Pupen Seafood Restaurant In Jomtien- UPDATED Feb. 19, 2014

[bigmick 840]

 

I've made no secret of the fact that I haven't been to Pattaya for nearly two years now. You are there and I am not. I hear what you say regarding increase in prices and I believe what you say, however it still seems expensive to me.

 

Five Tour Buses indicates to me that it might well be so.

 

I've never been a Foodie especially a lover of sea food but I imagine a couple of fish, five crabs, a couple of plates of Prawns and some soup ingredients could be had elsewhere for far less than 2800 Baht.

 

I'm sure you know of such places?

 

Where do normal Thais eat simple food like that in simple places like that and how much does it cost?

 

Thais eat in places like this and places like Mum Aroi. I recently went to Mum Aroi and there was 4 of us in the group. We had Stinky fish and crabs (crabs being the expensive item)along with some fried vegetables, BBQ prawns,chicken and cashew nuts. Our bill came to 2600 baht including 2 large bottles of beer.

 

I noticed a few days back that the local Somchai selling the spit roast chicken on the side of the road is now charging 150 baht for a chicken. Seems that everything has/is going up.

[papillon 695]

bigmick, on 20 Feb 2014 - 01:24 AM, said:

 

Thais eat in places like this and places like Mum Aroi. I recently went to Mum Aroi and there was 4 of us in the group. We had Stinky fish and crabs (crabs being the expensive item)along with some fried vegetables, BBQ prawns,chicken and cashew nuts. Our bill came to 2600 baht including 2 large bottles of beer.

 

I noticed a few days back that the local Somchai selling the spit roast chicken on the side of the road is now charging 150 baht for a chicken. Seems that everything has/is going up.

 

I noticed the price of chicken in the supermarkets just last week here in the UK has sky rocketed. A lot of it comes from LOS. Has Yingluck paid the poultry Farmers?

 

Sooner there's a Coup the better as far as I'm concerned. Not too much blood though. No need for that.

[jacko 8,815]

There is a new Jae Jook restaurant near where I live......me, the TGF and a friend ate there and 4 large beers and food came to about 2400 baht.

Me and the Mrs often eat out for 700-900 baht, but we stick to 3 plates, one of which is vegetables.

Anything involving crab or large shrimp these days is going to surprise you as to the cost.

 

I haven't eaten at one of the Walking Street places over the sea for over 5 years, lobster and those fried crab leg things a distant memory, probably cheaper in Boston.

 

The TGF complains how much shrimp costs at the local scruffy market frequently.

 

We often discover a new restaurant, they seem to be opening often, good for a while, but then the tourist buses arrive and we move on.

Seafood is a popular luxury for many of the tourists and locals alike and that is impacting on prices and availability, I have heard others complain about the prices at the morning Naklua seafood market.

 

Normal Thais, whatever those are, can afford it as much as I can....... those heading back to Bangkok stop by often on the Sukhumvit places I use.

[Fatboyfat 361]

I (and my Thai company) were also caught out with the price of crab in one of these places (Shell Tangkay Nakluah) recently, and ended up paying 1,030 Baht for a crab dish alone. It was a dish that we have always ordered in the past, but never paid anywhere near that price. They are now charging by weight, and we assumed that the crabs must be imported now, to warrant that price hoik.

Food prices in restaurants etc. are rising here, and in line with booze and partner prices not particularily in line with annual inflation. The days of a cheap, or reasonably so, holiday destination are very rapidly disappearing. Air fares do the best they can, but the final crunch will be, should the hotels choose to extort more cash too.

LOL All that from a plate of crabs!!!!!!

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

The prices at Pupen are reasonable for the meal you get. It's "big ticket" items like crab and rock lobster that have the heaviest effect, but that's true for any restaurant in Pattaya. Once, when we arrived very late at Pupen, crab and other expensive items had already been sold out. We had a steamed fish and four other dishes among three people. The total bill then, including drinks, was just under 1,000 baht.

 

One thing that impresses me most about Pupen, Mum Aroi and similar restaurants is that most of the guests are Thais and other Asians, although Russians are indeed showing up more and more. The prevalence of Thai customers indicates both the food and prices are good.

 

Most hole-in-the-whole Thai restaurants don't offer whole fresh crab as it's too expensive an ingredient, plus it goes bad quickly if not kept alive or on ice. Once for a special dinner for my then-TGF's family, we asked the woman who had a six-table restaurant near my condo if she could prepare crab for us. She could, but I had to give her the money in advance to buy the crab. The price she charged for the dish on the table wasn't much different than you'd have paid at Pupen. I imagine it was more expensive per kilo for her to buy two kilograms of crab at the market than Pupen's cost per kilo when buying 100 kilos of crab directly off the fishing boat.

 

And it also depends on whether you're intending to have a dining experience or just filling your belly. There's a difference between eating as cheaply as possible and eating as well as possible at a reasonable price.

 

Evil

Edited February 21, 2014 by Evil Penevil

[ktappinen 52]

Taking a baht bus from Pattaya does it go directly past the restaurant? If so how far along the road is the place?

Sometimes a baht bus goes all the way past Pu Pen. More often than not they either turn left at the police box at Thanon Chaiyaphruek intersection or stop there telling that it is the end of the line. Sometimes we have been able to walk on the other side of the intersection and then catch a baht bus going past Pu Pen. However, if there are not many of you, taking a motorbike taxi from the police box is also a viable option.

 

On the way back we have been forced to walk north along the Jomtien Beach Road to catch a baht bus. Usually this has been possible at the Family Mart which is a few hundred meters north of Pu Pen, next to the entrance to a shop house complex. Occasionally I have taken a motorbike taxi from there, too.

 

Pu Pen is very far down Jomtien Beach Road where the road veers away from the beach. I would not care to walk between it and the main baht bus route (over one mile).

[jacko 8,815]

Further to my comment on prices.

There is another new place opened on the railway line bypass rd.

Heading North, about 200m beyond the water tower junction (Khaomaikaew Rd/3240) on your left.

Large carpark...... named A. Aroy.

Nicely laid out, mostly outdoor, everything obviously new, play area for kids.

(Kids running around a slight distraction.)

Nice crockery and the food very tasty and well presented.......

The 5 jumbo shrimp were perfectly cooked and very tasty in a coconut milk sauce.... but didn't look very big on the large plate.

500+ baht for just that dish.

 

Seafood is going up-market.

Edited March 19, 2014 by jacko

[atlas2 4,329]

Went there yesterday lunchtime……..With masked lady!

 

Coconut shake

Water

Crab curry

Morning Glory

Prawn spicy salad

2x rice

 

560 baht ……..which ain't bad……. Though I thought my dish, the 'pad pak boong fi dang'….. 'morning glory' is better at Tesco food hall.

 

Masked lady, (she's had some cosmetic work done) likes it there and de-masked briefly to stuff her face.

 

We were there at about 12.15 and had the place to ourselves. Halfway thru three coach-loads of Chinese arrived and the place was swamped. Glad we'd ordered and were soon to be on our way. All that gobbing the Chinese do jolly well puts one orff.

Edited March 19, 2014 by atlas2

[jacko 8,815]

Went there yesterday lunchtime……..With masked lady!

 

Coconut shake

Water

Crab curry

Morning Glory

Prawn spicy salad

2x rice

 

560 baht ……..which ain't bad……. Though I thought my dish, the 'pad pak boong fi dang'….. 'morning glory' is better at Tesco food hall.

 

Masked lady, (she's had some cosmetic work done) likes it there and de-masked briefly to stuff her face.

 

We were there at about 12.15 and had the place to ourselves. Halfway thru three coach-loads of Chinese arrived and the place was swamped. Glad we'd ordered and were soon to be on our way. All that gobbing the Chinese do jolly well puts one orff.

Yes I have been twice now.

The first visit it was very reasonable, me and my lady, 3 plates and a large beer, just under 1000baht.

The second visit included the shrimp dish and a steamed snapper and was double that.

 

In the evenings I think it gets the Bangkok on-their-way-home crowd with their kids running around.... slightly preferable to the Chinese coach parties for the other customers if not the proprietors!

I must say that on both visits (Sunday evening) the food was well cooked and very good..... problem is always whether the main chef is on duty or not.

There is another new place if you turn left on 3240 and head down 100m or so, on the left well before the Sukhumvit lights. Two floor place and nice to sit upstairs. Food quite good but appetite suppressed by bored young male waiter picking his nasal cavity and inspecting his harvest!

[papillon 695]

jacko, on 19 Mar 2014 - 11:01 PM, said:

 

The 5 jumbo shrimp were perfectly cooked and very tasty in a coconut milk sauce.... but didn't look very big on the large plate.

500+ baht for just that dish.

 

Seafood is going up-market.

 

I'm curious if the shrimp were farmed freshwater or wild sea caught.

 

How much do they compare in price at the market and what the current prices are.

 

Just trying to get an idea of the cost of ingredients for that dish.

[jacko 8,815]

 

I'm curious if the shrimp were farmed freshwater or wild sea caught.

 

How much do they compare in price at the market and what the current prices are.

 

Just trying to get an idea of the cost of ingredients for that dish.

I believe they were sea prawn, but whether caught or farmed I am unsure, they tasted good.

Shrimp like this are 400-500 baht/kilo in the market.