Pastrami on Rye (Jontiem area)

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

This thread got me thinking about Montreal smoked meat sandwiches.

 

Like the pastrami, this is good stick-to-the-ribs Jewish food, but the cut of beef is different, brisket rather than navel/plate as with the New York pastrami sandwiches.

 

Here's an explanation of the differences between the offerings at the legendary Katz's in New York and world-famous Schwartz's in Montreal.

 

 

Montreal smoked meat, baby!

[cbrib 354]

I have heard a lot of good and bad reviews about this place, the pics look disgusting so i have not been there to try. The pic MeGo just posted looks to me like a proper sandwich. Also tried the sister company American Pizza Factory and was not impressed

Edited April 27, 2015 by cbrib

[Fatboyfat 361]

I've always wondered how one manages to open ones gob wide enough to fit those monster sarnies in..... or are they daintily eaten with a knife and fork. I often have trouble, even with a "bog standard" club sandwich!

Edited April 28, 2015 by Fatboyfat

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I finally made it to Pastrami On Rye's relocated premises on Thrappraya Road, about 100 yards north of the dog-leg right turn towards Jomtien Beach Road.

 

 

I had planned to have breakfast there, but my errand at the Jomtien Immigration office took longer than I expected, so I didn't get to Pastrami On Rye until 11.15 a.m., after they'd stopped serving breakfast. Instead of a sausage biscuit, I had a meatball sub.

 

 

It was a excellent sandwich, a meal-and-a-half with the coleslaw and dill pickle sides that were included in the 285-baht price.

 

 

The meatballs, made inh-house, were topped with a tangy marinara sauce and melted mozzarella, then topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

The cloleslaw was also very fresh and coarsely chopped, exactly how I like it.

 

 

I took one of their signature sandwiches, a Reuben, home with me to have later.

 

 

A reuben is a relatively modern U.S. sandwich, most likely dating from the 1950's. It consists of corned beef topped with sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese and "Reuben sauce" on toasted rye bread. Traditionally, a Reuben uses either Russian or Thousand Island dressing (based on mayonnaise and tomato puree or ketchup and other ingredients), but many restaurants make their own variation.

 

 

The bread was properly toasted on the very top of the slice, but still soft on the inside.

 

 

I took potato salad as my take-away side and it was very good. The potatoes were cooked correctly and not too soft.

 

 

Some shots of the interior. It's spotlessly clean, which you can't say about every restaurant in Pattaya.

 

 

 

 

 

The outside dining area.

 

 

 

Bottom line: if you like U.S.-style sandwiches, you can't go wrong with Pastrami On Rye.

 

Evil

Edited May 12, 2015 by Evil Penevil

[MM 6,562]

Good report.

You might want to review you last sentence BTW.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Good report.

You might want to review you last sentence BTW.

 

Done. That kind of mistake would have gotten me fired, lucky I'm retired.

 

Evil

[ajsp9 18]

Great review, good and premises looked great.

 

?

[BigDUSA 71]

Meatball sandwich looks good but expensive. I pay this price or less in Philly.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Meatball sandwich looks good but expensive. I pay this price or less in Philly.

 

Pastrami on Rye offers a high-quality niche product . It's a fair price considering what you get for your money. Of course there are cheaper places to eat in Pattaya, but not if you have your heart set on a U.S.-style sandwich.

 

Evil

Edited May 13, 2015 by Evil Penevil

[soidoggy 5]

You get what you pay for at P&R. Good stuff!

[BigDUSA 71]

 

Pastrami on Rye offers a high-quality niche product . It's a fair price considering what you get for your money. Of course there are cheaper places to eat in Pattaya, but not if you have your heart set on a U.S.-style sandwich.

 

Evil

I enjoy reading your restaurant reviews. What I find curious. How local restaurants pay American rents, taxes, wages and the cost of food are able to sell food for less then what you paid in Pattaya?

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I enjoy reading your restaurant reviews. What I find curious. How local restaurants pay American rents, taxes, wages and the cost of food are able to sell food for less then what you paid in Pattaya?

Many of the ingredients that Pastrami on Rye uses in its sandwiches and pizzas are imported and there's a huge duty on imported food in Thailand. Farang food made from ingredients sourced in LOS should be cheaper than in the US, but not food made from imported ingredients.

 

Also, economies of scale figure in. While the rent in prime locations in Philly or NYC will be higher, there are many more potential customers looking to buy US-style sandwiches than in Pattaya. Rents in smaller US towns away from major cities could well be lower than Pattaya.

 

Evil

Edited May 13, 2015 by Evil Penevil

[Gabor 296]

I enjoy reading your restaurant reviews. What I find curious. How local restaurants pay American rents, taxes, wages and the cost of food are able to sell food for less then what you paid in Pattaya?

 

Fools on the stool... the Stockholm syndrome...

 

Looking on the small size of the portion, nothing comparable with the average USA huge portions... ( as I remember my last 10+ years ago visit )

 

According to the restaurant's homepage:

 

Beef meat balls: As we know, the grounded beef meatballs may cooked from any quality of the beef, they will be the same... so, according to the Foodmart prices, maybe 15-20 baht...

 

Marinara sauce: ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinara_sauce ) from the local ingredients, maybe 4 -6 baht ( see the portion )

 

Mozzarella is really expensive... 8-900 baht / kilo... so maybe 4-8 baht in this sandwich... Parmesane cheese something similar...

 

A half baguette: according to the food market prices again: 10 baht...

 

All in all I can cook the same at home for 54 baht...

 

What the webpage don't mention...

 

The cola slaw and the dill pickle... an other extra 15-20 baht...

 

So... all in all 75 baht.... add the venue, the taxes, the experience... 150 baht would be fair...despite you can enyoy a nice lebanese buffet for 200 baht on the second road...

 

The reuben sandwich looks much better according to the ingredients... and despite the higher price, still looks like a better value...

 

Hehe... when my dad visited me, he was astonished and told me: The only one country I can have a huge seafood plate for less, than a pizza... the snobbish farang"s guilt...

[Odense 498]

I think MM and Evil are better at evaluating if an American place in Pattaya is fair value ;-)

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Pastrami on Rye currently has a 50% off "Happy Hour" special on large pizzas between 4.00 and 6.00 pm. The offer applies to dining at the restaurant and/or take away, but not delivery. There's a limit of two pizzas. You can choose from thin crust, Sicilian or pan pizza (also called Chicago style or deep dish pizza). The crust on square Sicilian pizzas is about 1" thick and about 1.5" on a pan pizza. Both have more topping than thin crust and as the name implies, pan pizza is baked in a pan.

 

I'm not a big fan of either style, but I will try a Sicilian pizza in the next few days. You can find the details of the special offer on the restaurant's Facebook page. (www.Facebook.com/pastramionryethailand)

 

Evil

[BeerBelly 1,026]

Many of the ingredients that Pastrami on Rye uses in its sandwiches and pizzas are imported and there's a huge duty on imported food in Thailand. Farang food made from ingredients sourced in LOS should be cheaper than in the US, but not food made from imported ingredients.

 

Also, economies of scale figure in. While the rent in prime locations in Philly or NYC will be higher, there are many more potential customers looking to buy US-style sandwiches than in Pattaya. Rents in smaller US towns away from major cities could well be lower than Pattaya.

 

Evil

Are you sure many ingredients are imported? Other than possibly the beef and maybe the wood chips for smoking, I can't think of anything they use that would be imported. Sean's a smart guy, if he can find a local ingredient for a much cheaper cost, he'll use it as long as the quality is there.

 

I think what makes POR expensive is the scale of operation. In the States, there are giant food wholesalers that can sell food for much less than you can buy in Makro here in Thailand.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Are you sure many ingredients are imported? Other than possibly the beef and maybe the wood chips for smoking, I can't think of anything they use that would be imported.

I wasn't just referring to ingredients P O R imports directly. Some wheat flour is milled in Thailand, but the wheat has be imported from abroad. Same with olive oil, cheese, spices, sausage, canned tomato puree, etc. I don't know if P O R uses locally produced sauerkraut or imported, but the risk is that local, small-batch stuff may not have the same flavor as the product with which most customers are familiar. For example, getting quality fresh tomatoes is difficult in Thailand, which affects the taste of the finished product. Imported tomato puree is used to bolster the flavor of tomato-based sauces.

 

One Italian chef in Pattaya told me he imports every ingredient he uses except fresh vegetables, fish and some pork. He even uses imported salt!

 

Evil

[DP Gumbypgh 97]

I have the same logic as Gabor why buy beer at 80 baht in Go-go bars when the cost of ingredients is surely less than 10 baht and you could brew it at home.

Some people know the cost of everything but the value of nothing.

Run don't walk to POR and get a real american sandwich.

If I go to the cheapest place i can find in Pittsburgh and order a Reuben it will still be more than POR and not as big unless you get fries with it.

[BeerBelly 1,026]

I wasn't just referring to ingredients P O R imports directly. Some wheat flour is milled in Thailand, but the wheat has be imported from abroad. Same with olive oil, cheese, spices, sausage, canned tomato puree, etc. I don't know if P O R uses locally produced sauerkraut or imported, but the risk is that local, small-batch stuff may not have the same flavor as the product with which most customers are familiar. For example, getting quality fresh tomatoes is difficult in Thailand, which affects the taste of the finished product. Imported tomato puree is used to bolster the flavor of tomato-based sauces.

 

One Italian chef in Pattaya told me he imports every ingredient he uses except fresh vegetables, fish and some pork. He even uses imported salt!

 

Evil

Don't get me wrong though, I think POR sandwiches are worth the price. I certainly don't think they are gouging customers at all. Another factor in the price is the portion size.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

One point that should be mentioned: There's a huge difference between what's called corned beef ("bully beef") in the U.K. and the corned beef sold in the U.S. The U.K. version is brined and boiled beef that has been minced and mixed with gelatin, then packed in cans. From around 1900 through at least the 1950s, it was a standard field ration for the military of many countries.

 

The U.S. version is beef brisket which has been brined, pickled and cured, then slow roasted. It's called salt beef in the U.K. The U.K. version is roughly equivalent to Spam except based on beef rather than pork, while U.S. corned beef would correspond to ham. It's very possible to like U.S. corned beef but hate its U.K. cousin, just as some people who retch at the thought of Spam may well enjoy a ham sandwich.

 

Evil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

There have been contradictory reports (surprise, surprise!) on the punter boards about the fate of Pastrami on Rye. Some reports said it was closing down, period. Others said only the retail outlet in Jomtien was closing and POR products would still be available for delivery. Here's what appeared on POR's FB page yesterday:

 

 

 

 

The official POR explanation is that the restaurant will be temporarily closed from Feb. 6 through Feb. 8 and re-opening on Feb. 9. POR has also apparently acquired the business of The Sweet Spot, a chocolate and confectionery maker formerly associated with Bite Me Bistro. No other details were given.

 

Evil

Edited February 7, 2017 by Evil Penevil

[wacmedia 277]

Hi,

 

When I see pastrami I always think pussy. Thats me.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Hi,

 

When I see pastrami I always think pussy. Thats me.

 

 

But rye bread goes a lot better with pastrami.

 

Evil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

From P O R's FB page a few hours ago:

 

 

 

Evil

 

 

[nkped 1,208]

Whatever they are doing, they're butchering the roll out.