Firepork at The Avenue, 2nd Road

[Evil Penevil]

Firepork Thailand is a new Korean barbecue restaurant under the Robin Hood Tavern at The Avenue Shopping Plaza on 2nd Road. The premises had previously been occupied by a branch of Au Bon Pain. Firepork had only been open a few days when I ate there last week.

 

It's specialized in grilled pork, namely samgyupsal gui (grilled pork belly), a very popular dish in Korea. If you don't like or can't eat pork belly, there's no point in going to Firepork as there isn't much else on the menu.

 

As soon as I stepped in, before I even sat down, the attractive hostess showed me the menu and explained it was limited because Firepork was still in its early days. I could choose between grilled pork belly or grilled pork neck as main dishes along with some appetizers and sides, maybe ten dishes in all. That was it. She said they would be adding more dishes in time.

 

 

I like grilled pork belly and hadn't eaten any for a very long time, so Firepork's limited menu was no problem for me. I chose the full version, which included vegetables, dipping sauces, etc., for 395 baht. My can of Coke Zero was 40 baht.

 

The restaurant itself has been done up very nicely. It's spacious and well-lit, two important factors in my eyes. It looked to me as if quality furnishings and fittings had been used, not stuff from IKEA or Home Depot. The reason new restaurants. hotels, rental condos, bars, etc., start looking so shabby so fast is that hospitality-grade furnishings and equipment which can stand up to harsh treatment, haven't been used

The staff was very friendly and welcoming. I was their ONLY customer the entire time I was there between 10 and 11 pm. I have a feeling that unless Firepork can attract South Korean tourists in Pattaya, it is really going to struggle to attract customers. It's too specialized to attract a broad customer base.

You certainly won't lack for choice from their bar.

Here's how it works at Firepork. Each table has an electric stone grill.

As accompaniments to the grilled pork belly, diners get vegetables (mushrooms, onion. asparagus); dipping sauces and condiments; a bowl of kimchi; Asian-style "salad;" and a plate of lettuce leaves to use as wrappers for the dressed-up pork belly.

 

A waitress did the grilling for me. That is standard operating procedure in Korean restaurants, although there are some where the diners do the grilling themselves.

The piece of pork belly had been grilled in the kitchen and arrived at the table ready to be finished along with the raw vegetables. It was a substantial chunk, more calories than should be consumed at one sitting.

The waitress used kitchen sheers to cut the pork into bite-sized pieces, which were then grilled together with the vegetables.

In Korea, grilled pork belly is traditionally eaten as part of a bite-sized wrap. The meat is dipped in the sauce or condiment, then place at the center of a lettuce leaf. Some slices of garlic or chili pepper can be added. The lettuce leaf is then folded into a small package and popped into the mouth. I didn't much bother with the lettuce, just ate the pork after dipping.

Bottom line: Good grilled pork belly, but too much fatty content and too many calories for one person. That dish needs two or more diners. I won't order it again as a solo diner. And if Firepork doesn't add more variety to its menu, there won't be any point in going back.

 

Evil

Edited January 17, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[SlipSlopSlap]

I have usually shied away from those restaurants in Pattaya offering the 'cook at the table' experience' as they seemed to mainly consist of boiling up chopped veggies. This looks lovely though and I love pork! I'm looking forward to EP's review of the dishes.

[paulyoung3046]

Will definitely give this a try what are the costs ?

 

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

[jacko]

You certainly won't lack for choice from their bar.

 

Top shelf drinks look difficult!

Great report but I just don't see the market as you mentioned.

 

Any comment on prices?

[Evil Penevil]

Sorry this got so fractured. The review still isn't finished, but I may have to wait a bit for the final revision and comments. My meal cost 395 baht for the grilled pork and accompaniments, plus 40 baht for the Coke Zero. To that 435 baht had been added 7% VAT (31 baht) but no service charge. I left 20 baht of the change from my 500-baht note on the tray and gave the girl who did the "grilling" 40 baht in her hand.

 

Evil

Edited January 16, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[paulyoung3046]

Thankyou for your reply i take it the meal was delicious i like pork belly .myself had it in Fl orida with cheese and onion potatoe gratin plus a mushroom sauce

 

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

[yorta2]

Thanks again, Evil, for your post/review. I have only been to two Korean BBQ places and, in each, the Air-con was not up to scratch and I sweated profusely throughout the meal, as the heat from all the stoves rose into the air. Swore not to ever go back. However, if I can have a girl cook my dinner at the table (both times I went, I had to cook my own) and the air con is very efficient, then I may make an exception in April when I again arrive in Patts (maybe).

[short]

... and gave the girl who did the "grilling" 40 baht in her hand.

 

 

 

With all the attention she gave you, I'm surprised you didn't ask for her number.

[yorta2]

Oh, by the way, were there any Korean staff?

[Evil Penevil]

Oh, by the way, were there any Korean staff?

 

Not in a service capacity. I don't know about the chef/cooks, although they looked Thai to me. There was one young man hovering in the background who I thought might have been a Korean owner or manager, but that's only a guess. I also thought Firepork might be a Korean chain restaurant that had opened a branch in Pattaya, but the hostess/cashier said it wasn't.

 

Evil

[short]

Evil, what do you use to resize your photos?

[Evil Penevil]

Evil, what do you use to resize your photos?

 

The "Save for Web" function in Photoshop.

 

Evil

[forcebwithu]

Evil, what do you use to resize your photos?

 

Another good one is FastStone Resizer.

[Evil Penevil]

 

Another good one is FastStone Resizer.

 

Yes, FastStone is very good. It's what I use if I'm using a computer in an InterNet cafe or otherwise don't have access to Photoshop. It's also very good if you have to batch process a large number of photos.

 

Evil

[Regyai]

Thanks again, Evil, for your post/review. I have only been to two Korean BBQ places and, in each, the Air-con was not up to scratch and I sweated profusely throughout the meal, as the heat from all the stoves rose into the air. Swore not to ever go back. However, if I can have a girl cook my dinner at the table (both times I went, I had to cook my own) and the air con is very efficient, then I may make an exception in April when I again arrive in Patts (maybe).

 

 

A 'real' Korean BBQ has a pull down venting steel chimney affair over the grill that 'vacuums' most of the unpleasantness away

But you'll only find this in Bangkok

 

 

[yorta2]

Very sensible Regyai; the 2 I went to obviously didn't have that facility. It must add quite an expense to the restaurant, but would bring in more customers.

[Regyai]

Yes a far more salubrious level of care/service with the grill top being replaced at intervals with a fresh new stainless steel one

[PATFAN]

This may sound like a silly question but how are pork bellies served in the west. I googled pork bellies and sounds like it is unprocessed bacon. The meat comes from the belly side of the pig. So we aren't talked pulled pork or pork chops, or pork sausages, right? I live in the Northeast part of the states. Pork is not that popular where I live. Perhaps down south, pork is more popular. Aside from bacon and ham ,the only pork that I normally eat are pan fried pork strips at a Chinese restaurant I go. BTW, I wouldn't mind trying some fire pork with some white rice next time I am in town.

Edited February 5, 2018 by PATFAN

[Chang_paarp]

This may sound like a silly question but how are pork bellies served in the west. I googled pork bellies and sounds like it is unprocessed bacon. The meat comes from the belly side of the pig. So we aren't talked pulled pork or pork chops, or pork sausages, right? I live in the Northeast part of the states. Pork is not that popular where I live. Perhaps down south, pork is more popular. Aside from bacon and ham ,the only pork that I normally eat are pan fried pork strips at a Chinese restaurant I go. BTW, I wouldn't mind trying some fire pork with some white rice next time I am in town.

 

That is pork belly.

[Evil Penevil]

This may sound like a silly question but how are pork bellies served in the west.

 

In the U.S., pork belly is mostly used to make bacon or salt pork, which today is used as a seasoning or flavor accent in soups and stews, especially clam chowder.

 

But there are many ways in which pork belly can be prepared: 17 Best Pork Belly Recipes. My dad and grandfather were great fans of pork cracklin'.

 

Evil

[KOJO]

I love pork belly, even if it is ALL fat !!! Fat is flavor !! Although sometime's I have a guilty feeling, as I am stuffing it down , knowing the cholesterol is going straight to the heart and the waist line. The last time I had this feeling was when I made a BLT sandwich, I put 8 slice's of bacon on it, and felt bad, EVERY BITE !! HA! HA! HA!

[Rawhide2]

I walked right beside this place Saturday night absolutely empty. Wont stay open much longer I would imagine

[nkped]

I wonder what they see as their target customer base. In the U.S. and western focused Korean restaurants in Korea, they start with beef, bulgogi and galbi, along with chicken, fish and various dishes with noodles along with many vegetables and industrial strength kimchee. Not so much pork.