Some Good Meals

[rubbledoubledo]

The most important thing for me when going on holidays is places to eat first.

Girls comes second.

Pictures make me very hungry

[Evil Penevil]

Sunday roast at Punch and Judy (info on location here, it's hard to explain). I had the New Zealand lamb, a friend had the roast chicken, other friends had the "trio of meats" option (beef, pork, lamb).

It had been more than a year since I last had the Sunday roast at P and J's.  I'd had it several times previous to that and sadly, it seemed to have declined a bit in May, 2013. I'm happy to say it has returned to its former glory.

 

This was an excellent meal. You can't see it well in the pic, but there were a lot of vegetables included: broccoli, cauliflower, beans, cabbage and both roast and mashed potatoes. The lamb, Yorkshire pudding and gravy were all delicious. And an excellent Irish coffee for me to end the meal! The lamb cost 310 baht, a Happy Hour SML was 80 baht and the Irish coffee 150 baht.

Evil


My lamb:

 

 

 

 

A friend's chicken:

 

 

His wife's Thai food:

[GlennUK]

The Harley bar used to do a banging all you could eat sunday dinner

 

Is it still about?

[Evil Penevil]

This wasn't a meal in Pattaya, but nevertheless a good one.  I had the braised leg of lamb and side salad at Eamonn's, an Irish-style pub and restaurant on 45th St (between 5th Ave and Madison) in mid-town Manhattan. Eamonn's is a popular bar/restaurant, directly behind Grand Central Station.  The afternoon we ate there, it was packed with people watching the Germany-Portugal match.  The only two tables available were at the extreme front of the house, with no view of the TVs.

 

It's interesting to compare costs.  This meal, a generous portion of good quality lamb and salad, cost the equivalent of 575 baht at an NYC establishment with a top location. Sides of potato or rice were available at extra cost.  A lot of health-aware diners don't have a starch for lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evil

 

[Evil Penevil]

This report really belongs in a thread titled, "Not quite so good meals," but with that proviso, I'll post it in this one.

I had osso bucco (veal shanks and vegetabes braised in white wine and broth) at Patrick's last night. It was the modern version with tomatoes, which the original Milanese speciality didn't have. Osso Bucco was the daily special at Patrick's (in the arcade off 2nd Road across from Mike's Mall) and cost 300 baht.

 

 

It was OK, but the sauce could have been tangier with a bit more flavor. It was served without gremolata, the traditional accompaniment. Gremolata is both a garnish and a condiment. It's made from chopped flat parsley, minced garlic and lemon zest. It enhances the flavor of osso bucco and without it, you can't help thinking "something is missing."

 

The meat had been simmered to the proper "fall-off-the bone" stage; the carrots were, however, overcooked. Maybe some of the other vegetables had also cooked too long, which could explain the thickness and viscosity of the sauce. Unfortunately, the sauce still had small pieces of bay leaf, something I always find irritating as there's no elegant way of getting them out of your mouth.

 

The mashed potatoes were nice and seasoned with nutmeg, which I love. The small portion of salad on the plate would have been better with a vinaigrette dressing.

 

 

The complimentary dish of Asian shrimp crackers before the meal was a nice gesture, but a peculiar choice for restaurant that's centered on Western food.

Bottom line: Not a bad meal, but not a great one, either. I doubt I'll have the osso bucco again at Patrick's, but I may be back to try other dishes.

 

 

As a side note, Patrick's didn't have many diners when I was there Monday night. From what I could see, Beefeaters (directly across the arcade) was busy, with the outdoor section almost full.
 

 

But low season may have kicked in, as even Kiss was short of customers.

 

 

Evil
 

[expatdude]

Thanks, yet again.

[lecarreblanc]

thanks evil

 

I appreciate your effort with beautiful photos

[PawYai]

Great thread And i concur with Monsieur Blanc

[Evil Penevil]

Another good meal at the Punch and Judy Pub.  It wasn't much different from the meal I described in my post in this thread from June 9, but it's reassuring the quality hasn't slipped.  Sunday roast special at 310 baht, with SML at 80 b.  I chose the lamb, but other meat options (beef, pork, chicken) were available.

 

 

 

 

 

For more info, including the location, check out post #52.

 

I also had a good meal at Tequila Reef.  The East LA burrito was about a foot long and very tasty. It was the Thursday special at 225 baht.

 

 

 

 

My friend had two tacos.

 

 

 

Evil

[VFV]

The food in pattaya is not particularly cheap or even good to be honest, but still this is  THE thing (more then the girls) that I longs for the most when Im away from pattaya and also what I enjoy doing most when Im in pattaya. I guess it is the environment, the same meal at home even if it taste better and cost lesser, it do not excite me in the same way.
 

[Evil Penevil]

After some excellent Sunday meals at the P&J, the lunch on Nov. 16 was a disappointment. Mine was overcooked to the point that it was almost inedible.

Here's what it looked like:

 

 

The chicken and roast potatoes were badly overcooked, while the Yorkshire pudding was flat-out burned. The chicken breast was very dry, as were the roast potatoes. It's possible they dried out because they were left too long in a warming tray.

The Yorkshire had been left in the oven too long.

 

 

A friend, who'd gotten dry chicken the two previous Sundays, went with the trio of meats. His Yorkshire was also overdone and it looked like he got scraps of meat rather than clean slices.


 

In comparison, here's the roast lamb dinner I had on Nov. 2:

 

 

Very different!

The P&J was busy Nov 16 and that could account in part for the poor meal I got. Too many plates going out when a kitchen is short-staffed is behind a lot of restaurant misses. That's not an excuse, but it is an explanation.

I've had many good meals in the past and I won't stop going because of one bad meal. However, on Sundays I'll probably try something else from the menu rather than the roast, especially if P&J looks busy.

There were no complaints about the meals the "non-roast" diners i our group had that day. I think I'll try the salmon steak next time.

 

 

 

 

 

Evil

 

[Helloblackshirt]

The food in pattaya is not particularly cheap or even good to be honest, but still this is THE thing (more then the girls) that I longs for the most when Im away from pattaya and also what I enjoy doing most when Im in pattaya. I guess it is the environment, the same meal at home even if it taste better and cost lesser, it do not excite me in the same way.

 

that's a pretty broad statement!! I agree sometimes the western dishes you get aren't up to par but hey, you are in Thailand..... One of the things I love about pattaya ( besides the pussy and the party) is that you can get just about any style of food you want, not to mention the amazing thai food. As for the price? Even an expensive meal in pattaya costs under half what it would in Australia

[One hung low]

Yes, my thoughts exactly, food is in the area of being 40-50 percent cheaper than in my coty

[Marcus85]

How do you use the gravy that comes with your roast? 

 

Do you just pour it over the meat? Or dump it over the entire plate and just mix it all up?? 

[Evil Penevil]

Actually, I use the gravy more on the potatoes and Yorkshire pudding than the meat. To me, roast meat and especially bone-in steaks shouldn't need a sauce or gravy for flavor.  In times past, Yorkshire pudding and gravy was served as a separate course, sometimes even a separate meal, to the roast meat. I never douse the whole plate with gravy.

 

Evil

[sean coast]

must admit for a sunday roast the carvery at robins nest was excellent looking forward to that in jan

[pete.m]

the sportsmans was the best carvery but its priced its self out

it is more expensive than my local in the uk

 

will need to look for another

[Luv2Phuket]

HOW have I missed this thread until now?!?

 

I'm always looking for a great Sunday roast, as my Grandmother made FANTASTIC Yorkshire pudding when I was growing up.  It's next-to-impossible to find here in the US.  The last time I had it was at a "British" pub in Santa Monica -- it was the consistency of a biscuit.  No idea what it really was, but it certainly was NOT Yorkshire pudding.

 

I hit the Sportsman while in Pattaya last Sunday.  Nice spread, but disappointed that the Yorkshire pudding was overcooked (in my opinion).  I think it should be a nice golden brown (like in some of your early Punch and Judy photos), not dark brown.

[jimboh]

How much are they charging nowadays? Always reckoned it to be one of the better Sunday Buffets around.

[Luv2Phuket]

How much are they charging nowadays? Always reckoned it to be one of the better Sunday Buffets around.

 

Sportsman was 425 baht - buffet, so all you can eat, nice selection of meats and sides.

[sonny]

Sportsman was 425 baht - buffet, so all you can eat, nice selection of meats and sides.

 

I think you need to be early for this place otherwise i have found the presentation of the food gets to look dire. Never found them good at refilling and keeping the presentation appetizing. The gravy get to a state of glutonous.

[Evil Penevil]

  A simple meal but a good one: minced beef over mashed potatoes at Every Day is Fry Day at New Plaza. It cost a very modest 130 baht.

 

The mashed potatoes were good and to my taste buds, freshly made. The mince was a bit bland, but that's the way some people like it and it was certainly no problem to give it a few splashes of Worcestershire Sauce to liven it up.

 

The could have been improved by browning the onions slightly and frying them together with the beef before the Liquid was added, but it was nevertheless an Ok dish. I'll be back to have it again, as mince over mash is a nostalgic favorite of mine, taking me back to elementary school cafeteria meals as well as lunches made by both my grandmothers.

 

Evil

[Soi7]

must admit for a sunday roast the carvery at robins nest was excellent looking forward to that in jan

Yes very nice

[VFV]

  A simple meal but a good one: minced beef over mashed potatoes at Every Day is Fry Day at New Plaza. It cost a very modest 130 baht.

 

 

The mashed potatoes were good and to my taste buds, freshly made. The mince was a bit bland, but that's the way some people like it and it was certainly no problem to give it a few splashes of Worcestershire Sauce to liven it up.

 

 

 

The could have been improved by browning the onions slightly and frying them together with the beef before the liquid was added, but it was nevertheless an Ok dish. I'll be back to have it again, as mince over mash is a nostalgic favorite of mine, taking me back to elementary school cafeteria meals as well as lunches made by both my grandmothers.

 

 

 

Evil

 

 

Looks homemade. However they could have added some sallad.

[Evil Penevil]

A quick meal while waiting for a repair to be done at Tukcom. Chicken teriyaki bowl, surprisingly tasty at 155 baht.  S & P Cafe next to Starbucks on Tukcom's entry level.