Evil Penevil

Last night a friend and I tried the three-course set menu for 390 baht. His Thai companion had a fresh salad (100 baht) ... which she followed up with tom yum goong (sour and spicy lemongrass soup) for 155 baht. My friend had the fresh tuna salad as his starter for the three-course special ... I had the arancini balls with bacon, rice and cream cheese as my starter ... Both of chose the steamed sea bass as our main course. It was served on a bed of linguine with a tomato, pernod and white wine sauce. We both topped off the meal with a personal favorite of mine, bread-and-butter pudding with vanilla sauce. No complaints about the food from any of us. It was all made from quality ingredients prepared and cooked well. Some bullet points: The salad was great value-for-money at 100 baht. Top-quality vegetables and not just a pile of lettuce. Sea brass is a delicately flavored fish and it's easy for a sauce or accompaniment to overwhelm it. The sauce with the linguine was subtle and it didn't swamp the natural taste of the fish. The linguine was cooked as it should be, al dente. Too often in Pattaya pasta is overcooked. The bread-and-butter pudding wasn't cloyingly sweet and the vanilla sauce was probably the best I've had in Pattaya. Very good job on that one! I would have preferred a stronger flavor accent in the arancini. In the past, I've had variations at The Bite and its predecessor that used either blue cheese or Parmesan. With cream cheese, the bacon component needed to be kicked up a notch. Portion sizes were fine. As my friend said, "I'm sure not hungry anymore." For a Monday night, The Bite had quite a few customers. Some were eating off the Naando's menu, others had chosen The Bite's menu. Bottom line: There are places in Pattaya where you can certainly get more food for 390 baht, but I doubt there's anywhere in town that serves an equivalent amount in that price range that's as good. On an earlier occasion, I tried the daily special, Slow-Braised Lamb Shank in a Red Wine and Chorizo Sauce with Creamy Mash, Bokchoi and Beetroot Jus, at 330 baht. It was excellent, but my photos aren't. I had the wrong lens with me and used the wrong settings. In any case, it was one of the best lamb dishes I've had in Pattaya, thanks to the sure-fire combination of quality ingredients and proper preparation. Evil

Yes, it is indeed below ground level, but they don't call it basement. I have a vague memory pf reading somewhere that U.S. retail outlets don't use the word "basement" for levels below ground because some customers will avoid it because they think it's a utility or storage area. There is also a negative association with "bargain basement." Evil

There are at least eight on the higher levels- Fuiji, Oishi, Shabushi, Zen, Hajime (the robot restaurant), Hachiban and a couple more. Evil

Now that I think of it, it's the only one I eat at, too, although I did try the food court a couple of times in years past. The buttons on the elevators in Central are labeled "G" for ground. Evil

Teraoka Gyoza is an informal Japanese restaurant on the lower level of Central Festival that specializes in gyoza (fried dumplings, aka pot stickers). It also offers ramen (noodle) dishes and a few other Japanese standards. It may not be the best place in town for Japanese food, but it is a reasonable option if you just want Japanese-style gyoza or ramen. The Central Festival branch is one of several Teraoka Gyoza restaurants in Thailand. It is a joint venture between Thai entrepreneurs and Yuichi Teraoka, a champion gyoza chef whose image festoons the restaurant. He is noted not only for traditional gyoza but modernized "fusion" variations that use Western ingredients like mozzarella cheese. He even came up with a dessert gyoza. I recently tried their current special, tonkatsu, for 159 baht, including your choice of soft drink or water. Konkatsu is a deep-fried cutlet of pork, but this was the gyoza version. It was served with shredded cabbage, the customary accompaniment to tonkatsu. Pork-filled dumplings, nicely deep-fried. Teraoka Gyoza also has various combination meals, mostly under 300 baht. I'm running out of time, so I'll run the pics and add more text in an update.

I plan to try the steak there one day, but the times I've walked past in the evening, it seemed to have a fair number of drunk and rowdy young fellows. That's the kind of bar I usually avoid. More info on the wine at Spaghetti Bistro. I took the photo tonight. And this is what I had for supper: The menu calls it "Oriental merguez & harissa." Merguez is a spicy lamb sausage of North African origin. Harissa is a paste made from chillies and various spices. It's common in Moroccan cooking. That a sophisticated dish for a small outdoor eatery in Pattaya. I had it with tagliatelle and it cost 185 baht. I liked it very much. I enjoy merguez and it's not often you see it on menus in Pattaya. I like the "open kitchen" model. Yesterday a Russian woman was giving the cook a lot of suggestions about preparing her meal. Evil

Sorry I didn't answer sooner.Turns out they do serve wine, both red and white. I don't know anything about the brands, though. Evil

Hachiban Ramen 8 is a chain of inexpensive Japanese ramen (noodle) restaurants that has about 100 branches in Thailand, usually in or near shopping malls and big retail outlets. I eat in the one on the ground floor of Tukcom, but there are branches in Central Festival, Central Marina and elsewhere in Pattaya. The menu is pretty much limited to noodles in various forms. Hachiban Ramen 8 is to Japanese noodles what McDonald's is to U.S. hamburgers. There are a few dishes with gyoza (dumplings, aka potstickers) or fried rice, but for the most part it's like a "best of" porno video - ramen, ramen, ramen. And within the ramen category, it's noodle soup that dominates, although there are a couple of cold noodle dishes. Some dishes have also been adapted to Thai ingredients and preferences. What you won't see on the menu is Western food. However, I'm including Hachiban in this thread because it's quite inexpensive- you can have a meal for well under 200 baht, even under 100 baht- and at least it's non-Thai food, if not farang. Some more examples from the menu: Hachiban ticks all the boxes for when it comes to cleanliness, lighting and space. Another plus factor is the absence of annoying background music. It operates on an open kitchen basis and you can watch the cooks prepare your meal. Thai customers often do just that. The big plastic menu cards with pics, descriptions and prices for each dish make it easy to order. Separate cards promote the limited-time specials. I tried the negi chashumen (ramen with pork slices and chopped leek). It was exceptional value for money at 78 baht or 100 baht including a soft drink. Another day I had the gyoza and ramen set, essentially Japanese comfort food, for 143 baht. Good taste, but it didn't scale any culinary heights; not, of course, that I would expect it to for 143 baht. In case you're wondering about the round ingredient with the red numeral eight in the center, it is a slice of kamaboko, or fish cake. It's a tradition in Japan to make fish cakes with decorative designs inside. I thought perhaps 8 is a lucky number in Japan as it is in China. It is to some degree, but Hachiban Ramen 8 is named for National Highway 8 in Japan, the road on which the chain's first restaurant was located. Bottom line: Hachiban Ramen 8 is a good option for a quick lunch or dinner. It's cheap and the food tastes fine, assuming you like Japanese noodles. Evil

Yes, the portions are quite large. If you're eating alone, I would suggest ordering one dish at a time. I've found that the appetizers are big enough for a meal for a single diner. I have eaten at Casa Pascal around noon a couple of times and didn't find it much different than the breakfast buffet on other visits. It's basically the same mix of warm dishes- pasta, potatoes in various forms, stews, stir-fry, soups, some Thai dishes, etc.- throughout the buffet service (8.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.) What's different for me is that by noon I am inclined to skip the bacon and eggs at the BBQ station and go more for the grilled chicken and pork. Inside I don't bother with the breakfast "incidentals" but concentrate on the non-breakfast stuff. Evil :

From bacon baps to something entirely different ... Five Star J is one of the older vegetarian restaurants in Pattaya. Located at the corner of Pattaya Tai and 3rd Road, it's a small restaurant with an extensive menu of vegetarian and vegan dishes. The restaurant changed ownership in 2015 and now not only eschews meat, but also chemical additives (MSG, preservatives, artificial coloring) refined sugar, trans fats and other substances the new owner considers unhealthy. (Photo is from the restaurant's Web site) I'm not exactly a healthy eater, but I have made an effort in recent years to improve my diet. I've cut back on red meat and cured pork products; they are now occasional treats rather than daily staples. One or two meals a week at Five Star J is another step in the right direction. For anyone who is serious about vegetarian or vegan food and avoiding chemical additives, it's one of the few options available in central Pattaya. For anyone not familiar with the terminology, vegetarian means you don't eat meat, while vegans shun not only meat but animal products like eggs, milk, cheese and sometimes even honey. It's more complicated than that, as some vegans only eat raw foods and others exclude plants grown underground, but that's the general idea. The menu at Five Star J is marked as to which dishes are vegan. Eggs and cheese are used in some of the vegetarian dishes. I didn't count the number of items on the menu, but the restaurant's Web site says there are over 100. It's an eclectic mix of cuisines and cooking styles, ranging from vegetarian takes on Thai classics to "mock meat" Western dishes like hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and desserts. Pasta and noodles in various forms are well represented on the menu. Prices are reasonable, with most dishes under 200 baht and many between 100 and 150 baht. Here are a few examples from the much bigger online menu: Five Star J has the option of ordering online for delivery, pick up and or in advance of dining in, as all dishes are made to order and there could be a wait on busy nights. The interior is well-lit and scrupulously clean, important factors for me. It is a bit cramped, with eight tables for four in a rather tight space. There are a couple of tables outside. , On a recent visit I had the "fresh spring rolls, Vietnamese style," as a starter for 129 baht. It consisted of salad greens (not just lettuce), seaweed, raw vegetables, mint and other herbs wrapped in rice paper. It came with a with peanut/pineapple sauce. Basically, it's a salad in a different form. It tasted great as the mint and herbs gave it a lot of flavor and a little bite. I don't think peanuts and pineapple are complementary flavors and would have preferred the sauce to be peanut only, perhaps with a separate pineapple variant for those who want some natural sweetness. On the whole, it was a good starter and enough for two people to share. I ordered the shiitake mushroom with white lettuce (139 baht) as my main course. It was a simple dish, but played up the natural flavor of the shiitake. The sauce was salty, which I like, but it might have been a bit much for some. Five Star J doesn't use the ubiquitous nam pla (fish sauce), so the saltiness must have come from soy sauce. Another evening I had the Swiss rösti with three fried eggs (189 baht). Again simplicity done well. The rösti had been fried in coconut oil and tasted excellent. The eggs were farm fresh. For dessert I had the black sesame paste dumplings in ginger syrup (69 baht). This was a variation of traditional Chinese tangyuan, but with a strong ginger taste and not as sweet as its Chinese counterpart. I had apple juice to drink with the spring rolls and weissbier with the rösti dish. Five Star J offers complimentary water with its meals and the server asks whether you want it cold or at room temperature. Wine, beer and a variety of soft drinks, fruit juices and fruit shakes are available. The staff has a friendly manner and is knowledgeable about the food served. Before ordering, each diner is asked to look at a page in the menu which explains the type of food the restaurant serves. I assume this is to head off problems with first-time customers who may not understand it's strictly a vegetarian restaurant. Bottom line: Five Star J is a healthy island in a sea of junk food. I'm not about to convert to vegetarianism, but I'm trying to eat better as I get older. A quote attributed to U.S. baseball great Mickey Mantle comes to mind: "If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself." So if you've ever thought about reforming your diet, give it a try. What have you got to lose except a couple of pounds? Evil There's a very lively Australian pub across the street from Five Star J. For those not interested in vegetarian food, you might try the pub's Saturday steak special.

in the direction of a street walker, hopefully. SWE (street walker experience) was used in the U.S. sex tabloids in the 1960s and 1970s. The laws on solicitation in ads were quite literal at that time and publishers could avoid prosecution by using acronyms and euphemisms. GFE (girl friend experience) and PSE (porn star experience) were used in opposition to SWE. You also had the "nationality" designators: French- oral sex, most often a blow job. Natural French or southern French is without a condom. Mutual French is 69. Greek- anal English- spanking or Bondage & Discipline Spanish- ass-to-mouth Russian- tit-fuck Italian- dick between the ass cheeks Roman- group sex or orgies Swedish- hand job Egyptian- involves animals Not all were geographic, i.e., water sports, half-and-half, round-the-world, short and sweet, etc. but they hark back to the "menus" at Nevada brothels. Just be careful if anyone offers you a Cleveland steamer. Evil

I have to give the waitress credit for urging me to order the single and not the "go Texan" double. Apparently a lot of customers have trouble finishing the double because it is so filling. From what I have experienced at GASCO, the management has done its best to instill a spirit of customer service on the staff. It's service with a smile, but there's also real service behind the smile. Evil

I posted about this in another thread, but Took Lae Dee on 2nd Road has a 62-baht breakfast special. That has to be among the cheapest for a sit-down restaurant with air-con. I wouldn't want to try it, but apparently quite a few people do, according to a friend. Evil

It and the Foodland Supermarket on Beach Road opened recently, within the past few months, I believe. The supermarket has pretty good prices. Evil

I'm going to try to make this an update day as I have pics from about 10 restaurants I haven't posted yet. I'll start with Le Pub on Soi Diamond between Walking Street and 2nd Road. Le Pub is the first bar on your right if you turn in to Soi Diamond from 2nd Road and conversely, the last on your left if approaching from WS. It's an excellent bar for many reasons and the food is one of them. Food is served between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. I've had the bacon-and-egg roll several times. It's excellent and great value for money at 100 baht. The roll is cooked to order from quality ingredients. It's one of the better bacon-and-egg rolls I've had in Pattaya. Unlike a lot of cooks, the one at Le Pub knows how a bacon-and-egg bap should taste. I had a very late supper at Took La Dae on Beach Road in the wee hours of Monday. Took Lae Dee restaurants are always connected to a Foodland Supermarket. Like the supermarkets, the restaurants are open 24/7. The Beach Road branch is located under Royal Garden Plaza. They serve Thai and other Asian staples as well as standard Western dishes at low prices. Indeed, the name Took Lae Dee is usually translated as "Cheap and Good." The "cheap" part is indisputable but "good" may be a bit optimistic. "Cheap and OK" would be more accurate. The Took Lae Dee on Beach Road was clean, well-lit, spacious, air-conditioned and set up with an open kitchen, all of which are very positives for me. At 1.00 a.m., it had about 10 diners. None of us had to worry about service, as I counted 12 staff members. The menu is hard to read at this resolution, but it does give an idea of prices and the range of dishes on offer. As said, it's pretty standard stuff with no big surprises. The Western dishes mostly fall into the "comfort food" category. I was intrigued by menu item #15: Pork Chop Hungarian Style. I began to think of ways a pork chop could be designated as Hungarian style, but again, it's probably best I keep them to myself. I ordered the yakisoba (Japanese stir-fry noodles) with seafood. I know full well that 1.00 a.m. isn't the best time to have a meal in restaurant like Took Lae Dee and figured yakisoba would be among the safer dishes. My first warning signal that something could be off was the speed with which my order arrived. It came within a couple of minutes. That meant it had to have been sitting already cooked and was reheated at best. Unfortunately, my noodles were just above room temperature at best. The taste was OK, not remarkable, but it should have been served HOT. Yakisoba is a modern Japanese dish that dates from the 1930's. The sauce is made from a combination of soy, oyster and Worcestershire sauces, plus ketchup and a little sugar for balance. The cook in this case had gone heavy on the ketchup and light on the other sauces. That's how yakisoba is often served on Okinawa as U.S. servicemen like it that way, but it wasn't what I was expecting from Took Lae Dee. The noodles were also too soft, a sure sign that they had been standing too long and the residual heat had overcooked them. The yakisoba with seafood cost 126 baht, which is cheap for an indoor sit-down restaurant, but the portion was small. I'm not a fanatic about portion size, but this was on the skimpiest side. I came with a complimentary glass of ice water and had a Coke Zero for 35 baht. Total cost was 161 baht, including 7% VAT but with no service charge. The prices on the menu are net, i.e., inclusive of VAT. Took Lae Dee is quite popular with both farang and Thais, so I won't refuse a another visit because of one lukewarm experience. Next time I'll go during the afternoon or early evening and try a Western dish. The cheapest farang dish on the menu is 64 baht for soup and the most expensive is 293 baht for the rib-eye steak. However, most come in under 150 baht. Took Lae Dee offers what has to be one of Pattaya's least expensive breakfast specials at 62 baht for two eggs (fried or scrambled); bacon, ham or sausage; toast; juice; and coffee or tea. BUT, considering what's available elsewhere for around 100 baht, the Took Lae Dee special doesn't look like much of a deal. Other breakfast choices are 119 baht and at that price, you're much better off going to Retox. Bottom line: there is none yet. I'll see if Took Lae Dee can rise in my estimation after a second visit. But no question, if you want a sit-down restaurant with some of Pattaya's cheapest prices, then TLD fills the bill. Evil

Last night I had the August special at the Great American Sandwich Company on Soi Bukhao a hundred meters or so north of LK Metro. The special is a barbecue bacon cheeseburger at 195 baht for the single burger or "go Texan" with the double at 345 baht. "O say can you see ..." And I was indeed looking at it in the twilight's last gleaming, although the well-lit interior of GASCO kind of negated that effect. The base of the special is a homemade six-ounce patty of 100% ground steak with no filler. The base rests on a bed of iceberg lettuce, tomato and onion and is topped with two slices of cheddar cheese, a generous strip of streaky bacon and a dollop of homemade spicy barbecue sauce. A fresh and lightly toasted sesame roll holds the whole thing together. I had a small portion of potato salad (45 baht) as my side dish. It all went together very well. In its price class, it's one of the better burgers I've had in Pattaya. The beef patty, the bacon strip and the other ingredients were quality stuff. That's what makes or breaks a burger. The sauce had a lot of flavor and was quite spicy. It was fine for me, but I wouldn't have wanted it any spicier. If you are sensitive to capsaicin heat, you might ask for the sauce to be served on the side so you can add as much or little as you choose. The potato salad was fresh; the potatoes weren't overly cooked and were lightly dressed, which is exactly how I like it. I don't like potato salad that is swimming in mayo. Bottom line: With a can of Coke Zero (35 baht), the the total cost of my meal was a reasonable 275 baht. If you enjoy cheeseburgers, catch the GASCO special in the next two weeks. It isn't on the regular menu. I really like that quote from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and while waiting for my burger, I amused myself by thinking up endings for, "On Pattaya Talk, there are two types of posters, my friend." However, I don't think at least one member (and the Mods) would appreciate it if I wrote them out, so I'll keep it as a private chuckle. The friendliness of the staff at GASCO deserves mention, since that's by no means a given these days in Pattaya. The manager gave me a warm welcome and the wait were also full of smiles. GASCO isn't exaclty serving medicine, but a spoonful of sweetness helps even good food go down. I also like the classic rock videos they play on the giant TV at a decent decibel level. NOT TOO LOUD! Just as I was finishing my meal, one of my all-time favorite songs came on, Centerfold by the J. Geils Band. I took that to be a very good omen for the evening to be. I wan't wrong, but that's a story for another thread. [ I get a good feeling from GASCO and I sincerely hope it succeeds. It's a great addition to the Pattaya food scene. Evil

Yes, The Bite's kitchen is on the ground floor and Naando's is on the floor above. Some pics of the exterior signs. It's across the street from New York Pizza. I was experimenting with settings for photos taken through a glass window. Evil

I was in The Bite/Naando's for a late supper the night the two girls came in for the photo shoot. I spoke with them a little bit and they seemed very friendly. Anyway, here's the latest online menu in text form with prices. I'd advise anyone who's interested in Naando's to check the Web site or this thread for the daily specials. The pic below is just an example. It was taken last week. Soups 1. Dal Soup (lentil soup prepared with turmeric and coriander) 80 2. Tomato Soup (seasoned and topped with cream or butter) 80 3. Vegetable Soup (finely chopped vegetables, spiced and seasoned) 80 4. Chicken Soup (finely chopped chicken flavoured with coriander and various spices) 80 Appetisers And Starters 5. Poppadom – 4 pieces (crispy thin spiced bread made from ground lentils and fried in oil) 40 6. Poppadom Massala – 1 piece (topped with chopped onion, tomatoes and green chillies) 50 7. Vegetable Samosa – 4 pieces (small triangular pastry made from wheat flour, filled with seasoned boiled vegetables and deep fried) 150 8. Chicken Samosa – 4 pieces (small triangular pastry made from wheat flour, filled with minced chicken, spices and deep fried) 150 9. Lamb Samosa – 4 pieces (deep fried patty stuffed with minced lamb & flavoured with Indian spices) 195 10. Vegetable Harabhara Kebab (flavoursome succulent juicy kebab with a selection of vegetables mixed & blended with various Indian spices 240 11. Chicken Harabhara Kebab (shallow-fried minced chicken, green peas and Indian spiced patties) 240 12. Chilli Chicken (Indian-Chinese dish where the chicken is deep fried then cooked in a wok with capsicum, onion, vinegar and chillies) 260 13. Paneer Chilli (Indian-Chinese dish with marinated chunks of cottage cheese that are deep fried and cooked in a wok with onion and vinegar) 280 14. Chilli Potato (Indian-Chinese dish with potato flavoured with Chinese sauce) 190 15. Chicken Manchurian (Indian-Chinese dish with fried chicken and vegetable rolled into balls and added to a Manchurian sauce made from Soy sauce, corn flour and green chilli paste) 240 16. Vegetable Manchurian (Indian-Chinese dish with deep fried balls of spiced vegetables and added to a Manchurian sauce made from Soy sauce, corn flour and green chilli paste) 240 17. Vegetable Pakora (diced vegetables mixed with Indian spices and dipped in chickpea flour then deep fried) 240 18. Chicken Pakora (small pieces of chicken marinated in spices and chickpea batter, deep fried) 220 19. Paneer Pakora (small pieces of cottage cheese marinated in spices and chickpea batter, deep fried) 240 20. Prawn Pakora (small pieces of shrimp marinated in spices and chickpea batter, deep fried) 260 21. Onion Bhaji (onion fritters coated with spices and chickpea paste, deep fried) 150 22. Masala Omelette (Indian style omelette with eggs mixed with chilli and other spices) 80 23. French Fries 120 Tandoori Specialities 24. Tandoori Chicken – half (chicken marinated in yoghurt batter with Indian spices, barbequed in the tandoor oven) 160 25. Tandoori Chicken – full (chicken marinated in yoghurt batter with Indian spices, barbequed in the tandoor oven) 300 26. Chicken Tikka (chicken pieces marinated in yoghurt batter with Indian spices, barbequed in the tandoor oven) 260 27. Vegetable Seekh Kebab (skewers of vegetables minced and marinated with Indian spices, barbequed) 260 28. Chicken Malai Tikka (chunks of chicken marinated with cream, yoghurt and black pepper then barbequed) 290 29. Chicken Seekh Kebab (barbequed skewers of minced chicken mixed with Indian spices) 260 30. Lamb Seekh Kebab (barbequed skewers of minced lamb mixed with Indian spices) 280 31. Mushroom Chilli (Indian-Chinese dish of mushrooms and Chinese sauces) 260 32. Fish Tikka (fish pieces marinated in batter and barbequed in the tandoor oven) 280 33. Paneer Tikka (cottage cheese chunks marinated in yoghurt mixed with spices, barbequed) 320 Vegetarian Specialities 34. Aloo Mutter (vegetable curry with boiled potatoes (aloo) and green peas (mutter) 180 35. Aloo Gobi (curry with potato (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi), Indian spices) 200 36. Mutter Paneer (curry with mutter (green peas) with paneer (cottage cheese), Indian spices) 210 37. Bhindi Massala (Bhindi (oakru or ladyfinger) mixed with onion, tomatoes & Indian spices, stir fried) 180 38. Mixed Vegetable Curry (vegetables of the day (eg cauliflower, French beans, corn, carrot blended with Indian spices) 210 39. Paalak Paneer (‘Paalak’ – spinach – blended into a thick paste with ‘paneer’ (cottage cheese) and Indian spices 240 40. Vegetable Kofta (vegetable balls added to onions, tomatoes and Indian spices) 240 41. Malai Kofta (Malai (cream) added to vegetable kofta and simmered in a mild curry paste mixed with cream and milk) 260 42. Dal Fry (‘dal’ lentils mixed with onions, tomatoes and butter cooked on slow heat) 180 43. Dal Makhani (‘rajma’ kidney beans with ‘urad daal’ black lentils, onion, tomato, cream and butter in a thick curry) 190 44. Chana Masala (chick peas flavoured with coriander, garlic, ginger, onions and tomatoes with curry paste) 180 45. Saag Aloo (‘saag’ mustard leaves blended with ‘aloo’ potatoes, butter, cream, onion and tomato paste) 220 46. Shahi Paneer (‘paneer’ cottage cheese mixed in a creamy thick sauce made from onion, tomato and cashew nuts) 260 47. Dum Aloo Banarasi (‘aloo’ potatoes filled with ‘paneer’ cottage cheese, cashew nuts and various vegetables which are then fried and dipped in a spicy curry sauce) 240 48. Dum Aloo Kashmiri (‘aloo’ potatoes filled with ‘paneer’ cottage cheese, cashew nuts which are then fried and dipped in a creamy rich sauce which is a little sweet) 240 49. Jeera Aloo (‘aloo’ potatoes stir fried with ‘jeera’ cumin seeds and garnished with coriander) 180 50. Bombay Potato (curry made with potato, coriander, onions, tomatoes, Indian spices) 190 51. Methi Malai Mutter (‘methi’ fenugreek mixed with ‘mutter’ green peas and added to a rich and thick creamy cashew nut sauce) 240 52. Paneer Pasanda (‘paneer’ cottage cheese pieces stuffed with a mixture of cashew nuts, raisins, mashed cottage cheese, fried then added to a creamy rich sauce) 280 Chicken Specialities 53. Chicken Jalfrezi (a hot chicken curry with green chillies, peppers, onions & tomatoes) 220 54. Chicken Madras (relatively hot, red hued with paprika and turmeric, with large amounts of chilli powder, a curry from the southern Indian city of the same name) 220 55. Chicken Curry (chicken chunks in a thin curry sauce mixed with Indian spices) 210 56. Chicken Masala (chicken chunks in a thick gravy sauce seasoned with Indian spices) 220 57. Chicken Korma (a creamy more mild curry with stock, cream and yoghurt) 260 58. Chicken Karahi (chicken cooked in a ‘karahi’ wok with capsicum and Indian spices) 220 59. Chicken Saag (cooked with blended mustard leaves with cream and butter) 250 60. Chicken Tikka Masala (a British favourite, chicken chunks marinated in batter then barbequed, then mixed with a mild curry sauce and cream) 280 61. Chicken Ginger (cooked with thinly sliced pieces of ginger) 230 62. Chicken Vindaloo (Portuguese origin dish that can be prepared in various ways, more usually a spicy potato and chicken curry) 280 63. Chicken Do Pyaaza (chicken chunks cooked with onion and tomatoes) 260 64. Butter Chicken (chicken chunks in a tomato-based sauce, simmered in cream & butter) 260 65. Chicken Bhuna (stir-fried chicken garnished with coriander and lemon) 240 66. Chicken Patiala (Punjabi dish from the city of Patiala – chicken chunks mixed with Indian spices, covered with an omelette) 280 67. Chicken Methi Malai (chicken cooked with ‘methi’ fenugreek in a thick creamy curry) 280 68. Chicken Balti (British origin dish, a thick chicken curry topped with boiled eggs, served in a ‘balti’ bucket) 250 69. Chicken Methi Malai Mutter (chicken cubes in a thick mild and sweet curry, fused with cream and fenugreek, resulting in a korma style curry) 280 Lamb Specialities 70. Lamb Curry (lamb chunks in a thin curry sauce mixed with Indian spices) 240 71. Lamb Masala (lamb chunks in a thick gravy sauce seasoned with Indian spices) 250 72. Lamb Korma (a creamy more mild curry with tender lamb pieces in a rich creamy sauce with yoghurt) 280 73. Lamb Karahi (spicy lamb pieces cooked in a ‘karahi’ wok with tomatoes and onions) 250 74. Lamb Do Pyaaza (spicy lamb dish cooked with onion coriander and tomatoes) 250 75. Lamb Vindaloo (tender lamb chunks cooked with ‘aloo’ potatoes and lots of spices) 280 76. Keema Mutter (minced meat cooked with green peas, garnished with coriander and lemon) 260 77. Lamb Rogan Josh (Kashmiri dish – josh means ‘intensity’ or ‘heat’ – and rogan meaning red in colour, tender lamb pieces cooked with red chillies and tomatoes) 250 78. Lamb Madras (hot and slightly spicy, lamb pieces cooked with chilli and tomato, a curry from the southern Indian city of the same name) 260 79. Lamb Saag (lamb chunks and Indian spices added to a blended spinach and mustard paste) 280 80. Lamb Jalfrezi (a thick curry of lamb chunks with peppers, onions and tomatoes) 260 81. Lamb Bhuna (a thick hot curry of lamb chunks with peppers, onions and tomatoes) 260 82. Nalli Nihari – Pre-order (Nalli is the bone marrow added along with the lamb shank and an array of spices and simmered slowly, a legendary delicacy) 650 83. Lamb Champ Masala (Lamb chops added to an Indian-style curry, and simmered) 510 Fish Specialities 84. Fish Curry (small chunks of fried fish added to a thick curry) 260 85. Fish Masala (fried fish pieces in a thick curry sauce seasoned with Indian spices) 260 86. Fish Korma (a creamy, rich, more mild curry with stock, cream and yoghurt) 280 87. Prawn Curry (prawns/shrimps in a thin curry sauce) 280 88. Prawn Masala (prawn/shrimp in a thick curry sauce seasoned with Indian spices) 280 89. Prawn Karahi (prawn/shrimp cooked in a ‘karahi’ wok with tomatoes and onions) 280 90. Prawn Korma (a creamy more mild curry with prawn/shrimp in a rich creamy sauce with yoghurt) 310 91. Prawn Vindaloo (prawn/shrimp in a spicy curry sauce) 310 Salad And Raita 92. Yoghurt – Plain Dahi (custard-like dish made from curdled milk) 100 93. Mixed Raita (onion, tomato, cucumber added to yoghurt with a hint of salt and red chilli powder) 120 94. Boondi Raita (slightly salty, tiny pieces of chickpea flour with a little chilli powder, added to yoghurt) 100 95. Fresh Salad (a dish of finely cut salad vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, onion etc) 100 96. Egg Salad (finely cut salad vegetables topped with boiled egg & lightly seasoned) 140 Indian Breads 97. Tandoori Roti (an Indian flatbread made from wheat flour, prepared in the tandoor oven, and topped with butter) 30 98. Chappati (Indian flatbread made from wheat flour, cooked in a pan) 30 99. Naan (a flat leavened bread from NW India, made from wheat flour, baked in the tandoor) 50 100. Butter Naan (a flat leavened bread from NW India, made from wheat flour, baked in the Tandoor, topped with butter) 50 101. Garlic Naan (the Naan bread dough is mixed with coriander and garlic, then baked in the Tandoor, topped with butter) 70 102. Onion Naan (the Naan bread dough is mixed with coriander and chopped onions, then baked in the Tandoor) 90 103. Aloo Naan (a flat Indian bread stuffed with mashed potatoes mixed with coriander, salt, chilli powder, then baked in the tandoor) 90 104. Keema Naan (minced chicken is marinated with turmeric, chilli powder, salt, then stuffed in the naan and baked in the tandoor oven) 120 105. Butter Paratha (‘parath’ with ‘atta’ means “layers of baked dough”. Cooked on a flat pan and topped with butter) 60 106. Paneer Naan (grated cottage cheese rolled into a naan bread and baked in the tandoor) 110 107. Cheese Naan (grated cheese mixed with the wheat flour, rolled into a dough and baked In the tandoor oven) 110 Rice Specialities 108. Steamed Rice (Basmati) 100 109. Pilau Rice (Basmati rice mixed with turmeric and bay leaves) 100 110. Jeera Rice (boiled Basmati rice mixed with jeera cumin seeds and cooked in a wok) 130 111. Peas Pulao (Basmati rice cooked with green peas and Indian spices) 150 112. Vegetable Pulao (vegetables such as cauliflower, French beans, carrots, added to Basmati rice along with Indian spices) 175 113. Vegetable Biryani (vegetables mixed with Indian spices, stir fried, added to the rice) 210 114. Chicken Biryani (small pieces of chicken cooked in yoghurt and Indian spices, then added to the hot Basmati rice) 210 115. Lamb Biryani (tender pieces of lamb cooked in yoghurt and Indian spices, then added to the hot Basmati rice) 250 116. Prawn Biryani (prawn/shrimp cooked in a wok with yoghurt and Indian spices, then added to the hot Basmati rice) 250 117. Fish Biryani (small pieces of fish in a mixture of pepper, cardamon, yoghurt and Indian spices, then cooked in the wok with the Basmati rice) 230 118. Mushroom Pulao (Pulao rice mixed with sauteed mushrooms) 220

Sure does! KOJO, did you bake it yourself? Evil :

Maybe part of the Atlantis chain of hotels and restaurants. Evil

If it costs 70 baht and was so-so, it probably deserves mention in the Good Under 300 Baht thread. It's quite an accomplishment to offer an edible roast dinner for 70 baht. The location of Tequila Sunrise according to its FB page does put me off a bit. Evil :

I don't believe they serve wine, but I'm not absolutely sure. I'll check for you next time I walk past. Evil

I took one for the team and tried the breakfast buffet at the Lek Hotel for the first time in ten years. It was bad in 2007 and even worse today. I can't remember what I paid in 2007, but it now costs 150 baht. Yuck, yuck and yuck. Horrible to the max. I tried three mouthfuls of what I had on my plate and spit them into a paper napkin. No way I would swallow that stuff. Everything was lukewarm or room temperature. The one thing you don't want to eat are room temperature eggs that have been standing on a table for who knows how long. The potatoes had a consistency I'd never encountered before and hopefully never will again. I took what I thought was a pork stew but turned out to be spaghetti sauce that was sweet beyond belief. I think they used ketchup as the main ingredient. The salad was old, like several days old. The chicken was obviously left over from the previous evening's buffet (hopefully not longer), but it was so hard and dry looking I didn't even taste it. Since i needed something in my stomach, I had a bowl of corn flakes and milk, then a small bowl of plain boiled rice.It's hard for them to mess up those dishes, but the corn flakes weren't very fresh. I would have eaten some of the fruit, but flies were crawling all over the slices of watermelon and pineapple. A total waste. The only rating I could give the breakfast buffet at the Lek would be: Evil

I've had several meals at Spaghetti Bistro, a newly opened small restaurant on Soi 15 behind The Avenue Shopping Plaza. As its name indicates, pasta is its mainstay and it offers a surprisingly large choice for a small restaurant. All the standard pasta dishes on the menu can be done with spaghetti, penne or tagliatelle and there's an option to "design your own" plate of pasta in terms of sauce and ingredients. It also serves other Western dishes (steak, pork chops, chicken, tuna, salmon, salads, appetizers, sandwiches and desserts) and a few Thai dishes. It does have some interesting items on the menu that I am looking forward to trying the. "Oriental Merguez & Harissa" pasta as well as the "Camembert on Toast." The menu clearly has some French and international touches to it. It's mainly Italian, but not strictly so. There are four tables and some bar counter seats under the roof, plus a couple of small tables outside. It has a ceiling-mounted flat-screen TV and free WiFi. I tried the "Triple Cheesy (Parmesan, Emmental, blue cheese) with penne for 220 baht. It was a decent portion with excellent flavor. The chef got the mixture of cheeses just right. The penne was cooked as it should be, al dente. A problem with a lot of the pasta in Pattaya is that it is overcooked. Another day I had the old standard from my school lunches, spaghetti and meatballs, for 185 baht. The Spaghetti Bistrot version added diced fresh tomato. Again, a good portion with great flavor in the sauce and meatballs. Spaghetti Bistrot offers a daily special, such as the "Surf N Turf" announced in the pic below that I took from the restaurant's Facebook page. I've also seen Chicken Parmesan as a special for 240 baht. It also offers bottled beers, wine and spirits. One interesting feature is that it offers both take-away and delivery. It's also open from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 a.m., which are ambitious hours. The menu is extensive and rather sophisticated for a small restaurant. I no idea who owns it, but I've only ever seen Thais working there. The chef must have had a strong background in preparing European farang food. The only American items on the menu are the "Chicken Wings New Orleans" and the Chicken Parm, which was first made by Italian immigrants to the U.S. I certainly hope Spaghetti Bistrot succeeds, but I worry about its location. Soi 15 between 2nd Road and Soi Bukhao has very little foot traffic. Perhaps there are enough farang who live or stay in the immediate area to attract a solid customer base; otherwise it may struggle. The prices are reasonable for the quality of the food, but many enclosed restaurants with air conditioning offer similar dishes in the same price range. I wish them the best and I'm keeping. Evil

I had the pancake breakfast this morning at Secrets on Soi 14. It cost 169 baht for three fluffy pancakes, a good portion of streaky bacon (I could have chosen side bacon) and a small pitcher of real maple syrup. I ordered two fried eggs for 30 baht and a large glass of apple juice for 90 baht. It all went down very well. To make use of one of the oldest cliches, it reminded me of the pancake breakfasts my mother made. Homemade pancakes, not from a mix. The bacon was crisp and not too salty, good quality stuff. I don't often have pancakes in Pattaya because I have almost always been disappointed, but I can recommend the Secrets' pancakes to anyone who enjoys home-style pancakes. Evil