Evil Penevil

For a late night snack or even a light meal, Yakuza Burger on Soi Marine (aka Soi Lucky Star) just off Walking Street has been a safe bet for a long time. It's open until 6.00 a.m. every day. While most noted for its burgers (beef, chicken and fish), it also serves up hot dogs, toasties, panini, fried shrimp, chicken nuggets and spaghetti. Everything is cooked to order in front of the customer. The grill, food preparation area and counter were very clean, which isn't always the case at hamburger stalls. You sit on a stool at the counter, but it was more comfortable than the butt-assaulting stools at similar burger stands. This morning at 3.15 a.m. I had the 99-baht cheeseburger. It consisted of a thick beef patty, a slice of processed cheese, fried onion, tomato and lettuce on a toasted sesame bun. The ingredients were fresh and it tasted fine. It's not a large burger, but it was enough for me at that hour. The friendly cook asked me to take her picture. Bottom line: This is one of my go-to places for a quick hamburger or hot dog after a night on WS. There was a steady stream past Yakuza Burger of girls who' work in bars that close at 3.00 a.m. Some of them smiled at me very invitingly. Evil

The eateries and other stalls in the back covered section have been cleared out. It's empty now. The front open-air section beside the fountain still has food stalls and tables for sit-down dining. I haven't tried it yet. Another good meal at So's. I was hungry last night, so I had a big bowl of pork noodle soup for 80 baht: followed by garlic fried spare ribs at 145 baht. The ribs were meaty and tender, while the sliced garlic had been fried crispy without any burning. With rice and a bottle of water, the meal cost 280 baht in all. Evil

The all-you-can-eat international buffet at the Atlantis Restaurant at the Centara Azure on Soi 15 falls squarely in the mediocre column. It runs Monday through Thursday, 6.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m, and costs 299 baht. There isn't much variety- about eight main dishes ( four each of Asian and farang food), a measly salad bar and a few side dishes, appetizers and desserts to choose from. It's not a bountiful buffet. The food is undistinguished and dining can be hassle due to Chinese and other tour groups. We got there at 7.00 p.m. but the serving trays had already been heavily plundered and the staff was slow to refill them. It's a rather off-putting experience to see Chinese tourists hit a buffet and much worse if you have to compete with them. I'm not going to say more, but I think you get the idea. The best thing about the Atlantis is the decor and huge aquarium. Kids love it, but it's sad when watching fish in a restaurant is more enjoyable than eating fish. I haven't tried the BBQ buffet and never will, but a friend who did try it thought it was not just mediocre but bad considering the price. Evil

I started the "Under 300 Baht ... And Good!" thread to disprove a particularly silly statement that claimed if you spend less than 300 baht on farang food in Pattaya, you get "garbage." It was easy to find dozens of examples of good farang food that cost less than 300 baht in Pattaya. The "Under 300 Baht..." thread has run more than two years and still has a ways to go. There are so many restaurants in town where you can get good food under 300 baht and it's almost impossible to cover them all. However, not all the food in I try qualifies as good. Mediocre dishes also abound under 300 baht, so I decided to start a thread about those meals. But before we get going, I have to stress "mediocre" is not the same thing as "bad." Mediocre means "average or ordinary in quality; neither very good nor very bad." Generally speaking, a mediocre meal will be adequate, but not more. One more time, so everyone understands: mediocre does not mean bad. Another point to stress is that a good restaurant can serve an undistinguished dish while the rest of its menu is much better. One mediocre dish does not a mediocre restaurant make, much less a bad restaurant. So with the notes of explanation out of the way, feel free to share the details of meals in Pattaya that were notable only for their mediocrity, no matter in which restaurant you had them. It doesn't necessarily have to be farang food. It can be Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, whatever. Thanks! The fixed plate roast chicken dinner at the Robin Hood Tavern for 199 baht rates a "C," with one component on the plate scoring an "A," two failing miserably and the rest average. I give the roast chicken an "A" because it was a generous portion of juicy and tasty chicken. The Yorkshire pudding and bacon-wrapped sausage were inedible, so they get "Fs." The Robin Hood also has a carvery buffet for 299 baht and I believe the Yorkshire and the sausage had stood on heating trays for a long time and the plate had been rewarmed in a microwave or oven before serving. The Yorkshire was burnt on the outside, tough as leather inside. The bacon around the sausage was so hard it couldn't be chewed. The vegetables and potatoes were OK, but nothing special, the definition of mediocre. A possible upside for some diners is that there was a lot of food on the plate. The downside was that except for the chicken, it was mediocre or bad food. The Robin Hood Tavern is located on the first upper level of The Avenue on 2nd Road. Take Away is an oddly named restaurant on Soi Bukhao, close to the subsoi that connects New Plaza with Bukhao. It's menu aims it clearly at visitors from the U.K. as it's heavy on what can be considered British comfort food. Prices aren't exactly cheap, but they are reasonable and every item on the menu is under 300 baht, with most under 200 baht. You order at the counter and pay at the counter, but the food is carried to the tables by the waitress. I tried the spaghetti Bolognese for 180 baht. Maybe that was a bad choice on my part. If I eat there again, I'll pick something more British. Basically, it was a bland ground beef sauce dumped on top of overcooked pasta. There was no Italian seasoning and very little tomato in what was supposed to be a Bolognese sauce. Mediocre is the best I can rate it. The garlic bread was actually the tastiest part of the meal. Lee's Diner has been operating eight years in the Pattaya restaurant shark pool, which is a longer run than many get. It's located on Soi Diana near the intersection with LK Metro and dishes up Thai and farang food 24/7. It's clean and well-lit, which are definitely positive factors in my eyes. A serious downside factor is that there's no wall between Lee's and the neighboring bar that features a live band blaring the usual numbers at ear-splitting levels. What the band lacks in quality it makes up in volume. There is no way I could ever eat a meal with that deafening racket in the background, but the band knocks off at 2 a.m. and that's when I tried Lee's recently. I had eaten at Lee's in years past, but hadn't gone back much because I found the food, well, ... mediocre. There was nothing about the beef with oyster sauce I had at 160 baht that caused me to change that opinion. It was bland and heavy on the vegetables but light on the beef, also a bit oily. On the positive side, the ingredients seemed fresh and the beef wasn't tough. Everything considered, it fit comfortably in the realm of mediocrity.

La Cuisine Au Beurre is a French restaurant on the west side of TukCom, on the same street as La Pettite Planete. LCAB is larger and its interior design is a bit fancier, but both restaurants serve traditional French cuisine and feature three-course fixed menus. A friend and I choose the fixed menu at 360 baht including coffee or tea. He took the mixed salad as his starter ... while I had what the menu called "pastry with mushroom." He had no complaints about his salad, but the pastry I got was badly overcooked, even burned on the bottom. I should have sent it back, but in my experience, that's not a good idea if there is no farang manager or owner on site. The mushroom sauce was good, although canned mushrooms had been used. He picked the pork stew with fried potatoes and boiled vegetables as his main course. He liked the stew a lot; he said he wouldn't hesitate to order it again. I went with the shrimp Provencal as my main dish. I was surprised it came with the same boiled vegetables and choice of potato (French fries or pan-fried) as my friend had with the pork stew. I asked if I could substitute rice for potato, but that wasn't possible. I just skipped the potato and ate the shrimp Provencal with a couple of slices of bread from the complimentary basket. I wasn't overly enthusiastic about the sauce used on the shrimp. It was too heavily tomato and not acid or garlicky enough to be Provencal. The shrimp were good, though. My friend had the creme caramel for dessert and thought it delicious. I had the peach Melba which was OK but not great. Peach Melba should be served with raspberry sauce, not a drizzle of commercial chocolate sauce. My friend and I had very different opinions about our meal at LCAB. He thought all three of his courses were excellent, while I considered my starter to be a flop and the other two courses mediocre. I should add that both of us regarded the service as fast and friendly. I thought it a bit odd I couldn't switch out potato for rice with a dish like shrimp Provencal, but a lot of restaurants have strict policies about substitutions on fixed menus. Bottom line: I won't be rushing back, but I will give La Cuisine Au Beurre another chance. Evil

I did try the chicken with cashews and it was very good! However, So's is closed Friday and Saturday due to the Buddha days. Evil

The only two businesses in Tree Town that ever seem to have customers are the beer garden ... and the cocktail van. Evil

Yes, I'd be happy to try. I have been to Le Freelax twice, but no luck either time. First time it was closed, second time it was full. It wasn't actually, but they were holding tables for regular customers. Would anyone happen to know the hours at Le Freelax? Evil

Pizza Italy has a pretty enthusiastic crew. From its Facebook page: The caption of the photo below was "GNOCCHI- My passion." Evil

It's not just smoke and mirrors at Pakbungloyfah. Some good meals I've had there: Duck with mushroom sauce: Shrimp with enokitake (enoki mushrooms):

Freshly made gnocchi (potato-filled dumplings) with ground beef sauce at Pizza Italy off Soi Bukhao for 220 baht. This is a hearty dish perhaps better suited for snowy winter evenings than the tropical heat of Thailand, so fresh gnocchi is hard to find in Pattaya. Pizza Italy can also be find hard to find, or at least explain where it is. However, the map is NOT to scale. Pizza Italy is close to Soi 15 and much closer to Soi Diana than Pattaya Tai. Consistently good Italian food by an Italian chef at reasonable prices. Evil

Pakbungloyfah, which translates roughly as "flying greens" or "flying vegetables," lives up to its name on occasion. An extremely high heat is used to fry the greens, resulting in them catching fire. The content of the wok full of greens is tossed across 2nd Road for the amusement of guests and passers-by. The Pakbungloyfah branch near Walking Street is carrying on an old tradition: I took these pics back in February during Chinese New Year, but Pakbungloyfah has continued with the greens' tossing on an irregular basis since then. A few months ago, they seemed to be doing it every Saturday, but I don't know if that has continued into low season. Pakbungloyfah is a Thai seafood and sizzling platter restaurant on 2nd Road. It's located between Sois 13/3 and 13/4 and is directly across the street from the intersection of 2nd Road and Soi 15. It's open between 4 p.m. and 4 a.m. seven days a week. From what I've seen on several nights, the guy across the street catches the greens about half the time.

Yes, I was a typo. I corrected it. Thanks/ Evil

In some bars and restaurants, if food or a drink has been given to a customer, a manager/owner must approve the replacement or the cost is deducted from the waiter or waitress' salary. I have run into that situation several times. That's also the reason I didn't argue harder with the waitress over the 30-baht mistake on my bill. The chances of winning are small and even if you do win, it doesn't seem like much of a victory. However, if enforcers are involved, that says to me they acting on behalf of the management and it's impossible to win. The term clip joint comes to mind. I have no idea if there is any ownership connection between Craft Cottage and Lee's. It could just be a business arrangement under which the food is prepared at Lee's. I read on another board that the owner of Craft Cottage is the son of the landlord. Evil

That's right, I made a mistake. It's 3 for 2. I have to say, though, that Craft Cottage should be avoided. According to a post on another board from a member I've met IRL, he was hassled over a bad glass of wine his companion ordered. The restaurant refused to replace it, so he wanted it taken off the bill. He was confronted by two men and even though he had been polite, the situation got threatening. He paid up, but will never return. Neither will I. Evil

Craft Cottage sits at the corner of Diana and LK Metro. It has craft beer as it specialty and "Good Food and Cold Beer" as its slogan. It has a fairly extensive menu of Western and Thai dishes, although the food doesn't come from its own kitchen but is prepared in the adjacent Lee's Diner. It's an attractive and comfortable place to have either a beer or a meal. If you don't mind sitting outdoors, it's a good place for watching the comings and goings along LK Metro. They have a lot of domestic and imported craft beer in bottles and cans, plus five on tap. It's not cheap, but it's nice they offer IPA (India pale ale) and BrewDog is one of my favorites. The Western food on the menu is the usual mix of hamburgers, salads, pizza and pasta. The first time I dropped in, I wasn't very hungry, so I ordered the squid fried rice. It was good, but a bit pricey at 140 baht for what you get. I don't know if there is supposed to be anything special about the water, but it came in a bottle with the Craft Cottage name. Thirty baht, if I remember right. The next visit I tried the garlic squid at 150 baht. It was a reasonable portion of squid that was properly cooked and not overwhelmed by the garlic. I would have been happy to have gone back a third time to try a Western dish and have a pint of BrewDog, but they made a mistake on the bill that they refused to correct. I was charged on the bill 180 baht for "Crispy Calamari" when I'd had the garlic squid at 150 baht. The waitress took the bill to the kitchen and the answer that came back was the two items cost the same. I showed the waitress the difference on the menu and she again went to the kitchen. After a bit of a wait. she came back and said they had deducted 10 baht from the bill, which made no sense at all. However, I wasn't going to waste more time and energy over 20 baht. I told the waitress they were wrong, but I wouldn't argue the point further. I reinforced my disapproval by not leaving a tip. It will be a long time before I go back, if ever. In fairness, I should mention that they have a 3-for-2 (Edit in to correct error) offer on cocktails during the rather odd Happy Hour between 10 p.m. and midnight. Bottom line: The food was good and the beer was cold. If it hadn't been for the silliness over the bill, I would have paid Craft Cottage several more visits. Evil

Time for an update on Hachiban Ramen 8 in Tukcom. I did a longer review here, so I won't repeat the basics. A few days ago I had the cold noodles in a lemony sauce with Japanese roast pork, egg, shrimp, cucumber and ham, garnished with pickled ginger and a dab of mayonnaise. It was good at 98 baht. The lemon sauce was particularly tasty. Water cost 18 baht for a bottle, so the total bill was 116 baht. Yesterday I was back at Tukcom and tried a set meal at 155 baht for pork noodle soup, six pieces of gyoza and a glass of Coke. Again, it was good and quite filling. It's not the most exciting Japanese food I've had in Pattaya, but it goes down easily and is fine for a quick meal in a sit-down restaurant with A/C. Bottom line: I don't think I would make a special trip to eat at Ramen 8, but when I'm in Tukcom the next time and feel hungry, I won't hesitate to try it again Evil

Tree Town bills itself as a "night life market" and is an eclectic collection of bars, restaurants, food and other stalls and even carnival rides for children. The stalls sell everything under the sun, from fried insects and tourist souvenir junk to clothes and household items. Tree Town isn't part of LK Metro, but is located on a fair-sized parcel of land on Soi Bukhao about 150 or 200 meters north of LK Metro. I have no idea what the possibilities are for P4P in Tree Town. There are a few bars which appear to have hostesses, but I think they are mainly aimed at Thais. Tree Town is probably a better place to have a meal or drink or kill time doing touristy stuff rather than hunting for companionship. [ url=http://media.pattaya-addicts.com/images/forum/uploads/monthly_2018_07/IMG_0203.jpg.8d2c6772e9921d67055233451f00805f.jpg.4f777163171610613b132a8718fe650a.jpg%5D[/url] Evil

It was a "normal" size bottle of Asahi, not large. Evil

Akatsuki is a small Japanese restaurant in Tree Town, the "night life market" on Soi Bukhao about 200 meters north of LK Metro. The meal I had there was good and the price was low for what I got. If you are walking north on Soi Bukhao, turn left at the unnamed subsoi that forms Tree Town's southern border. Akatsuki is about three-quarters of the way down that subsoi on the right. Looking west from in front of Akatsuki: I ordered the tonkatsu meal for 180 baht. Tonkatsu is a breaded pork cutlet. It came with miso soup, a salad of the shredded cabbage that customarily accompanies tonkatsu, two small bowls of Japanese pickled vegetables, sauce and rice. That's a fair amount of food for 180 baht. My bottle of Asahi was 70 baht. Service was quick and friendly. The breaded pork cutlet had been fried properly and the pork tenderloin was tender and moist. Bottom line: Good value for money and I'll be back to try some of the other item's on Akatsuki's menu. One curious thing, though. The tonkatsu meal (280 baht) and beer (70 baht) added up to 250 baht, but the final bill was 258 baht, with 8 baht listed as VAT. That doesn't make sense, as 7% of 250 baht would make the bill 268 baht. I don't know if that's because they made a mistake, but I didn't say anything as I'm not about to get into a discussion of 8 baht. Evil

Rinapp Ristorante is a small Italian restaurant on Soi 13/1 (Soi Yamato) between 2nd Road and Beach Road. I had the pasta alla puttanesca (whore's pasta) a couple of days ago, It was good but not great at 290 baht. I had a choice of pasta (linguine, penne or spaghetti) and I picked spaghetti. Several explanations exist as to why it's called whore's pasta. The most likely is that puttanesca is a quick and easy sauce invented by prostitutes who had only a short time to prepare meals between customers. Another explanation claims it got its name because the sauce "has everything in it." Garlic, capers, anchovies, chili and black olives add taste to the tomato-based sauce. The sauce was good but lacked the "big flavors" that puttanescais supposed to have. I thought the chef had been a bit stingy with the anchovies and olives. The portion was also a bit small for 290 baht. Bottom line: I'll be back to try some other Italian dishes on Rinapp's extensive menu. Evil

I'm not a fan of Indian or U.K.-style curry, so I can't speak from personal experience as I almost never eat it. However, a U.K. friend who is a fan sings the praises of the curry at Kilkenny on LK Metro. I've never had it and probably won't, just relaying information. Evil

I can imagine it would have a very frightening effect on cholesterol levels. I just wonder how many people would even attempt it, much less finish it. Maybe this guy:

Hard to say, but at least 7,000 for the burger and 8,500 for the challenge meal including the two orders of fries and an order of onion rings. A double bacon cheeseburger at McD's has 1,130 calories (link), so 2.5 times that would be 2,825. Add the calories from the extra patties and slices of bacon and cheese and we're up to 7,000. A large order of fries or onion rings has about 500 calories each, so it increases to about 8,500 for the meal. The recommended daily intake of calories for males is 2,000. Evil

I had the planked pork tenderloin at Harry's on Soi Diana last night. It was very tasty and filling for 195 baht. It consisted of two pieces of tender pork on a bed of mixed vegetables and brown gravy surrounded by mashed potatoes. A grilled tomato, a piece of sweet corn, two bacon-wrapped spears of asparagus and bearnaise sauce were the other accompaniments. I've seen more attractive presentations of Swedish plankstek, but there was nothing wrong with the taste. Bottom line: I wouldn't hesitant to order it again. I'll also be back to try the version with imported Australian beef, but that is double the price limit for this thread. Evil