Evil Penevil

(The pic above is from Moon's Facebook page. I went back after my first visit to take an exterior pic in daylight, but Moon was for interior work. My pics below). The Moon Diner has been open in Tree Town for about six weeks and I tried it for dinner a few days ago with two friends. Its theme for the menu, decor and background music is an American diner from the 1950's and 1960's. Of course, the Moon Diner has about as much in common with a real U.S. diner as the Siam Garden Restaurant in Norman, Oklahoma would have with any popular Thai restaurant in Pattaya. But that's beside the point. From what I've seen in real life and in Facebook pictures, the Moon's customers are by a big margin Thais. Not farang, certainly not Americans, but Thais who have never gotten closer to the U.S. than a TV or movie screen. The Moon Diner is playing into what its customers think an American diner should have been like 50 or 60 years ago. According to Moon Diner's Facebook page, the direct inspiration is Mel's Drive-In from the iconic 1973 film, American Graffiti. Mel's was a real restaurant, but outside San Francisco, not in Modesto, CA, the site of American Graffiti. Actually, Moon is closer in form and spirit to Arnold's Diner in the TV series Happy Days. The layout with booth and counter seating is typical for some traditional diners in the U.S. but what the heck- you can't mistake it's supposed to be American something. The Moon is covered with every possible American symbol, including three U.S. flags inside and four on the roof! And you have to love the statue of Marilyn Monroe ... as well as the baseball bat and catcher's mitt on the counter. To cut to the chase-the food at Moon is good- not great, but good. It is expensive for what you get and portions are adequate but not large. The decor and lighting are a bit gaudy, but the background music (rock'n'roll and pop classics from the 1950s and 1960s) was played at a very discreet level. That's a big plus for me. I wasn't very hungry the night we ate there and just had a toasted ham and Swiss cheese sandwich for 139 baht. It came on a wooden platter with a fancy presentation and a small order of French fries. You won't see that too often in a U.S. diner. The ham and Swiss cheese were good quality and the balsamic vinegar and tomato foam were nice touches. I enjoyed the sandwich. My friend had the chicken schnitzel at 220 baht. It also came on a wooden platter, this time with fries and a few lettuce leaves with but without much of a presentation. It was a fairly large piece of chicken breast and he thought it tasted fine. We both felt the fries- crispy on the outside, fluffy inside- were better than the fries you often get in Pattaya. His Thai companion was hungry that night and began with an order of buffalo wings ... followed by a shrimp cocktail and Thai soup. The shrimp cocktail cost 139 baht and the soup was 89 baht. I forget how much the buffalo wings were. She knocked back all of it. I tasted a bit of a buffalo wing and it was fine, not as spicy as I had expected. My friend had one of the shrimp and said it was very fresh. That shrimp cocktail did indeed hark back to the style of the 1960s. Another afternoon I went back to try the calamari. It was an appetizer-sized portion, but tasted good and had been deep- fried properly. The menu at the Moon is fairly extensive, covering a number of U.S. and international bases. They offer the usual array of farang favorites, including hamburgers, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, pork chops, BBQ ribs and a few Thai dishes. It also has some American-style ice cream sundaes. The Moon offers a number of beers and cocktails. It's located at the northwest end of Tree Town, across from a Thai nightclub that used to be called "Burn." It could be the management of Moon is counting on business from customers at the nightclub. Moon's opening hours are 4.30 p.m. to 2.00 a.m. seven days a week. The night were ate there, Moon had more customers inside and outdoors than I had expected. Bottom line: Moon is a fun place to take a Thai girl for a meal as it provides numerous opportunities for the ever-so-important selfies. The kitschy decor is likely to be a turn-off for some farang, although it will probably prove popular with Russians if they find the place as it's hidden in a back corner of Tree Town. One curious note: Moon seems to have some connection with Thai photographers. Moon's Facebook page features a number of photos of girls taken by various photographers at the diner. The night we ate there, two Thais with heavy-duty professional camera equipment were sitting at one of the booths, but they weren't taking pics while we were there. (The two photos above are from Moon's Facebook page). Evil

Little Tavern began operating in 2018 the premises of the former Queens Arms on Soi Buakhao south of the intersection with Soi Lengkee. Monday I decided to give it a try, but that was a bad choice. The meal I had was squarely mediocre. Actually, I shouldn't have eaten there at all. I had been attracted by an outdoor chalkboard sign that advertised Chicken Kiev with mashed potatoes and veggies for 169 baht. But when I tried to order it, the waitress said, "Sorry, already finish." It was about 7.00 p.m. at the time. Naughty, naughty. A restaurant should take in an outdoor sign touting a special if it's not available. In the past, in similar situations, I've simply said something like, "I really wanted Chicken Kiev. I'll come back another day," and walked out. Don't get angry, just vote with your feet. But I ignored my own rule, in part because I wanted to try Little Tavern and in part because I was tired, hungry and needed to deal with some messages on my phone. I looked at the menu and said I'd take the baked ham at 150 baht instead. "No hab today," was the reply. The waitress wanted me to take the chicken breast with mushroom at 165 baht. I didn't really fancy that and scanned the menu again. Nothing caught my eye. It seemed to be the same stolid pub food that's standard in dozens of restaurants from Naklua to Na Jomtien; Lake Mabprachan to Beach Road; and all points between. The waitress pressed me to take the chicken breast; it was good and cost the same as the special, she said. I gave up at that point, ignored all the warning signals and rolled the dice on the waitress' suggestion. Unfortunately, it came up snake eyes. Loser, loser, loser! The chicken breast with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and the Pattaya Holy Trinity of side vegetables- carrots, broccoli and cauliflower- was not good. As I've said about all the dishes in this thread, it wasn't bad, just not good. When the plate came down in front of me, it looked pretty good and I thought I might have lucked out, especially after I tasted the gravy. It was excellent, clearly made from scratch and full of flavor. But alas, that was the highlight. The rest was a letdown and pushed the meal into mediocre territory. In Texas hold'em poker, Ace-King hole cards are called an Anna Kournikova after the beautiful but moderately talented tennis star because they "look better than they play." I'm trying to express the same idea about my meal at Little Tavern, but you eat food, you don't play it, and how Anna Kournikova would taste is anyone's guess. I doubt many can speak from personal experience. The three chicken breasts were dry as sawdust and about as tasty. No seasoning had been used on them. One edge of each had been pounded thin and cooked so hard it was inedible. The potatoes were watery and seemed to have been pureed, not mashed. All the flavor had been boiled out of the vegetables. The gravy was excellent, but gravy alone does not a good meal make. Here's what may have happened: the chicken breasts on my plate had been intended to be used in Chicken Kiev, but the cook didn't prepare enough portions and for some reason couldn't make more. Maybe they ran out of bread crumbs or the cook who knew how to make it had gone home. Who knows? The waitress pushed the chicken breasts with mushroom gravy to help use up the ingredients on hand and frying was the quickest way to do it. Aside from the food, there were some positives about my meal at Little Tavern: comfortable seats; good lighting and ventilation; background music at a blessedly low volume; and friendly service. It's a nice place to have a drink and would be a good one for a meal if the cooking improves. As noted earlier, the menu at Little Tavern isn't very inspiring. It's mostly British comfort food, steaks of unspecified "imported" beef and some Thai dishes. I'm sorry the resolution in the photo below is so low, but if you click on "Enlarge," those of you with good eyes may be able to get a better idea of what is on offer. Food prices seem to be on par with or higher than comparable restaurants nearby. With its rock-bottom prices, the Chunky Monkey has proved very popular. As several posters have noted, Soi Buakhao and LK Metro are price-sensitive areas and the food has to be top quality to justify premium prices and remain competitive. That sure wasn't the case with my meal. The happy hour price for bottled Thai beer is 60 baht, but at a bar across the street, the happy hour price for the same brands is 45 baht. Little Tavern is likely to struggle on the price front. If I remember the sign right, Little Tavern is open between 7.00 a.m. and 11 p.m., but the kitchen closes at 9.00 p.m. Bottom line: I won't be rushing back. Evil

Food World has been open about three weeks now, but it doesn't appear to be off to a rousing start. The total space is huge, probably bigger than the food court at Central Festival, but I never seen more than a handful of customers when I passed by, whether morning, afternoon or evening. It's open between 10 a.m. and 10.00 p.m. The food on offer is what you'd expect at a Thai food court, mostly inexpensive Thai dishes, but at least one vendor has Western-style spaghetti. I've eaten there twice and wasn't impressed with the food, not at all. I had the boat noodles with beef at 55 baht ... and the fried rice with pork, also 55 baht. Both I would rank at mediocre as best. Boat noodles are supposed to have a strong, rich flavor due to the pig's blood and various herbs and spices used in the soup, but the bowl I had was very bland. It tasted like instant noodles out of a package. The fried rice was almost flavorless and quite oily with very little pork. I make better at home myself. The small food stalls that had previously occupied the rear section of The Avenue were much better, as are the stall in the open-air mid-section. Bottom line: Unless things improve dramatically, I won't be back. Evil

Time for an update. La Petite Planète has been offering French food for many years now. I don't when it opened, but I've enjoyed meals there since 2008. It's located about half-way down a sub soi that runs along the west side of Tukcom. It's small and there's nothing fancy about it, but the food is excellent. For a unpretentious bistro meal, La Petite Planète is a good choice. I've never had a bad meal there and plenty of truly good ones. It also features a limit menu of Thai food and the girls I've taken there who've sampled the Thai dishes gave it the thumbs up. Last summer I took an American friend to LPP and he's become a huge fan. He visits Pattaya three or four times a year and now eats at LPP several times each trip. Sunday night we had another meal there. As usual, we both went for the three-course "mix-and-match" menu. At 320 baht, it's excellent value for money. He started with the tomato soup ... while I had the couscous salad. The starters came with a basket of warm, fresh French bread and pats of butter. He chose salmon steak with potato croquettes as his main course ... and I went with the chicken breast with mustard sauce. For dessert, he decided on the French classic crème caramel ... and I had raspberry pudding in a cake "frame." No complaints from either of us on any of our choices. All the dishes were prepared with quality ingredients, executed well and were full of flavor. The mustard sauce was outstanding, the highlight of my meal. La petite planète has conquered the bugbear of many small restaurants- inconsistency. Every meal is good. I do wish they'd have a bit more variation with the vegetables- I get tired of the holy trinity of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots- but that's a very minor point. To get three course of that quality for only 320 baht is an excellent deal. Bottom line: Both of us will be going back to LPP, probably this week. One important point of information: LPP is closed Tuesdays. Evil

I had dinner New Year's Eve with a farang friend and his Thai companion at Calles Bar and Restaurant in the arcade next to Soi Diana. That arcade, which runs between 2nd Road and Cherry Bar, is something of Pattaya's Restaurant Row. It's home to Kiss Food, Beefeater, Patrick's, Longhorn Steakhouse, My Way, Little India and a couple of others. All were very busy. Every seat was taken at Kiss; Patrick's had a sign up saying it was fully occupied; Beefeater and Longhorn had people waiting for tables. We got the last table available at 8.00 p.m. at Calles. It hadn't been our first choice, but we we were rewarded with excellent meals. I had the planked chicken at 295 baht. Roasting meat or fish on an oak plank is a Scandinavian cooking technique that probably predates Viking times, but was revived in Sweden in the 20th century. I got a nicely grilled piece of chicken breast flanked on two sides by duchess potatoes, a favorite of mine. It's the nutmeg used as a seasoning as well as butter and egg in the mashed potatoes that does it for me. Duchess potatoes are a classic of French cuisine, supposedly first made for a British duchess on a visit to France. The two asparagus stalks wrapped in bacon and the grilled tomato half are the usual accompaniments to modern Swedish planked dishes. The gravy was OK, but it didn't add much flavor. My friend had the dory fillet, which he liked very much. It came with salad and rice, but he could have had potatoes with it and on second thought, wished he had. I can't remember the exact price, but it was around 250 baht. His girlfriend had the planked salmon at about 425 baht. That's outside the scope of this thread, but she was happy with it and her margarita. The salmon came with duchess potatoes, two asparagus stalks, grilled tomato half, Hollandaise sauce and a sprig of dill. Bottom line: Good stuff on the menu at Calles, with quite a few items under 300 baht. All three of us intend to return. I did an earlier review of Calles here. It's post #67 in this thread. Evil

Sorry, my mistake. In haste, I read "nasi rames" as "nasi names." Maybe time for visit to an optician for an eye examination. It's been awhile. Evil

You're welcome! Nasi goreng is listed on the menu. Evil

Bali Café is a new restaurant and guest house on Soi Buakhao about 100 meters north of the misnamed Action Street complex. The menu features a half-dozen Indonesian specialties, a few Dutch dishes and the rest international and Thai items. It's an open-front restaurant with "indoor" and outdoor dining areas. The interior is clean, comfortable, well-ventilated and attractively decorated, although I don't see much that is Balinese about it. There is a big screen TV as well as an even larger projection TV, which doesn't just show sports or YouTube music videos. I'm a fan of Indonesian food in general and nasi goreng ("fried rice") in particular, so I tried Bali Café's version of the iconic Indonesian dish. It came with the usual accompaniments: two small pork satay skewers, a fried egg and krupuk udang (shrimp crackers) and cost 189 baht. It was good but not great. I would have liked more taste. It had plenty of heat from chili peppers, but the other flavors were a bit weak. What distinguishes nasi goreng from most other Asian fried rice variations is a richer and bolder taste that comes from ingredients like tamarind, shrimp paste and caramelized sweet soy sauce (kecap manis). It's that characteristic taste I thought could have been stronger. I next tried the smashed fried chicken (ayam penyet), an East Javanese staple. The chicken is pounded ("smashed") with a mortar and pestle or back of a cleaver to soften it. It's typically served with sambal (a spicy condiment) and slices of cucumber, which is how it came at Bali Café. The chicken had been boiled in a broth of herbs and spices, then deep-fried and finally "smashed," which makes it crispy and tender in the same bite. Very good and light years from KFC. The sambal was also good and the perfect condiment for the chicken. It cost 179 baht. I also had seafood mie goreng (fried noodles), another mainstay of indonesian cuisine. There was plenty of squid, shrimp and vegetables. The flavors shone through more brightly than with the nasi goreng. It cost 149 baht. Bottom line: So far I've been happy with the meals I've had at Bali Café and won't hesitate to try some of the other items on the menu. Prices are reasonable, although the portions weren't particularly large. Almost all the items on the menu were under 200 baht, with the most expensive at 220 baht, The one downside for me was the level of the background music. Too loud! At least some nights there's a DJ and live band and I shudder to think what the volume would be then. I'll definitely confine my return visits to the afternoon or early evening. On Jan. 5, Bali Café is having a party. The non-Indonesian menu items are the standard Pattaya line-up of farang and Thai dishes. I'll include photos below of most menu pages to give a better idea of prices and what is on offer. I'm not sure about Bali Café's hours as I didn't see them listed on the menu and I forgot to ask the waitress. Evil

Bad news for any fans of the Robin Hood Tavern: From Robin Hood's Facebook page: The explanation given in the comments is that the restaurant is suffering shortage of staff. Apparently some staffers didn't return to work after the New Year holiday. Evil

I should have posted this last night, but better late than never. It's a parody of A Visit from St. Nicholas (better known as Twas the Night Before Christmas), a poem by C. Clement Moore that gave us most the modern Santa conventions. As reminder of the times we live in (copyright permission/author credit at the bottom of the poem): Twas the Night Before Christmas Politically Correct Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck… How to live in a world that's politically correct? His workers no longer would answer to "Elves", "Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves. And labor conditions at the north pole Were alleged by the union to stifle the soul. Four reindeer had vanished, without much propriety, Released to the wilds by the Humane Society. And equal employment had made it quite clear That Santa had better not use just reindeer. So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid, Were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid! The runners had been removed from his sleigh; The ruts were termed dangerous by the E.P.A. And people had started to call for the cops When they heard sled noises on their roof-tops. Second-hand smoke from his pipe had his workers quite frightened. His fur trimmed red suit was called "Unenlightened." And to show you the strangeness of life's ebbs and flows, Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose And had gone on Geraldo, in front of the nation, Demanding millions in over-due compensation. So, half of the reindeer were gone; and his wife, Who suddenly said she'd enough of this life, Joined a self-help group, packed, and left in a whiz, Demanding from now on her title was Ms. And as for the gifts, why, he'd ne'er had a notion That making a choice could cause so much commotion. Nothing of leather, nothing of fur, Which meant nothing for him. And nothing for her. Nothing that might be construed to pollute. Nothing to aim. Nothing to shoot. Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise. Nothing for just girls. Or just for the boys. Nothing that claimed to be gender specific. Nothing that's warlike or non-pacific. No candy or sweets…they were bad for the tooth. Nothing that seemed to embellish a truth. And fairy tales, while not yet forbidden, Were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden. For they raised the hackles of those psychological Who claimed the only good gift was one ecological. No baseball, no football…someone could get hurt; Besides, playing sports exposed kids to dirt. Dolls were said to be sexist, and should be passe; And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away. So Santa just stood there, disheveled, perplexed; He just could not figure out what to do next. He tried to be merry, tried to be gay, But you've got to be careful with that word today. His sack was quite empty, limp to the ground; Nothing fully acceptable was to be found. Something special was needed, a gift that he might Give to all without angering the left or the right. A gift that would satisfy, with no indecision, Each group of people, every religion; Every ethnicity, every hue, Everyone, everywhere…even you. So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth… "May you and your loved ones enjoy peace on earth." Notice: This poem is copyright ©1992 by Harvey Ehrlich. It is free to distribute, without changes, as long as this notice remains intact. All follow-ups, requests, comments, questions, distribution rights, etc should be made to mduhan@husc.harvard.edu

We're getting into "last minute" territory, so a few final suggestions: That's a pretty impressive buffet, especially the mains and dessert, for 870 baht. I may try it on Christmas Eve. Gian's in Jomtien has a two-week special menu (text from a pic on another board): Christmas Special 2018 from December 16th to 30th Soup Lentil Soup with Capsicum and cumin 390 b Home made Tortellini in broth, stuffed with turkey and truffle mortadella 480 b Pasta Home made Ravioli Stuffed with Turkey, Patanegra ham and topped with white truffle sauce 880 b Main Course Sliced pork Leg with Boiled Lentils and mashed potatoes 680 b Sliced Roasted Turkey with Liver, Cashew nuts and Risotto Taleggio 980 b Grilled Tomahawk steak served with Roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables 680 b Grilled Tiger prawns with garlic served with Spaghetti garlic, oil, chili and fresh cherry tomatoes 880 b Cheeses Selection of special cheeses from Italy 780 b Hefty prices, but Gian's turns out quality meals. It's less expensive at the Devonshire on Soi Lengkee (from a pic on another board): Devonshire Restaurant Christmas Dinner Prawn Cocktail Ham & Pea Soup 150 baht Roast Turkey or Roast Beef All the Traditional Extras 499 baht HOT Christmas Pudding or any of our fruit pies Custard or cream 120 baht And one in Na Jomtien and one for those who don't care about Christmas Dinner. BonChon is better than KFC! Since this is likely to be my final pre-Christmas post in this thread:

The King's Table on Soi 13 between Beach Road and 2nd Road is offering a Norwegian Christmas buffet for 599 baht. "On 24 & 25 December, 2018 Traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner Ribbe (Roast Pork Belly) Served with Boiled Potatoes Roast Ham, Roast Lamb Sausage, Meatballs Prunes, Cranberries and Pickled Cabbage Christmas Cake and more Starts at 5.30 p.m. All you can eat!!! Only 599 baht!" To continue the Scandinavian theme: Livv on th Darkside and Akvavit in Jomtien: Here's a translation of the Akvavit Christmas Eve menu: "Akvavit's Christmas buffet showcases a giant and traditional Christmas buffet with lots of delights! The 24th of December: "First session 17:30 to 20:00 and second session 20:30 until late! Price 1,450 Baht and for children under 13, 800 Baht. We offer mulled wine and gingerbread cookies on arrival. Only bookings with 50% deposit are accepted! Book now at 038-233672. Welcome!" And if money isn't a problem, this will be one of the best- if not the best- Christmas buffet in Pattaya: Tequila Reef is one again offering a turkey dinner on the 24, 25 and 26 December: Santa Penevil

If you haven't made any plans for Christmas dinner, now would be a good time to make a decision. The popular places are likely to be booked solid , although from what I hear, seats are still available at nearly all restaurants. The best value-for-money option I have seen is still the all-you-can-eat buffet for 500 baht at the Chik 'n Coop bar in the arcade that is a 50-meter walk south of Kiss Food. There's more info on it earlier in this thread. Santa Penevil Sent from my Sunny2 Plus using Tapatalk

Same same for me. Opera is better for me than Chrome or Firefox. Evil

I had Thanksgiving Dinner at Tigglebitties and it was very good, with a large portion of turkey: Santa Penevil

After an atrocious Christmas dinner in 2016, Hooters is this year sticking to what it does best: booze, calendars and attractive waitresses.

Cabbages % Condoms in Jomtien could be an option for those who aren't interested in traditional western Christmas fare. Santa Penevil 

For those of you who don't like traditional Christmas food but want a festive meal on Dec. 24th or 25th, Fat Belly Pattaya in Naklua could be an option. Fat Belly is noted for its casual atmosphere and creative food. The photos are from Fat Belly's Facebook page where you can find more info on the holiday menu. Santa Penevil

Infiniti at the InterContinental (former Sheraton) in Jomtien has some of the best sunset views in Pattaya. From the Web site: Infiniti isn't offering a Christmas menu, but you can check out its "Romantic Dinner Menus." An example: Elements at the InterContinental does have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day buffets. Impressive! That's a REAL buffet menu. It's not cheap, but considering some pubs are charging over 1,000 baht for limited carvery buffets, it's good value for money. A few more options where you won't be seeing any wife beaters. Santa Penevil

A lot of local Christmas turkeys probably come from this farm: The Facebook page says Tananan's turkeys are "heritage" turkeys, but doesn't specify the breed. In the U.S., over 99.99% of all turkeys raised and sold are Broad Breasted Whites, a breed developed in the 1940s. Through selective breeding, these turkeys have become giant lumps of white breast meat. They also mature twice as fast as other domesticated turkeys, which is why the white meat is so dry. The turkey doesn't have time to develop a layer of under-skin fat that would help keep the meat moist during roasting. Heritage turkeys are making a comeback in the U.S. from the verge of extinction. In 2000, only about 4,000 breeding heritage turkeys were known to exist, while about 270 million Broad Breasted Whites were produced the same year. Because heritage turkeys are produced in such extremely small numbers, they are much more expensive that the Whites, even though many people consider the taste of heritage turkeys far superior. The risk is that heritage turkeys can be very tough and not suitable for roasting but better used in stews or soups, perhaps slow-cooked. Santa Penevil

I guess it has moved to Soi Chaiyapoon. It's been years since I ate at the Sea Side and it used to be on the corner. Thank you for adding it. All contributions are welcome. A few more. The Lion Pub on Soi Regional Land and El Greco (Greek and Mediterranean) Restaurant: El Greco also has this special offer: Offer with any order in Restaurant 1. Free entree of Tzatziki, Olives and Homemade Pita Bread whilst waiting for your meal. 2. Free Coffee or Desserts after meal. 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 Santa Penevil

For those want a (sort-of) Christmas dinner but don't want to spend much, the Chunky Monkey on Soi Buakhao; the Seaside at the corner of Soi Chaiyapoon and 3rd Road; and the Golden Ferret at New Plaza might be options. The first two are offering Xmas meals that don't include turkey or Christmas pudding. The Golden Ferret is offering turkey and Christmas pudding. I've seen the pics of their menus on another board, but I don't want to rip off pics without permisson. Neither the Chunky Monkey nor the Seaside have Web sites or social media pages. Here's the text of the Chunky Monkey sign: "Monkey Gone Mad Christmas Dinner NO TURKEY Cream Of Tomato Soup, Prawn Cocktail Bread Roll Ham, Pork, Beef Or Chicken With Mash & Roast Potatoes, Carrots, Peas, Cauflower, Pig in Blanket & Gravy Trifle Fresh Fruit and Ice-cream" The main course costs 199 baht, two courses cost 249 baht and three cost 299 baht. The Seaside is offering four roast dinners (lamb, beef, pork, chicken). All include the choice of aspargus soup or prawn cocktail as a starter and one soft drink. The lamb dinner is 370 baht; roast beef 290 baht; pork and chicken both 250 baht. The sign doesn't give a dessert option. The sign at the Golden Ferret reads: "Christmas Day Dinner Served 1.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. Homemade Minestroni Soup or Prawn Cocktail 100 baht Roast Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, Sage & Onion Stuffing Chipolata, Brussel Sprouts, Buttered Carrots Roast & Creamed Potatoes 495 baht Christmas Pudding with Brandy Sauce or Fresh Fruit Salad & Cream 150 baht Mince pie 50 baht Coffee & Mints 50 baht"

This is the cheapest fixed plate option I've seen so far: Tequila Sunrise is on the corner of Jomtien Beach Road and Soi Chaiyaphruek, so it's a bit of a haul from central Pattaya. Book early if you're interested; it's not a big place and I'm sure it will be sold out. Santa Penevil