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

[Skalliwag]

10 minutes ago, wingcom1 said:

Please advise where I can get the same for a lot less?

Oh fuck,don't ask this one.

[wingcom1]

3 minutes ago, Skalliwag said:

Oh fuck,don't ask this one.

But I also want to know where I can get eggs benedict for 72 baht without time travel back to the 90s?

[Skalliwag]

10 minutes ago, wingcom1 said:

But I also want to know where I can get eggs benedict for 72 baht without time travel back to the 90s?

Oh you're gonna find out.Trust me.

its not gonna make any sense to you or I,but he's gonna tell ya.

 

[wingcom1]

3 minutes ago, Skalliwag said:

Oh you're gonna find out.Trust me.

its not gonna make any sense to you or I,but he's gonna tell ya.

 

Hope he does so before breakfast time.  Otherwise I'm likely to get totally ripped off by some ruthless bacon roll vendor.

[Skalliwag]

1 minute ago, wingcom1 said:

Hope he does so before breakfast time.  Otherwise I'm likely to get totally ripped off by some ruthless bacon roll vendor.

Isn't the banana pancake guy out yet?

[Evil Penevil]

9 hours ago, wingcom1 said:

But I also want to know where I can get eggs benedict for 72 baht without time travel back to the 90s?

I'm just guessing here, but it's possible that a branch of Took Lae Dee had Eggs Benedict as a special for 72 baht in the recent past. Even 119 baht is an extremely reasonable price.  EDIT IN- I've just seen it confirmed that the Took Lae Dee adjacent to the Foodland Supermarket on Pattaya Klang did indeed offer an Eggs Benedict variation for under 100 baht in the recent past.

However, the problem I've found with Eggs Benedict in Thailand- and many other countries, including the U.S.- is the Hollandaise sauce.  It's often bad,  like REALLY bad,  a mockery of what Hollandaise sauce should be.

I am aware that many variations exist on this theme  (Eggs Blackstone, Eggs Royale, Eggs Florentine and a dozen others), but- and its a big  -  traditional Eggs Benedict is a tricky dish to prepare that doesn't allow for substitutions.  

The Hollandaise sauce has to be freshly made as it doesn't tolerate long periods under heat.  American-style side (streaky) bacon doesn't go well with Hollandaise, so it has to be the leaner, more subtly flavored Canadian-style back bacon. The eggs have to be poached properly, which depends on split-second timing, and it has to be an English muffin as the base because bread gets too soggy, even when toasted.

That's a lot for a busy chef or cook to get right, which is why many restaurants don't offer it.  Just like the little girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead in the nursery rhyme, when Eggs Benedict is good, it is very, very good, but when it is bad, it is horrid.

If we're going to talk value for money, then the breakfast offerings at Retox on Soi Lengkee have to be the standard by which others are judged.

The Baht Buster gives a huge amount of food for 99 baht and many who enjoy English breakfasts say it's very good.  It's not what I want for breakfast, but that's just a matter of personal preference. Even the small breakfast gives you a lot for 75 baht.

Using Retox as the reference point,  the bacon-and-egg roll at Le Pub doesn't seem overpriced to me.  But there are several hundred restaurants in and around Pattaya that serve breakfast and it's certainly possible some serve a better and cheaper bacon-and-egg roll than either Retox or Le Pub.  I'm not aware of any, but that doesn't they don't exist.

Evil

Edited August 17, 2017 by Evil Penevil
Updated with new information

[KittenKong]

30 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

I'm just guessing here, but it's possible that a branch of Took Lae Dee had Eggs Benedict as a special for 72 baht in the recent past. Even 119 baht is an extremely reasonable price.

 

When they introduced Eggs Benedict to their menu a couple of years ago it was 72B in all their branches that I have been to (ie the one at Foodland on Klang and a couple in Bangkok). It wasn't a special and it included juice and coffee as it does now. Then after about a year and for no obvious reason the price went up by about 40-50B in one go.

The little advertising sign visible in your photo was more or less the same one they used before: just the price on it was different. Looking more closely I note that the sign in your photo still says "new item" which it did when they first started doing it at 72B. So probably all they did was change the price on it.

Edited August 17, 2017 by KittenKong

[KittenKong]

32 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

The Baht Buster gives a huge amount of food for 99 baht and many who enjoy English breakfasts say it's very good.  It's not what I want for breakfast, but that's just a matter of personal preference. Even the small breakfast gives you a lot for 75 baht.

Using Retox as the reference point,  the bacon-and-egg roll at Le Pub doesn't seem overpriced to me.

 

I think that the Retox 98B breakfast is good value and perfectly acceptable quality. Bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, potatoes, beans, black pudding, grilled tomato and fried bread if your arteries can stand it. Plus juice and coffee/tea included. And there are plenty of other places around town that do something similar for not a great deal more.  Compared to all those, charging 100B for one bacon bap just seems excessive to me and I certainly would not pay it.

Edited August 17, 2017 by KittenKong

[just hanging]

On 8/11/2017 at 9:07 PM, Kreggerz said:

I'm pretty sure a salad is not included with the pasta dishes at White Pines. 

They do offer a good variety of a la carte salads though. 

nope, but the pasta is 159, with a salad and water I think it is under 300 maybe 259 as memory serves me. So under 300, as I said in my previous post

[SirL]

13 hours ago, KittenKong said:

I think that the Retox 98B breakfast is good value and perfectly acceptable quality. Bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, potatoes, beans, black pudding, grilled tomato and fried bread if your arteries can stand it. Plus juice and coffee/tea included. And there are plenty of other places around town that do something similar for not a great deal more.  Compared to all those, charging 100B for one bacon bap just seems excessive to me and I certainly would not pay it.

AIUI Retox's baht buster is a lossleader that Retox use with widespread advertising to bring in plenty of footfall, hopefully to be familiar with Retox and so return in peak hours for more highly-priced business.  Its components are being cooked almost continuously and mostly are not harmed much by sitting around warm for a little while, so it's straightforward to churn out many dozens of them each morning.  Since I'd guess the customer seats in the Retox's are not full at breakfast time, it's using idle capacity that should be costed less.  

OTOH LePub's bacon bap is specifically cooked to order in peak hours from 4pm-10pm and doesn't have anything like the same volumes churned through.  I wouldn't expect the pricing basis to be similar.

[KittenKong]

4 hours ago, SirL said:

OTOH LePub's bacon bap is specifically cooked to order in peak hours from 4pm-10pm and doesn't have anything like the same volumes churned through.  I wouldn't expect the pricing basis to be similar.

 

Maybe not. But that's still nearly GBP2.50 for a simple bacon bap. Many places around town do a full breakfast, with drinks, for very little more than that, and I'm not just talking about places that sell thousands of such breakfasts every day.

I just happen to think that a 100B bacon bap is way overpriced, that's all.

[KittenKong]

18 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

However, the problem I've found with Eggs Benedict in Thailand- and many other countries, including the U.S.- is the Hollandaise sauce.  It's often bad,  like REALLY bad,  a mockery of what Hollandaise sauce should be.

I am aware that many variations exist on this theme  (Eggs Blackstone, Eggs Royale, Eggs Florentine and a dozen others), but- and its a big  -  traditional Eggs Benedict is a tricky dish to prepare that doesn't allow for substitutions.  

 

Well, the Eggs Benedict they do for 72 or 119B certainly wont be up to the standards of somewhere that specialises in that dish, but it wasnt bad either. The Hollandaise was surely prepared in advance and was unusually vinegary, but the overall effect was acceptable. I was more interested in the quality of the ham used, and this was surprisingly good. They use factory made muffins for the bread base which are not ideal but again are not bad when the dish is taken as a whole.

I thought that for 72B (including juice and coffee) it was very good value and a perfectly decent snack. For 119B it still isnt bad and is much better value than the 100B bacon bap mentioned above.

[Mishko]

30 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

I just happen to think that a 100B bacon bap is way overpriced, that's all.

This. For 100 BHTS many places serve you a full breakfast, and I have seen at least one at 90 BHTS.

[just hanging]

white pines, about 169 baht

[wogggy]

Anyone know any good Italian restaurants that arent too fancy? 

 

[Kreggerz]

2 hours ago, wogggy said:

Anyone know any good Italian restaurants that arent too fancy? 

 

Yes.

Great casual place.

Still good even though the well known lady chef left.

Open for dinner daily this month (normally closed Mondays).

 

https://www.facebook.com/latavernadelpassatore

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293919-d4071799-Reviews-La_Taverna_del_Passatore-Pattaya_Chonburi_Province.html

 

 

[Evil Penevil]

15 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 But that's still nearly GBP2.50 for a simple bacon bap. Many places around town do a full breakfast, with drinks, for very little more than that, and I'm not just talking about places that sell thousands of such breakfasts every day.

I just happen to think that a 100B bacon bap is way overpriced, that's all.

 

15 hours ago, Mishko said:

This. For 100 BHTS many places serve you a full breakfast, and I have seen at least one at 90 BHTS.

Now I understand where you are coming from.  Basically, both of you are saying that if a customer spends 100 baht for something breakfasty,  there are places he can get more food for his money than at Le Pub.

Of course that's true.  As I posted earlier, Took Lae Dee has a breakfast special for 62 baht and Retox  has the Baht Buster for 99 baht and a small breakfast for 75 baht.  Many places in town have breakfast specials at or under 100 baht.

So it's clear you can get more food for 100 baht in various restaurants  than you can from buying a bap at Le Pub.  But if you compare baps to baps and not to other breakfast fare, then I  think Le Pub offers good value for money. I don't think you'll find too many places in Pattaya that offer a similar bacon-and-egg bap much cheaper that holds the same quality.

In any case, breakfast comparisons are a moot point because Le Pub serves food between 4.00 p.m. and 10 p.m.  I've eaten baps there before I bop to WS.  I have a fondness for baps and know of only one other restaurant near WS  that serves baps in the evening.  Under that circumstance, I think it is reasonable to pay 100 baht for a good quality bap.

Evil

Edited August 18, 2017 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil]

1 hour ago, Kreggerz said:

Open for dinner daily this month (normally closed Mondays).

https://www.facebook.com/latavernadelpassatore

Yes, that's a good suggestion.  I would also recommend Pizza Italy off Soi Bukhao:

It has great wood oven pizza, but also many other Italian dishes prepared by a chef from Italy.

Also, White Pines Cafe near WS has good Italian food at bargain prices. From WPs Facebook page:

Evil

 

Edited August 18, 2017 by Evil Penevil

[gimmesum]

On 8/17/2017 at 7:07 AM, Evil Penevil said:

I'm just guessing here, but it's possible that a branch of Took Lae Dee had Eggs Benedict as a special for 72 baht in the recent past. Even 119 baht is an extremely reasonable price.  EDIT IN- I've just seen it confirmed that the Took Lae Dee adjacent to the Foodland Supermarket on Pattaya Klang did indeed offer an Eggs Benedict variation for under 100 baht in the recent past.

However, the problem I've found with Eggs Benedict in Thailand- and many other countries, including the U.S.- is the Hollandaise sauce.  It's often bad,  like REALLY bad,  a mockery of what Hollandaise sauce should be.

I am aware that many variations exist on this theme  (Eggs Blackstone, Eggs Royale, Eggs Florentine and a dozen others), but- and its a big  -  traditional Eggs Benedict is a tricky dish to prepare that doesn't allow for substitutions.  

The Hollandaise sauce has to be freshly made as it doesn't tolerate long periods under heat.  American-style side (streaky) bacon doesn't go well with Hollandaise, so it has to be the leaner, more subtly flavored Canadian-style back bacon. The eggs have to be poached properly, which depends on split-second timing, and it has to be an English muffin as the base because bread gets too soggy, even when toasted.

That's a lot for a busy chef or cook to get right, which is why many restaurants don't offer it.  Just like the little girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead in the nursery rhyme, when Eggs Benedict is good, it is very, very good, but when it is bad, it is horrid.

If we're going to talk value for money, then the breakfast offerings at Retox on Soi Lengkee have to be the standard by which others are judged.

The Baht Buster gives a huge amount of food for 99 baht and many who enjoy English breakfasts say it's very good.  It's not what I want for breakfast, but that's just a matter of personal preference. Even the small breakfast gives you a lot for 75 baht.

Using Retox as the reference point,  the bacon-and-egg roll at Le Pub doesn't seem overpriced to me.  But there are several hundred restaurants in and around Pattaya that serve breakfast and it's certainly possible some serve a better and cheaper bacon-and-egg roll than either Retox or Le Pub.  I'm not aware of any, but that doesn't they don't exist.

Evil

yes Canadian bacon is friggin good stuff eh... hows about a shot of maple syrup and a brewski with that eh...

[SirL]

14 hours ago, wogggy said:

Anyone know any good Italian restaurants that arent too fancy? 

Rinapp on soi 13/1

https://www.facebook.com/RinappRistorantePattaya/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293919-d3932688-Reviews-Rinapp_Ristorante_pattaya-Pattaya_Chonburi_Province.html

10% off on Fridays

[just hanging]

19 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

Now I understand where you are coming from.  Basically, both of you are saying that if a customer spends 100 baht for something breakfasty,  there are places he can get more food for his money than at Le Pub.

Of course that's true.  As I posted earlier, Took Lae Dee has a breakfast special for 62 baht and Retox  has the Baht Buster for 99 baht and a small breakfast for 75 baht.  Many places in town have breakfast specials at or under 100 baht.

So it's clear you can get more food for 100 baht in various restaurants  than you can from buying a bap at Le Pub.  But if you compare baps to baps and not to other breakfast fare, then I  think Le Pub offers good value for money. I don't think you'll find too many places in Pattaya that offer a similar bacon-and-egg bap much cheaper that holds the same quality.

In any case, breakfast comparisons are a moot point because Le Pub serves food between 4.00 p.m. and 10 p.m.  I've eaten baps there before I bop to WS.  I have a fondness for baps and know of only one other restaurant near WS  that serves baps in the evening.  Under that circumstance, I think it is reasonable to pay 100 baht for a good quality bap.

Evil

and you have girls

[just hanging]

here are some for less than 300, a lot less

[Frenchguy99]

On 8/19/2017 at 2:43 PM, just hanging said:

here are some for less than 300, a lot less

Looks yummy, where and how much ?

[Evil Penevil]

From bacon baps and pork chops to something entirely different ...

 

 

Five Star J is one of the older vegetarian restaurants in Pattaya. Located at the corner of Pattaya Tai and 3rd Road, it's a small restaurant with an extensive menu of vegetarian and vegan dishes. The restaurant changed ownership in 2015 and now not only eschews meat, but also chemical additives (MSG, preservatives, artificial coloring) refined sugar, trans fats and other substances the new owner considers unhealthy.

 

  

(Photo is from the restaurant's Web site)

 

I'm not exactly a healthy eater, but I have made an effort in recent years to improve my diet. I've cut back on red meat and cured pork products; they are now occasional treats rather than daily staples.  One or two meals a week at Five Star J is another step in the right direction. For anyone who is serious about vegetarian or vegan food and avoiding chemical additives, it's one of the few options available in central Pattaya.

 

 

For anyone not familiar with the terminology, vegetarian means you don't eat meat, while vegans shun not only meat but animal products like eggs, milk, cheese and sometimes even honey. It's more complicated than that, as some vegans only eat raw foods and others exclude plants grown underground, but that's the general idea. The menu at Five Star J is marked as to which dishes are vegan.  Eggs and cheese are used in some of the vegetarian dishes.

 

I didn't count the number of items on the menu, but the restaurant's Web site says there are over 100. It's an eclectic mix of cuisines and cooking styles, ranging from vegetarian takes on Thai classics to "mock meat" Western dishes like hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and desserts.  Pasta and noodles in various forms are well represented on the menu.  Prices are reasonable, with most dishes under 200 baht and many between 100 and 150 baht.

 

Here are a few examples from the much bigger online menu:

 

 

Five Star J has the option of ordering online for delivery, pick up and or in advance of dining in, as all dishes are made to order and there could be a wait on busy nights. 

 

 

 

The interior is well-lit and scrupulously clean, important factors for me.  It is a bit cramped, with eight tables for four in a rather tight space.  There are a couple of tables outside.

 

, 

On a recent visit I had the "fresh spring rolls, Vietnamese style," as a starter for 129 baht.

 

 

It consisted of salad greens (not just lettuce), seaweed, raw vegetables, Mint and other herbs wrapped in rice paper.  It came with a with peanut/pineapple sauce.

 

 

Basically, it's a salad in a different form.  It tasted great as the Mint and herbs gave it a lot of flavor and a little bite.

 

 

I don't think peanuts and pineapple are complementary flavors and would have preferred the sauce to be peanut only, perhaps with a separate pineapple variant for those who want some natural sweetness.  On the whole, it was a good starter and enough for two people to share.

 

 

I ordered the shiitake mushroom with white lettuce (139 baht) as my main course.

 

 

It was a simple dish, but played up the natural flavor of the shiitake. The sauce was salty, which I like, but it might have been a bit much for some.  Five Star J doesn't use the ubiquitous nam pla (fish sauce), so the saltiness must have come from soy sauce.

 

 

Another evening I had the Swiss rösti with three fried eggs (189 baht).  Again simplicity done well. The rösti had been fried in coconut oil and tasted excellent.  The eggs were farm fresh.

 

 

 

 

For dessert I had the black sesame paste dumplings in ginger syrup (69 baht). This was a variation of traditional Chinese tangyuan, but with a strong ginger taste and not as sweet as its Chinese counterpart.

 

 

I had apple juice to drink with the spring rolls and weissbier with the rösti dish.  Five Star J offers complimentary water with its meals and the server asks whether you want it cold or at room temperature.  Wine, beer and a variety of soft drinks, fruit juices and fruit shakes are available.

 

 

The staff has a friendly manner and is knowledgeable about the food served.  Before ordering, each diner is asked to look at a page in the menu which explains the type of food the restaurant serves.  I assume this is to head off problems with first-time customers who may not understand it's strictly a vegetarian restaurant.

 

Bottom line:  Five Star J is a healthy island in a sea of junk food. I'm not about to convert to vegetarianism, but I'm trying to eat better as I get older.  A quote attributed to U.S. baseball great Mickey Mantle comes to mind:  "If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."

 

So if you've ever thought about reforming your diet, give it a try.  What have you got to lose except a couple of pounds?

 

Evil

 

There's a very lively Australian pub across the street from Five Star J.

 

 

For those not interested in vegetarian food, you might try the pub's Saturday steak special.

 

Edited August 22, 2017 by Evil Penevil

[baddog666]

Just a few tricks if anyone here ever makes their own Hollandaise sauce for whatever reason.

If you are making a classic Hollandaise , and are concerned with time management.... add a 

drop of mayonnaise after the sauce is done ( a teaspoon for a 4 yolk batch ).... keep it warm, but not hot.... the mayo will

hold it together for several hours and is very difficult to detect in the flavor.

Another option is the blender version... make sure your clarified butter is hot enough , will never break or curdle.

I avoid ordering Eggs Benedict unless I am in a good restaurant or fine hotel basically because often it is crap.

Years ago I received my Eggs Benedict and I swear they used canned cheese sauce like you would put on nachos. Akkkkk