Evil Penevil

Forgive me, reader, for I have sinned. I made a classic beginner's mistake in leaving my apartment without checking the battery in my camera or making sure I had an extra battery. I got to the restaurant and discovered the battery was dead. Since I couldn't take pics of the meal we had, I am forced to lift some from the restaurant's Facebook page. I don't like to do this, but I doubt the restaurant will care and the use of copyrighted photos for reviews is permissible under copyright law as it falls under "fair use." Next time I visit Tsunami, I'll be sure to check my camera's battery. Tsunami Sushi Buffet on 3rd Road featured some of the best Japanese food I've eaten in Pattaya. Top-quality and fresh ingredients were prepared and presented properly to give us a memorable meal at the modest cost of 449 baht per person for all you can eat. Most customers will quite rightly focus on sashimi and sushi, but Tsunami's extensive menu includes plenty of tasty options. The tempura was perfect. The slices of mushroom grilled on skewers, as well as grilled fish, were delicious. Standard Japanese "comfort foods" such as katsu don and Japanese-style curry with rice are also available, but I can't imagine why anyone would go to an all-you-can-eat sushi place and order a pork cutlet. The 449-baht fixed price includes unlimited Japanese tea (hot or iced) and a small dessert (ice cream/sherbert). If you want beer with your meal, a bottle of SML costs 65 baht and other bottled beers in the50-to-60-baht range. Saki and wine are also available, but I have no idea about prices. Be aware that although Tsunami calls itself a buffet, the name is misleading to Westerners for whom buffet means customers serving themselves from tables laden with food. At Tsunami, you place your order with a waitress and she brings it to your table. Diners have 1.5 hours to eat all they can for a fixed price. You can order as many times as you wish during the 90 minutes and most customers do so repeatedly. This is a common model for casual dining/drinking in Japan. I don't know what it is with Thais and salmon sushi/sashimi, but just like my dinner companion, the customers at all the other tables went heavy on salmon. I certainly like salmon and would agree it's among the most flavor-packed raw fish variations, but I don't want to knock it back by the plateful. I like to include tuna, octopus, squid, shrimp, yellowtail, eel, mackerel, etc. My companion isn't a very adventurous eater. She knows what she likes and sticks with it. Next time I visit Tsunami it will probably be a Japanese friend or a farang who knows Japanese cuisine well so we can enjoy some of the more exotic offerings on the menu. Tsunami has a lot of different nigiri (hand-pressed) sushi as well as maki (rolled) sushi and specialty items. Tsunami is a small restaurant that seats about 30 people. It's brightly lit and space is tight. A couple will find themselves sharing a table for four with another couple. Western diners "of size" could find it very cramped. It's relatively new (open a few months) but has proved hugely popular with Thais. We called at 7.00 pm on a Friday night and were told no tables would be available until 8.15 pm. The restaurant was full the whole time we were there, with several groups of people waiting outside for a table to free up. If you're planning to eat at Tsunami from 6 pm onward (it's open from 5 pm to midnight), be sure to call ahead and reserve a table. While I'm sure farang are welcome, I was the only Westerner in Tsunami during the time we were there. I wasn't necessarily the only foreigner, as at least one Japanese guy was eating with a Thai female. However, the majority of guests were definitely Thai, with several family groups ranging from infants to grandmas. The service was fast and attentive but not effusive. The waitress spent quite a bit of time answering my companion's questions. I don't know for sure, but I doubt the service staff would be able to answer questions about the menu in English. Our total bill was 449 x 2, or 898 baht. No service charge or tax was added, so I paid with a 1,000-baht note and told the waitress to keep the change. The biggest downside at Tsunami was the noise level. So many people talking at once in a small space raises the decibel level to (for me) an unpleasant level. Of course, many Asian eateries are noisy, brightly lit and cramped, with strangers often sharing table space. It's a different sort of restaurant experience than most Westerners are accustomed to. Bottom line: great Japanese food in hectic surroundings. If you're expecting any sort of romantic or un-rushed ambiance, then there are better choices. But for Japanese food, Tsunami ranks highly. Evil Tsunami is located on the east side of 3rd Road, not far from the intersection with Soi Chaiyapoon.

Everyone should do their stomachs (and taste buds) a favor and avoid these sorts of buffets. You can in fact get large portions of good food for 250 baht in Pattaya. Evil

No. but it's been on my bucket list for a while now. So many restaurants, so little time. Evil

It does indeed look good and the prices are very low for farang food. Too bad it's a bit out of the way for me or else I would have already tried it on the basis of this thread. Really useful heads-up and recommendation for those who live/stay in the vicinity or have their own wheels. Evil

Bit too soon for another update to Fuji, but it's where my companion wants to eat! I've tried to interest her in trying other restaurants with sashimi and sushi on the menu, but she really likes Fuji. Location is another big factor. Both of us live in central Pattaya and it only takes a few minutes to get to Fuji. We were both hungry, so we ordered the big sashimi boat for 530 baht. She had ordered a small "boat' set as well that included small side dishes of kimchi and mushrooms in addition to miso soup. My "starter" was yaki gyoza, or pan-fried dumplings. Back to the big sashimi boat: A spicy salmon side dish, definitely not traditional Japanese: My companion's beloved enotake mushrooms: Bottom line: Another solid meal from Fuji. The fish was "taste-the-sea" fresh and impressively presented. I think part of the reason my companion likes Fuji so much is that it's consistent. The diner knows what he or she will get and is never disappointed. The total cost including drinks was 1300 baht. Evil

Some restaurateurs are trying to differentiate themselves by offering something new in a very crowded field. I hope they succeed! Evil

The Deli Diner is a new restaurant near Tukcom. If you're standing on Pattaya Tai facing Tukcom, it's on the right-hand side of the subsoi to the right, about halfway down the block at the point where Tukcom ends. For those who know the area, it's next door to La Petite Planete. Posted Today, 09:41 AM There's not much point in commenting on a restaurant unless you've eaten there, so I put my money and my mouth in the same place and had the four-course special Monday night at the Deli Diner. It was a very good deal at 299 baht for salad, soup, main course and dessert. You had a choice of several different options in all the "categories" except the salad. A bottle of Singha cost 60 baht. With my customary tip, the total cost was 400 baht. I liked the special a lot. The ingredients were fresh and the dishes were well-prepared and tasty. The individual portions weren't particularly large, but taken as a whole, they yielded a satisfying meal. What more can you ask for 400 baht? The name "Deli Diner" is a curious choice, as there's nothing deli- or diner-ish about it, at least in the U.S. sense of those words. I'd call it a small bistro that serves "international" and Thai dishes at modest prices. It has an indoor section and a couple of outside tables. There are apparently two more tables on a balcony reached by a spiral staircase. I like the fact that you can look into the kitchen, but the view isn't unencumbered. The two chefs I saw were both Thai. The menu isn't large, but it does include a number of Western and Thai dishes. There's plenty of choice for both farang males and their Thai companions. Prices are modest. The first course was salad. To call it Caesar Salad was a bit optimistic, but it was in the right direction with crisp, fresh lettuce; homemade croutons; shaved Parmesan and a nice dressing. I ate it to the last morsel, which I seldom do with starter salads. A small cup of corn soup was up next. Boiled corn kernels had been pureed with stock, which resulted in a velvety texture and distinct corn taste. It wasn't cream of corn soup nor corn chowder, but quite simply, corn soup served with toast and butter. The parsley added a great flavor accent to the mild soup and I wish there had been more of it. The baked salmon with butter almond sauce came as soon as I finished the soup. Salmon is a delicately flavored fish that doesn't require much in the way of enhancement, so butter almond sauce is good choice. Unfortunately, the sauce was the biggest miss of the meal. It tasted like a bland bechamel to me. Either they had run out of butter almond sauce and substituted another sauce without telling me or the chef and I have very different ideas about how butter almond sauce should taste. Anyway, the salmon itself was baked properly but perhaps slightly dry. The vegetables and potatoes were excellent, not the tasteless and waterlogged variations one gets so often in Pattaya. Freshness seems to be a major factor at Deli Diner. The food tastes good because it's both fresh and cooked properly. I finished the meal with panna cotta with strawberry sauce. I had actually wanted the creme caramel, but the waitress told me the last one had "broken apart." I don't know if that meant she'd dropped it on the floor or something else had gone wrong with it, but the (Edit in) panna cotta was fine as a substitute. The texture and flavor were very good and the strawberry sauce wasn't too sweet. Few Italian restaurants in Pattaya do panna cotta that well. Bottom line: I was happy with my meal at Deli Diner, especially considering the price. There was a miss with the sauce for the salmon, but that won't deter me from returning. Right now Deli Diner is open between 10.30 am and 10.00 pm, but a note on the menu says it will open from 7.30 am beginning in April. Evil

Time for an MK update. I eat there at least once a month because it's a favorite of a dining companion, but I haven't bothered to take pics or do any additional reviews because not much really changes at MK. The popular chain has hit on a sure-thing among Thai diners and it stays true to its long-standing formula with Thai hotpot cooking as its anchor. Some of the dishes on the a la carte menu may change at infrequent intervals, but MK remains pretty much the same year-in and year-out. One thing that has always fascinated me since I was a child is the display of "plastic food" in the windows of Asian restaurants. Food dummies and models began about 100 years ago in Japan and were originally made of wax. In the early 1900s, workers from Japan's countryside began flocking to urban areas, many were illiterate and unfamiliar with city food. The fake food displays served the same purpose back then as they do with with foreign tourists today. Whatever company is making the models for MK does a damn good job of it. You get a very clear idea of the types of ingredients you can order for the hotpot. We stepped into MK at Central Festival around 5.45 pm and it was busy but not crowded. The "base" for our hotpot was a plate of thinly-sliced pork. My companion, who does all the ordering, also chose two of the "standard" sets of ingredients, featuring meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu and herbs. She's also a big fan of enokitake, so we ordered a plate of the long, thin, crisp white mushrooms. She also favors the salmon cakes shaped like fish. A lot of assorted pics will follow, so I'll cut to the chase: the meal cost 1,200 baht and fed three people to the "I'm stuffed" point. That includes unlimited refills of Japanese-style iced tea. None of us had any alcohol or other beverages. Of course it's possible to eat cheaper by choosing other ingredients. You could have a very satisfying meal for three for 600 baht. Once the soup stock was boiling, she began adding ingredients in an order I don't really understand. It doesn't take many minutes before the first bowls are ready to be eaten. More ingredients are popped into the pot as the meal progresses. There's a range of tastes and textures which is very pleasing. In all, Thai-style hotpot is a satisfying and healthy meal. You can find hotpot variations all over Pattaya, but a lot of the girls have a particular fondness for MK. Evil

Passengers in wheelchairs are allowed to use the Premium Lanes without any charge, but I'm not sure what the policy is regarding accompanying passengers. I believe one person is allowed through with the wheelchair passenger, but not the whole family or group of friends. I saw this happen once Swampy. An elderly lady was in a wheelchair and a group of about ten people wanted to go through the Premium Lane along with her. They were stopped by the Immigration Police, as they didn't have vouchers. Best to check it out in advance, but it's not always sure you'll get the correct info from the airline as it's all up to the officers on duty that day or night. Evil

I arrived last night at 2.45 am on a totally jammed China Eastern flight from Shanghai. I can't remember if it was the East or West Immigration Control. but the feeder "snake" was full to the entrance. I had a Premium Lane voucher, but even the premium lanes had far more people than usual, at least 30-40 queuing. I moved to the other IC point about 150 m further on. Not many people in the ordinary queue and only three ahead of me at the premium lane. Because of the long lines at immigration (and the airline hadn't had arrival cards to hand out), the baggage from the flight had clogged the carousel and had been moved off by Thai staff. Hundreds of suitcases were awaiting collection. It's nights like that you can be happy to have signed up for Fast Track. Evil

Just back from 10 days of heavy duty traveling and in due order, I'll get back to some of the other points raised in this thread. But for now, I'll post the response of the general manager of The Sportsman to my review on Trip Advisor. "DartfordDarren, General Manager at The Sportsman Pub, responded to this review, 6 days ago Hi Firstly apologies if you felt you had a bad experience , we can only apologise if you were not satisfied and hope this does not deter you from future visits I have taken up the issues regarding your meal wit the kitchen and since revised the recipe for the cheese pies (it was from bbc good food mag) We will address the fries issue today m not acceptable" That was a very polite and reasonable response and if for no other reason, I'll change my usual policy and give The Sportsman a return visit in the near future. Evil

Since its start as a local restaurant in Florida in 1983, Hooters has benefited enormously from gossip, speculation and even negative public debate/protests. It's received the equivalent of millions of dollars in free publicity all over the world. Hooters has attracted more attention on the Pattaya boards than most of the 3,000 (5,000?) bars where P4P is readily available. There's a Hooters' thread on TPC than runs to 75 pages and 1,500 views; The main Hooters' thread on Addicts is 41 pages and 1,000 views. Both of those threads were quite long before Hooters Pattaya was even built, much less open. Mongers may not love to visit Hooters, but they sure love to talk about it. Evil

I'm not in Thailand right now, but I hope this one is run again soon as the special. Evil

The sausages you think look like "dried, tired human limp dick" are beef sausages made with far less fat than pork sausages. When smoked, the beef sausages also lose moisture, which causes the casing to wrinkle. Some sausages are supposed to look that way. Plump sausages in 7-11 are usually full of non-meat filler, whether animal parts or grain. Evil

Jocko didn't succeed in rattling my cage, but it sure looks like I rattled your cage and I wasn't even trying! The phrase "final question" referred to the final question (actually, there were two) in post #8, not my final question for the thread. In post #8, I asked you five other questions, none of which you answered. Nothing I have written in this thread is untrue. You are reading things into my posts that I never wrote, just like you attributed motivations for my review that I never had. For reasons of your own, you're giving my words an interpretation I never intended. To write a negative review of a bad meal is not a "sly and underhanded act." Never have have I boasted "about pallying up to the managers of nearly every other establishment that" I visit. But it's easy to prove me wrong- just cite a review or a report where I've made such a boast. In virtually every case where I know the manager of a restaurant or bar, it's because he has approached me, just as he would any other customer. This advice has been given to others before and it's particularly apt in your case: when you're in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. And when you're in a quagmire, stop struggling. You only make your situation worse. Evil

Now that's interesting! Vigilante justice on the part of a mod in a thread that has nothing to do with Gabor. It's particularly ironic because Gabor had launched a personal attack on me in this thread and the mods deleted his post. But what's jacko's ultimate goal? Is he hoping I'll become so rattled I'll post something that violates board rules so he can "formally" punish me? I'll never get that rattled; he should know that by now. But I would have speculated in a different direction on jacko's reason for wanting to rattle my cage, at least in this thread. Fatboyfat got himself stuck in a quagmire of his own making and couldn't extricate himself. In the end, he simply gave up, slipping under the muck of his own posts without further struggle, never to be heard from again in this thread. I believe jacko wanted to divert attention from FBF's failed attempts to disrupt my review by suggesting that I, too, was somehow at fault by quoting posts from Addicts. As you noted, that's a total red herring, but it is yet another example of the Chewbacca Defense, or deliberately muddling a discussion/debate/court case so the main issue is lost. But as you say, this is all speculation. Evil

Why would he want to do that? Evil

The relevant section on Addicts ( Restaurants, Cafe's, Take Aways & Nightlife Venues) is not protected and can be read by non-members. Evil

On Addicts, rule 28 says, "its against the rules to show protected content to non members." The Addicts' posts I quoted came from an area of the board which isn't protected ("Restaurants, Cafe's, Take Aways & Nightlife Venues" in the Public Forum.) Evil

Sausages come in hundreds of varieties depending on which meat and other ingredients are used; country of origin; and method of preparation. There's no one right way for sausage to look or taste. Almost every country or region in the world has its own style of sausage. It's just a matter of personal preference which you like best. Japan is considered to be the only major country (and cuisine) which doesn't feature sausage. That's because eating meat was discouraged in Japan until the late 1800s and didn't become widespread until the 20th century. The country never developed a tradition of sausage making. Evil

That's my plan for 2021. Seriously, if for any reason I get an unsatisfactory meal at a restaurant, I usually wait quite a while before going back. The exception would be if I've had several good meals previously and then get a bad one. I would figure the restaurant had an off day and give it another try. But if I reported on it, I would make no bones it wasn't good. I forget which chef said it, but there's a quote that goes something like, "A restaurant is only as good as the most recent meal it served." Evil

That was a very different set of circumstances- and your response was different, too. The post about the Indian restaurant was a brief one in which the OP claimed he'd gotten "terrible diarrhea" from eating there. He titled his report " Avoid (name of restaurant)" and the word "Avoid" was soon deleted by the mods. Also, the OP has never logged into Talk again after making that post. That was not a review, but a warning made on shaky grounds. I never claimed anyone got sick at The Sportsman, nor did I urge anyone not to eat there. I simply reported on the meal I got. Here was your response to the post about the Indian restaurant: Even though the OP in that thread had made much more serious remarks about the Indian restaurant than I did about The Sportsman, you didn't go to near the same length in criticizing his motivation for his warning as you did regarding my review. You seemed to regard the diarrhea warning as an unfortunate incident, not a deliberate attempt to unjustly disparage the restaurant. Evil

Believe me, I am thankful for all the help I can get. Evil

This thread is proving interesting. One BM thanks me for a "very well written review," while another accuses me of doing a "hatchet job" and attributing dark motivations to my review. It's like one of those pictures that can be interpreted in two ways. What do you see in this picture? My review of The Sportsman is no different from any other review I've ever done. I ordered a meal, took pictures of the food I got and wrote up my reaction to it. In this case, it was a negative reaction based on what was on the plate in front of me. How is that any different from any other review by me or another BM? Do you consider all negative restaurant reviews on Pattaya Talk to be "deliberate attempts to unnecessarily besmirch the local eateries;"? What is it that distinguishes my review of The Sportsman from any of the negative reviews of other restaurants by BMs who do food reviews? What intent is that? I have been posting food reviews (as well as bar reviews, trip reports, analysis, etc) to multiple boards for years. Take a look at the links in my signature. Except for the first one, all the others have been posted to Addicts, TPC and Live in addition to Talk. Ten years ago, I was posting to 11 different punter boards, not all of them Pattaya-centered. In total, I've probably posted to 25 different boards or blogs over the years. Many don't exist any longer; others are only the faintest shadows of their former selves so I no longer bother with them. In almost every case, I started posting to a board because I was asked to do so by the Admin or member of that board. Wow! That's quite a conspiracy theory! I have no idea who owns The Sportsman, nor was I aware of the owner's (or owners') other business interests. In fact, I thought a Bowmans Pie might be an occupational name like Sheperd's Pie or Ploughman's Lunch. Until I googled it, I didn't know The Sportsman had a pie-making sideline called Bowmans. But according to its Web site, it's also been around for many years. It's really silly to think that such a substantial operation like you say The Sportsman is could be threatened by a single bad review of one meal. One final question: Is the owner and/or manager of The Sportsman a friend of yours? Have you known him (them?) for a long time? Evil

I think you've hit it squarely. There are different conceptions of what is good food in various countries and sometimes these conceptions clash. That doesn't mean either side is "right" in terms of objective truth, but just that preferences aren't uniform across geographical borders. Case in point: boiled vegetables. What I think is way overcooked, many British consider to be OK. The type of "al dente" vegetable I prefer might get sent back by a British diner because it is under cooked. I've also noticed differing concepts of crispiness between the U.S. and the U.K. French fries I have thought were perfect- golden brown, crispy outside, fluffy inside- British friends have considered overcooked, almost burnt. That's why I'm skeptical about complaining to a manager who doesn't know me. What I may not like or regard as badly cooked could be exactly what most of his customers enjoy. I've seen this happen before and it has indeed led to awkward situations. I have to add that quite a few British BMs have commented negatively on The Sportsman's food. A lot of them feel it was better before and has deteriorated in recent years. Evil