Evil Penevil

I hadn't eaten at Mama's Cafe at the Beach Road end of Soi 6 for a long time. I was down on the Six the other night for a bar crawl and decided to try it again. Most of my dining on Soi 6 hasn't been done in restaurants. I had tried the French version of shepherd's pie at Mama's in the past and went with it again. It cost 290 baht with a small side salad. It was good, but a different recipe than I recalled. This version was ground beef and onions topped with mashed potatoes and a layer of Gruyère cheese. I would have preferred the other version, which had excluded the cheese and featured mashed potatoes seasoned with nutmeg. No nutmeg this time round. Bottom line: If you want something more substantial than sushi on the Six, Mama's Cafe is a reasonable option for French and Italian food. Evil

The cheese on my pizza was mozzarella. Evil

I went to Harry's on Soi Diana to see if the 99-baht hamburger with fries was still on offer and to have another of Harry's Swedish dishes. The hamburger special was available, but a waitress urged me to try the 150-baht pizza special. EDIT IN: The summer specials have now ended at Harry's and ZIP's Pizeria (their spelling) has gone to 200 baht. I was surprised because I didn't recall Harry's having pizza on the menu. But then I noticed the pizza didn't come from Harry's but from Pizeria in the ZIP Lounge and Apartments across the street. I abandoned my plans for pyttipanna or biff à la Rydberg and went with the pizza. I ordered what was called capriccosa (sic) on the card. It lacked two of the toppings that go on a classic pizza capricciosa, but I don't imagine you can put artichoke hearts and anchovies on a 150-baht pizza in Thailand and still make money. The tomato sauce, cheese, mushrooms and ham were fine by me, though. I'm not a fan of artichoke hearts on pizza and wouldn't have ordered it if it had been a classic capricciosa. It was amusing to see the waitress, in the era of cell phones and the Internet, go to the top step of Harry's and yell "pizza!" across the street. I don't know what sort of arrangement Harry's has with Pizeria, but there's a Swedish angle. I lived in Stockholm a number of years while married to a Swedish woman and still remember some of variations available in pizzerias there. One of Pizeria's offerings was called "Svenne's special" and it was topped with pork tenderloin and Bearnaise sauce, definitely a Swedish touch. "Kebabpizza" is also a Swedish invention. It's not on the same level as durian pizza- yes, you can get that in Pattaya- but bizarre enough to have Raffaele Esposito spinning in his grave. I got more evidence of a Swedish connection when my pseudo-capricciosa arrived. It was accompanied by a small bowl of what's called pizza salad in Sweden. It was introduced by the Italian chef and restaurateur who opened Sweden's first pizzeria in 1969. He apparently based it on a Croatian cabbage salad. Chopped cabbage is marinated in vinegar and seasoned with oregano and sometimes caraway. It usually contains bits of red pepper and carrot as well. Unfortunately, the bowl of salad I got was inedible: way too much vinegar and what tasted more like cumin than caraway. It resembled pizza salad, but tasted nothing like I remembered it in Stockholm. The pizza itself was good; not great in my estimation, but good enough for 150 baht. It was a bit sparse with cheese, but had plenty of mushrooms and ham. The sauce was OK. The thin crust was good with just the right bottom char and still soft inside. Bottom line: I don't regard pizza as a dinner dish and almost never have it as such. I consider it a party food or snack, especially a late-night snack when out drinking. The pizza I had at Harry's would be fine along those lines. I have to rate it as good, with the horrible side salad an irrelevancy. Evil

ThaiThai Kitchen is another inexpensive Thai restaurant in central Pattaya. It's located on Soi 15 behind The Avenue shopping plaza, close to the intersection with Soi Buakhao. Last night I had the red pork with rice (80 baht) and a bottle of water (20 baht). It came with half a boiled egg and a tiny bowl of really good broth. It's a simple dish, but done well at ThaiThai Kitchen. The portion of pork wasn't large, though. Most of the items on the extensive menu are between 60 and 100 baht. There are four farang dishes: French fries, cheese balls, fried chicken breast with fries and fish and chips, with the last two the most expensive on the menu at 139 baht. Kitchen is popular with Thai girls because of its numerous som tam items. The menu details below are from TTK's Facebook page. The staff is very friendly and both Thais and foreigners are make to feel welcome. The waitress asked me to take her picture. Bottom line: ThaiThai Kitchen is one more cheap and cheerful restaurant in the best sense of the phrase. The inexpensive food is good and it's clean, comfortable and well-lit. What more can you ask? The restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with free delivery between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Evil

I have no way to judge the profitability of Pattaya restaurants other than what owners have told me. The biggest factor is rent and key money, which has strangled many start-ups and even long-running businesses in Pattaya. If the owner got a reasonable deal, he has at least a chance of making money. Otherwise, queue up the theme song from Mission: Impossible. Pattaya suffers from massive over-establishment of bars and restaurants. There are just too many places in relation to the number of potential customers. The cut-throat competition keeps prices low, which is good for customers but extremely tough for business owners. Profit margins are razor-thin in Pattaya. From my own restaurant visits and what I've seen while walking past, there are very few restaurants that have a lot of customers. Kiss and the Beer Garden are busy on occasion, as are the Thai mega restaurants like Mum Aroi. The food court at Central Festival often has a lot of people. Otherwise, I have seldom seen Pattaya restaurants more than one-third full. Evil

Part of the back section of The Avenue that was previously filled with vendors' stalls has been boarded off for about six weeks. I heard that it would be converted into a food court, but that didn't make much sense to me as there is already an open-air "food court" in the front section close to 2nd Road. The food stalls that were formerly in the back area have been moved to the second level of The Avenue. Last night I caught a glimpse inside the boarded area. Whatever the plans, it doesn't seem like much progress has been made. The rainy weather has worked against the open-air front section, but it seems to be increasingly popular on clear nights. Evil

For those who enjoy breakfast burritos, Smokin Joe's on Soi Lengkee has a decent one:  The breakfast burrito is a Tex-Mex innovation that dates back only to the 1970's, but quickly became popular and was included on the menus of several fast food chains. Now it's widely available as a breakfast item in all sorts of U.S. restaurants, not just those with a Mexican connection. Breakfast burritos come in many variations and the one at Smokin Joe's consists of a 12-inch lightly browned wheat flour tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and bits of sausage and smoked bacon. Condiments from ketchup through Tabasco are available for those who want additional flavor. It's very tasty, mainly because good quality sausage and bacon are used. The price was 175 baht and includes a cup of coffee or tea. I know a much bigger breakfast is available close by for 99 baht and that 99-baht or lower breakfast specials abound in Pattaya. However, that doesn't help anyone who want a breakfast burrito rather than an English fry-up or American breakfast. Retox Game On (2nd Road and Soi Honey) also has a breakfast burrito for 175 baht. I haven't tried it yet, but will. It comes with baked beans as one of the ingredients and I'll ask for them to skip that in my order. I have tried the breakfast burrito at the Golf Club on LK Metro for 80 baht (or is it 100 baht?). It was good, but very different from the Smokin Joe's version. At the GC, the breakfast burrito contained scrambled eggs, cheese, salsa and refried beans in a flour tortilla. It had more of a spicy Tex Mex flavor. It was wetter and messier than at Smokin Joe's and had to be eaten with a knife and fork. Some foods don't photograph well and this is one of them, so I'll skip the pic. Those were some suggestions for breakfast burritos in Pattaya. Are there others? Evil

I visited the Chunky Monkey last night and like BM Saddic (and Gen. MacArthur), I shall return . Chunky Monkey is a new restaurant on Soi Buakhao, open less than a week. It's located just north of Tree Town on the east side of Bukhao. I read that the original owner of the Robin's Nest is behind it, but I don't know any details. I had the "Monkey Madness" pork chop with fried onions, crinkle-cut French fries and small portions of salad and applesauce. It was good considering the price (79 baht). The chop had been fried properly and tasted fine. It was a bit thin, but what can you expect for 79 baht? I wish the onions had been fried a bit longer to allow more caramelization, but that's a minor criticism. The fries were crispy outside, fluffy inside and the salad was fresh. The Chunky Monkey has 99-baht daily specials in addition to the 79-baht Monkey Madness offers. The specials appear to give about a 50-baht discount compared with the ordinary menu prices. The menu is extensive, running to over 100 food items. Like dozens of other Pattaya restaurants, the emphasis is on British and international comfort food, but the menu also includes about 20 Thai dishes and 10 desserts. Most of the menu items are under 200 baht. The sirloin and ribeye steaks with egg, fries, tomato and peas are 249 baht. The most expensive menu item I could see was the salmon with parsley sauce, mash and peas at 289 baht. The Chunky Monkey offers breakfast as well. I forgot to ask the hours of operation, but I imagine it's early until late. It's a spacious restaurant with several wall-mounted TVs for sports fans. My rough estimate is 70 seats indoors and at least 15 outside. The indoor section is no smoking. I ate there at about 10.15 p.m. and there were 10 other diners at that time. Bottom line: The Chunky Monkey is cheap and cheerful. The service was fast, friendly and attentive. If by choice or necessity you don't want to spend a lot to eat farang food, it would appear a good option. It's still very early days, but the location on Soi Buakhao bodes well for attracting budget-conscious customers. I have to say, though, that I don't think much of the name. And in fairness, you can add 50 to 100 baht to the Chunky Monkey's price and get a much bigger pork chop dinner with mashed potatoes and veggies at several restaurants in the LK Metro area. But if a smaller-to- normal portion is good enough for you, the Chunky Monkey offers great value for money. Evil

About two weeks ago, I had dinner with a farang friend and his TG at the SEA Restaurant in the Baraquda Hotel. The SEA wouldn't have been the first choice for any of us, but they were staying at the Baraquda and didn't want to go out because a heavy rainstorm had been forecast for the evening. I live close to the Baraqudaand figured I could stay dry with an umbrella on the short walk. On the Eatigo app, I made a reservation for three at SEA for 8.00 p.m. We saved 920 baht by taking advantage of the Eatigo 50% discount. Our meals (starter, main and beverage) cost 1599 baht in total, but without the discount, would have cost 2,519 baht. The 60-baht "bonus" between the two prices came from the 7% VAT calculation with and without the Eatigo discount (860 baht). All the prices that follow are with the Eatigo discount, but without 10% service and 7% VAT. My friend had the Greek salad (120 baht) ... and baked "white snapper" (170 baht): His girlfriend had spring rolls (120 baht): and som tam with crab (90 baht): I had the pumpkin-and-ginger soup (really good!) for 120 baht: . and the grilled duck breast (240 baht): All of us were happy with the food we had ordered. One thing the pics don't show is the basket of warm fresh bread and butter than preceded the starters. That's always a nice touch. We felt our meals with the discount were fairly priced for what we got. We were less happy with the beverage prices: 140 baht for a bottle of SML and the same (!) for the GF's orange juice. Beverages, whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic, don't fall under the Eatigo discount. If I break out my meal, I saved about 425 baht by using Eatigo. My friend saved 495 baht on the two meals for which he paid (they had less expensive mains than I did). Since there is no cost or hassle involved with Eatigo, I think it was a decent advantage to have used Eatigo under the circumstances. Evil

I'll probably get some negative responses to the following review, but "Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war." I ate dinner at 7.00 p.m. a few nights ago at the Beer Garden at the Beach Road end of Walking Street. It wasn't my choice, but a friend from the U.S. wanted to eat there. I had had a bad meal at BG a few months ago and had more or less given up on the BG's food. The location and view make it a great place for a drink, but the food has become very hit-and-miss. I went there to keep him company and wasn't sure I would order a meal. He and his GF had arrived a few minutes before me and had gotten a table on the veranda in the section closet to the entrance. The music was so loud I told my friend I wouldn't sit there. He could barely understand what I said from across the table. Never before have I heard the music that deafening at Beer Garden. My friend called over one of the female managers and asked if the music could be turned down. She said it couldn't as it was controlled by computer, but offered to move us to the far end of the veranda where the volume was indeed much lower. That's a big plus on the service side for the BG. My friend ordered a garden salad for 80 baht and the fish and chips for 195 baht. He asked if he could substitute a baked potato for the chips and that was no problem. He thought it was a very good meal. I'm relating his opinion here, not mine. It was a big portion of salad for 80 baht. It came with two sorts of salad dressing and a small dish of potato salad. The vegetables that were supposed to be crispy were and the tomatoes had flavor, he said.He commented that he had had smaller plates of salad for a higher price in Pattaya that weren't as fresh as this one. He thought the fish was properly breaded and fried, still flaky on the inside. He didn't know what sort of fish it was- the menu didn't say- but said it tasted fine. It came with peas, tartar sauce and as requested, a baked potato instead of fries. His GF ordered ordered a spicy Thai salad and a bowl of soup, which I didn't bother to photograph. She said it was good, but I noticed she didn't eat all of it, She had a Singapore Sling for 200 baht along with her meal. I wasn't very hungry and ordered stir-fried vegetables with tofu and cashew nuts (120 baht) and an order of steamed rice (40 baht). Unfortunately, I can't say it was good. The tofu had a weird texture and I didn't eat much of it. The veggies were OK, but nothing special and the sauce was a bit too salty. Bottom line: My friend will continue to eat at the Beer Garden as he said he's never had a bad meal there. I probably won't, as it's been a long time since I've had a good meal at the BG. And if the music remains nightclub loud, I definitely won't even have a drink there unless I can be seated at the far end of the veranda. When we sat down about 7 p.m., there were a lot of seats available on the veranda. By eight p.m., when we chek binned, the veranda was full and the covered section roughly half-full. I noticed five groups of Asian tourists (with four to eight people in each) dining on the veranda. Neither he nor I could recall seeing as many Asians in BG before. It does seem to have expanded its customer base and remains one of the busier restaurants in central Pattaya. Evil

This is bad attitude on steroids (actually marijuana and booze). Here's the back story. The cops discover three young women asleep or passed out in a car with the engine running in the parking lot of a convenience store. The beginning of the video shows the initial contact; the cops' main concern was whether the girls need medical aid. The video then cuts to the final "act," leaving out a lot of the hour-long confrontation. The cops could smell both booze and dope in the car, which gave them reason to investigate further. It took her friends four minutes to wake up Logan Huysman, the girl who was arrested. She acted very oddly from the beginning and gave the cops reason to think she had mental issues made worse by booze and dope. That prompted them to call her father to come pick her up. The rest you can see. The cops showed extraordinary patience. This played out in a city of 40,000 people in Vermont. If it had happened in NYC, Los Angeles or Chicago, she would have been in cuffs a lot sooner. If a black male had been that uncooperative and disorderly, who knows what would have happened?

consider the alternative. The video starts off slow, but picks up at 2:55. https://youtu.be/DNrsCGAvvHs

Eatigo is a restaurant reservation app that gives users discounts up to 50%,depending on the time of dining. Eatigo doesn't require pre-payment or credit card information; all you need to sign up is a valid email address and a smart phone. It's easy to use once installed. Just select the restaurant, time you want to eat (30-minute slots) and the number of people who will be dining. Click the tab and you get an immediate confirmation code that you show to the restaurant staff when you arrive. That's all there is to it. There's no real downside or disadvantage for the user with Eatigo. Its shortcoming is the lack of relevance at present for many potential users. Pattaya has well over 1,000 restaurants but only 48 are listed on Eatigo. That's less than 5% of the total and not all the Eatigo restaurants are in central Pattaya. Some are a considerable distance, as far as 35 kilometers. Moreover, nearly two thirds of them (30 restaurants) are attached to three- to five-star hotels. If we exclude the hotel and far-away restaurants, we're left with the following options: Five Indian restaurants in central Pattaya (Karma, Crown of India, Shalimar; Alibaba; and Nisha) and Suruchi in Jomtien, as well as the Robin Hood Tavern; The Kitchen (two restaurants); Retox Game On; Domino's Pizza on Pattaya Tai; Dicey Reilly's; La Strada; Kasalong; Easy Health; and Pizza Plaza in central Pattaya; Livv on the Darkside and the 8 Horseshoes Tavern in Jomtien. Some of the independent restaurants are specialized and wouldn't be of much interest in terms of everyday dining. Then there's the timing of the discounts. Only off-peak times yield a 50% discount, while the most popular times will give you 10% or 20% off, depending on the restaurant's location. Certainly 10% off is better than a kick in the nuts, but it won't make the big hotel buffets affordable to many punters. Also, the Eatigo discount applies ONLY to food, NOT beverages. That won't matter at restaurants like Retox Game On, Robin Hood and The Kitchen, but the hotel restaurants can charge 140 baht for a bottle of water- and that's their cheapest option. Any specials or promotions on food are excluded from the Eatigo discount. It only applies to regular menu prices. Finally, it is ++ pricing in many Eatigo-listed restaurants. Service and VAT are added, which usually increases the cost by about 17%. Bottom line: Eatigo is still a good deal, but of limited use to most visitors and foreign residents in Pattaya. In its current form, it won't revolutionize Sin City dining. Eatigo lists about 650 restaurants in Bangkok, but you have to install a separate app. Nineteen restaurants in Chiang Mai are included on the Pattaya app. Eatigo also lists restaurants in Singapore, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines and Malaysia, but separate apps are needed. Evil

A few days ago I tried the SEA Restaurant at the Baraquda Hotel next to The Avenue on 2nd Road for lunch. I used the 50% Eatigo discount that's available 1.00 pm to 3 pm and again between 8.00 pm and 10.00 pm. The rest of the day it's 20% off with Eatigo. The exterior pic is from Baraquda's Web site. I had what the menu called "baked white snapper with bambu Bali paste." White snapper (pla kapong in Thai) is also called Asian sea bass and is very similar to the barramundi of Australia. Bumbu Bali is a complex Indonesian spice base that's used in many Indonesian dishes. The baked fish came with chilled pickled vegetables and rice. The normal price was 340 baht, so with the Eatigo discount it was 170 baht. However, 10% service and 7% VAT were added, so the real cost was 200 baht, still very good value for money. It tasted fine and the spice paste didn't overwhelm the fish. There was a little heat from chili peppers, but just enough to give the dish an appropriate kick. You aren't going to gain any weight eating baked fish and veggies! It was a light but satisfying meal, perfect for lunch on a hot and muggy day. ... I had a glass of mango ice team, which was refreshing and a good match for the food. However, it cost 140 baht ++ (165 baht), which isn't cheap and beverages don't fall under the Eatigo discount. Bottled water cost the same. The SEA is nicely decorated and a good place to have a quiet meal. You can also eat outside, but that would be too warm during the afternoon hours. Bottom line: I'll be back to try a few more of SEA's menu offerings. Evil

Through the years, La Petite Planete, a small French restaurant next to Tukcom, has proved to be one of the more dependable places for steak. It's local Thai-French beef, but from a good source, and it's prepared properly. I've been eating it for over 10 years. Last night I had the entrecôte as part of the three-course set menu that offers a choice of starter, main and dessert. The set menu costs 320 baht, but there's an extra 50 baht added when it includes entrecôte, so the total was 370 for starter, main and dessert. It was a fair-sized piece of meat, at least 300 grams. I'm not sure, but I believe it was contre-filet, cut from the sirloin. Of course, it wasn't as tender as USDA Prime, but it was tender along the lines of USDA Choice. It had been cooked as ordered, medium rare, with a well-browned surface. The grill is hot enough at LPP. The sides were mashed potatoes (I could have had fries or croquettes), a boat of red wine and peppercorn sauce and mixed vegetables. The potatoes and veggies were fined. but too many peppercorns had been used in the sauce, which gave it a sharp taste I didn't like. I had chicken curry salad as my starter ... and Peach Melba as my dessert. Both were good but unremarkable. I thought the chef been a bit stingy with the raspberry sauce on the Peach Melba. Homemade pâté is the best starter at LPP, but pâté and steak in the same meal are too rich for my system. Bottom line: LPP's entrecôte has rated a solid "A" every time I've had it in the past ten years. That's a remarkable record in a town plagued by restaurant inconsistency. Evil

Oriental Trattoria is a 24/7 restaurant on 2nd Road at the corner of Soi 13/1 (Soi Yamato). It's the front section of the Privi Hotel and up a half-flight of stairs from the street. It's very much an international restaurant with no less than 12 national cuisines represented on its menu. However, most of the dishes are Italian or Thai. The restaurant bills itself as a "fusion tea cafe." I couldn't see any tea angle and the term "fusion" can mean several different things in a culinary sense. I imagine it's called "fusion" because there are so many cuisines under the same roof. There aren't many places in Pattaya where you can find laksa, wood-fired pizza, nasi goreng, hamburgers, Italian pasta and a few French, Russian, Chinese and German dishes on the same menu. I had wanted to try an iconic U.S. dish, clam chowder, but it wasn't available. That made me wonder how many other dishes on the extensive menu weren't available either, but that's just my cynical side. I settled for the weinerschnitzel and it wasn't a bad choice at 150 baht. I had a choice of potato and went with the oven roasted. The pork schnitzel had been pounded thin and properly breaded and fried. The potatoes had been seasoned with rosemary, which was a nice touch. A bottle of SML cost 90 baht and a ditto of water cost 20 baht. Bottom line: If the rest of the menu offerings hold the same standard and can actually be ordered, Oriental Trattoria could become an interesting place to eat. One discouraging factor for me was the loud and off-key music from the Wonder Bar across Soi 13/1. In the future, I'll be visiting Oriental Trattoria during the afternoon. Nice Diner opened recently on Soi Buakhao about 100 meters south of Soi 15 on the east side of the street. It's a small open-front restaurant that centers on U.S. hamburger and hot dog staples. It also offers breakfast, salads, wraps, spaghetti, some Thai dishes and desserts. Customers can sit diner-style at the counter or in booths. The decor is heavily U.S.1950s, but I found the red-tinged lighting to be irritating. I wasn't in a hamburger mood, so I had the mozzarella salad (119 baht) and the chicken wrap (129 baht). The salad was a bit of a disappointment. I wasn't expecting a Caprese salad (fresh mozzarella, tomato slices and basil) for the price, but the rectangular slices of industrial mozzarella were flavorless. On the upside, the lettuce and tomato were very fresh and the oil-and-vinegar dressing good. The chicken wrap was also good with strips of pan-fried chicken, lettuce, tomato and bell pepper in a flatbread. A bottle of water cost 25 baht. Bottom line: On the U.S. academic grading scale, I'd give the meal a B-, the lower end of "Good." Most of the menu was pretty standard and it doesn't inspire a return visit. I may, however, give the chicken-and-beef hybrid cheeseburger (259 baht with fries) a try. I've never had that combo in the same burger, so extra points for originality. The pic is from Nice Diner's Facebook page.  Prices seem at the high end for the burgers compared with what's available elsewhere in the area. Location, location, location also figures in. That section of Soi Buakhao doesn't get a lot of foot traffic, so the food will have to be good enough for customers to make a special trip. The September menu from Facebook: Evil

I had the American Breakfast at Retox Game On at the beginning of the week. The normal price was 179 baht, but I got it on the Eatigo 50% discount for 90 baht at 7.30 a.m. Sadly, it wasn't a very cheerful start to the day. Things turned negative as soon as I showed the waitress my cell phone screen with the Eatigo confirmation code. She claimed it wasn't valid because it didn't include the date. I tried to explain that the confirmation code indicated "Today," as it always does when you make a reservation the same day you eat. She insisted the Eatigo confirmation message had to show the date in numerical form. I kept my voice calm and my tone polite, yet nothing I said had any effect on her. I showed her the app and how it worked, even offered to make a new reservation in front of her eyes, but she just shook her head "no." I was about to ask for the manager when she grabbed my phone and scurried off with it. I was NOT pleased she'd done that, but I figured she was taking it to show someone for a final decision. She came back in a few minutes, returned my phone and asked what I wanted to eat like nothing had happened. Weird and unprofessional behavior, but I let it ride. It's one more example of failure to communicate and nothing to harp on with her after the fact, although I did have a few frustrating minutes. Retox' American breakfast consisted of two fried eggs; two small pancakes; two slices of streaky bacon; a mystery meat sausage; and what the menu called maple syrup and hash browns. It also came with two slices of toast; two pats of butter; a small glass of orange drink; and a choice of coffee or tea. The pancakes and streaky bacon were the two best items on the plate. The bacon had a strong smoky and salty flavor that's typical for the U.S., while the pancakes were light and fluffy if a bit thick. The coffee was good, too. On the other hand, the eggs were overcooked for my taste and the formed-meat sausage and fried potatoes were inedible. The sausage had a horrid hot-dog-like smooth texture and the potatoes were greasy and mushy. The pancake syrup was about as far from the sap of the sugar maple tree as the forests of Vermont are from the cane fields of Chonburi province. Bottom line: It was a mediocre breakfast and that's being generous considering the hassle with the waitress. It reminded me why I seldom bother with a Western breakfast in Pattaya. I'm not expecting heaven on a plate for 90 baht, but I do expect better than I got. One point for which I give Retox kudos is that the menu prices are not ++. Service and VAT were included the 179-baht price and the Eatigo discount reflected this. Evil

I used the Eatigo discount (50% at 1.30 p.m.) to have lunch the other day at the Garden Cafe at the Avani Hotel on 2nd Road. I had been tempted by the "Recommended Menu" selections on Eatigo, but none of the dishes I wanted to try were available on the limited lunch menu. I chose Lamb Rogan Josh at 350 baht as the best option. it came with basmati rice; tiny pieces of naan bread; a tiny dish of chutney, unknown flavor; and an equally small dish of a super-salty pickled vegetable. I'm not a portion fanatic, but the serving of lamb rogan josh was small even by my standards, You can use the fork in the pic for a sense of scale. It was a large plat, but it didn't have much food on it. It wasn't value-for-money even with a 50% discount. The aromatic sauce was great, but a couple of the chunks of lamb hadn't had the fat trimmed properly and were gristly. To me, unrendered lamb fat is gamy and inedible. On the whole, it was a mediocre dish, despite the sauce. The menu price doesn't include VAT and service, so the real cost was 205 baht. The cheapest bottle of mineral water was 80 baht, bringing the total cost of the meal to 299 baht. To be fair, Eatigo makes clear the menu prices are ++. The interior of the Garden Cafe is very nice, but I was the only person eating there. There's also an extensive outdoor eating area and its own herb garden. I saw one of the cooks snipping fresh herbs. Service was friendly and attentive. Bottom line: You have the potential for an excellent dining experience at the Garden Cafe, but the Lamb Rogan Josh was only mediocre. I expected better at the Garden Cafe. Evil

Chinese Shaxian Snacks is a small restaurant on the east side of 2nd Road near Soi 6 that's been open a week. The name can be a bit misleading as the word "snack" in Chinese (xiaochi, literally "small eats") encompasses a lot more than potato chips and salted peanuts. Chinese snacks are street food that has traditionally been sold by hawkers and vendors from carts or stalls on busy streets, often near markets or temples. Shaxian refers to Sha county in Fujian province. In the 1990s, local entrepreneurs began selling their county's specialties on the streets of larger cities. The "snacks" became hugely popular and an association was formed to market the Shaxian brand name. The snacks themselves are Chinese standards like dumplings and noodles as served in Sha county. Today there are thousands of outlets for Shaxian Snacks across China and even some branches in foreign countries. The new Pattaya branch has four tables indoors and three outside. It's cramped and basic with no A/C or fans. It was clean but messy, with no decorations. The exterior sign is its fanciest feature. However, the food I've tried so far has been delicious. Last night I had the steamed dumplings: and the beef brisket noodle soup: One of the dumplings is missing in the pic, as I popped it in my mouth before I took out my camera. Each dish cost 100 baht. The bowl of soup was huge. The wheat noodles were fresh, but hadn't been made on-site. The broth had a great taste, quite sophisticated for a Chinese restaurant in Pattaya. Each table had a container of soy sauce, a bowl of chili paste and a squeeze bottle of chili oil. The condiment I lacked was vinegar. I asked for it, but was told "mei you," the Chinese equivalent of "No hab." They didn't have any sort of beverage on sale, not even water. A couple of things to note: this is an authentic Chinese hole-in-the-wall place, more a glorified food stall than a sit-down restaurant. I believe it's mainly intended for take-away rather than in-house dining, just like in China. The poor ventilation made it warm inside and I was soon sweating, not really a meal-time experience I want. If you sit outside, you're about six feet from the fumes and noise of 2nd Road, again an experience I don't want. The menu is short, about a dozen dishes, with text in Chinese and English, but the English can be strange. Who would guess that "Fried Cow River Powder Noodles" are actually broad rice noodles with beef brisket? Large and accurate pictures are the menu's saving grace; just point at what you want. Next up for me will be zhajiangmian (noodles with minced pork in bean paste) and wontons with peanut sauce. Chinese Shaxian Snacks is clearly aimed at ethnic Chinese visitors to Pattaya. It offers a taste of China, not Chinatown. Farang looking for U.S.- or U.K.-style Chinese food will be sorely disappointed. There's no General Tso's Chicken or chow mein on the menu. The two young Chinese men who were operating Shaxian Snacks last night spoke putonghua (China's official standardized language) with each other and didn't seem to know much English, but they did their best to make me feel welcome. They smiled a lot and praised me on my use of chopsticks. Bottom line: A very positive addition to Pattaya's food scene. Evil

Korando's Bar on Soi 15 behind The Avenue has a special on pizza on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The ordinary price of the large Ground Beef Lover's Pizza in the pics below was 290 baht. It had the thin crust I prefer. The topping (ground beef, onion and cheese wasn't overdone, but for my taste, it could have done with more seasoning. Korando's has at least 10 different types of pizza, the usual favorites as well as a few original variations. I will be going back to try the Parma Ham Pizza. The pic is from Korando's Facebook page. Evil

I have never eaten at the All Seasons Steak Buffet at Central Festival. Let's just say the reports I've heard from friends weren't as enthusiastic as rawhide's. I may try it in the future, though. Evil

I wasn't impressed by the 300-gram Grill Steak at The Kitchen on 2nd Road near Soi 10. The menu price was 580 baht, but I ordered it at 3.30 p.m. under the eatigo 50% discount. The Kitchen added VAT and service on top of the discounted price (290 baht), which brought the net cost to 330 baht. With a bottle of soda water, the meal totaled 376 baht. I had wanted to try the 300-gram Australian Ribeye (610 baht menu price), but the waitress said, "No hab." The menu didn't mention anything about the steak's origin, but I assumed it must be some sort of local beef; otherwise, the menu would have proclaimed it was imported. It came with a small order of industrial crinkle cut French fries and a lettuce salad. As soon as I saw the steak in front of me, my heart sank as it hadn't been properly seared. With steak, the crucial factor is to get a good sear on the surfaces. It's not just a matter of presentation, it is hugely important for taste. The technical term is the Maillard reaction and without it, a steak lacks much of its flavor. A temperature of 400 to 500 degrees F (200 to 260 degrees C) is necessary for the correct level of browning and the grill at The Kitchen simply hadn't been hot enough. it's not a good idea to sprinkle herbs on the uncooked steak as a high grill temperature would reduce them to charred, bitter spots. Another factor in the steak's grayish color could have been that the surfaces hadn't been patted off to remove excess moisture. Wet surfaces hinder browning and lead to a grayish color and steam-cooked meat. A steak won't brown until all the water has been evaporated from the surface. A third factor could have been the steak had been thawed too quickly from a frozen state, which could also account for the steak's odd consistency. The effects began obvious as soon as I cut into the Grill Steak. It wasn't tender but seemed "soft" in a weird way. Freezing meat damages the muscle fiber and improper thawing compounds the effect. Bottom line: I got a steak of dubious quality that had been improperly handled and cooked; definitely not value for money even with the Eatigo discount. Without the discount, it's a ridiculous price with the ++ VAT and service. For 645 baht, you can get 250 grams of imported Australian beef at Steak & Co. To be fair, there were some positive factors to the meal. The French fries, although industrial crinkle cut, were twice fried and better tasting than most French fries in Pattaya. I also liked the fresh lettuce leaves with a sprinkling of vinaigrette, far superior to the over-dressed soggy salad that is common in Pattaya restaurants. The Kitchen is a clean and comfortable place to dine. I've had good non-steak meals in the past at The Kitchen and won't hesitate to eat there again, but not the steak. Evil

Yes, thank you, fixed it. The "(" became a "9" due to a missed shift key. A six-pound steak would be something! I can recall a steakhouse in my childhood that had a five-pound steak challenge. Such challenges are still around today in the U.S. Evil

My Way, the Dutch restaurant in the same arcade as Beefeater, Patrick's and Longhorn, has one of the better value-for-money offers on a steak dinner in Pattaya. The 180-gram (6.35 oz) beef tenderloin, small salad, gravy and choice of potato (home fries, French fries or mashed) costs 295 baht. The various steaks on the menu at My Way also come in 300-gram versions. I have been impressed by how tender and flavorful the local beef has been over the past 10 years. I always order it medium rare and that's exactly how it comes. The home fries (aka German fried potatoes) are also excellent with the additional of bacon and fried onions. The salad is generic, but there's a good-sized portion of it. My Way had been closed several weeks in August due to the passing of the owner (RIP), but reopened on September 7. Evil

In case anyone is wondering about what high quality imported beef will cost you in pleasant surroundings, here's some recent info from the Facebook page of Steak & Co. on Soi Lengkee: