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 c

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

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

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 bu

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 ope

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 smok

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 prope

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,

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 bef

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 Huysm

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

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. T

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 30

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 sam

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 t

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, Y

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 co

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 w

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 a

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: