Evil Penevil
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Posts posted by Evil Penevil
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Scottie's Restaurant & Minimart on the ground floor of the Centre Condo has been serving moderately priced farang food for nearly 20 years. The Centre Condo is located just off Pattaya Tai on Soi 24, about 150 meters west (towards the beach) from TukCom.
I tried one of the weekly specials, the spaghetti bolognese for 169 baht. It included two slices of garlic bread and a small serving of fresh salad. A large portion of spaghetti was topped with a generous amount of U.K.-style bolognese sauce. It was more spaghetti than I usually eat in one sitting when I make it myself at home.
The spaghetti was cooked properly; not too soft or hard, but, like Baby Bear's porridge, just right. The sauce had plenty of ground beef and (hurrah, hurrah) the taste wasn't overwhelmed by tomato paste. What it lacked was oregano and other Italian seasoning. That seems to be a characteristic of the U.K.-style spaghetti served in Pattaya. It's heavy on the ground beef but light on seasoning. There seems to be a fundamental difference between "spag bol" and North American spaghetti with meat sauce, Both stem from adaptations made by immigrants to the U.K. or U.S., but the U.S. version tastes more Italian.
The garlic bread was excellent, toasted nicely and with a good balance between butter and garlic. The salad thankfully came without the ubiquitous Thousand Islands dressing and I ate it with a sprinkling of vinegar. It wasn't a great meal, but certainly a good one for 169 baht and 30 baht for a bottle of water.
The menu at Scottie's otherwise consists of the usual Pattaya array of international comfort food, including pizza and Tex Mex dishes. Prices are moderate, but not as low as restaurants like the Hungry Hippo and Cheap Charlie's.
The restaurant was filled with a mixture of bric-a-brac, larger items for sale and Christmas decorations. Apparently Scottie's holds regular auctions and some (all?) of the items on display might have been destined for the block.
The cluttered appearance gave Scottie's a homey feel and look, assuming the home belongs to a hoarder.
Bingo is also an attraction at Scottie's, as are regular drawings for prizes.
I was given a ticket for the Christmas Day drawing, but since you have to be present as a paying customer to win, I won't be using it.
I had eaten at Scottie's a few times in the past when I lived near TukCom and the meals I had were good. It's not a convenient location for me these days, but I wouldn't hesitate to go there again.
It's worth mentioning that Scottie's has a low-priced Christmas turkey dinner.
Evil
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Another low-price option, this time from Scottie's Restaurant & Minimart in the Center Condo complex off Pattaya Tai near TukCom:
And an expensive one:
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The food area of the basement level of Central Festival is now divided into three distinct components, plus new and old restaurants.
The three components are:
1) Food Park, the heir of the original food court:
Food Park has been in operation since July and I described it in the OP.
2) A more upscale area called Beach Eats that been open a couple of weeks:
3) A counter-service area that appears to be an extension of the supermarket, the Central Festival Food Hall:
In addition, there are several restaurants on the basement level:
Beach Eats has recently opened in the mid-section of the level. It appears to be aimed at Thais and Asian tourists, with higher prices than usual for a food court. I took the following pics at about 4.00 p.m. and as you can see, there weren't many customers. That's certainly a big difference from the pre-renovation days at the old Central Festival food court when it would be filled to the last seat much of the day. This pic gives an idea of how it used to be:
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McDonalds, Burger King and KFC were busy when I took these pics. They don't have many seats, so it's easy for them to fill up. The other restaurants outside the food courts had no cutomers at all.
Gotta love plastic models of food.
The Food Court is next to McDonalds at the Beach Road end of the level. It also had few customers.
A number of spaces intended for restaurants remained unused.
De Tummour is a national chain of Thai Isaan restaurants with an emphasisi on somtam and other spicy dishes. It should be popular among Pattaya's bar girls but I doubt it will have broad appeal among tourists.
Bottom line: The renovated food courts at Central Festival seem to have bet heavily on attracting Thais and Asians as their predominant customer base. So far it doesn't seem to be working out for them.
I wasn't inspired to eat at any of the food court variations and went with the new Ramen Ippudo restaurant.
You can read my review of Ippudo in this section.
Evil
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Ramen Ippudo is a chain of Japanese ramen (noodle) restaurants with 207 outlets in 13 countries on four continents. It's regarded as Japan's foremost ramen chain, noted for keeping traditional flavors in some dishes while experimenting with new flavors in others.
I tried the recently opened Ippudo branch in the basement level of Central Festival. It joins the 17 Ippudo restaurants in Bangkok where Ippudo's approach to ramen has proved very popular. Ippudo has also been a hit in New York City.
At 4.30 p.m., I was the only customer. I had walked past it at 4.00 p.m., and there weren't any customers then, either. A few did come in while I was eating, though.
I ordered a small bowl of Zero Ramen soup for 130 baht, plus 50 baht extra for two soft boiled eggs as a topping.
This is the dish than made Ippudo famous when it first opened its first restaurant in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1985. It originally served Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen, a specialty of the Fukuoka region. Tonkotsu means "pork bones" in Japanese, which are the basis of the soup's broth.
The bones are boiled for hours, which gives the broth a mild yet subtle flavor and cloudy appearance. Cooked ramen noodles, traditionally firm in the middle, are then added with slices of pork belly, chopped spring onion, sesame seeds and whatever other toppings the diner chooses.
On request, the staff at Ippudo will bring you containers of pickled ginger and cloves of fresh garlic to use as toppings. There is a garlic press on the table.
The Zero Ramen was very good. The broth was excellent, about as far away from instant ramen as it's possible to get. Although I had ordered a small bowl, it was certainly enough to fill me up. The one thing that irritated me was the price was ++, meaning the it jumped to about 150 baht after VAT and the service tax.
The menu at Ippudo emphasizes ramen, but other dishes, such as rice bowls, chicken teriyaki buns, salmon, gyoza, appetizers, etc. are also on the menu. Some pics from Ippudo's Facebook page:
The above is one of Ippudo's fusion "innovations," an Asian-style steam bun filled with chicken teriyaki or roast pork.
Bottom line: Prices at Ramen Ippudo are moderate, if not cheap. The branch at Central Festival is a good place to enjoy Japanese comfort food in unpretentious surroundings. I will definitely be back to try more dishes.
Evil
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I had the Robin Hood's Sunday roast tonight. The food at the RH has improved a lot under new management, so I decided try the roast beef dinner, Normally I order chicken or lamb as the roast beef and roast pork have seldom been good in Pattaya. But since the RH has been on a winning streak, I went all in and had the roast beef. I wasn't disappointed.
I had the small plate at 199 baht, which was more than enough for me. There's also a large fixed plate dinner for 299 baht and the "all-you-can-eat" cavery buffet that includes soup and dessert for 395 baht. Each dinner has a choice of five meats: beef, pork, honey glazed ham, lamb and chicken.
The fixed-plate meals come with Yorkshire pudding, mashed and roasted potatoes, peas, carrots, cabbage and a boat of gravy, plus a small portion of stuffing and a bacon-wrapped cocktail sausage.
The beef was tender and full of flavor. The Yorkshire pudding was puffy and light, just as it should be. The gravy had been made from scratch. The mashed potatoes were but the roasties were a bit soggy, possibly from standing in a warming tray. The carrots had been grilled, which was a nice Touch. The cabbage had actually been undercooked. That has to be the first time I've ever encountered a vegetable that hadn't been boiled long enough in a British-style Sunday roast dinner.
The beef is the star of any Sunday roast and while it didn't exactly shine at RH, it was certainly good. No complaints on my part.
The condiment basket included a jar of Coleman's Mustard, which goes very well with roast beef.
I had had a fixed-plate Sunday roast in February when the RH had been under its old management. That meal had mediocre at best. No question the Robin Hood Tavern has seen a strong turn around in terms of its food.
Below is a pic from the RH's Facebook page. The perspective exaggerates the size of the roast and vegetables!
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On 12/12/2018 at 9:35 PM, Evil Penevil said:
And two on Soi Diana near LK Metro. The Robin's Nest has a three- course, all-you-can-eat buffet and Harry's is going with a traditional Swedish Christmas Eve buffet. The Robin's Nest doesn't accept reservations for Christmas dinner, while reservations are mandatory at Harry's.
Here's a translation of Harry's Christmas Eve menu:
Welcome to celebrate Christmas with us at Harry's Restaurant on December 24th in Pattaya!
Traditional Swedish Christmas Table with Meatballs, Pickled Beet Salad, Herring (several types), Pickled Salmon, Smoked Salmon, Red Cabbage, Priinskorv (sausage), Ham, Jansson's Temptation (potato and anchovy casserole), Spare Ribs, Deviled Eggs, Liver pâté, Rice a la Malta, Fruit Salad, Mulled Wine, Gingerbread, Scandinavian Shots & much more!
995 baht
Only bookings with 500 baht in deposit.
First seating: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Second searing: 7.30 p.m. untill late
The menus and prices are the same this year as last, so I'll use the quote function.
Evil
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The Pullman Pattaya has an out-of-the-way location on Wong AmartBeach in Naklua. The price for the Christmas brunch is reasonable, considering what you get. It also fearures roast goose instead of turkey.
More details from the Hard Rock. It ain't Cheap Charlie's, but its Christmas meals are decent value-for-money for what you're getting. The prices are net, not ++.
At the Royal Cliff, it's elegant and expensive. Since the price is ++, add 17.5% to the prices before.
The Amari Pattaya is also ++, so add 17.5% to the price.
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This one is going to be sold out for sure, so jump on it fast if you're interested. A lot of expats have a Cheap Charlie's Rewards Card and the discount price of 475 baht is the lowest I've seen for a turkey dinner. The one downside is that Christmas pudding isn't offered, but mince pie will be good enough for many.
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Casa Pascal on 2nd Road near The Avenue. It's another expensive one, but top-rate food. The price is in tiny print: 1,590 baht for Christmas lunch and 1,890 baht for dinner on Dec. 24th and Dec. 25th. EDIT IN: The price is ++, so add another 17.5%.
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And when money is not an object:
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Two in Jomtien:
And one on the Darkside, but only if you're not looking for a traditional English or American Christmas dinner:
Evil
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The best value-for-money Christmas dinner in town is the all-you-can-eat buffet at Chik-N-Coop bar in the beer bar complex diagonally across the street from Mike's Mall on 2nd Road. It costs 500 baht.
It's a U.S.-style dinner with American touches like different kinds of stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and green bean casserole as well as roast turkey and ham, mashed potatoes, veggies, etc. All the food is in the best tradition of home cooking. Thai dishes are on offer for wives and girl friends who aren't fans of farang meals.
Coop has a very loyal following for his holiday buffets and Christmas dinner is sold out every year. If it sounds good, get your ticket ASAP.
A couple of things to note: there are cookies, candy and homemade fudge for dessert but no Christmas pudding or pie. It's also open-air dining on folding tables and plastic chairs.
Another inexpensive option is the Devonshire on oi Lengkee:
If you want to fill up on turkey and the trimmings at Coop's, you could go to the Devonshire for Christmas pudding as it's a separate course.
Evil
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On 11/5/2019 at 3:49 PM, jacko said:
I was in Europe with a group of Muslims and they got quite upset over finding ham in their salad, wouldn't touch it or order again.
When I worked in NYC, we had about 20 people (out of 3,000) who were orthodox Jews or Muslims as well as a few Hindus and Jains who had religious reservations about meat eating. They wouldn't even use the microwaves and fridges the other employees used. They had their own fridge, microwave and eating area in a locked room to which only they had keys. It was also used as a Muslim prayer room.
However, the strictest Jews and Muslims wouldn't even use that room. They only ate food they brought with them or bought in a halal or kosher restaurant.
On 11/4/2019 at 11:01 AM, Yujin said:I haven't tried it yet, but vegans are being warned that if you go to Burger King or another fast food restaurant, there will be cross-contamination since they are cooked on the same grill as their beef patties.
Burger King has an option for vegans that involves cooking the Impossible Burger in a microwave. But I doubt many vegans would go to Burger King under any circumstances other than to be .able to criticize it on the basis of experience. People who become vegans are often opposed to chain restaurants out of principle.
16 hours ago, BeerBelly said:Hmmm... I know it's not the impossible burger, but I heard the Beyond Burger was close. I don't want to try it as a healthy option or anything. I just want to try it to see if all the people "who can't tell it's not meat" are actually lying.
I don't know if they are lying, but they must not have very discriminating taste buds.
9 hours ago, js007 said:I've had the Beyond Meat version that they sell in the grocery stores. I could probably tell it from a normal hamburger, but still, they aren't that bad. And for someone trying to avoid beef, they would be great.
That's the intended target customer base for the Impossible Burger. It's for people who need to cut down on meat for health or ethical reasons but still want to visit a fast food restaurant. The IB isn't aimed specifically at committed vegetarians and vegans.
Evil
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Today I tried one of the Saturday specials, the Philly cheesesteak at 199 baht. Here's the pic from RH's Facebook page:
It looked very similar to what I got on my plate, although maybe the portion was somewhat smaller. It was even the waitress in the pic who served me.
According to the RH Facebook page, the sandwich consists of "Slow roasted topside of beef, sautéed green peppers and onions, melted cheddar cheese, garlic mayo, toasted baguette," with a side of "French fries or sweet potato fries."
A Philadelphia-born cheesesteak purist wouldn't approve, but the Robin Hood's sandwich was close to some cheesesteak variations that are served in Philly. And most importantly, it tasted good. The beef was tender and full of flavor. The baguette was fresh and properly toasted. The fries were crispy. No complaints on my part, especially when it cost 199 baht.
One curious thing: the cheesesteak special wasn't on the menu, nor did I see it on a sign inside the restaurant. If I hadn't read about it on the RH Facebook page, I wouldn't have known it was on offer.
I'll be back to try more of the Robin Hood menu.
Evil
For reference, this is what a Philly cheesesteak without Cheez Wiz and green pepper slices looks like in the U.S. The cheese is provolone and the pic is from the Net.
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The Beyond Burger is now on the menu at Dicey Reilly's on 2nd Road.
Evil
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Christmas Eve costs 999 baht and Christmas Day is 1,199 baht, but early birds who book by Dec. 20 with get a discount (850 b on Xmas Eve, 999 baht on Xmas Day). Children under 5 eat free.
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The Robin Hood Tavern has a Christmas Eve carvery as well as Christmas lunch and dinner.
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Time for a badly needed update. The Robin Hood Tavern went through a major crisis in 2019 but seems to have gotten back on track under new management. I don't know who owns it now, but a young Belgian chef named Max is involved on the food side and he has totally revamped the menu and food service. According to a lot of reports, the dishes there are consistently good now. I haven't tried it yet and the info below comes from RH's Facebook page.
For those who favor traditional UK pub fare, the Ploughman's Lunch looks good at 199 baht:
There's also a larger "Big Boy" version at 325 baht:
The all-you-can-eat Sunday carvery is popular:
There's also Max's Menu, which goes beyond pub food:
It seems like the Robin Hood Tavern is worth another visit.
Evil
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@frostfire and @BeerBelly
Here's the clip I was telling you about. And to all other members- it's worth watching, funny as hell, but American-style humor.
Evil
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Two more:
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More suggestions for Christmas dinner 2019. The restaurants listed for 2018 will, of course, be offering a similar dinner this year.
,,,,,
The Sportsman (name on menu is in really small print):
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The Hard Rock has two Christmas buffets, a giant one in Starz Diner and a much more limited carvery in the Hard Rock Cafe. If you just want turkey and all the trimmings plus Christmas desserts (plum pudding, etc), then the Hard Rock Cafe's carvery is enough. I haven't seen an ad yet for the Starz Diner buffet.
A Taste of Norway is the former Linda's in Jomtien under new management. The buffet menu lists traditional Norwegian Christmas dishes.
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Pattaya 15th Most Popular Intl Travel Destination
in General Discussion about Pattaya
Posted
Pattaya is the 15th most popular travel destination in the world, according to Mastercard's Global Destination Cities Index for 2019. For the fourth straight year, Bangkok ranked as number one with 22.78 million international overnight visitors in 2018. Phuket placed 14th with 9.89 million, one notch above Pattaya with 9.44 million.
Thailand is the only country to have three destinations among the top 20. The Mastercard Index covers 200 destinations worldwide. Whatever Thai authorities are doing to promote tourism to Thailand, it seems to be working.
There's a lot of really interesting information in the report about tourist spending in Pattaya, the importance of tourism to the local economy and the productivity of Thai workers in Pattaya. The pages below will give you an idea, but for the more complicated stuff, you need to visit the site.
Please note the Mastercard Index only counts international overnight visitors. Domestic tourists and "day trippers" of any nationality are excluded. According to a different source, Pattaya had about 6.5 million domestic tourists in 2018, bringing total tourism to nearly 16 million. It ain't no ghost town.
More detail about the top 20.
Bangkok is the top international destination for mainland Chinese and number three for Japanese visitors. Pattaya ranks second for Russians and Phuket third.
I excluded a lot of countries under this heading to save space. It's interesting to note that in 2018, China contributed almost 40% of the international visitors to Bangkok. Last year China, Russia and South Korea accounted for nearly 50% of the visitors to Pattaya. The 10 years from 2009 to 2019, the Russian share of the Pattaya tourist market has gone down by nearly half, while the Chinese share has more than doubled.
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Bangkok ranks third in terms of most spending by international visitors, while Phuket ranks 10th. Pattaya doesn't place in the top 20.