Seafood & BBQ Buffet at Siam Siam Hotel on 2nd Road

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

The Big Fish restaurant on the 6th floor of the Siam Siam Hotel on 2nd Road close to Soi 3 offers a daily seafood and BBQ buffet. The cost is 650 baht p p, including a 10% service charge and 7% VAT. It opens at 6.30 p.m. and runs until 10.30 p.m.

 

I tried it last night with a farang friend and his TG. The buffet was good, but not outstanding. There are better Western-style seafood buffets in Pattaya for the same price, while the Thai-style places cost about half as much. However, Siam Siam is one of the few farang-oriented restaurants to feature a buffet on a daily and not just once a week or on weekends.

 

As you can see in the above pic, Siam Siam is a visually striking hotel. I couldn't be bothered to take exterior pics and lifted them from the Net.

 

The interior of the hotel is also color aggressive, but in a good sort of way. Some decorative details from the Big Fish.

 

 

When we arrived at 6.30 p.m., the Big Fish was quite crowded with Chinese and other Asian guests.

 

 

 

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Odd thing was, not all of them were eating. I can only assume they were group tour members who had had an earlier exclusive run at the buffet, or more likely, had been fed a set meal. At 6.30 p.m., we didn't face much competition at the buffet tables.

 

 

 

The buffet itself consisted of a main table with the appetizers, seafood, meats, warm dishes and vegetables and a separate table for desserts and fruits.

 

 

Sushi was the main appetizer.

 

 

Seafood (crab, shrimp, salmon, squid, oysters) was the focal point of the buffet.

 

 

The seafood in the basket is raw. You make your choices, then take the plate to a "grill station" to be cooked. When ready, a waitress caries the customer's grill choices to his table. You can also choose beef, pork, lamb and chicken to be grilled.

 

 

 

There's also roast chicken on offer. Unfortunately, Big Fish doesn't assign a staff member to slice it neatly and left to customers' carving, the roast chickens soon look like props from The Walking Dead.

 

 

There are about 10 different hot dishes and vegetables as well as soups and fried rice. The ones I tried were OK, but very much standard fare.

 

 

 

This review is picture-heavy, so I'll divide it into two parts. Stay tuned.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

There were bowls and trays of grilled shrimp and crab for those who don't want to wait for a custom-grilled portion.

The dessert table offered the usual assortment of cakes, tarts, pudding, fruit, etc. The tiny cups of egg custard were the best.

Some plates from out table:

Because of food allergies, I alas cannot eat much seafood other than shrimp. I had a couple of lamb chops and a piece of grilled beef to fill me up.

The lamb chop was grilled nicely, but had a lot of untrimmed fat. It was a big chop; however, only a small part of it was edible. You'd need to take five or six to get a full portion of lamb. The beef was local, fatty and not really grill quality.

Bottomline: the buffet at Big Fish could stand as a monument to "OK but not great." It offers average food in surroundings that are both cool in terms of decor and air conditioning. The staff is friendly and service is attentive. However, if you judge solely on culinary grounds, Big Fish doesn't come within a mile of the Friday noon seafood buffet at the Hilton on 2nd Road. It's like comparing the Toledo Mud Hens with the New York Yankees. The prices are similar, but the Hilton charges much more for beverages. Unfortunately, the Big Fish has a singer who belts out Western songs in Spanish and Italian as well as English. The only thing he added to the evening was extra noise.

On the ground floor, Siam Siam has a very cool Car Bar. Some of the booths are done up as the interiors of cars.

This is a great place for drinks with a TG, but the cocktails are expensive, in the 300-baht range. There's a 2-for-1 offer between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The seafood and BBQ buffet at the Big Fish is certainly an option, but not the best one.

Evil

Edited May 29, 2016 by Evil Penevil

[Butch 3,456]

I must have missed this report recently in all the confusion. It doesn't seem to bad value at 650 plus I guess, and if you're hungry and at a loose end in that area of town it seems reasonable enough. How's the wine selection and prices?.

 

Evil, does one just go in and get into the lift to the 6th floor or do you need to book or go to reception on arrival ?. (just in case the lifts are card access only).

 

I'm liking the car bar, although to a petrolhead like me cutting up a VW campervan is ever so slightly sacreligious.

 

thanks for posting, although the food looks halfway decent, I agree the hilton does seem better (and with a decent selection and free flow wine option as well).

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I must have missed this report recently in all the confusion. It doesn't seem to bad value at 650 plus I guess, and if you're hungry and at a loose end in that area of town it seems reasonable enough. How's the wine selection and prices?.

 

Evil, does one just go in and get into the lift to the 6th floor or do you need to book or go to reception on arrival ?. (just in case the lifts are card access only).

 

 

I'm a bad one to ask about wine because I can't drink it due to a food allergy. However, according to what was written on another board, the Big Fish does have a "free flow" wine option for an extra 350 baht. I can't confirm whether that is accurate.

 

You can just ride the elevator up to the sixth floor. No card is needed. But the buffet does get busy and a reservation is probably safest.

 

Evil

Edited June 16, 2016 by Evil Penevil

[BigDUSA 71]

As the resident food critic. How about a list of your top ten restaurants. I always enjoy reading your descriptive reviews.