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Steak & Co. in Soi Lengkee (formerly China Garden)


China Garden

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I'm a big fan of your concept and look forward to giving it a fair go, however, I am a bit concerned about the cast-iron-skillets. Even if you only serve on them but do not cook on them - it provides the suggestion otherwise. True MR or R steak aficionados will suspect the worst...

 

I think it was you who at the beginning of this thread said the eyes eat first? Don't confuse them! ;)

 

Since you have (rightfully imho) ruled out Thai beef, have you looked into Argentinian? Just a thought - I honestly have no idea how easy/hard it is to come by in Pattaya, but if I were to own a restaurant and offer two steaks - they would be AU and ARG.

 

Best wishes!

 

Sondor

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I luv Beefeater so I will enjoy giving your place a try and I hope all the investment works out and you become a real contender as the location is ideal

 

We aim to give "decent" sized side orders and a full boat of sauce, when your eating a 500-550g T-Bone Steak you might struggle with a big portion on Mac n Cheese... I will always listen to feedback.

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I'm a big fan of your concept and look forward to giving it a fair go, however, I am a bit concerned about the cast-iron-skillets. Even if you only serve on them but do not cook on them - it provides the suggestion otherwise. True MR or R steak aficionados will suspect the worst...

 

I think it was you who at the beginning of this thread said the eyes eat first? Don't confuse them! ;)

 

Since you have (rightfully imho) ruled out Thai beef, have you looked into Argentinian? Just a thought - I honestly have no idea how easy/hard it is to come by in Pattaya, but if I were to own a restaurant and offer two steaks - they would be AU and ARG.

 

Best wishes!

 

Sondor

 

Australian is pretty dominate here, lots of choice of grass / grain fed... Angus, Black Angus, Wagyu etc, there is a small selection of US beef but not as much choice as Australian beef. I'm afraid even the Argentinian steak house in Bangkok by Terminal T21 serves US or Australian beef. 

 

Im going to look at ceramic plates & wooden cutting boards. Like everyone has pointed out, there is nothing wrong with white plates, I was just trying to be "different" but I'm open to change.

 

Something I found off putting about white plates was the blood from the steak, I know when rested its reduced but its less visible on a black skillet... thats just my thoughts.

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Grades of meat can be tremendously misleading in all my years in the business I've visited many slaughterhouses I dealt with USDA inspectors on a daily basis.

 

The grading of meat comes from a visual and a pressure test from the inspector he or she makes the final decision whether it's prime choice or select quality.

 

If the inspector has had a bad weekend you could have a rail full of sides of beef that you perceive to be prime and most likely should be but he can grade them choice which can cost you thousands of dollars the difference in prime and choice.

 

On more than one occasion I have been able to convince the inspector that the product he was grading that day was it better than the grade he wanted to give it :-).

 

If you think corruption is bad here in Pattaya its the same in the meat business. Back handers inspectors looking the other way happens all the time I lived it for 22 years :-)

 

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I have to keep reminding myself its a job :GoldenSmile1:
At Babydolls we are serious about fun

 

 

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Australian is pretty dominate here, lots of choice of grass / grain fed... Angus, Black Angus, Wagyu etc, there is a small selection of US beef but not as much choice as Australian beef.

 

Im going to look at ceramic plates & wooden cutting boards. Like everyone has pointed out, there is nothing wrong with white plates, I was just trying to be "different" but I'm open to change.

 

Something I found off putting about white plates was the blood from the steak, I know when rested its reduced but its less visible on a black skillet... thats just my thoughts.

 

A steak fan won't care about the blood.

With regard to wood boards don't do it mate they split and harbour bacteria. You want something clean and simple. Just stick with the plates. Honestly if the steak is good nobody cares about what it comes on.

You also got to remember that your hoping for a successful business so why waste money on the iron pans or fancy plates when you may need to but a shit load of them when u get busier. Also the wood ones take ages to get clean.

Yes u eat with your eyes first but it's not the plate they are looking at unless the steak is crap in the first place.

 

 

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Grades of meat can be tremendously misleading in all my years in the business I've visited many slaughterhouses I dealt with USDA inspectors on a daily basis.

 

The grading of meat comes from a visual and a pressure test from the inspector he or she makes the final decision whether it's prime choice or select quality.

 

If the inspector has had a bad weekend you could have a rail full of sides of beef that you perceive to be prime and most likely should be but he can grade them choice which can cost you thousands of dollars the difference in prime and choice.

 

On more than one occasion I have been able to convince the inspector that the product he was grading that day was it better than the grade he wanted to give it :-).

 

If you think corruption is bad here in Pattaya its the same in the meat business. Back handers inspectors looking the other way happens all the time I lived it for 22 years :-)

 

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Tapatalk

 

I went to see Bob the owner of Choice Foods & Ricky at their outlet in Pattaya, they have been importing Australian beef in to Thailand for 20 years, they were advising me which farms in their opinion produced the best & most consistent beef. I will be honest, I am a novice when it comes to premium beef so I rely heavily on their opinion, my professional chef backed up their advice when handling the chilled beef, he could instantly tell the difference from a 900 Baht per kilo fillet vs 1300 Baht, I hope the meat is properly graded in Australia before it arrives in Thailand but I do take your point as there are big variations in price and large profits to be made by being dishonest.  

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I have been an idiot for even considering serving Thai beef, I was possessed by demons or something...... why would I serve something I would not enjoy eating myself!! 

 

"NO THAI BEEF", I tried the best yesterday and it was not suitable for a "Steak house".  

 

We will offer "frozen Australian beef"  (its much cheaper) as the entry level cut or "chilled Australian beef" ... we looked at several Australian farms with Choice Foods who have 20 years experience, they are recommending which farms produce consistently good beef.  

 

I would suggest you find a way to make that a prominent part of your signage.

 

"Only Australian Beef Served Here" or something like that. 

 

I haven't ordered a steak in a Pattaya restaurant for years (except Beefeaters) because I'm never sure what they are selling, no matter what their menu says.

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A steak fan won't care about the blood.

With regard to wood boards don't do it mate they split and harbour bacteria. You want something clean and simple. Just stick with the plates. Honestly if the steak is good nobody cares about what it comes on.

You also got to remember that your hoping for a successful business so why waste money on the iron pans or fancy plates when you may need to but a shit load of them when u get busier. Also the wood ones take ages to get clean.

Yes u eat with your eyes first but it's not the plate they are looking at unless the steak is crap in the first place.

 

 

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OK no wooden boards ! I read some countries are banning them due to bacteria also...

 

Cedar planks..... Beefeater which has a lot of Scandinavian dishes serve steaks & salmon served on a Cedar plank with piped mashed potato, it seems "VERY" popular. 

Untitled-1.jpg

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I would suggest you find a way to make that a prominent part of your signage.

 

"Only Australian Beef Served Here" or something like that. 

 

I haven't ordered a steak in a Pattaya restaurant for years (except Beefeaters) because I'm never sure what they are selling, no matter what their menu says.

Great point, I am having a "neon sign" street sign made which currently has "Premium Quality" ... I'm going to re-work the wording to something more specific 

 

"Australian Quality" perhaps, I think Australian Beef is a bit odd (the word beef (4 letters) is to short to balance the sign)... and Australian Steaks mentions the work "Steaks" twice on the sign so probably not a good idea.  

neon.jpg

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Brick by brick, Rome was not built in a day and nor will we be! Hahahaha

 

Some nice & comfortable bench seating will be installed, we are using a high quality fabric not the imitation leather to ensure it stays cool. 

 

We just bought 2 x 45,000 BTU ceiling mounted air-con units... 

bricks.jpg

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Why are you going with Mexican food?  It would be the most debated food on this forum and apparently no one gets it right.

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Why are you going with Mexican food?  It would be the most debated food on this forum and apparently no one gets it right.

 

Chef Gus in our first meeting asked "do you want a American or European Steak-house", playing to his strengths being Mexican nationality I decided that route.  Chef Gus is not working for me permanently, just the training & follow up visits, I will be buying fresh hand-made Chorizo from him which he makes in Thailand from imported Mexican ingredients. The food I have tasted as samples were fantastic, I just hope my chefs can reproduce his recipes.... 

 

We are also looking at hand made nacho chips vs the froozen store bought variety... but I will let you know on that once we get the masa.

 

I do get some hint's & tips from this guy who regularly reviews Taco's etc .... 

 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw0txNYH3VnFypn221OQOXQ

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I just ordered 60 of these from the UK to serve our home-made French fries.

fries.jpg

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So you will be only go with 3 cuts of steak?  Rib-eye, Sirloin and Porterhouse?  No T-Bone or Rump?

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So you will be only go with 3 cuts of steak?  Rib-eye, Sirloin and Porterhouse?  No T-Bone or Rump?

Nope... confirmed so far is

 

Rib-eye (Scotch fillet)

Top Sirloin

Hanger steak (skirt steak)

T-Bone

Porter house

Fillet Steak (Tender loin) We will make steak tournedos (filet mignon, wrapped in bacon)

 

We are also considering 

 

New York Strip Loin (Club Steak)

Centre Cut Wagyu  

Wagyu mince beef 80/20 (Wagyu burger)

Tri Tip

 

I am looking at options for dishes such as Fajitas ... yet undecided. 

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Any prime rib/ standing rib beef on the the menu there boss? Love me some prime rib! Love to eat some roast beef too but that's after dinner! 555555

Nope... confirmed so far is

 

Rib-eye (Scotch fillet)

Top Sirloin

Hanger steak (skirt steak)

T-Bone

Porter house

Fillet Steak (Tender loin) We will make steak tournedos (filet mignon, wrapped in bacon)

 

We are also considering 

 

New York Strip Loin (Club Steak)

Centre Cut Wagyu  

Wagyu mince beef 80/20 (Wagyu burger)

Tri Tip

 

I am looking at options for dishes such as Fajitas ... yet undecided.

 

 

 

Any prime rib/ standing rib beef on the the menu there boss? Love me some prime rib! Love to eat some roast beef too but that's after dinner! 555555

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Any prime rib/ standing rib beef on the the menu there boss? Love me some prime rib! Love to eat some roast beef too but that's after dinner! 555555

 

 

Any prime rib/ standing rib beef on the the menu there boss? Love me some prime rib! Love to eat some roast beef too but that's after dinner! 555555

 

No prime ribs for now or roast beef, perhaps in the future...   Perhaps we will have "once a month specials" such as prime rib or tomahawk steaks! 

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what's on the breakfast/brunch menu?

 

HaHa best be careful how I answer this! I read your breakfast thread regularly... its great!  Breakfast / Brunch menu is "undecided", I am going to complete the dinner menu to my satisfaction then think  about the AM menu. I don't want to run before I can walk... plus Pattaya is DEAD right now! 

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All very admirable listening to what different customers want/like
and can be valuable in building the business -- however you should
always keep in mind the old saying that a Camel is a Horse designed
by a committee !!

Good luck on your new venture :Hello1:

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If you want any advice from El Gaucho by Terminal 21 in Bangkok Danny is the owner. He's there most nights. Lovely chap and I'm sure he'd be happy to provide advice as he'll never be competition in Pattaya. I've begged him to open here before but he'll only do capital cities!

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Re. wooden boards don't be afraid of the naysayers. They are perfectly safe, actually much safer than glass or plastic chopping boards. They have anti-bacterial properties. Butchers have used them for centuries and continue to do so for a reason.

 

see:

http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/1107.html

http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm

 

They do require a little care however, which you may or may not be prepared to do.

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Re. wooden boards don't be afraid of the naysayers. They are perfectly safe, actually much safer than glass or plastic chopping boards. They have anti-bacterial properties. Butchers have used them for centuries and continue to do so for a reason.

 

see:

http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/1107.html

http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm

 

They do require a little care however, which you may or may not be prepared to do.

 

He isn't talking about wooden chopping boards he is talking about wooden serving platters.

Keep up mate ;)

 

 

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