Under 300 Baht ... And Good! (updated July 4, 2022)

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

(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

Edited January 13, 2019 by Evil Penevil

[short 215]

Where's Fonzi?

 

From my hotel I could see the American flag flying in the wind but was unable to locate it on the ground.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I've finally gotten around to writing up a review of Simon's Hummus Laboratory on Soi Buakhao at the north side of Buakhao Night Market.  It's on the upper level above the SCB branch and next to Amazon Coffee. Whether it's on the first or second floor depends on what country you come from.  ?  It's easy to miss Simon's because there is no eye-catching signage on the ground level. The yellow arrow marks the entrance to Simon's.

Simon's is an Israeli and Middle Eastern restaurant.  As the name indicates and the Web site proclaims, it is focused on "hummus, hummus and more hummus."  In Israel and at Simon's, hummus has gone beyond an appetizer (meze) or accompaniment for drinks and become The Base for main courses.  

The mainstay of the menu seems to be hummus platters in numerous variations accompanied by pita bread and small side dishes of cabbage, carrots and hot sauce. I like the classic hummus with falafel and have had it several times.

It costs 180 baht.

Hummus itself is boiled, mashed chickpeas, which can be bland.  The addition of olive oil, herbs and spices give it a lot more flavor, as do the side dishes.

 The portion is large enough for a light lunch or supper.  But if you're looking for a more substantial meal, Simon's doesn't disappoint.  The baked chicken with potatoes is very good at 220 baht.

There's plenty of chicken and potatoes in a well-seasoned sauce.  It comes with the same side dishes as the hummus platter.

I don't usually post "after" pics, but one below shows how much I enjoyed my meal.

Another favorite of mine at Simon's is the shakshuka,  a combination of poached eggs simmered with tomatoes, onions, garlic and spices. It costs 150 baht. There are many variations of shakshuka and at Simon's it comes with cheese melted on the eggs.

Food historians can't decide if it originated in Turkey, Morocco or Yemen, but it has been adopted as an Israeli staple, eaten for breakfast or dinner.

It's light and healthy, but filling. I much prefer it over Western fried breakfasts.

Simon's has many tasty and interesting dishes from Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.  I'll post excerpts from the menu at the end of this review

The decor at Simon's is eclectic to say the least.

It's clean and well-lit.  I can't remember anything about the background music, so it must have been unobtrusive.

The service staff and Simon himself are friendly.  Each time  I've eaten there, he's asked me how the food was.

Bottom line:  The Israeli food at Simon's may be new to a lot of plain-vanilla farang, but don't hesitate to try it.  Simon's is open every day from 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.

Evil

Edited January 13, 2019 by Evil Penevil

[capdagde 1,954]

MOON - looks interesting, (especially the calamari) onto the list it goes!  I saw one of those Marilyn Monroe statues outside a 2nd hand shop in Bootle on Sunday morning (we went to number one son's wedding).  Music was "discrete", or "discreet"?

HUMMUS LABORATORY - that is our type of place, hummus with everything! Signage too discreet and resto sadly discrete from the passing footfall.  The Special Bourekas sound nice and the grilled chicken will be good if spiced right.  We'd better try it this year. Do those upstairs restaurants usually last?

Keep it up Uncle Evil! (Greetings from Flo)

Edited January 13, 2019 by capdagde

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

23 hours ago, short said:

Where's Fonzi?

Maybe he's jumping the Shark?

Evil

[short 215]

2 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

Maybe he's jumping the Shark?

Evil

I didn't know that was next to the Moon restaurant 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

It's a very long jump.

 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

16 hours ago, capdagde said:

Keep it up Uncle Evil! (Greetings from Flo)

  and   to Flo.

 

Quote

HUMMUS LABORATORY - that is our type of place, hummus with everything! Signage too discreet and resto sadly discrete from the passing footfall.  The Special Bourekas sound nice and the grilled chicken will be good if spiced right.  We'd better try it this year. Do those upstairs restaurants usually last?

Simon's has been going for awhile, but has changed locations a couple of times. He has a dedicated customer base and gets a lot of word-of-mouth recommendations among  Israeli and other Middle Eastern visitors as some of his dishes aren't available elsewhere in Pattaya.

Evil

Edited January 14, 2019 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

says I.  I just read the following on Facebook: 

 

I'll try to find out if it's finito or he is just moving to a new location.

Evil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I've had Nueng's pies in the past and they are good, but I fully acknowledge I have limited experience of UK-style meat pies.  She's located on the Darkside and  (edit in) delivers to central Pattaya.  All the pics come from Neung's Pies FB page.

 

Edited January 14, 2019 by Evil Penevil

[capdagde 1,954]

7 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

says I.  I just read the following on Facebook: 

 

I'll try to find out if it's finito or he is just moving to a new location.

Evil

That's a damned shame - I reckoned top word of mouth and a smidgen of lying low to avoid any beardy unpleasantness could have made a happy medium in this case.  You're the man to let us know the next destination!

5 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

I've had Nueng's pies in the past and they are good, but I fully acknowledge I have limited experience of UK-style meat pies.  She's located on the Darkside and  (edit in) delivers to central Pattaya.  All the pics come from Neung's Pies FB page.

 

These are something else that we miss in Frogland (we make our own hummus btw).  Anyone know an outlet in town where her pies and other products are available (I'll have a look at the Facebook page)?  The farang bloke just off the scooter looks like he's trying to eat them all.  I'm a bit worried the sweet versions might be a bit dry however... Scotch Eggs are a culinary triumph and not that easy to make.

Oh my lord!  She has SCOTCH PIES!!!!!

Edited January 14, 2019 by capdagde
Scotch Pies hmmmm

[capdagde 1,954]

I'm seeing lower down Neung's Pies Facebook page that her products are available at Tequila Sunrise (Jomtien) and McDoners (Soi LK).

I think I need to plan a solo Darkside MBT only-for-crusty-food takeaway shopping trip at the start of our holiday!

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

1 hour ago, capdagde said:

I'm seeing lower down Neung's Pies Facebook page that her products are available at Tequila Sunrise (Jomtien) and McDoners (Soi LK).

I think I need to plan a solo Darkside MBT only-for-crusty-food takeaway shopping trip at the start of our holiday!

Someone I know personally wrote on another board that Nueng's Pies do indeed deliver and delivery is free on orders above 300 baht.  He said Nueng responds quickly to messages  via Facebook.

Evil

[capdagde 1,954]

2 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

Someone I know personally wrote on another board that Nueng's Pies do indeed deliver and delivery is free on orders above 300 baht.  He said Nueng responds quickly to messages  via Facebook.

Evil

Thanks for that info Evil.

I'll get some 500bht-ish of stuff delivered to our rented flat.  (Thailand holidays are no-cooking periods for Flo!!!!)

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Il Peccatore ("The Sinner') is an Italian restaurant that's been open since mid-November on Soi Lengkee, about half way between Soi Buakhao and 3rd Road.  I read that the owner named it Il Peccatore because Pattaya is a city of sinners. 

It features indoor and outdoor dining areas, with the enclosed area strictly non-smoking.  The indoor area had about 15 diners when I arrived and I didn't want to get intrusive with my camera, so I only took pictures of the bar area.

 

I had been meaning to try Il Peccatore for awhile, but  never got around to it until last night.  Il Peccatore posts its daily specials on its Facebook page and yesterday's special really caught my eye: paccheri cacio e pepe.  Il Peccatore

Paccheri is large tubular pasta and cacio e pepe translates as "cheese and pepper."  The cheese is pecorino romano, a very salty type made from sheep's milk.  Cacio e pepe is one of the oldest dishes in Italian cuisine, dating back to shepherds in Roman times. It's a simple dish, consisting of only a few ingredients, namely cheese, pasta and pepper. Modern variations often add extra virgin olive oil to give the sauce a shine.

Since the 1950s, cacio e pepe has become a staple in Rome's restaurants and has more recently become popular outside Italy.  In 2016, it was named by a New York City magazine as the year's "trendiest dish."  I haven't seen it before on a menu in Pattaya, so I was eager to try it.

I wasn't disappointed.  The sauce was excellent and coated the fresh pasta as it should. 

I thought it  could do with a bit more pepper and ground more on the pasta from the miniature pepper mill on the condiment tray.  A basket of fresh bread preceded the pasta.

After the meal. the waitress offered me a complimentary glass of chilled limoncello as a digestif.  Nice touch!  I really like limoncello. 

I was happy with the meal.  The portion wasn't large, but the paccheri was very filling and adequate for me.  Considering the meal was based on fresh pasta and pecorino romano and included bread and limoncello,  I thought it was value for money at 270 baht.  I know there are restaurants where you can get bigger plates of spaghetti for half the price, but a mound of dry pasta with canned sauce  is a long way from paccheri cacio e pepe. 

The service was fast and friendly. The waitress I had spoke good English, which isn't always the case in Pattaya restaurants. The owner (or perhaps manager) greeted me both on my way in and out.  I didn't study the menu, but there seemed to be a wide range of Italian dishes, including pizza.

I noticed another diner had taken the other special, the grilled T-bone steak for 490 baht, and I almost regretted my decision to go with the pasta.  The steak looked large and thick and the gentleman ate it with gusto.  Il Peccatore's daily specials follow a pattern of fresh pasta dishes under 300 baht and a meat dish (beef, lamb, pork, duck) under 500 baht.  The meat dishes aren't necessarily Italian, such as roast beef with roasted potatoes and T-bone steak.  I'll include some photos of the daily special lists from Il Peccatore's FB page at the end of this post.

From what I overhead of the other guests' table conversation, almost all were Italian. That's a decent comment on the quality of the food.

Bottom line:  I'll definitely go back for another taste of Italy and maybe the steak and roast lamb as well.

Evil

[marleyboy 140]

Thanks for the write up Evil.

 

That Italian on Soi Lengkee., looks good.

 

Im there in 2 weeks time, I usually eat Thai food only (and the odd English breakfast, when the hangover is too bad!), I sometimes fancy some pasta, so this place looks ideal!

 

Many thanks.

[Barhop 197]

On 1/13/2019 at 6:53 PM, Evil Penevil said:

I've finally gotten around to writing up a review of Simon's Hummus Laboratory on Soi Buakhao at the north side of Buakhao Night Market.  It's on the upper level above the SCB branch and next to Amazon Coffee. Whether it's on the first or second floor depends on what country you come from.  ?  It's easy to miss Simon's because there is no eye-catching signage on the ground level. The yellow arrow marks the entrance to Simon's.

Thanks for the review.  Now I am curious to try.  Had watched the soi dogs at the bottom many times, as well as roided up dudes swaggering down the stairs.  Have drunk in a bar opposite many times and that's the view.  Had assumed there was a gym up there.  Oh well, now have a reason for a stroll upstairs...

[jacko 8,813]

14 minutes ago, Barhop said:

Thanks for the review.  Now I am curious to try.  Had watched the soi dogs at the bottom many times, as well as roided up dudes swaggering down the stairs.  Have drunk in a bar opposite many times and that's the view.  Had assumed there was a gym up there.  Oh well, now have a reason for a stroll upstairs...

There is also another post saying the place is up for sale.

 

Edited January 21, 2019 by jacko

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I'm a big fan of Taco Taco, but I haven't been back too many times since they moved to  Soi 9 off Pattaya Klang, simply because the old location, a stall in the Soi Buakhao night market, was more convenient for me.  

No doubt, though, that the new enclosed, air-conditioned  restaurant is a far more comfortable place to have a meal than a fold-up table in front of the old stall.  The menu has expanded considerably, too.

I went back yesterday to try the Taco Tuesday special:

And a tempting pic from Taco Taco's Facebook page:

The following tacos cost 60 baht each all day Tuesday and you can mix and match as you please:

You can also choose hard-shell corn tortillas or soft wheat tortillas.  I picked column B and had the conchinita pibil and chicken tinga in corn tortillas and the smoky beef on a wheat tortilla.

The order came with three in-house-made sauces: the iconic Mexican pico de gallo (aka salsa fresca or salsa mexicana); habanero chili hot sauce (fiery hot  ) and pineapple salsa.

The pork, chicken and beef in the tacos had been slow-cooked with Mexican spices.  The cook didn't skimp on the chili content and the chicken tinga and smoky beef had quite a kick without the hot sauce.  The conchinita pibil was a bit milder with a sweet-sour flavor to the pork.  It's based on a traditional pork dish from the Yucatán Peninsula and is a favorite of mine.  I hope Taco Taco spins off conchinita pibil into a main dish and not just a taco filling.

The meal cost 180 baht for the three tortillas and 20 baht for a bottle of water.

Bottom line:    Since Dave's Cantina closed, these are the best tacos in Pattaya.  They aren't the biggest, but definitely the best tasting.  Some other taco variations on offer on the regular menu.

Taco Taco also has weekly specials and this week it's three-bean chili con carne with rice and nachos:

:

Evil

[capdagde 1,954]

"Il Peccatore" deserves several stars just for the name (Of course I thought it was a misprint at first - and not much fish on the menu).

Edited January 23, 2019 by capdagde

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Tigglebitties Tavern is an American restaurant that serves mainstream U.S. food; Tex-Mex and Mexican-inspired  dishes; and Thai food.  It's located on Soi 17 (aka Soi Regional Land) about five minutes' walk south of the intersection with 3rd Road and ten minutes' walk from Tukcom.

The great  thing about Tigglebitties is that the owners and kitchen staff understand what American food is about and how it should taste. It's also one of the few restaurants in Pattaya to offer freshly baked U.S.-style biscuits, including biscuits and gravy.  It also features in-house-made U.S. desserts like apple and pumpkin pies and carrot cake.  Prices are quite reasonable for the quality of food and large portions.

It's an open-front bar and restaurant with a casual tavern atmosphere. Plenty of drinking as well as eating goes  on there. The fans keep the interior reasonably cool.  It can get noisy, though, as Soi Regional land is heavily trafficked. Tigglebitties is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

Every day Tigglebitties has two specials, usually one main dish and one appetizer or snack. They are true specials; they often aren't on the regular menu. The other day I tried the fish taco:

 

 In the U.S., these are called Baja fish tacos.  Japanese commercial fishermen were frequent visitors to the coastal cities of Baja California in Mexico during the 1960s.  A group of them once asked a  taco stand operator to batter the fish  tempura-style rather than grilling it.  The new version of the fish taco became popular among local Mexicans and North American tourists, except they favored a crispier crust.  A U.S. college student was so impressed with the Baja fish taco he opened a restaurant serving them in San Diego in 1983.  He now operates a chain of 200 fish taco restaurants.

Here's what I got:

That's a lot of food on the plate for 160 baht!

Everything- the fish, veggies and tortillas- was fresh and tasted fine, although I could have done with less lettuce and more salsa.  I had to use a knife and fork to eat the mound of green stuff, but a taco is a quintessential finger food. 

The original Baja fish tacos were  served in corn tortillas and topped with purple cabbage, salsa and Mexican crema (similar to crème fraiche), but since moving across the border to the U.S.,  fish tacos have taken on many variations.

 Each of the fish fillets was good-sized and flaky with a crisp batter.  I had no real complaint with the tacos, just some niggling about details. Were they the best fish tacos I ever had?  No, but they were good and they aren't very common in Pattaya.

A breakfast sandwich  with a Jimmy-Dean-style sausage patty, fried egg and cheese on a in-house-made biscuit is another classic American dish and well worth 150 baht.

 

It's the biscuit that makes the sandwich for me, but the sausage patty was also good.

I topped off the sandwich with a piece of in-house carrot cake.  It was delicious.  Neither the cream cheese frosting  nor the cake were too sweet and the frosting had the proper tang. The crushed walnuts atop the frosting was a really good touch.  

The Monday specials at Tigglebitties center on  BBQ ribs and chicken:

It's a good way to satisfy a BBQ fix at a fair price.  The pics Tigglebitties uses to illustrate its specials correspond closely to what you get on your plate.

Bottom line:  Tigglebitties is one of the best options in Pattaya for American food- and that includes Tex-Mex and Mexico-inspired dishes.  The main dishes and sides, such as coleslaw and potato salad, taste like they would back in the USA.  The staff is friendly and speaks better English than is often the case in Pattaya restaurants.   Prices  are reasonable given the quality of the food and the size of the portions.

Evil

Edited January 28, 2019 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Some pages from the menu at Tigglebitties:

And a few more specials:

The pics Tigglebitties uses to illustrate its specials correspond closely to what you get on your plate.

Edited January 28, 2019 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I hadn't eaten at Jameson's Irish Pub in years but tried it again the other night as I was staying in a hotel nearby.

It wasn't a convenient location for me, but the main reason I didn't go back often was the funereal interior.  When I visit an Irish pub, I want to be reminded of leprechauns and the Blarney Stone, not haunted  castles, banshees and the Cóiste Bodhar.   Typical American tourist attitude, I know, but I don't like gloomy bars and restaurants.

The food as I remember it had been good, but friends said it had gone down in recent years.  I did have a good meal there the other night.  The interior, though, was as uninviting as I recalled, except it was as cavernous as before.  Jameson's has been cut in half to make way for a yet-to-open pizza place.

I had the roast chicken dinner for 245 baht. On the plate I got half a chicken, roast and mashed potatoes, a boast of gravy and the usual medley of boiled veggies.

The chicken had been roasted properly and was moist.  The potatoes were fine.  The veggies were a bit soft for me, but that's a matter of individual preference. The gravy seemed to a generic out-of-a-package and overly salty, so I didn't bother with it.  In all, it was good meal.  Not outstanding, but good.

A bottle of water cost 30 baht, so the whole meal put me back 275 baht.

Bottom line:  Jameson's location and gloomy interior are negatives, but based on my chicken dinner, the food wouldn't deter me from another visit if I felt like pub fare.

Here's the location for those unfamiliar with it.

If you're riding the Second Road baht bus, get off just before Soi 6, cross the street and take Soi 4 to Jameson's.

It has some decent prices on pints during its Happy Hours, but so do many other bars.

Evil

 

Edited February 11, 2019 by Evil Penevil

[daydreamer 0]

  I'm not a regular poster here, but I have been reading for a long time.  I want to give a big THANK YOU to Evil Penevil for your restaurant reviews.  Thanks to you I found So's Place during my recent trip to Pattaya.  The food is excellent, the beer is cold, and the gals are friendly.  Since So's Place was close to my hotel on Soi 14, I ate there many times, and every meal was excellent.

 I would never have found it without your review.  The photos add a lot to the story, as everyone has different thoughts and likes about food.  Keep up the good work Evil, it is appreciated.

[jacko 8,813]

Jameson's  has some memories for me as in my early days I often stayed at the adjacent Nova Park. Very similar to the Residence Garden, suite type, 2 rooms and the place a bit out of the way! I had some good meals delivered to my room from there, I recall the ribs well. The pub interior was indeed gloomy but the weekend roast carvery often got me in there. Too far off the beaten track to be a contender, walking back down a dark soi SaiSong 4 very late was a little concerning but mostly I was on a M/C taxi being followed by another. 

A pizza shop next door is a fair fit for the hotel, but I wonder how Jameson's survived. 

Edited February 12, 2019 by jacko