Evil Penevil

I'm updating this thread to announce the 2014 donation visit to the Camillian Social Centre in Rayong on Dec. 21. The Centre will send a van to transport the participants and we'll leave the Walking Street area around 2.00 p.m. If you have your own transport or prefer to arrange it on your own, that's good, too. I bumped up this old thread because it already contains pics which give a good idea of what happens. Just a couple of points: How much you choose to donate and what form it takes is up to you. If you want to donate cash directly to the Centre, that's great, but it's also fine to donate foodstuffs and other supplies. I'd suggest you not go too heavy on the candy/toys angle, as that is pretty well covered at this point. There will probably be additional visits to other groups which support Thai children, but this is the one I'm sure about at the moment. If you are interested in participating on Dec. 21, just send me a PM and I'll get back to you with all the details. The kids really do enjoy these visits, so I hope a few of you will participate. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Santa Penevil

JetBlue also offers free WiFi at 35,000 Feet.

No password required. Evil Right now I'm using the free JetBlue hotspot at JFK. It's also a high-speed connection.

I don't know if it covers every inch, but all the public waiting areas, at the gates and elsewhere, had the "free WiFi" signs. Evil

It works very well. Evil

The lighting in Sky Bar makes it very difficult to take pics of food. The red fluorescent light fools the camera's image sensors and it's hard to compensate for it. Evil

Had a great steak sandwich the other night at Sky Bar. Very tender filet mignon with blue cheese on a baguette. Really delicious. A while back i had the grilled cheese sandwich, deluxe version. Both these dishes were "surprises." I walked into Sky Bar and was offered them. Everything I've had at Skeeter's bar has been delicious. Evil

Dicey's had a full roast turkey when I ate there in April. I believe the Queen Vic on Soi 6 still has roast turkey breast as part of its Sunday carvery, but I'm not 100% sure. On another note, I've done a review of the Sunday roast at Nicky's on Soi Bukhao here: Evil

We had an excellent Sunday lunch at Nicky's Bar on Soi Bukhao. The four male diners had roast dinners (one chicken, one lamb, two trios of meats), while the two ladies had Thai dishes. Everyone was pleased with his or her meal. The three of us who had eaten at Punch & Judy the week before thought Nicky's version of the Sunday roast was better. The meat at Nicky's wasn't overcooked and the veggies hadn't been boiled too long. The Yorkshire was fine - crisp outside and soft inside. It had risen properly and was tender, not at all rubbery. The potatoes had been roasted long enough for the outside to caramelize a bit, but the inside remained fluffy. Bottom line: one of the best, if not the best, Sunday roast I've had in Pattaya. One friend's chicken (half the chicken)hadn't been overcooked. In the recent past, both he and I had gotten very dry chicken at another restaurant. Cost: 265 baht. Two other friends had the trio of meats (lamb, pork and beef). At Nicky's, you can choose between small and large portions and they chose the large. Basically, the large portions comes with more meat and potatoes. The well of their Yorkshires had been filled with bread dressing, which didn't come with the meals lanzalad and I ordered. Cost: 360 baht for small, large 390 baht. I ordered the small portion of lamb, but it was certainly large enough for me. Cost: 340 baht for small, large 370 baht. Thai pork and vegetable soup with noodles. The lady added the hot sauce herself. Cost: 100 baht. Fried squid with chili and basil. Cost: 160 baht Evil

Bouqetta - The Istanbul Restaurant at The Avenue shopping center on 2nd Road is owned by Turkish people and has a full shisha setup. I don't know if you'd like the food, but I'm sure it would be no problem for you to smoke shisha there. Evil

Probably he means TR. Evil

After some excellent Sunday meals at the P&J, the lunch on Nov. 16 was a disappointment. Mine was overcooked to the point that it was almost inedible. Here's what it looked like: The chicken and roast potatoes were badly overcooked, while the Yorkshire pudding was flat-out burned. The chicken breast was very dry, as were the roast potatoes. It's possible they dried out because they were left too long in a warming tray. The Yorkshire had been left in the oven too long. A friend, who'd gotten dry chicken the two previous Sundays, went with the trio of meats. His Yorkshire was also overdone and it looked like he got scraps of meat rather than clean slices. In comparison, here's the roast lamb dinner I had on Nov. 2: Very different! The P&J was busy Nov 16 and that could account in part for the poor meal I got. Too many plates going out when a kitchen is short-staffed is behind a lot of restaurant misses. That's not an excuse, but it is an explanation. I've had many good meals in the past and I won't stop going because of one bad meal. However, on Sundays I'll probably try something else from the menu rather than the roast, especially if P&J looks busy. There were no complaints about the meals the "non-roast" diners i our goup had that day. I think I'll try the salmon steak next time. Evil

Last night I had the lamb kebab plate at Istanbul, a Turkish restaurant next to McDonalds at The Avenue Mall on 2nd Road. In US English, kebab refers to shish kebab, or small chunks of meat grilled on a skewer. Istanbul offers several different types of kebab, including doner kebab. My plate included two skewers of tender lamb, a grilled sweet pepper, half a grilled tomato, rice and salad. Not cheap at 350 baht, but very good with a noticeable charcoal taste, which I like . It's not often you get lamb in Pattaya as tender as this was. I'll be back to try more dishes on the menu. Istanbul offers lahmacun, often called Turkish pizza. It's a flat bread topped with minced lamb or beef, herbs and sometimes chopped vegetables. Traditionally, it doesn't use a tomato sauce or cheese. It developed independent of the Italian pizza , as topped flat breads have been common for centuries in several cuisines. Last night I had the basic lahmacun plate at 260 baht. It was good, but a bit bland. Next time I'll go for one of the kicked-up types. I also noted there were Italian pizzas on the menu, but I can't understand why anyone would go to a Turkish restaurant to order Italian pizza. It's a smallish restaurant, seating about 20 inside and another eight or 10 outside. Shisha and cocktails seem to be popular with the outside guests, The menu at Istanbul is concentrated on kebabs, flatbreads and salads. It also offers Thai dishes. Not cheap, but it holds a good standard in terms of quality. It's very convenient for me, about five minutes' walk from my condo, so I'll be back to try some of dishes I've never had before. Evil

To give some perspective: what we call spaghetti bolognese (spaghetti topped with a tomato-garlic-herb-ground beef sauce) isn't an authentic Italian dish in that it isn't served or eaten in Italy by Italian people. Traditionally, Italians don't put meat sauces on spaghetti but on other types of pasta because the sauce "clings" better to those forms of pasta (ribbon or ribbed) than to spaghetti. Spag bol was created by an Italian chef outside Italy as an adaptation to local tastes, preferences and availability of ingredients. It's similar to dishes like chicken tikka masala, chow mein, chop suey, chili con carne and various types of multi-topped pizza. All were invented by immigrant chefs serving customers not very familiar with the cuisine of the chef's home country. There's a significant difference between southern and northern styles of Italian cooking. Spaghetti with tomato sauce belongs to the southern style, while northerners have preferred fresh pasta in ribbon form (basically what we would consider egg noodles) and sauces without such a pronounced tomato taste. There is a classic Italian sauce called "ragu alla bolognese," but it is very different to the spag bol sauce we mostly encounter. Also, the real Bolognese sauce is NEVER put on spaghetti, but on tagliatelle or a ribbed pasta like penne. . Quite simply, spag bol is a southern Italian dish to which ground beef has been added as a nod to the culinary preferences of diners outside Italy. Calling it spaghetti bolognese is a misnomer and there's no such dish by that name in restaurants in Italy. (Possible exception- if a restaurant caters almost exclusively to foreign tourists, it might list spaghetti bolognese on its menu). Also worth noting that the name "spaghetti bolognese" isn't used much in North America. There it is referred to as "spaghetti with meat sauce" or just "spaghetti." Regarding portion size: In Italy, pasta dishes are normally served as a "first course" between the appetizer (starter, antipasto) and the "second course" (main, entre). Spaghetti on its own, no matter what kind of sauce, is not often eaten as a main dish in Italy but it is common. for it to become the main course outside Italy. In the end, though, it doesn't matter how "authentic" a dish is; it's the taste that is important. On that count, Fire and Stone is ahead of a lot of other restaurants. Evil

The Christmas decorations should be up in short order at Central Plaza. Evil

Just about any Top Charoen shop will do minor repairs in a matter of minutes. Evil

Posted 06 November 2014 - 07:49 AM Fire and Stone is new pizzeria on Pattaya Klang close to Beach Road. It's a strong contender for the title of "Best Pizza in Town." It also offers a limited number of other classic Italian dishes, including appetizers, salads and pasta. That's a good idea, as it's better to have a menu with a few dishes done well than a massive menu with many mediocre items. It's a small, open-front restaurant that's been done up nicely. The owners are very friendly and talk with the guests, which contributes to the pleasant ambiance. It's also good that you can see your food being prepared. I had the pizza salsiccia as my main course. It was done in the style I prefer: thin crust with a good char and a moderate amount of sauce and topping (Italian sausage and mozzarella). My appetizer the night I ate alone- a selection of fine Italian cheeses. I just wish it had come with bread. Very good spag bol at 267 baht. The sauce used proper Italian sausage and not minced beef.

Marks & Spencer has opened a food section in one part of its store on the lower level of the Central Festival Mall. It sells "Quintessentially British" foodstuffs, mostly sweets, biscuits, jams, teabags and other dry and pckaged goods with a long shelf life. I didn't have much time to look, but there seemed to be a lot of wine as well. The shop already has Christmas pudding on offer; I imagine more Christmas items will hit the shelves in the coming weeks. The prices aren't for the faint of heart. Evil

Another good meal at the Punch and Judy. It wasn't much different from the meal I described in post #103, but it's reassuring the quality hasn't slipped. Sunday roast special at 310 baht, with SML at 80 b. I chose the lamb, but other meat options (beef, pork, chicken) were available. For more info, including the location, check out post #103. I also had a good meal at Tequila Reef. The East LA burrito was about a foot long and very tasty. It was the Thursday special at 225 baht. My friend had two tacos. More info on Tequila Reef can be found in post #43. Evil

Just a brief update on J Daeng, A friend and I had supper there a few nights ago before hitting the bars on LK Metro. J Deng is mostly noted or seafood, grilled seafood in particular, but we weren't looking for a seafood feast. We just wanted a quick meal to cushion our stomachs against the coming onslaught of alcohol. He's a big fan of salmon steak and remembered it being good at J. Daeng. I decided to go with several standard Thai dishes. I had green curry with shrimp: Sweet and sour pork: Fried rice with salty fish: My friend had a garden salad: followed by salmon steak and French fries: He was well pleased with his meal. The salad cost 80 baht, the salmon 240 baht. My shrimp curry was 120 baht for a small portion (you can order small, medium or large), same price for a small portion of the sweet and sour pork. The fried rice was 80 baht. All the dishes I ordered tasted fine. We sat down at 8 pm and the place was packed. We got the only two seats available at a small table at the very front of the restaurant. The other guests looked to be Russians, Thais and other Asians mostly eating seafood. In short, J Daeng remains a solid if unspectacular restaurant in central Pattaya, Evil

It may not be the best in Pattaya, but probably the cheapest: At Pizza Pizza at the Avenue (2nd Road, diagonally across from the Marriott.) I haven't tried it and probably won't; just posting in case anyone wants bargain pizza Evil