Steak in Pattaya

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

We haven't had a thread lately on steak in Pattaya, so I'll start one. Any kind of comment on beef steak in a Pattaya restaurant is welcome. It doesn't have to be about the best or cheapest, it can be about any steak you've had here, whether cheap, expensive, good, bad or mediocre.

I'll kick it off with the 200 gram (about 7-oz) Australian rib eye special for 459 baht at Longhorn Steakhouse and Cafe in the Central Arcade across from Mike's Mall. It's the arcade with Kiss, Beefeater, Patrick's and My Way.

The special included a choice of potato and gravy or one sauce. I picked mashed potatoes and English mustard, which wasn't a sauce but a small dish of what tasted like real Coleman's Mustard. The rib eye rested on a bed of diced vegetables and came with a slice of grilled tomato.

I asked for my rib eye to be medium rare and that's exactly how it came. It had been nicely grilled, tender and had a great taste. I'm guessing, but I believe it was the equivalent of USDA Choice, the second highest quality designation in the U.S. The mashed potatoes were also excellent.

To top off the meal, I had a vanilla ice cream sundae with caramel sauce for 75 baht. It could have done with a bit more sauce, but otherwise hit my sweet spot.

I drank soda water (40 baht), but Longhorn had a selection of beers and wine on offer, including Belgian beer.

Longhorn was clean, comfortable and well-lit, which are always key factors. I ate there at about 8 p.m. and there were 11 other customers when I arrived. Longhorn shouldn't be confused with Big Horn, a long-running steakhouse in the same arcade that closed about three years ago.

Bottom line: I won't hesitate to eat at Longhorn again. Price wise, it seems to occupy the upper middle ground between Steak & Co., Beefeater and Patrick's at the high end and the budget steak places.

Evil

[midlifecrisis 3,995]

I have eaten many times at Beefeaters on Soi Diana and never had a bad meal.

Edited August 29, 2018 by midlifecrisis

[tallguy 1,411]

Walking past My Way the other day I noticed on sign on the door saying, 'closed due to circumstances'. Is this a short term or a long term closure?

[Kev 158]

Yep I will vouch for Longhorn have eaten there when on holidays and always come away well fed and happy :-)

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

Walking past My Way the other day I noticed on sign on the door saying, 'closed due to circumstances'. Is this a short term or a long term closure?

 

I wonder that myself. I read elsewhere the owner is in bad health, so it might be related to that. I'm a fairly regular customer at My Way and I have seen that sign several times in the past, sometimes for a few days, sometimes for several weeks, before it re-opened. I was actually planning to eat at My Way but ended up in the Longhorn because MW was closed.

 

Evil

[midlifecrisis 3,995]

It dawned on me that I had eaten at Longhorn once way back in 2009 so much could have changed. I was not impressed with that one meal. I discovered Beefeaters and have one or two meals there on every trip. I ate at a Sizzler at the Central Festival mall and it was just like those in the States. So if you like that chain, assuming it is still there, that is a lower end option.

 

I like good meat so I am willing to pay a bit more for it.

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

It dawned on me that I had eaten at Longhorn once way back in 2009 so much could have changed. I was not impressed with that one meal. I discovered Beefeaters and have one or two meals there on every trip. I ate at a Sizzler at the Central Festival mall and it was just like those in the States. So if you like that chain, assuming it is still there, that is a lower end option.

 

I like good meat so I am willing to pay a bit more for it.

 

Longhorn didn't open until 2016, so you are probably thinking of Big Horn, a steakhouse in the same arcade that closed in 2015, if I recall the year right. Big Horn had been hugely popular in its day, but was overtaken by Beefeater. Big Horn had a 1-kilo steak eating challenge that was popular at the time. Calles Grill & Bar moved into Big Horn's former premises.

 

Evil

[midlifecrisis 3,995]

 

Longhorn didn't open until 2016, so you are probably thinking of Big Horn, a steakhouse in the same arcade that closed in 2015, if I recall the year right. Big Horn had been hugely popular in its day, but was overtaken by Beefeater. Big Horn had a 1-kilo steak eating challenge that was popular at the time. Calles Grill & Bar moved into Big Horn's former premises.

 

Evil

 

Thanks for the correction which means, I will indeed try the new(er) places on my next trip!

 

Too many horny things in Pattaya to keep track of.

 

 

 

There used to be a steak place on the right on Second Road north of Central Pattaya. Is that still there?

Edited August 29, 2018 by midlifecrisis

[Odense 482]

Big Horn is a Norwegian chain:

 

https://www.bighorn.no/#

 

"Big Horn Steak House er et amerikansk inspirert Steak House. Vi ønsker å gi våre gjester en real biffopplevelse i en tradisjonell og uformell atmosfære.

Big Horns konsept er enkelt og veltilpasset; vi tilbyr høy kvalitet til konkurransedyktige priser. Smaksopplevelsen skal stå i fokus og våre gjester skal nyte god service og rask servering.

Vi er stolte av vår store og lojale kundegruppe. Det er totalt 24 Big Horn Steak House restauranter hvorav 23 i Norge og 1 på Gran Canaria (Puerto Rico), Spania."

[cbrib 354]

Well this is frickin informative to the majority of us

[misteregg 709]

Sizzlers is nice steak as well.

[Kev 158]

yep I will second that mr egg

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

Last night I tried the Saturday steak special at Cafe Pitini on Soi Buakhao for 289 baht. You could choose between sirloin and T-bone steak. You also had a choice of potato (mashed, fried or fries), vegetable (peas or mixed veggies) and sauce (mushroom or peppercorn). The onion rings came with any option. I asked the waitress to grind black pepper on my meal.

The menu made clear it was local beef. It didn't give a weight, but I'm guessing it was around 200 grams (about 7 oz.). It sure did come with a big portion of peas. The potatoes, peas and sauce were fine, but the onion rings were soggy and greasy. I didn't eat them.

I asked for the sirloin medium rare and part of it was while the rest was medium or well done without any pink at all. That was a bit strange, as the steak was uniformly thick. Maybe the temperature of the grill surface wasn't evenly hot? I don't know. As can be expected from Thai beef, the meat had a fair amount of connective tissue and gristle but little fat. It wasn't tender but it wasn't tough, either.

I know perfectly well Thai beef will never be as tender as imported beef and I adjusted my expectations accordingly. What surprised me the most was the steak at Pitini didn't have much flavor. One positive with Thai beef is it usually has a clear beef taste.

Bottom line: The meals I've had at Cafe Pitini have been very good on the whole. The steak special was my only disappointment so far and it wasn't all that bad. I'll definitely be back to Pitini, but not for the steak special. I paid 289 baht at Pitini for my sirloin dinner while imported Australian rib eye cost me 459 baht. I'd rather pay extra for quality beef.

Evil

[Siam Sam 964]

 

We haven't had a thread lately on steak in Pattaya, so I'll start one.

 

Lately? We haven't had a thread about foie gras in Pattaya for some time either. Do the honours would you please?

[Odense 482]

Well this is frickin informative to the majority of us

 

 

OK . just for fum I ran it through Google Translate:

 

"Big Horn Steak House is an American-inspired Steak House. We want to give our guests a real steak experience in a traditional and casual atmosphere.

Big Horn's concept is simple and well-adapted; We offer high quality at competitive prices. The flavor experience should be in focus and our guests will enjoy good service and fast dining.

We are proud of our large and loyal customer group. There are a total of 24 Big Horn Steak House restaurants of which 23 in Norway and 1 in Gran Canaria (Puerto Rico), Spain."

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

The phrase, "One man's meat is another man's poison," dates back more than 2,000 year. It's first recorded use is by the Roman writer Lucretius in 100 B.C., but experts believe the phrase is even older. Different opinions about "what's good" concerning food, pussy and everything else are nothing new. The old cliche about meat vs poison certainly applies to steak in Pattaya.

 

The great debate over the optimal degree of doneness for top cuts of beef has raged for a long time. Conventional wisdom holds that the best steaks should never be served well done. As Gordon Ramsay states, “Whatever quality of beef it is… has gone past any form of taste when you’ve cooked it to well done… You’re never going to identify the quality of beef when the steak is well cooked.”

 

The same article summarizes the argument thus: "Tender and high quality cuts of beef can easily become flavourless and dry when cooked for too long, which is why most steak-lovers swear against well doneness." Nevertheless, the author also notes: "... people can eat their steak however they want to."

 

How a diner wants his steak cooked is just a matter of personal preference. To me, cooking top quality beef well done is akin to stirring Kool Aid powder into a glass of Moët & Chandon champagne or dousing Beluga caviar with HP Sauce, but that's only my opinion. Donald Trump would disagree; he orders USDA Prime well done and eats it with ketchup. Link.

 

BUT, and it's a big , sometimes personal preference hides a level a ignorance that can be harmful. A case in point is Pattaya's least knowledgeable and most corrupt food reviewer. He once made an unintentionally hilarious post to a Facebook group in which he recounted how he had ordered Japanese wagyu beef well done in a Pattaya restaurant, then denounced both the restaurant and wagyu as a rip-off since it tasted no better than Thai beef but cost a lot more.

 

Wagyu is a very special case. Because of genetics, the fat in wagyu beef melts at 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius). That's about 25 degrees F lower than the melting point of fat in well marbled Western beef such as Black Angus. Since cooking wagyu at temperatures high enough for well done burns off all the fat that gives wagyu its characteristic taste and tenderness, it would indeed resemble a piece of well done Thai beef. In short, it's a total waste to cook wagyu to the well done stage. It's shame when a restaurant gets blasted due to a reviewer's stupidity.

 

When discussing steak in Pattaya, it's not only the quality of the beef that's important, but also how steak is aged, transported and cooked that figures in heavily. A lot has to happen the right way before you get a top quality steak on your plate.

 

Peter Luger Steakhouse in NYC is considered one of the best steakhouses in the world. Below is some background on what happens before you eat a steak at Peter Luger. We have to be realistic. There is no restaurant in Thailand that can go to the lengths Peter Luger does.

 

 

The details about how the beef is dry-aged in-house, cooked and served:

 

The Porterhouse at Peter Luger Steakhouse in New York City

 

Only 2% to 4% of all beef produced in the U.S. carries a USDA Prime rating. There's huge demand for USDA Prime and almost all of it goes to up-market restaurants, very little is available through other channels. Small amounts are sold frozen via the Internet or are exported. Specialty butchers may have it, but you cannot normally buy USDA Prime in supermarkets in the U.S. I doubt very much Big C in Pattaya can get it when the top supermarkets in NYC can't.

 

USDA Prime, Choice, Select are protected designations. If any restaurant or store claims its steaks are USDA Prime when they aren't, those businesses are committing consumer fraud. However, the word "prime" is NOT protected and can be used freely for any grade of beef. Stores will sometimes say they are selling US Prime when it is actually USDA Choice or even USDA Select that has been blade tenderized. That's a deceptive practice, but it isn't illegal.

 

It gets much more complicated than USDA grading. Aging and handling play crucial roles. Many gourmets maintain the difference between dry- and wet-aging is the factor that separates a good steak from a great one. Others say they can notice a difference between steak that has been frozen and steak that hasn't.

 

Let's just say there's a huge distance, literally and figuratively, between steak in Pattaya and steak at Peter Luger.

 

Evil

Edited September 14, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

In case anyone is wondering about what high quality imported beef will cost you in pleasant surroundings, here's some recent info from the Facebook page of Steak & Co. on Soi Lengkee:

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

 

My Way, the Dutch restaurant in the same arcade as Beefeater, Patrick's and Longhorn, has one of the better value-for-money offers on a steak dinner in Pattaya. The 180-gram (6.35 oz) beef tenderloin, small salad, gravy and choice of potato (home fries, French fries or mashed) costs 295 baht. The various steaks on the menu at My Way also come in 300-gram versions.

I have been impressed by how tender and flavorful the local beef has been over the past 10 years. I always order it medium rare and that's exactly how it comes. The home fries (aka German fried potatoes) are also excellent with the additional of bacon and fried onions. The salad is generic, but there's a good-sized portion of it.

My Way had been closed several weeks in August due to the passing of the owner (RIP), but reopened on September 7.

Evil

Edited September 19, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[yorta2 664]

I think that should be 6.35 ounces, otherwise it's a huge steak. Looks pretty good!

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

I think that should be 6.35 ounces, otherwise it's a huge steak. Looks pretty good!

 

Yes, thank you, fixed it. The "(" became a "9" due to a missed shift key. A six-pound steak would be something! I can recall a steakhouse in my childhood that had a five-pound steak challenge. Such challenges are still around today in the U.S.

 

 

Evil

[Evil Penevil 7,610]

I wasn't impressed by the 300-gram Grill Steak at The Kitchen on 2nd Road near Soi 10. The menu price was 580 baht, but I ordered it at 3.30 p.m. under the eatigo 50% discount. The Kitchen added VAT and service on top of the discounted price (290 baht), which brought the net cost to 330 baht. With a bottle of soda water, the meal totaled 376 baht. I had wanted to try the 300-gram Australian Ribeye (610 baht menu price), but the waitress said, "No hab."

 

 

The menu didn't mention anything about the steak's origin, but I assumed it must be some sort of local beef; otherwise, the menu would have proclaimed it was imported. It came with a small order of industrial crinkle cut French fries and a lettuce salad.

 

As soon as I saw the steak in front of me, my heart sank as it hadn't been properly seared.

 

 

With steak, the crucial factor is to get a good sear on the surfaces. It's not just a matter of presentation, it is hugely important for taste. The technical term is the Maillard reaction and without it, a steak lacks much of its flavor. A temperature of 400 to 500 degrees F (200 to 260 degrees C) is necessary for the correct level of browning and the grill at The Kitchen simply hadn't been hot enough. it's not a good idea to sprinkle herbs on the uncooked steak as a high grill temperature would reduce them to charred, bitter spots.

 

Another factor in the steak's grayish color could have been that the surfaces hadn't been patted off to remove excess moisture. Wet surfaces hinder browning and lead to a grayish color and steam-cooked meat. A steak won't brown until all the water has been evaporated from the surface. A third factor could have been the steak had been thawed too quickly from a frozen state, which could also account for the steak's odd consistency. The effects began obvious as soon as I cut into the Grill Steak.

 

 

It wasn't tender but seemed "soft" in a weird way. Freezing meat damages the muscle fiber and improper thawing compounds the effect.

Bottom line: I got a steak of dubious quality that had been improperly handled and cooked; definitely not value for money even with the Eatigo discount. Without the discount, it's a ridiculous price with the ++ VAT and service. For 645 baht, you can get 250 grams of imported Australian beef at Steak & Co.

 

To be fair, there were some positive factors to the meal. The French fries, although industrial crinkle cut, were twice fried and better tasting than most French fries in Pattaya. I also liked the fresh lettuce leaves with a sprinkling of vinaigrette, far superior to the over-dressed soggy salad that is common in Pattaya restaurants. The Kitchen is a clean and comfortable place to dine. I've had good non-steak meals in the past at The Kitchen and won't hesitate to eat there again, but not the steak.

 

Evil

 

[chippendalesam 37]

To me Evil, that picture of your steak presentation looks horrible. I don't think I will ever give the "Kitchen" any of my baht.

[Rawhide2 1,325]

If I want steak I go up that five seasons place in central festival where you pick out the meats you want cooked and they bring it to your table in the meantime help yourself to all the buffet items including mussells pork and everything else

Ridiculously cheap 329 baht last time I went i didnt eat for two days

Edited September 22, 2018 by Rawhide2

[chippendalesam 37]

Rawhide, has anyone to your knowledge done a first hand report on that place you just wrote about? I would be very interested in evil's opinion as I hold his views highly.

[Rawhide2 1,325]

Rawhide, has anyone to your knowledge done a first hand report on that place you just wrote about? I would be very interested in evil's opinion as I hold his views highly.

 

No idea but I've been multiple times and more to the point regular girls love it. Very good quality, cleanliness and everything inbetween

No possible person could leave disappointed even if it was double/triple the price. Dont compare it with the open air thai places on 3rd rd which are hardly any cheapaer anyway....5th floor central festival cant miss it

10/10