Evil Penevil

The phrase, "One man's meat is another man's poison," dates back more than 2,000 year. It's first recorded use is by the Roman writer Lucretius in 100 B.C., but experts believe the phrase is even older. Different opinions about "what's good" concerning food, pussy and everything else are nothing new. The old cliche about meat vs poison certainly applies to steak in Pattaya. The great debate over the optimal degree of doneness for top cuts of beef has raged for a long time. Conventional wisdom holds that the best steaks should never be served well done. As Gordon Ramsay states, “Whatever

Café Pitini on Soi Buakhao has long been a favorite of farang tourists and residents for consistently good food at reasonable prices. It's an attractive and comfortable place to have a meal, casual dining in the best sense of the phrase. However, there are rough spots on the menu, with a big gap between the top and bottom items. Most meals there have been good, but a few were disappointing. The menu is extensive, running the gamut of international dishes found in a lot of farang-oriented Pattaya restaurants. The emphasis is on British comfort food, but there's also hamburgers, pa

Early this week I tried the daily special (roast chicken dinner, 139 baht) at Malee Restaurant on Soi Honey. I've had several meals at Malee 3 off Soi Buakhao and the Malee branch on Soi Lengkee and they had been pretty good. Unfortunately, the meal at Male Soi Honey wasn't. It was merely mediocre. It consisted of a quarter chicken (thigh and leg), mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and packet gravy. The chicken was dry and the skin had a weird texture, as though it had been cooked, left to stand and reheated. The potatoes were crudely mashed with a fork. The veggies

Last night I tried the Saturday steak special at Cafe Pitini on Soi Buakhao for 289 baht. You could choose between sirloin and T-bone steak. You also had a choice of potato (mashed, fried or fries), vegetable (peas or mixed veggies) and sauce (mushroom or peppercorn). The onion rings came with any option. I asked the waitress to grind black pepper on my meal. The menu made clear it was local beef. It didn't give a weight, but I'm guessing it was around 200 grams (about 7 oz.). It sure did come with a big portion of peas. The potatoes, peas and sauce were fine,

Longhorn didn't open until 2016, so you are probably thinking of Big Horn, a steakhouse in the same arcade that closed in 2015, if I recall the year right. Big Horn had been hugely popular in its day, but was overtaken by Beefeater. Big Horn had a 1-kilo steak eating challenge that was popular at the time. Calles Grill & Bar moved into Big Horn's former premises. Evil

I wonder that myself. I read elsewhere the owner is in bad health, so it might be related to that. I'm a fairly regular customer at My Way and I have seen that sign several times in the past, sometimes for a few days, sometimes for several weeks, before it re-opened. I was actually planning to eat at My Way but ended up in the Longhorn because MW was closed. Evil

Yes, I plan to do that. Speaking of Reuben sandwiches, I had a good one from Pattaya Meals.com (pattayameals.com) the other day. Pattaya Meals is a food preparation and delivery service without dine-in facilities. You order by phone or through Facebook and your food arrives at your door within 45 minutes, depending on where you live, traffic and what you order. I usually have my order in 30 minutes. There's no delivery charge and you don't have to tip the driver, but I always do. The Reuben in the pics cost 265 baht and came with a dill pickle and a choice of macaroni salad, potato w

The Golf Club on LK Metro is a long-time solid performer for good food at reasonable prices with plenty of main dishes under 300 baht. The emphasis is on U.S.-style comfort food, but there are also numerous Thai and U.K. standards on the menu. In a fit of nostalgia last night, I had the Chicken a la King at 150 baht. It's an American classic, invented at least 130 years ago. Stories of its origin vary. One version says it was named for a hotel owner in New York City; another claims it carries the name of the Philadelphia chef who invented it. It consists of

We haven't had a thread lately on steak in Pattaya, so I'll start one. Any kind of comment on beef steak in a Pattaya restaurant is welcome. It doesn't have to be about the best or cheapest, it can be about any steak you've had here, whether cheap, expensive, good, bad or mediocre. I'll kick it off with the 200 gram (about 7-oz) Australian rib eye special for 459 baht at Longhorn Steakhouse and Cafe in the Central Arcade across from Mike's Mall. It's the arcade with Kiss, Beefeater, Patrick's and My Way. The special included a choice of potato and gravy or one sau

StarMax is a small restaurant on Soi Buakhao near the intersection of Soi 15. It's next door but one to the Italian restaurant Volare on the corner. The exterior pics are taken from the StarMax Facebook page. It's open daily from 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. Prices are cheap at StarMax. The most expensive items on the menu, the beef and salmon steaks, are 219 baht each. It offers the usual farang items- hamburgers,hot dogs, pasta.salads, sandwiches, meat dishes, etc. as well some Thai dishes. I like the table decorations at StarMax, which perhaps inadvertently are a profound sym

It was! Time for a healthy meal, or at least a healthier one, at Five Star J, Pattaya's leading restaurant for vegetarian and vegan food. It's located on the corner of Pattaya Tai and 3rd Road. They don't have meat of any sort on the menu, nor do they use trans fats, palm oil, MSG or refined sugar in their dishes. Vegan and Jain options without animal products of any sort are also available. For less strict vegetarians, there are dishes with eggs, dairy and root vegetables. I had one of my personal favorites, Swiss rösti with fried eggs, for 189 baht. Rösti is essentially a bi

This is the pork chop special I had last night at Kilkenny on LK Metro for 175 baht: Everything was good. The pork had been fried properly and wasn't dry. The mashed potatoes and gravy were fine and the vegetables weren't overcooked. My SML cost 60 baht, so I had a tasty and filling meal for 235 baht. BTW, the open bars and restaurants of LK Metro were doing a rousing trade last night. Plenty of foot traffic as well. I wouldn't have guessed it was low season judging only by the number of people I saw out and about. Evil

Last Sunday I went back to the Marquee on Soi Buakhao to try the 100-baht roast dinner. I had the chicken dinner this time at about 4.00 p.m. I certainly couldn't complain for the price. The chicken breast had been baked and was juicy. The Yorkshire pudding was crisp and light, not at all chewy. The vegetables and roast potatoes were fine as well. I had a cup of coffee (40 baht) after the meal and it came in a larger cup than you usually get. All in all, I was happy with the meal. It's not a huge portion, but certainly enough for me. I'v

Two specials are worth mentioning. The pics come from the restaurants' Web sites. Kilkenny on LK Metro: At Retox Game On for 199 baht: The description from the Retox Facebook page: "Another new Retox Special. Pepperoni pizza angus beef burger Chargrilled angus beef burger then oven baked and topped with pepperoni and melted mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, onion rings , brioche bun and topped with a pepperoni aricini (sic) Skinny fries Warm side of pizza sauce Only 199 baht." Arancini are stuffed and deep-fried rice balls. No one can

I tried Wednesday's special at Retox Game On (Soi Honey near 2nd Road) by accident. I was walking past, it started to rain and I didn't have an umbrella, so I ducked in to have dinner while I waited for the rain to stop. Conceptually, the day's special sounded a bit weird to me. Why serve Chinese chicken balls with chips and curry sauce? Was that what made it "English style?" Anyway, I gave it a try. I asked if I could substitute extra fried rice for the chips and the waitress readily agreed. I'm including this in the "Good" thread because the chicken ball

The Avenue shopping plaza on 2nd Road has recently expanded its possibilities for dining. It's added some food stalls and an open-air serving area in the "courtyard" of the ground level. There are also stalls, tables and chairs in a covered area on the second level. Earlier I posted pics in this thread, so I won't repeat them here. It's hardly worth a trip to The Avenue as there are similar setups all over town offering the same food. But if you live or stay nearby or visit The Avenue for the movie theater, gym or shopping at Villa Market, it could be an option. I don't know if the whole groun

Better go quickly, I doubt it will be open much longer. Location, location, location. Evil

According to SBB's Facebook page, the price of the buffet is down to 130 baht for both dinner and lunch. I have also read on another board a second-hand report that this restaurant is already up for sale. It has only been open a month. Oh, well ... Evil

Three specials from the Robin Hood: The Sunday carvery special includes the soup and dessert of the day plus an all-you-can-eat buffet. The five imported meats are roast lamb; roast beef (rare and well-done); roast pork with crackling; and roast ham. The normal price is 395 baht. The lamb shank is Saturday's special. Source: Robin Hood Tavern Facebook page. Evil

A lot of people favor the Sailor Restaurant on Soi 7, mainly because it is cheap, but I've never had much luck. I've eaten there five times in the past six years Three meals were bad (one totally inedible), one was good and the most recent (last night) was mediocre. I tried one of the more expensive items on the menu, the T-bone steak for 150 baht. It came with a choice of potatoes, boiled vegetables and a smattering of cabbage salad.I'm fully aware that for 150 baht you're not going to get imported beef, so my expectations weren't too high. I asked for the steak to be done medium a

A lot of the girls I have known have had conflicted feelings about the big city vs the village. When working in Pattaya or Bangkok, they miss the warmth and love of their families. The girls with children feel sad and guilty about not spending more time with them. Most also hate the humiliation of "working bar" and "going with many men." There's considerable danger to their souls and bodies as well, so the village is a haven for them, at least on an emotional basis. But when they go back to the village for an extended time, they begin to long for the big city life. They miss chatting and part

(from Facebook) The Soi Bukhao Buffet Bistro is a newly opened establishment that claims on its exterior sign to be more than just a restaurant. I went last night at 7.00 p.m. for the buffet dinner, but didn't see any sign of a beer garden, live music or DJ. I doubt the one ceiling-mounted TV at the front of the bar will attract many sports fans. According to SBBB's Facebook page, the live entertainment gets underway at 10.00 p.m. Perhaps they have plans for expansion, but it would be difficult to fit all those activities into the existing premises. The enclosed restaurant

I took these pics 10 years ago during an extended trip through Isaan. I posted them in 2009, but they disappeared when the image hosting site went down. I just rediscovered them on an external hard drive which had I had misplaced. The pics were taken on a farm with four houses and an extended family of about 30 people ranging from the great grandmother to toddlers. The little girl in the pic had never seen a farang before and couldn't figure out what I was. Once her fear wore off, she approached me and started rubbing my arm. Her family laughed and said even Thai babies like w

TripAdvisor lists 98 Indian restaurants in Pattaya and that list is unlikely to be complete. Two Indian restaurants have opened up at opposite ends of Soi 15 off 2nd Road and I have never seen a customer in either. I pass by on a daily basis. I've heard the same about Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants in the U.S. It's a way for families who have money to qualify for U.S citizenship. In the tiny village (population 5,000) where my parents lived in retirement, there was a Chinese restaurant and gift shop for about 10 years. Rents were very cheap in that village because the popul

Yes, the back section of the ground floor of The Avenue has been cleared. Tonight a six-member crew was washing it down. The front bottom section still has food stalls, plus more tables and chairs: A new eating section has opened on the second floor: A Thai man was celebrating his birthday with his wife and a friend. He asked me to take pics. I will email him a copy of them. Evil