Under 300 Baht ... And Good! (updated for 2024)

[Evil Penevil]

4 hours ago, Taa_Saparot said:

EP, at the risk of being accused of flaming, I have eaten in the Sailor Bar occasionally for decades and I would say the food has always been consistent over the years.

I don't consider a difference of opinion to be flaming.  Maybe you've been lucky and I've been unlucky, but I have to call 'em like I taste 'em.  The meals I had at the Sailor back in 2013-2014 were indeed bad.  One was inedible (rancid potato salad, a schnitzel pounded so thin and fried so hard it couldn't be chewed without breaking a tooth).  And no one can ever convince me that goulash made with ketchup is good. Edible, yes.  Good, no.

My reviews of the Sailor from 2013 and 2014 prompted a bigger response than any other review I've done before or since.  Opinions were very sharply divided.  I was hardly alone in criticizing the food and service.

4 hours ago, Taa_Saparot said:

There certainly has been problems with the waitresses in the past, but the food hitting the bottom, and downward spirals?

Other posters have said the same thing as I did.  I'll give some examples at the end of this post.  To be fair, there were just as many posts from those who liked the food and had no problem with the service, but that just illustrates there's no consensus.

I noticed a thread from 2007 about the Sailor in which no one criticized the food.  It was bumped in 2012, but by then posters had begun complaining about the food.  I was also told that Sailor had a particularly rough stretch in 2013-2014, which is why I thought it had may have hit bottom.

I revised my opinion of the Sailor in a review from 2016 as I felt it could be improving.

Evil

 

Here's the collection of quotes from BMs who also thought the food at Sailor had deteriorated and the service was bad.

On 09/08/2015 at 15:42, THAJEC said:

Yes recently especially farang meals rather deteriorate their quality. Goulash soup same carrots, schnitzel only breadcrumbs, very little meat stew.

Yellow curry are the same potatoes and chicken little. Yes it's cheap eats, but the quality and quantity of previous years is disappearing.

 

On 30/07/2013 at 02:44, gmoule said:

Used to be quite a decent meal in there, however gone very downhill in the last few years, probably at the same rate soi 8 has which is probably one of the reasons

 

On 09/08/2015 at 10:11, Piece Corp said:

The food sucks but it's really cheap.

 

On 03/08/2013 at 00:25, rpbc said:

Sailor Bar, food really bad, but they give you a lot of it.

 

On 30/07/2013 at 04:37, SRA said:

Great place for cheap drinks, but stay away from the food.

 

On 29/07/2013 at 15:46, THAJEC said:

Sailor restaurant really deteriorated lately their quality of food. Personally, I had a stew of meat and leave the past were relatively few and the sauce was full of carrots. The same applies for goulash soup, which is full of carrots and ketchup as well. Goulash is worth 100 or 120 BHT if I remember well. Thai food is consumable. My favorite is the yellow curry which is delicious, but truthfully I have to say that it appears more and more onions at the expense of meat.
Sailor restaurant is still a place where you can eat a decent value quite well, but the quality of food is really a little worse, because the price advantage of the popularity of the BMS.

 

On 30/07/2013 at 04:25, 999Baht said:

Great review of the place!

You are not the first person I know that as said that the service there is shit. 

I've been told this by 2 people on completely separate occasions whilst walking past there (unsolicited comments mind you). 

 

On 31/07/2013 at 19:27, joeyjay said:

Very accurate reviews. What's up with those waitresses? Who owns that place and are they aware of the attitudes towards farangs? I was fricken screamed at by the female manager because I ask for some salt and pepper. I thought she was joking but was not. Other falangs saw this and kinda laughed and told me not to sweat it, they got yelled at the day before.

 

On 31/07/2013 at 22:09, Buddy Edgewood said:

Evil, you're 100% right about one thing, their staff could use an attitude adjustment, but I just write it off as TiT.  I always order with a smile and once in a while, one of the younger waitresses will give me a smirk in return.

 

On 01/08/2013 at 09:06, Larry001 said:

You pay for what you get. Rude staff, but they are probably underpaid and overworked by the miserable owner

 

On 01/08/2013 at 18:34, Bupattaya said:

I used to be a daily customer there, but you are right about the service for 1. They could not be much nastier. Very rude and basically could give a shit if you satisfied with anything or not. The food used to be good, but has really gone bad in the last couple of years. Their drink prices have gone up and now they give very skimpy shots to boot. So I now stay far from Sailor bar. So many other good places to go for everything from food to inexpensive drinks. SAILOR BAR

 

On 29/07/2013 at 18:13, seancoast2 said:

have to agree the staff were so fucking miserable it was depressing but some of the food was ok

 

On 29/07/2013 at 08:29, tony113 said:

I ate there on my trip last month, I ordered a prawn dish and fried rice, the waitress brought the rice and the dishes that my bf ordered. she forget the prawns, we tried to get her attention, by the time I had finished the rice, my bf asked her about the prawns, the waitress was arguing with her, I said forget it asked for the bill but the prawns were charged for I said no way the older lady the owner I think, said I had to pay for the prawns. I told her to fuck off paid the bill minus the prawns. The food was shit the service was rude, the first and last time I will ever eat there. cheap or not it was a very negative experience for me, never again.

 

On 30/07/2013 at 01:21, docmullet said:

I can also attest the waitresses in there are horrendous , they really seem to hate falangs . me and my mate tried to eat in there once but the waitress was so damn rude we got up and left

 

On 12/09/2012 at 15:24, The Machine said:

Cheap prices run by the rudest bunch of dykes I have ever met.

Talk about attitude.

 

On 19/09/2012 at 11:03, Piece Corp said:

LOL The staff can be pretty rude at times, gives the place it's charm. I overheard one waitress telling a customer "Fuck you, asshole.". At least their English is good.

 

On 29/07/2013 at 16:49, tropicaloz said:

I concur,

I haven't eaten in this establishment since 2010, On its best day the food was ordinary, but I don't think the wait staff ever smiled and always seemed pissed off that a Falang would dare annoy them by ordering food in this shithole.

 

It seems nothing has changed, yet they still say in business................?????

 

[Taa_Saparot]

7 hours ago, Taa_Saparot said:

There certainly has been problems with the waitresses in the past, but the food hitting the bottom, and downward spirals?

I remember none of this, and I must have a look through my hard drive and check how far my photos of the Sailor Bars food goes back.

As usual, you never have as many pics. as you think you must have.

BUT, this was was taken on the 15th of Jan. 2014, and it looks (and tasted I guess) exactly as it always had/does.

All my visits lately, have been with her, and we have ordered Thai Food, which as I have said is better than I would expect it to be.

Goong Ob Woonsen (120 baht) Tom Kha Gai (70 baht) Khai Yat Sai (70 baht)

 

 

[LuvThaiPussy]

2 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

I don't consider a difference of opinion to be flaming.  Maybe you've been lucky and I've been unlucky, but I have to call 'em like I taste 'em.  The meals I had at the Sailor back in 2013-2014 were indeed bad.  One was inedible (rancid potato salad, a schnitzel pounded so thin and fried so hard it couldn't be chewed without breaking a tooth).  And no one can ever convince me that goulash made with ketchup is good. Edible, yes.  Good, no.

My reviews of the Sailor from 2013 and 2014 prompted a bigger response than any other review I've done before or since.  Opinions were very sharply divided.  I was hardly alone in criticizing the food and service.

Other posters have said the same thing as I did.  I'll give some examples at the end of this post.  To be fair, there were just as many posts from those who liked the food and had no problem with the service, but that just illustrates there's no consensus.

I noticed a thread from 2007 about the Sailor in which no one criticized the food.  It was bumped in 2012, but by then posters had begun complaining about the food.  I was also told that Sailor had a particularly rough stretch in 2013-2014, which is why I thought it had may have hit bottom.

I revised my opinion of the Sailor in a review from 2016 as I felt it could be improving.

Evil

 

Here's the collection of quotes from BMs who also thought the food at Sailor had deteriorated and the service was bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Damn. Bored today @Evil Penevil? 555

[Evil Penevil]

15 minutes ago, LuvThaiPussy said:

Damn. Bored today @Evil Penevil? 555

A different motivation than boredom.  

Evil

[petermik]

8 hours ago, LuvThaiPussy said:

Damn. Bored today @Evil Penevil? 555

 

7 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

A different motivation than boredom.  

Evil

But will it be "taken on board" ...........

[Evil Penevil]

7 minutes ago, petermik said:

But will it be "taken on board" ...........

It's already served its intended purpose.  

Evil

Edited January 11, 2020 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil]

The Shack is the abbreviated sucessor to the former Richman Poorman Restaurant on Jomtien Beach Road.  It is a street stall located in the Jomtien Complex, with the entrance to the Complex about two-thirds down the dog-leg section of Thrappaya Rd to Jomtien Beach Road.  The Shack is diagonally across the sub-soi from Tinnie's Pie Shop.

The Shack keeps alive the BBQ and TexMex dishes that were the signature of Richman Poorman.  I would assume most of its  business is takeaway, but there is counter dining and one table for four.

On Thursday I took the baht bus to The Shack.  I ate two hot dogs with sauerkraut at the counter for 120 ฿ and took home a Reuben sandwich for 250  ฿.  Both were good.

My reservation about the hog dogs was the sauerkraut.  It simply didn't have enough of a vinegar taste for me.

I put the deli mustard on the dogs myself.  Ballpark mustard was also available.

The Reuben consisted of pastrami, sauerkraut, cheese and sauce on grilled brown bread.  The pastrami was plentiful and high quality.  A slice of dill pickle came along with it.

The Shack's Reuben differed from the traditional Reuben served in the U.S.  A traditional Reuben uses corned beef rather than pastrami and has more sauerkraut and Swiss cheese.  "Russian dressing" is preferred, but the sauce used by The Shack was close. A Reuben is served between grilled slices of what's called Jewish or deli rye in the U.S.

The Shack's Reuben isn't a copy of the sandwich you'd get at many U.S. restaurants, but pastrami Reubens are very popular.  It's on the menu at Katz Delicatessen in NYC, which a lot of foodies regard as the top Reuben shop in the world.  The owner of Richman Poorman is famous for his smoked meats, so it's understandable he'd use pastrami, as it's smoked.  Corner beef is boiled.

I'll be back to try the BBQ ribs and brisket as well as some of the TexMex dishes on the menu. Almost everything is under 300  ฿, with most under 200 ฿.

One important note: The Shack is supposed to be open from 9.00 a.m. to 9 p.m. everyday except Wednesday, when it's closed. However, hours tend to be a bit irregular and it has been closed on some days when it was supposed to be open.  It can also run out of certain dishes as the day progresses.

Always call to make sure The Shack is open and that the menu item you want is still available.  The telephone number  065 491 3747. You could also check the Facebook page, listed as Richman Poorman, but it's best to call.

And from the FB page, Saturday and January's specials:

 

 

Some other pics of menu items from the FB page:

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by Evil Penevil

[wogggy]

Was hungry today for lunch but I didn't want to have Sunday roast (for me a roast is a winter meal anyway, and it's never winter in Thailand) and I thought I'd try Loaf on soi lengkee. 

I sat inside but to my dismay they didn't have pizza on the menu anymore. 

Nothing really looked appetizing to me except for the chicken cutlets with salad so I got that for 189 baht. 

Everything looked fairly expensive on the menu, considering its location.

75 baht for a coffee, 115 for fried garlic pork rice, and their brekky didn't look cheap either. 

115 baht for a smoothie. Starbucks prices. 

35 baht for mineral water which sorta pissed me off. Good thing I got an Americano for 55 baht from benjamits down the road a few hours prior. 

Anyway, it wasn't that busy but I waited a solid 20 minutes to get my food.

When I got it, the food was a solid 7/10. The batter on the chicken was crispy but the chicken itself was slightly overcooked. I think the chef might have left it in the deep fryer a little bit longer than necessary. 

The salad was ok but the salsa was good quality. Fresh and spicy. 

Just the right amount of chicken. 

The service was prompt and quick. 

Would I return ? 

Yes but I would prefer to try something different next time. Maybe a pasta?

Edited January 12, 2020 by wogggy

[ChiFlyer]

On 11/01/2020 at 18:53, Evil Penevil said:

 

The Shack is the abbreviated sucessor to the former Richman Poorman Restaurant on Jomtien Beach Road.  It is a street stall located in the Jomtien Complex, with the entrance to the Complex about two-thirds down the dog-leg section of Thrappaya Rd to Jomtien Beach Road.  The Shack is diagonally across the sub-soi from Tinnie's Pie Shop.

 

Excellent write up Evil, as usual. As you know, I live a 5 minute walk from the Shack. I try and limit my visits to twice a month, as The Shack is not going to make it into any Healthy Foods threads.

I visited tonight and will add a little to the Shack (RMPM) thread about that.

I would add a couple of comments to your review. The most praised sandwich by the regulars is the Pulled Pork. The Patty Melt is also very well regarded. I have tried the Cheddar Cheeseburger, the Reuben, and The Jimmy (salami sandwich) so far and liked all of them. I do agree with your comments about the Reuben.   

[davidge]

Not somewhere I’m likely to eat but walked past several times this trip. One thing to note, the posted hours are 10am to 8pm but it’s certainly been closed before 8pm on more than one occasion.

[wogggy]

Genki Japanese restaurant on soi 4. 

It's inside a mini alleyway, there's a red sign out the front saying Japanese restaurant in English and Japanese. 

Got a large imported Kirin beer for 140 which I thought was a good bargain and hard to find anywhere (Kirin itself is hard to find elsewhere). 

I felt like seafood so got the Saba set (grilled mackerel). 240 baht. I also got a side dish of ika nigiri which is one of my favourites. 

The Saba was delicious and cooked perfectly. 

The only downside was the service charge they put on. 10% or something. So whatever, I didn't leave a tip. 

Worth going back to though. It's better than chimaki which is on soi 3 I think. And way more easy going than Yamato, with that stone faced chef 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by wogggy

[jimboh]

What else comes with Saba set?

[wogggy]

Rice, miso soup, some sort of steamed scrambled egg and some radish.

The squid nigiri you see at the top was a side order. 

[Piece Corp]

Chicken and Mushroom Pie at the Queen Vic on Soi 6.  Thin and flaky pie with tender chunks of chicken, light on the mushrooms but condensed cream of mushroom soup as a filling.  Came with choice of fries, mashed potatos, or peas.  260 baht

[Bawdy]

56 minutes ago, Piece Corp said:

Chicken and Mushroom Pie at the Queen Vic on Soi 6.  Thin and flaky pie with tender chunks of chicken, light on the mushrooms but condensed cream of mushroom soup as a filling.  Came with choice of fries, mashed potatos, or peas.  260 baht

I got served that a couple of years ago, except I had ordered the steak & kidney pie! 555

[Evil Penevil]

2 hours ago, Piece Corp said:

Chicken and Mushroom Pie at the Queen Vic on Soi 6.  Thin and flaky pie with tender chunks of chicken, light on the mushrooms but condensed cream of mushroom soup as a filling.  Came with choice of fries, mashed potatos, or peas.  260 baht

Through the years, the ueen Vic has proved to be one of the more consistent and reliable restaurants for British food.

Evil

[Luv2Phuket]

Just a quick "thanks" to @Evil Penevil and all those who continue to post in this thread!

My last trip, I was out in Phra Tamnak - LOVE the hotel, but the isolation makes it a bit tough to check places out.  This time, I will be splitting my trip between the Hilton and the Holiday Inn.  I am going through the thread and making a lot of mental notes on places that I want to try!

Any recent follow-up on My Way?  I think the last report I saw it was closed for renovations after the owner had passed.  Wondering if they picked back up with the same quality food and great prices?

[Evil Penevil]

A couple of notes:

I planned to have dinner last night at Cheap Charlie's on Soi Buakhao, but when I got there at 6.30 p.m., every single seat, inside and out,  at the counters and tables, was taken.  The pic below is from an hour later and the crowd had thinned a bit, but it was still very busy.  

 The Hungry Hippo and the Chunky Monkey also had plenty of customers, but not a full as CCs.  Nearby Prime Burger, Harry's and Kilkenny were well frequented as well.

I tend to avoid crowded restaurants as that's when serving times get long and it's easy for the cook and service staff to make mistakes.  I popped across the street and had dinner at 18 Coins.  It was good, but since I had Thai food, a review would be out of place in this thread.  I did notice one of the least enticing promotions I've ever seen, plus a creepy robot watched me eat:

 

Some Saturday specials in the LK Metro area.  Most pics are from Facebook.

Cottage pie and lasagne at Kilkenny.

 

The Robin's Nest is under new management.  I haven't tried it, but hopefully the food has been lifted from its previous steep decline.  As I passed by, a staffer handed me a 10% discount coupon.

Note that it's "local fish."

The Tuesday special looks good.

You can have beer and lasagne specials on Thursday:

The regular menu includes pasta bowls and paninis.

 

Harry's has a value-for-money pork planksteak every day.  I've had it and it's good.

 

This isn't a special, but Prime Burger has begun with a Beyond Meat plant-based burger.  To the right is a pic of Prime's signature smash burger for comparison.

 

A bit away from LK Metro at The Avenue Shopping Plaza you have the Robin Hood Tavern with some decent specials. The chicken parm is today's special, but I would have been more tempted by Tuesday's special, the Cajun salmon with penne pasta. Both are  ฿249.

 

Evil

[Evil Penevil]

On Sunday I ordered the "special of the day" for delivery from Tigglebitties.  It was an excellent meal.  To crossthe 250 ฿ threshold for free delivery,  I added a 50 ฿ side order of diced potatoes, onions and  sweet peppers to bring the order total over the 250 ฿ threshold for free delivery.

This is what the order looked like upon arrival after a one-hour wait.  Everything had been packaged separately so all the components remained hot and weren't soggy.

The Country Fried Steak order included country gravy, brown gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed mixed veggies as well the steak itself.

Country fried steak, also known as chicken fried steak, is a U.S. favorite which dates to the 1850s in Texas.  German immigrants are usually credited with inventing it as an adaptation of the classic Austrian wiener schnitzel.  In its modern form,  country fried steak is a piece of top sirloin or round that has been tenderized through pounding or with a blade tenderizer.  The meat is dipped in egg batter and dredged in seasoned flour, then fried in a skillet or deep fried.  It is most often served smothered in country gravy, aka white gravy,  milk gravy, sausage gravy, sawmill gravy and several other names. In some areas of the U.S., country fried steak is served with brown gravy with onions instead of country gravy. 

The steak had been cut into strips.  I'm guessing that was out of consideration for delivery customers in hotels who don't have access to metal silverware and have to use the plastic knife and fork that comes with the order.  It's not always easy to cut meat with a plastic knife.

The cubed steak was tender and flavorful.  It had been properly breaded and wasn't overcooked. The steamed carrots, broccoli and cauliflower were fresh.  Only the kernels of corn had been frozen.  The country gravy was the right consistency, had been well seasoned and contained plenty of American-style sausage bits.  The mashed potatoes were the weakest point, bland and a bit stodgy, but the brown gravy helped a lot.  

Bottom line: It was a very good meal that I enjoyed a lot.  The portion size was perfect for me.

I saved the side order of potatoes for another meal.  I had them with corn on the cob from 7/11 and a couple of eggs that I did a bad job of frying myself.  Two filling meals for less than 300 ฿ isn't bad at all.

 

Evil

Edited January 21, 2020 by Evil Penevil

[LuvThaiPussy]

^^^^ It's also cut up in pieces if you have it at the restaurant as well. 

 

I have it served breakfast style with hash browns and a couple soft poached eggs instead of the mashed and veg. A dish I really enjoy and try to order when I see it available at places in the states. 

 

Tigglebitties version is good and huge! 

[Luv2Phuket]

Damn!  Those photos are making me long for some chicken fried steak from Threadgill's in Austin, Texas!

[likeaking]

1 hour ago, Evil Penevil said:

On Sunday I ordered the "special of the day" for delivery.  It was an excellent meal.  To crossthe 250 ฿ threshold for free delivery,  I added a 50 ฿ side order of diced potatoes, onions and  sweet peppers to bring the order total over the 250 ฿ threshold for free delivery.

 

Evil

The name of the restaurant is . . . ?

[Luv2Phuket]

The name of the restaurant is . . . ?

99.9% sure it is Tigglebitties

The ads for their specials on Facebook have a distinctive look


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[likeaking]

1 hour ago, Luv2Phuket said:

 

99.9% sure it is Tigglebitties

The ads for their specials on Facebook have a distinctive look


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yeah, I figure the same. I just thought it humorous that EP would put so much time and effort in another quality review and forget to name the restaurant. 

Edited January 21, 2020 by likeaking

[Evil Penevil]

Yes, it's Tigglebitties. I've added the name of the restaurant to the review. Thanks for the heads-up.

Evil