air 655 was a descending Iranian military plane much farther away. There were also mistakes regarding time zones and air speed vs ground speed when identifying Iran Air 655, which had taken off from an airport used for both civilian and military flights. The U.S. government issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) warning airlines that operated flights that crossed the Persian Gulf. The need to respond to messages from U.S. military vessels was emphasized. It's crazy the Iranian government allowed a civilian flight to take off when a naval battle was raging directly under its flight path. It's almost as if they wanted it shot down At that time, Iran was using human-wave suicide attacks in its land battles with Iraq. Ten of thousands of "matyrs," mostly civilians, were used in these attacks. A version of the "swarm" suicide attack was also tried by groups of Iranian gunboats. Suicide attacks were a big part of Iran's strategy. Some observers believed Iran was trying to manipulate the U.S. into attacking a civilian flight as this would put pressure on the U.S. to stop its tanker escort missions. Two hundred ninety "martyrs" is nothing to the Iranian government in this connection. The Iranians were getting their asses kicked at this point in the Iran-Iraq War and needed either a miracle to turn the tide or an excuse for seeking a cease-fire. The shooting down of Flight 655 didn't provide the mullahs with a miracle as the U.S. continued esorting tankers and attacking Revolutionary Guards' unit. It did give the Iranian government an excuse for a cease-fire. Evil

The restaurant at the Gulf Siam Hotel on Pattaya North Road just west of the intersection with 3rd Road has an interesting sign, at least for steak lovers: Who can resist a ฿89 steak? I can't, but I was sure it wouldn't be anything like the pic. The restaurant itself carries a rather curious name, Gulf Sixty-Eighty, but is also known as the Gulf Cafe & Coffee Shop. Gulf Sixty-Eighty plays up the steak angle pretty heavily, but also pushes its breakfast buffet and cocktail promotion. Inside, it's quite comfortable and attractive. And a photo from the hotel's Web site: Gulf Sixty-Eighty even has a separate "Steak Menu," but it's not very extensive. I had the "beef steak with black pepper sauce" for ฿109. The ฿89 steak on the sign is a "chicken breast steak." Well, ToTo, I don't think we're in a Kansas City steakhouse anymore- or even Sizzler. That has to be the smallest piece of beef steak I've seen served that wasn't authentic Kobe. Of course, of course, I know you're not going to get 300 grams of USDA Prime or imported Australian beef for ฿109. If the mini-steak had been good, it still would have been value for money. Unfortunately, it was a locomotive steak- chew, chew. chew, chew. Tough and sinewy, without much flavor. The flavor it did have came from the seasoning used, not the meat itself. I asked for medium rare, but got medium. 😒 One shortcoming on top of another. The small portion of French fries was Pattaya standard. The mixed veggies and salad were good, fresh and tasty. The one outstanding feature of the meal was the black pepper sauce, excellent taste, better than I've had in many expensive places. I just wish I'd had more of it to pour over mashed potatoes. On the whole, however, it's the steak that should have been the star and it wasn't. Tough and bland, it wasn't even a good character actor in a supporting role. I can't rate the meal as more than mediocre, possibly mediocre plus. Maybe if I had taken advantage of the cocktail promotion, the steak would have tasted better. 😀 😀 😀 The service was friendly and attentive, but considering I was the only customer (at 4.30 p.m.), that shouldn't be surprising. Bottom line: I haven't given up entirely on Gulf Sixty-Eighty. I plan on trying a few of the other inexpensive dishes on its menu. It's a nice place to eat and the pepper sauce made me think they might have a decent chef who simply had poor quality beef with which to work. Maybe I would have been better off with the "mince beef steak with gravy sauce." Mincing or finely chopping beef has been a counter-measure against toughness for centuries. In the U.S., "Salisbury Steak," named for 19-century physician James H. Salisbury, has been part of American cuisine for nearly 150 years. Salisbury advocated a diet high in protein from lean meat and low on vegetables, fruits, starches and fats. He urged people to eat a patty of chopped beef three times a day and drink large amounts of water to flush out the system. So in Dr. Salisbury's memory, I might order the "mince beef steak." Or in direct defiance, I could have the spaghetti. 🤣 The pic below shows the set-up for the breakfast buffet. I have no idea what the quality is like, but ฿159 for an all-you-can-eat buffet isn't a bad price. Evil

An unusual set of circumstances put me on Third Road on Monday, so I decided to try Steak Kao Rai once again. I wish I hadn't; it was one of the worst meals I've ever been served in Pattaya. I'm being generous in describing it as mediocre. For many years now, Steak Kao Rai has been filling the bellies of thrifty farang with inexpensive beef, pork, chicken and fish dinners. There are a few other dishes on the menu, namely spaghetti and salads, but most punters have gone to Steak Kao Rai for the same reason they monger on Beach Road: cheap meat. I had intended to have the ฿139 beefsteak, but changed my mind went I saw another customer's order. His piece of beef (it sure wasn't a steak) looked very thin and frazzled. I decided to have the ฿89 pork chop, as it been an acceptable option in the past when Steak Kao Rai had run out of beef. Unfortunately, that was a bad choice. The pork chop was shockingly thin, more like a pounded schnitzel than a chop. Even worse, it was mostly fat. The whole center section (circled) of the "chop" was fat and there were several other blobs as well. Yuck! When meat is that thin, it fries quickly. The piece of pork I got probably didn't need more than 30 seconds on each side. That's hrdly long enough to allow the fat to warm, much less render. Double yuck! I cut all the fat away, which left about two mouthfuls of meat. If I'd been served meat like that in any farang-owned restaurant in Pattaya, I would have complained strongly. Meat like that simply isn't acceptable. I didn't complain at Steak Kao Rai because it seldom does any good when the restaurant is Thai owned and operated. It just didn't seem worth the hassle for ฿ 89. Otherwise, the 10 French fries on the plate were industrial cut, but deep fried better than most fries in Pattaya. The salad would have been good if it hadn't been slathered with Thousand Island dressing. Bottom line: It will be a very long time before I venture back to Steak Kao Rai. It's much better to pay ฿ 175 for the pork chop special at Kilkenny and get a quality meal without having to cross Third Road. Evil But for those of you who want to try Steak Kao Rai, I've included a map and photos of the menu below.

The U.S. did apologize for the downing of the Iran Air Flight 655 (REAGAN APOLOGIZED TO IRAN FOR DOWNING OF JETLINER). The U.S. also paid over $60 million in compensation to the families of the victims and another $70 million to Iran Air for the plane. The Pentagon denied the intital report of a U.S. warship shooting down a civilian airliner, stating the USS Vincennes had shot down an Iranian military plane. That's what the crew and captain of the Vincennes believed at the time, but the Pentagon acknowledged within a couple of hours it had been a civilian passenger jet. What has remained a point of dispute for over 30 years is the reason why the captain of the Vincennes ordered the firing of missiles at the Airbus A300. The answer is very complicated and involves many factors, but basically the crew members assigned to the Aegis combat control system misinterpreted the information the system gave them. The captain was at the time engaged in directing a battle against Iranian gunboats and based his order to fire at the Airbus on the crew's belief it was military aircraft that had ignored 10 messages from the Vincennes. He received a medal for his two-year service as commander of the Vincennes, during which he saved many lives, including the rescue of Vietnamese boat people. Evil

Kilkenny on LK Metro is one of my personal favorites for farang food in Pattaya. It serves up big plates of tasty fare at reasonable prices. The Sunday roast lamb dinner at 199 baht is real value for money, as is the pork chop special for 175 baht. On Thursday I tried the chicken parmi special at 199 baht. Here's what I got on my plate: I don't rate it as highly as the Sunday lamb or the pork chop special, but it was still good and the portion huge. You'd have to have one hell of an appetite to walk away from Kilkenny wanting more. I may have run into some cultural differences. Chicken parmi is an Australian term for chicken parmigiana, which is called chicken parmesan or simply "parm" in the U.S. Chicken parmi is customarily served in Australia with French fries and salad, as in the pic. In the U.S., chicken parm stays closer to its Italian roots and is served with spaghetti. It's also common in the U.S. to see chicken parm on a hero roll as a sandwich. The U.S. and Australian recipes are similar. A chicken breast fillet is breaded and fried, then topped with tomato sauce and a mixture of Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. The cutlet is baked or placed under a grill for a few minutes to allow the mozzarella to melt and brown slightly. The cutlet was breaded and fried properly as the chicken remained moist. My criticism would be that the Kilkenny version was a bit bland. It needed more parmesan cheese and the tomato sauce should have had a more Italian flavor. Bottom line: The chicken parmi was good, but could be improved. Kilkenny was busy at 8.30 p.m. Thursday. It's a good place not only to have a meal, but also for people watching, espoecially the goings-on at the Billabong across the street. Kilkenny Bar & Restaurant has daily specials, almost always farang comfort-food favorites. Friday's specials:

The Shack is the abbreviated sucessor to the former Richman Poorman Restaurant on Jomtien Beach Road. It is a street stall located in the Jomtien Complex, with the entrance to the Complex about two-thirds down the dog-leg section of Thrappaya Rd to Jomtien Beach Road. The Shack is diagonally across the sub-soi from Tinnie's Pie Shop. The Shack keeps alive the BBQ and TexMex dishes that were the signature of Richman Poorman. I would assume most of its business is takeaway, but there is counter dining and one table for four. On Thursday I took the baht bus to The Shack. I ate two hot dogs with sauerkraut at the counter for 120 ฿ and took home a Reuben sandwich for 250 ฿. Both were good. My reservation about the hog dogs was the sauerkraut. It simply didn't have enough of a vinegar taste for me. I put the deli mustard on the dogs myself. Ballpark mustard was also available. The Reuben consisted of pastrami, sauerkraut, cheese and sauce on grilled brown bread. The pastrami was plentiful and high quality. A slice of dill pickle came along with it. The Shack's Reuben differed from the traditional Reuben served in the U.S. A traditional Reuben uses corned beef rather than pastrami and has more sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. "Russian dressing" is preferred, but the sauce used by The Shack was close. A Reuben is served between grilled slices of what's called Jewish or deli rye in the U.S. The Shack's Reuben isn't a copy of the sandwich you'd get at many U.S. restaurants, but pastrami Reubens are very popular. It's on the menu at Katz Delicatessen in NYC, which a lot of foodies regard as the top Reuben shop in the world. The owner of Richman Poorman is famous for his smoked meats, so it's understandable he'd use pastrami, as it's smoked. Corner beef is boiled. I'll be back to try the BBQ ribs and brisket as well as some of the TexMex dishes on the menu. Almost everything is under 300 ฿, with most under 200 ฿. One important note: The Shack is supposed to be open from 9.00 a.m. to 9 p.m. everyday except Wednesday, when it's closed. However, hours tend to be a bit irregular and it has been closed on some days when it was supposed to be open. It can also run out of certain dishes as the day progresses. Always call to make sure The Shack is open and that the menu item you want is still available. The telephone number 065 491 3747. You could also check the Facebook page, listed as Richman Poorman, but it's best to call. And from the FB page, Saturday and January's specials: Some other pics of menu items from the FB page:

For nearly three decades, the Sailor Bar & Restaurant on Soi 8 has been dishing out low-priced food and drink to chea-, uh, thrifty charlies. Everyone agrees the Sailor's 60-baht cocktails are probably the cheapest buzz in central Pattaya, but opinions have always been sharply mixed regarding the food. Some loved it, others were, shall we say, less enthusiastic. I belonged to the latter category and wrote a very negative review back in 2013. I've quoted it at the end of this post by way of comparison with this review. I thought I would take one for the team , so I ate breakfast at the Sailor Thursday morning. Actually, it was pretty good for 70 baht. There are three main choices for breakfast at the Sailor- fried eggs, scrambled eggs or boiled eggs. All three come with toast and jelly; back bacon; an odd Thai hot dog sausage; a dab of salad; coffee or tea and a small glass of orange drink. The eggs had been roughly fried, nor was it the most attractive plating I've seen, but the parts I ate tasted good. I skipped the sausage on grounds of its weirdness and didn't touch the salad because it was extremely wilted. It had been hanging around since at least the previous day. I drank the coffee, but it was very weak. On the plus side, the eggs and toast were fresh and the portion of bacon was bigger than you usually get in many restaurants. The bacon wasn't exactly high quality and most of its taste probably came from liquid smoke, but it went down easily enough. For 70 baht, you can't really complain. Breakfast is served at the Sailor from 7.00 a.m. to 3 p.m. I had mine at about 11.00 a.m. and the restaurant had roughly ten other guests. There were 20 customers or so in the bar and a few were really knocking back the drinks despite the early hour. Most items on the Sailor's menu range in price from 70 baht to 130 baht. The only items which are more than 130 baht are a half-dozen whole fish dishes (steamed or fried) at 300 baht. In the past, I have encountered the notorious surliness of the Sailor's wait staff, but things seem to have improved. One of the waitresses actually smiled at me! Bottom line: For those who want bacon and eggs for breakfast but not necessarily a full English fry up, the Sailor's 70-baht meal is a reasonable option. It seems as if things have turned around regarding both food and service. I plan on giving Sailor another chance in the near future. It's not a restaurant I want to rush back to. I've seen customers at Sailor do some off-putting things. I hope they no longer serve guys who aren't wearing shirts. In 2013, I thought the food was truly horrible, others thought it was great. However, even the fans of Sailor's inexpensive drinks and food would comment on the rude service. An example: It seems as if things have turned around regarding both food and service. I plan on giving Sailor another chance in the near future. It's not a restaurant I want to rush back to. I've seen customers at Sailor do some off-putting things. I hope they no longer serve guys who aren't wearing shirts. Through the years, some wild stories have circulated about Sailor. Here's one from a thread on Addicts. I've heard several times about the wife of the owner chasing customers down Soi 8 with a pistol in her hand. That's hard to believe, but I guess it could be true. Evil The 2013 review:

This reminds me of what happened during the 1986 U.S. air strike against terrorist targets in Libya. The Libyan air defenses included very sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles which had been supplied by the then Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the Libyan crews didn't fully understand how to operate them. Some of the crews panicked and fired the missiles straight up in the air. Those missiles fell on Tripoli and caused damage to civilian areas, including some embassies. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a Russian journalist told me he had interviewed ex-Soviet military guys who had taken part in the training of the Libyan crews. They said the training had been a farce. The translators and interpreters supplied by the Libyan government barely spoke Russian and the one translator from the Soviet union didn't know the relevant terminology in Arabic. The Libyans who were to undergo the training had been chosen on the basis of their loyalty to Gaddaffi and faith in Islam. They wore military uniforms but the Russians didn't believe they had undergone previous military training; they certainly weren't professional military. They also didn't have the right backgrounds to operate an anti-aircraft system; they weren't familiar with computers and some had problems with basic mathematics. The Russians assigned to do the training reported back to their superiors that the situation was impossible. They were told to go through the motions as the decision to sell the system to the Libyans had been made at the highest level. It wouldn't surprise if something similar happened in Iran. The iranian ant-aircraft crew didn't know how to properly interpret the images on their screens and mistakenly thought the Ukrainian plane was U.S. military. The behavior of the Iranian authorities is a clear indication of guilt. If the plane had exploded mid-air due to a mechanical problem or bomb inside the aircraft, the Iranians would have immediately turned over the black boxes to foreign experts and allowed them to visit the site to examine the wreckage. Evil

The Siam Lounge is a German bar and restaurant on Pattaya Klang Soi 12 around the corner from the Siam View hotel and across the street from the KTK Royal Residence. It's close to Nova Gold and Nova Park hotels and Jameson's Irish Pub. I In addition to German dishes with a Bavarian accent, the Siam Lounge has standard international dishes like hamburgers, sandwiches, pasta and pizza as well as Thai dishes. Prices are moderate. It has an extensive breakfast menu with German and English variations. It's an open-front restaurant that's a pleasant place to have a drink or a meal . Strategically placed fans bolster the effect of breezes off the sea to keep it cool. It would be a good place for people watching, except there isn't much to watch on Soi 12 aside from passing vehicles. The staff is friendly and attentive and there's no blaring background music. Most of the customers appear to be older Germans or Scandinavians. Siam Lounge is open from 8.00 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. I've eaten at Siam Lounge a number of times because it's close to where I'm currently staying. I have mostly had the breaded pork schnitzel. The schnitzel was topped with a fried egg and came with a small side of industrial cut French fries. Unlike a lot of schitzel in Pattaya, the Siam Lounge version had been properly fried- crispy exterior but still moist and tender inside. At 119 baht, it was among the cheaper schnitzel's I have had in Pattaya and good value for money. The schnitzel comes in several sizes and mine was consider small. with large and extra-large portions also available. I wish it were offered with either boiled potatoes or potato salad as the size, but that would push up the price, I guess. On an even more specifically German note, I tried leberkäse, which literally translates as "liver cheese." That's an archaic term and it's called "meatloaf" in modern translations. Bavarian leberkäse contains neither liver nor cheese. I'd never had leberkäse i before and was eager to try it. It's nothing like U.S. meatloaf. The German variation was processed meat that has been ground finely and baked in a loaf pan. It was topped with the customary fried egg and French fries were again the non-traditional side. The condiment baskets at Siam Lounge include both sharp and mild versions of German mustard. The leberkäse definitely benefited from a liberal dose of mustard. Overall, it was OK but I doubt I'll order it again. Just not my taste. I've also had the breakfast beef cheeseburger that comes with a fried egg, orange juice and coffee. It cost 139 baht, which is a pretty good price considering it included a small glass of juice (with pulp, not an orange drink). The egg yolk was cooked a bit too hard for my preference, but that is often the case in Thailand. Overall, the breakfast burger went down nicely. I won't hesitate to order it again as breakfast or a light lunch. I've had the spaghetti bolognese several times as well. It was a large portion, if not huge. The sauce was good and had plenty of ground beef, but needed seasoning, particularly Italian herbs and spices. I've accepted that outside of Italian restaurants, spaghetti doesn't have much of an Italian taste in Pattaya. It with a small dish of out-of-a-package grated parmesan cheese. At 120 baht, it was great value for money. I've paid 180 baht or more for worse plates of spaghetti. The spaghetti at the stall at the corner of Soi Buakhao and Soi Diana costs 120 baht, but it includes freshly grated parmesan. Siam Lounge also has pizza on the menu. It's not baked on site, but comes from a nearby pizza place. It's available between 3 p.m. and closing with a 20-minute wait. At 150 baht for 14-inch sausage pizza, it's a good deal. The crust was thin and crispy and hadn't been over-sauced. It was a cheap fix for my pizza craving. According to the Siam Lounge's Facebook page, Bavarian breakfast is available on Sundays for 299 baht. It consists of "white sausage, pretzel and a special mustard mixture. Beer is part of a Bavarian breakfast, but it costs extra. Bottom line: I have mostly eaten at Siam Lounge because it is a convenient location for me, but I have no complaints about the food or prices. If you like German food at reasonable prices, it's certainly an option. Evil