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

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Café Pitini on Soi Buakhao has long been a favorite of farang tourists and residents for consistently good food at reasonable prices. It's an attractive and comfortable place to have a meal, casual dining in the best sense of the phrase.

 

 

However, there are rough spots on the menu, with a big gap between the top and bottom items. Most meals there have been good, but a few were disappointing. The menu is extensive, running the gamut of international dishes found in a lot of farang-oriented Pattaya restaurants. The emphasis is on British comfort food, but there's also hamburgers, pasta, pizza, steak, panini and the customary Thai dishes. Café Pitini is also noted for its ice cream and other desserts that are several notches higher than what's usually found in Pattaya.

 

It features daily specials on popular dishes, with 20 or 30 baht knocked off the ordinary menu price. I tried the spaghetti bolognese, which if I remember right is the Wednesday special at 179 baht. It was very good, far better than much of the "spag bol" available in Pattaya. The sauce was closer to a traditional ragù alla bolognese than what's usually put on spaghetti in Pattaya or elsewhere outside of Italy.

 

Basically, ragù alla bolognese is a meat-based sauce, usually ground beef these days. It doesn't have a heavy tomato taste. Classic bolognese sauce is not served on spaghetti, but on tagliatelle or a ribbed pasta like penne. What is widely called spaghetti bolognese outside Italy is actually spaghetti with a generic Italian tomato sauce to which ground beef has been added, hence the bolognese connection. Kudo to Pitini for keeping things real.

 

It was a good-sized portion and with the three pieces of freshly toasted garlic bread, made a very filling meal.

The panini (bacon, egg, sausage and cheese) at 150 baht was excellent, probably the best panini I've had in Pattaya. It was made with high quality ingredients and real ciabatta (bread) that had been appropriately grilled and not squashed.

 

 

I also appreciated the lack of dressing on the fresh cabbage and lettuce, but that's just my preference. I'm sure others would have preferred dressing.

 

 

The menu sports a half dozen different types of panini. A panini at Pitini is perfect as a light lunch or evening snack.

 

I

was less impressed with the Sunday special roast dinner at 159 baht. There was a choice of beef, chicken or pork and mashed or roast potatoes. I went with pork and mashed potatoes..

 

 

The sides were good, with the Yorkshire pudding among the better I've had in Pattaya. I ate at Pitini at 7.00 p.m. and the Yorkshire was fresh out of the oven. It hadn't been standing all day and re-warmed. The menu proclaimed the meal came with Bisto gravy.

 

 

For non-Brits, Bisto is a meat-flavored gravy product in powder or granule form to which boiling water is added. The name is an acronym for "Browns, Seasons and Thickens in One." It made me chuckle because the original raggedy Bisto Kids would have fit right in on Soi Buakhao, although maybe not in Pitini.

 

Source: https://www.allposters.ca/-sp/Bisto-the-Bisto-Kids-posters_i1872170_.htm

The pork was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't bad, bit it had most likely come from a cylinder of precooked and pre-sliced industrial pork. It was almost flavorless and I was glad for the Bisto gravy, even though it tasted as out-of-a-packet as gravy can get.

 

 

An older British guy sitting nearby said I should have ordered the chicken instead. I could see from his plate the chicken was a large piece of breast meat. If I ever have the Sunday special at Pitini again, that's what I'll order.

 

I also tried the Saturday steak special at Pitini and reviewed it in the Steak in Pattaya thread. I don't think the steak was value for money at 289 baht.

 

 

Bottom line: The food at Pitini is generally good, but some menu items can be below par. In the future, I'll probably stick to the Italian-inspired dishes. The ice cream sundaes and other desserts look great, but I don't eat much sweet stuff these days. Thai girls rave about them.

 

Evil

 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

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

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

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

Edited September 30, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

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

[Saddic 31]

Had a craving for ribs... decided to try Retox Lenkee... 1/2 rack 199b 3 sides... hit the spot! (Warning to you big eaters, get the full rack 299b )... Very nice... Would go again...

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

Had a craving for ribs... decided to try Retox Lenkee... 1/2 rack 199b 3 sides... hit the spot! (Warning to you big eaters, get the full rack 299b )... Very nice... Would go again...

 

A half rack is plenty. Looks good.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

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

[Saddic 31]

Tried Chunky Monkey (across from Treetown, on Baukow) last night with a buddy...

Large "Brit Pub food & Thai food & desserts & pies & etc" menu... 4 - 79 b specials, daily 99b specials...

Wanted the meatloaf... good at 159b

 

My buddy went cheap and tried the 79b steak & egg... looked decent.. He said it tasted good... but meat a little tough (as one would expect for Thai beef)... I would like that for bkfast..

 

Verdict...

I'll be back... I want to try the 79 b pork chop and goulash (regular menu) and banana split... (not all at once... lol)... Lots of items all under 200b... except for the steak items... Looks good... 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

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

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

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

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

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

Edited November 7, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[BigDUSA 71]

I always enjoy reading Evil's dining experiences in Pattaya. Thank you for taking the time to post. I was surprised at the loud music at the Pattaya Beer Garden.. Pete always made sure the music wasn't to loud.

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

 

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.

Untitled-1.jpg

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.

IMG_0071.jpg

Untitled-2.jpg

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.

IMG_0067.jpg

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.

IMG_0065.jpg

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.

IMG_0068.jpg

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

 

 

What kind of cheese(s)?

[9cisco999 107]

Great posts Evil et. al.

 

Evil, this sounds like the take over of AI coming to your nearest theater soon, " 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.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

What kind of cheese(s)?

 

The cheese on my pizza was mozzarella.

 

Evil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

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

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

The Chunky Monkey has raised the price of its Monkey Madness specials to 89 baht from 79 baht.

 

 

It has also added inexpensive Sunday dinners (chicken, pork and beef):

 

 

I have a feeling the pics that accompany the menu listing for the Sunday dinners are a bit optimistic.

 

Otherwise, the prices of main menu items seem unchanged.

 

 

Evil

Edited November 7, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[Yujin 18]

Evil Penevil - Thanks for posting your restaurant reviews! You've given me some interesting restaurant choices on my next visit to Pattaya. I also must be getting "old" when I'm more interested in reading restaurant reviews than about massage parlors and the best places to find female companionship.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

for the kind words! They are always appreciated.

Evil

[Blackwell 288]

Evil Penevil - Thanks for posting your restaurant reviews! You've given me some interesting restaurant choices on my next visit to Pattaya. I also must be getting "old" when I'm more interested in reading restaurant reviews than about massage parlors and the best places to find female companionship.

 

You are not the only one. I skim over trip reports (except those from teelack) and mentions of bars etc, but always look forward to Evil's insightful food reviews.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

You are not the only one. I skim over trip reports (except those from teelack) and mentions of bars etc, but always look forward to Evil's insightful food reviews.

 

I'm almost blushing! Your kind words are much appreciated. It's reactions like yours and Yujin's that make it worthwhile to continue with food reviews.

 

Thanks again!

 

Evil

[capdagde 1,954]

I bought a couple of bottles of passion-fruit coulis......Which I drool over fresh yogurt......De'lish!!

 

You CANNOT be serious ​ ! (That image is stuck in my head now....... ).

 

Did you mean drizzle ?

 

I agree Evil's restaurant reviews are a must-read (a list is made before each trip), as well as the funny replies such as the above from atlas2.

 

We have also enjoyed some excellent food adventures in his company.

 

From the always-self-defecating..

 

Andy Cap

Edited November 14, 2018 by capdagde

[Saddic 31]

I'm a little late to the Arno's fan club... but onboard now...

 

Went for dinner... Had their traditional burger... 300grams... includes fries or salad... cheddar or blue cheese... comes with bacon...

 

The burger was big, fat, and juicy... Don't see how anyone could eat the double traditional...

 

Suffice to say, best damn burger I've had in Pattaya...

 

And even better, the same burger at lunch includes a soft drink...

 

220b... 25b water (for those of you who cant live w/o knowing the price of water 555)...

 

Ordering was a clusterfuck... My friends ordered steak and went up to the counter to do that... I waited forever to get the attention of a service person to order my burger... WTF... why the fuck do they have 2 separate systems to place an order...

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Some decent offers at the Robin Hood Tavern at The Avenue on 2nd Road, although I haven't been too impressed by the food on a couple of past visits.

They may, however, be a bit optimistic with their Scotch egg promotion. I wonder if they have been inspired by the story of Robert the Bruce and the spider? "If at first you don't succeed ..."

Evil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I had dinner New Year's Eve with a farang friend and his Thai companion at Calles Bar and Restaurant in the arcade next to Soi Diana.  That arcade, which runs between 2nd Road and Cherry Bar, is something of Pattaya's Restaurant Row.  It's home to Kiss Food, Beefeater, Patrick's, Longhorn Steakhouse, My Way, Little India and a couple of others.

All were very busy.  Every seat was taken at Kiss; Patrick's had a sign up saying it was fully occupied; Beefeater and Longhorn had people waiting for tables. We got the last table available at 8.00 p.m. at Calles.   It hadn't been our first choice, but we we were rewarded with excellent meals.

I had the planked chicken  at 295 baht. Roasting meat or fish on an oak plank is a Scandinavian cooking technique that probably predates Viking times, but was revived in  Sweden in the 20th century.  

I got a nicely grilled piece of chicken breast flanked on two sides by duchess potatoes, a favorite of mine. It's the nutmeg used as a seasoning as well as butter and egg in the mashed potatoes that does it for me. Duchess potatoes are a classic of French cuisine, supposedly first made for a British duchess on a visit to France.  The two asparagus stalks wrapped in bacon and the grilled tomato half are the usual accompaniments to modern Swedish planked dishes. The gravy was OK, but it didn't add much flavor.

My friend had the dory fillet, which he liked very much.  It came with salad and rice, but he could have had potatoes with it and on second thought, wished he had.

 I can't remember the exact price, but it was around 250 baht.  

His girlfriend had the planked salmon at about 425 baht.  That's outside the scope of this thread, but she was happy with it and her margarita.  

The salmon came with duchess potatoes,  two asparagus stalks, grilled tomato half, Hollandaise sauce and a sprig of dill.

Bottom line:  Good stuff on the menu at Calles, with quite a few items under 300 baht.  All three of us intend to return.  I did an earlier review of Calles here.  It's post #67 in this thread.

Evil

Edited January 4, 2019 by Evil Penevil