Evil Penevil

Happy National Watermelon Day! ... And August 3 is also (I kid you not), National "Grab Some Nuts Day" in the U.S. I wonder if it is celebrated in Pattaya? Just about every day, week and month of the year is associated with some sort of "food holiday" in the U.S. Some are official in the sense that they have been proclaimed by an elected official or body, ranging from the President and Congress down to mayors of tiny villages. Most, however, are backed by an industry group or association. It's kind of fun to think that then-President Ronald Reagan pr

An update to keep everyone abreast of some recent developments at MK. The a la carte menu has been expanded for those who don't like the "Thai suki" hotpot-style meals. There are more roast duck and pork dishes, with several combos (duck and pork or several types of pork on the same platter). They all cost 305 baht, which is good value for money. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics as we had the hotpot the other day. I should have snapped a pic of the menu, but I was distracted. They say a watched pot never boils, so I was looking elsewhere. Anyway, here's a c

Skeeter announced on his Facebook page that slow-cooked ribs and potato salad will be served tonight. I don't think I'll be able to make it tonight, but if anyone wants to try it, you'll probably want to get there no later than 8.00 pm. Also keep in mind it's a snack, a taster's portion if you will, not a full meal. And don't forget to buy a few drinks! Evil

Dropped by the Sky Bar last night to uh, say hello, to one of the ladies there. Skeeter was in the midst of serving up buttermilk fried chicken wings. He likes to put his own twist on familiar dishes by experimenting with ingredients and spices, but this was straight-up classic fried chicken. .. It was delicious! Skeeter's fried chicken is to KFC what a Lamborghini Gallardo is to a Ford Escort. Southern fried chicken is not an easy dish to do properly. It's very labor-intensive and the cooking process can be a real hassle. Opinions vary, but I think it is crucial that the chicken

Now that I have your attention ... it's going to be about FOOD on Soi Six. It's not a restaurant and food is only available on an occasional basis, but the Sky Bar on Soi 6 serves up some of the best American food in Pattaya thanks to Skeeter's skills as a chef. Last night I had the Sloppy Joe and it was delicious. Skeeter knows how to take a simple dish to the maximum through proper ingredients and cooking and the right seasoning. For non-American group members, a Sloppy Joe is technically a "loose meat sandwich," consisting of ground beef and onions simmered in a tomato

An update after another meal at Pakbungloyfah. My companion started off her meal with her favorite appetizer, raw oysters. I admired an appetizer, but didn't partake just then. We began with lab talay, or herbed seafood salad. It was very fresh and delicately flavored, no heat at all. The main course was spareribs on a sizzling platter: We also had pak bung: Low season is also affecting even venerable Thai restaurants. There were very few other customs at 6.30 p.m. Our meal, excluding drinks, w

Only in Photoshop. Evil

I'm not going to go into much length about the other dishes. They were all good if unremarkable. The portions were always big. Chicken Maryland: Chicken korma, a mild curry dish popular in the UK: Salad and potato wedgies: Grilled salmon steak: Hot meatloaf sandwich. Now that's real American comfort food, but a bit heavy and filling in a tropical climate. A few Thai dishes: . Bottom line: The PBG is a great place to have a drink and a bite to eat while watching the su

I dreamt again last night that I'd blithely skipped through a minefield, so I thought I'd do a review of the Pattaya Beer Garden. It's the kind of place that, for reasons not entirely clear to me, awakes strong feelings. Some love it, others hate it and the discussions between the lovers and haters has indeed gotten very heated at times on the Pattaya boards. I'm in the middle. I don't dislike PBG, but it's not among my favorites. A lot of the attraction of the PBG has to do with factors other than the food. Its location at the start of Walking Street is ideal and the panoramic

I'm updating this thread because Fuji has a new dish on offer- lightly grilled tofu topped with enokitake (long, thin mushrooms). I really thought it sounded and looked good on the menu and was eager to try it. Anticipation is an important part of any meal. Natural ingredients and proper presentation also play a role. The presentation was excellent and what's underneath the enokitake covering was delicious. "Mouth feel" is also a significant factor in tofu and sushi dishes. They should glide on the tongue and almost melt in your mouth. The taste was subtle, w

He isn't. I had lunch with him and his wife yesterday. Evil

Edit in July 27, 9.28 pm- Still not able to upload photos, but I found a work-around that was a bit of a hassle. Sorry for the disjointed review. Pakbungloyfah is an excellent but inexpensive Thai seafood and sizzling platter restaurant on 2nd Road. It's located between Sois 13/3 and 13/4 and is directly across the street from the intersection of 2nd Road and Soi 15. It's open between 4 p.m. and 4 a.m. seven days a week. . With a name like Pakbungloyfah, you know it's not catering to hordes of Pattaya farang tourists. . Thais, including families with children, are its dominant

This morning I had the "Norway breakfast" - two scrambled eggs topped with smoked salmon. It comes with a small glass of orange juice, a cup of coffee or tea, two pieces of toast, butter, marmalade and three slices of tomato and a slice of as the garnish. Not bad for 107 baht. Of course, it won't satisfy those who want a big breakfast, but not everyone does. The Norwegian breakfast is also available throughout the day as a light meal or snack. The eggs were properly scrambled with herbs and finely diced vegetables. The smoked salmon was Scandinavian style and good. A light breakfast, b

Four of the five were ex-FLB hostesses. Three of them are now working at a beer bar on Soi Bukhao, the fourth no longer "works bar" but was there visiting her friends. The fifth was a lady I'd never met before, but works in the Soi Bukhao BB. Basically, they were sitting in the BB hanging out after the girls' shift had ended. I walked past on my way to listen to the live music at the Rockhouse and they of course were happy to see me. They all wanted to come along. No bar fins were involved. After the Rockhouse, we went to Lady Love to say hello to Alice, Goi, Hall, Bill and the other ex-

Edit in: Unfortunately, the Balcony went of business at the end of March. It lasted just 10 months. Quite by accident, I discovered Friday night a restaurant in which I had never eaten and probably never would, had it not been for an odd set of circumstances. I had five Thai girls with me Friday night and we were going to eat a very late (midnight) dinner in the LK Metro area. I had planned on taking them to the "Tin Cups" restaurant (a k a "Hole-in-the-Wall" or "No-name" restaurant) on Soi Bukhao, but one of the girls absolutely refused to set foot in it. I'm not sure why, but I don't th

Yesterday I had the seafood buffet at Edge on the 15th floor of the Hilton Pattaya Hotel. It's the Friday buffet at Edge (different one each day of the week) and is billed as a Seafood BBQ Buffet, but I didn't think the BBQ angle was that strong. There was a variety of seafood available, but only three items - river prawns, squid and shrimp skewers and sea bass in banana leaf - were BBQ'd "on demand." A very classy walkway into Edge. It also shares an impressive entrance display with Flare, the Hilton's Thai restaurant that's open in the evening. Edge has beautiful dining areas i

Official at the Thai consulate in NYC told me in mid-June that those who get multiple entry visas in their home countries, then go back to their countries for a week or 10 days, won't be hassled when re-entering Thailand at an airport to activate the second or third entry. It's those with visas from Thai embassies in neighboring countries and who try to re-enter Thailand from a land crossing that may have problems after Aug 12. As long as you regularly return to your home country, even for a short stay, and have a return trip booked each time you enter Thailand, you can still continue to ge

Everyone was upfront at that point.

Last night I had another good meal at Pattayanis Greek Taverna. I have a pent-up craving for Greek food as I haven't had it much since moving to Pattaya. Greek food is a personal favorite of mine- a ballet on the tongue, not a break dance. I had the saganaki (fried feta cheese - 150 baht) and the kefte macaronada (Greek meatballs with tomato-basil sauce over spaghetti- 290 baht). My dining companion wasn't hungry and ordered just two home-made village-style sausages, plus sampling my meal. The saganaki was delicious with a squeeze of lemon. The s

In the back, it has a section with tables and chairs. The pic is from an earlier party there: Evil

A fair number of tourists probably weren't aware the bars were closed for Buddha days. On Friday and Saturday nights, I was asked multiple times on the street and on baht buses by people from several different countries if I knew why the bars were closed. I believe there was concern on their part that it might have something to do with an official crackdown. They simply weren't aware it was a religious holiday. I think many tourists went to WS expecting the bars to be open. And once they were there, they walked around. Evil

I had dinner last night at the Wok N Rok on Soi Bukhao, which as its banner proclaims, features U.K.-style Chinese food for on-site dining or takeaway. It's not hard to find, but it can be easy to miss when riding the baht bus. That's why the banner is useful; pretty hard to miss that one. When heading north on Soi Bukhao, it's on your right about 1/3 of the way between Soi Diana and Pattaya Klang. There was a good crowd at the Wok N Rok last night to enjoy the food and the conversation, as it also functions as a bar. Wok N Rok features the same type of food you'd find in a Chinese re

I had the moussaka last night. It was excellent and well worth the 280 baht! Layers of egg plant, potatoes and minced meat, subtly spiced and topped with a fluffy bechamel-type sauce the Greeks usually call "cream." And then we got a couple of bouzouki songs from the owner. He also poured the diners complimentary glasses of Efe raki from Turkey. It tastes like ouzo, but is very smooth and packs quite a wallop at 90 proof. It was as close as you can come in Pattaya to a real Greek taverna experience. I don't think it has much

I've been eating too much meat recently, so I'm giving meat-heavy dishes a rest for a few days. I'll be back to try the lamb, but I'll probably try the moussaka first, maybe tomorrow. The Greek salad is awesome and I love feta, especially the high-quality stuff at Pattayanis. Evil