Steak in Pattaya

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I would be very interested in evil's opinion as I hold his views highly.

 

I have never eaten at the All Seasons Steak Buffet at Central Festival. Let's just say the reports I've heard from friends weren't as enthusiastic as rawhide's. I may try it in the future, though.

 

Evil

[Rawhide2 1,346]

 

I have never eaten at the All Seasons Steak Buffet at Central Festival. Let's just say the reports I've heard from friends weren't as enthusiastic as rawhide's. I may try it in the future, though.

 

Evil

 

Its not meant to be a gourmet experience but what is, is simply excellent value for money and anyone claiming its crap or remotely close to it would be better off at established steakhouses like beefeater etc

It is what it is but expect to wait for a table

[chippendalesam 37]

Thank you Evil for possibly trying it in the future. I hope i did not talk you into a possible negative experience.

[Rawhide2 1,346]

Thank you Evil for possibly trying it in the future. I hope i did not talk you into a possible negative experience.

 

Chippendale its 329 baht !!

[chippendalesam 37]

Yes rawhide i read that and it sounds very good. I am SURE i will try it when i arrive in Pattaya just to take in the scenery if nothing else.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Through the years, La Petite Planete, a small French restaurant next to Tukcom, has proved to be one of the more dependable places for steak.

It's local Thai-French beef, but from a good source, and it's prepared properly. I've been eating it for over 10 years.

Last night I had the entrecôte as part of the three-course set menu that offers a choice of starter, main and dessert. The set menu costs 320 baht, but there's an extra 50 baht added when it includes entrecôte, so the total was 370 for starter, main and dessert.

It was a fair-sized piece of meat, at least 300 grams. I'm not sure, but I believe it was contre-filet, cut from the sirloin. Of course, it wasn't as tender as USDA Prime, but it was tender along the lines of USDA Choice. It had been cooked as ordered, medium rare, with a well-browned surface. The grill is hot enough at LPP.

The sides were mashed potatoes (I could have had fries or croquettes), a boat of red wine and peppercorn sauce and mixed vegetables. The potatoes and veggies were fined. but too many peppercorns had been used in the sauce, which gave it a sharp taste I didn't like.

I had chicken curry salad as my starter ...

and Peach Melba as my dessert.

Both were good but unremarkable. I thought the chef been a bit stingy with the raspberry sauce on the Peach Melba. Homemade pâté is the best starter at LPP, but pâté and steak in the same meal are too rich for my system.

Bottom line: LPP's entrecôte has rated a solid "A" every time I've had it in the past ten years. That's a remarkable record in a town plagued by restaurant inconsistency.

Evil

 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Surprise! (aka Surprise BBQ) is best known for its U.S.-style BBQ beef and pork ribs at bargain prices, but it also has steaks, burgers, skewers and chicken on its menu..  It's located  near the intersection of  Soi Buakhao and Soi 21, across the street from the north end of Tree Town and around the corner from the Chunky Monkey.

It's a very small restaurant with only three tables (two tables for four and one for two), plus counter seats for about six more.  It's popular, which means it's often crowded.  It's not a comfortable place to have a meal, but the decent food at cheap prices have won it a loyal customer base.  Two ladies handle the cooking and two more the serving,  which means wait times for your food can be long.

Because Surprise! is so cramped, I've mostly had ribs for takeaway, but that's a topic for a separate post.  Yesterday I tried the rib eye steak steak at 169 baht. It came with a  handful of thick-cut fries, two onion rings, a dish of brown sauce and a dollop of salad.

I asked for my steak to be cooked medium rare, but I got it medium.  It was Thai beef. but not tough.  The menu and a sign says its "AA" grade beef, but I'm not sure what grading scale is being used.  Canada has a scale with letter-A ratings and "AA"  would be the equivalent of  lower-end U.S. Choice.   For the price, it was O.K.  

The fries could have been a bit crisper for my taste.  The onion rings, which I can easily live without, were O.K. and the salad was fresh. It hadn't been sitting slathered in dressing all day. The sauce was supposed to be pepper or mushroom, but had no flavor at all. At least it was served on the side and not poured on top of the meat.

Bottom line:  The rib eye steak was O.K., certainly not great, but you can't expect a great steak for 169 baht.  The sides were a mixed lot, ranging from good salad through middling fries and onion rings to a poor sauce.

My main reservation about Surprise! centers on the cramped quarters, which more or less rules it out for me as a place to have a meal.  You are almost sitting on top of the other customers.  Not only can you hear every word they say, but every sound they make, including chewing, burps and farts.  If they haven't had a recent shower, you can sure smell them. In the future, I'll continue to use Surprise! for takeaway.

Almost worth noting for anyone with mobility problems.  There is a very narrow set of stairs leading up to Surprise! which would be difficult for some to manage.

It's open from 2.30 or 3.00 p.m. (the menu and sign give different times) to 10.00 p.m., but opening hours seem quite flexible. It often closes earlier than 10.00 p.m., probably because they have run out of food. It's closed Sundays.

Evil

I've included photos of some  of the menu pages to give a better idea of what's available and the prices charged.