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

[Zeb]

11 hours ago, Piece Corp said:

Is breakfast still 60 baht at the Sailor Bar?  Not that I’d go there for anything else.

I've walked past this place for more years then I care to remember - until the last couple of trips.

Late afternoon, early evening the place was very busy with diners and drinkers. I went there initially to look and have a couple of beers but had the Schnitzel Cordon Bleu and really enjoyed it. Been back several times since and will continue to do so.

Its busy, well organised with well trained staff. Good food, cold beer. Reasonable prices.

I'm just a customer, no connection, don't even know who operates it, don't need to.

 

[Piece Corp]

10 minutes ago, Zeb said:

I've walked past this place for more years then I care to remember - until the last couple of trips.

Late afternoon, early evening the place was very busy with diners and drinkers. I went there initially to look and have a couple of beers but had the Schnitzel Cordon Bleu and really enjoyed it. Been back several times since and will continue to do so.

Its busy, well organised with well trained staff. Good food, cold beer. Reasonable prices.

I'm just a customer, no connection, don't even know who operates it, don't need to.

 

It’s a Cheap Charlie place, so it does good business.  I’m sure everything on the menu is well under 300 baht.  The waitresses can be ornery because of some customers.

[Zeb]

5 hours ago, Piece Corp said:

It’s a Cheap Charlie place, so it does good business.  I’m sure everything on the menu is well under 300 baht.  The waitresses can be ornery because of some customers.

I wasn't motivated to go there based on price. I was curious and found the food good, the beer cold and reasonable prices.

Further I had no problems with the staff, waitresses etc.

[petermik]

16 hours ago, Piece Corp said:

It’s a Cheap Charlie place, so it does good business.  I’m sure everything on the menu is well under 300 baht.  The waitresses can be ornery because of some customers.

Only you Piece....trying to take upskirts in a busy food place is not to their liking   

 

p.s. only joking guys...4 those that do not know Piece he,s the dogs whatsits photographer of pretty ladies pics on here

[claghorn]

no name restaurant  ….soi buakhao….on the right hand side about 30 meters past subway going toward central rd..glass case with hanging chickens in the front...  nice curries ..don't ask for hot anything...many gentrified thai dishes ..but most are quasi or thai standard..hot is crazy hot...the basic broth is natural from many stewed  chickens ..haven't seen a packet of artificial flavoring there yet..the morning glory is great..as are most of the vegetable sides...beer water in the rear..serve yourself ...megacute  waitstaff .. high season you may have to wait..awhile …..clean ..they turn the place upside down once a week..and thorough clean daily....

'

Edited January 9, 2020 by claghorn

[Evil Penevil]

12 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

I'd forgotten about the Sailor.  I haven't been there in over a year, but as I recall, the breakfast had gone up to 65 baht.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Evil

I'll correct myself.  It has gone up to 70 baht. 

I thought I would take one for the team , so I ate breakfast at the Sailor this morning.  Actually, it was pretty good for 70 baht. 

There are three main choices for breakfast at the Sailor-  fried eggs, scrambled eggs or boiled eggs. 

All three come with toast and jelly; back bacon; an odd Thai hot dog sausage;  a dab of salad; coffee or tea and a small glass of orange drink.

The eggs had been roughly fried, nor was it the most attractive plating I've seen, but the parts I ate tasted good.  I skipped the sausage on grounds of its weirdness and didn't touch the salad because it was extremely wilted. It had been hanging around since at least the previous day.   I drank the coffee, but it was very weak.

On the plus side, the eggs and toast were fresh and the portion of bacon was bigger than you usually get in many restaurants.  The bacon wasn't exactly high quality and most of its taste probably came from Liquid smoke,  but it went down easily enough.  For 70 baht,  you can't really complain.

Breakfast is served at the Sailor from 7.00 a.m. to 3 p.m.  I had mine at about 11.00 a.m. and the restaurant had roughly ten other guests. There were 20 customers or so in the bar and a few were really knocking back the drinks despite the early hour.

 

11 hours ago, Piece Corp said:

 I’m sure everything on the menu is well under 300 baht.  The waitresses can be ornery because of some customers.

Most items on the Sailor's menu range in price from 70 baht to 130 baht.  The only items which are more than 130 baht are a half-dozen whole fish dishes (steamed or fried).

In the past, I have encountered the notorious surliness of the Sailor's wait staff, but things seem to have improved.  One of the waitresses actually smiled at me!

Bottom line:  For those who want bacon and eggs for breakfast but not necessarily a full English fry up, the Sailor's 70-baht meal is a reasonable option.

Evil

 

 

[Piece Corp]

1 hour ago, Evil Penevil said:

I'll correct myself.  It has gone up to 70 baht. 

I thought I would take one for the team , so I ate breakfast at the Sailor this morning.  Actually, it was pretty good for 70 baht. 

There are three main choices for breakfast at the Sailor-  fried eggs, scrambled eggs or boiled eggs. 

All three come with toast and jelly; back bacon; an odd Thai hot dog sausage;  a dab of salad; coffee or tea and a small glass of orange drink.

The eggs had been roughly fried, nor was it the most attractive plating I've seen, but the parts I ate tasted good.  I skipped the sausage on grounds of its weirdness and didn't Touch the salad because it was extremely wilted. It had been hanging around since at least the previous day.   I drank the coffee, but it was very weak.

On the plus side, the eggs and toast were fresh and the portion of bacon was bigger than you usually get in many restaurants.  The bacon wasn't exactly high quality and most of its taste probably came from Liquid smoke,  but it went down easily enough.  For 70 baht,  you can't really complain.

Breakfast is served at the Sailor from 7.00 a.m. to 3 p.m.  I had mine at about 11.00 a.m. and the restaurant had roughly ten other guests. There were 20 customers or so in the bar and a few were really knocking back the drinks despite the early hour.

 

Most items on the Sailor's menu range in price from 70 baht to 130 baht.  The only items which are more than 130 baht are a half-dozen whole fish dishes (steamed or fried).

In the past, I have encountered the notorious surliness of the Sailor's wait staff, but things seem to have improved.  One of the waitresses actually smiled at me!

Bottom line:  For those who want bacon and eggs for breakfast but not necessarily a full English fry up, the Sailor's 70-baht meal is a reasonable option.

Evil

Thanks for the memories.  I ate breakfast there often when I lived in View Talay 6, it was 55 baht then, looks the same.  I learned not to show up at 7 AM and expect to be served because the staff were still having their breakfast then.

[taylor1975]

I ate at sailor many years ago. It was quite busy and an older gent asked if he could sit at my table. His food came and he ate, then mine came and he started picking his teeth (not discreetly). 

My main priority for eating now, is to keep far away from others. 

The long island cocktails in sailor (120b i think) are decent.

[davidge]

3 minutes ago, taylor1975 said:

 

My main priority for eating now, is to keep far away from others. 

 

I’m sure everyone is very grateful 

[Zeb]

8 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

Bottom line:  For those who want bacon and eggs for breakfast but not necessarily a full English fry up, the Sailor's 70-baht meal is a reasonable option.

Yes it is and I will give their breakfast a try at some stage.

Apart from the toast its a pretty low carb brekkie as well - for those where low carb is a consideration, including me.

That way I can still have my favourite carbs in the form of chilled San Mig Lite, later in the day 

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Zeb

[LuvThaiPussy]

15 hours ago, claghorn said:

no name restaurant  ….soi buakhao….on the right hand side about 30 meters past subway going toward central rd..glass case with hanging chickens in the front...  nice curries ..don't ask for hot anything...many gentrified thai dishes ..but most are quasi or thai standard..hot is crazy hot...the basic broth is natural from many stewed  chickens ..haven't seen a packet of artificial flavoring there yet..the morning glory is great..as are most of the vegetable sides...beer water in the rear..serve yourself ...megacute  waitstaff .. high season you may have to wait..awhile …..clean ..they turn the place upside down once a week..and thorough clean daily....

'

Tin cup/hole in the wall. Great value imo

[The Sculptor]

Here’s one... the Angus cheeseburger with two sides and a bottle of water at the hideaway for two hundred forty baht?? You’re eating outside and next to the road, but you’re covered by the guesthouse roof and there are fans to help keep you cool, at least in the evening. Service is attentive and the food arrives hot.  And it’s a larger diameter bun, so you can actually hold it and eat like you’re supposed to.  

Edited January 10, 2020 by The Sculptor

[Evil Penevil]

17 hours ago, taylor1975 said:

I ate at sailor many years ago. It was quite busy and an older gent asked if he could sit at my table. His food came and he ate, then mine came and he started picking his teeth (not discreetly).

Back in 2014, I had a couple of bad experiences at Sailor that really turned me off to the place. Opinions have always been heavily mixed on the food.  I thought it was truly horrible, others thought it was great.  However,  even the fans of Sailor's cheap drinks and food would often comment on the rude service.

It seems as if things have turned around regarding both food and service.  I plan on giving Sailor another chance in the near future.  It's not a restaurant I want to rush back to.  Like taylor1975,  I've seen customers at Sailor do some off-putting things.

Through the years, some wild stories have circulated about Sailor.  Here's one from a thread on Addicts.

On 19/03/2016 at 19:10, Harvey707 said:

Well the original Sailor Bar position in early 90's was where the Eastiny hotel is now which was built in 1996 and Sailor moved to its current location. Eve and Peter  didnt own the Restaurant area though and only bought that some years later.

I remember Swiss Peter her husbands 50th birthday in 1995 in the old location when it kept being interrupted by gobby Brits pissed up. Next thing I know Eve has a got a shooter in her hand with bodies flying all over the shop. Am absolutely sure she'd have fired it as well !!

I've heard several times about the wife of the owner chasing customers down Soi 8 with a pistol in her hand. That's hard to believe, but I guess it could be true.

Evil

 

 

Edited January 10, 2020 by Evil Penevil

[Piece Corp]

Avoid the ketchup goulash 

[The Sculptor]

Another recommended meal... The American breakfast at Retox for 179 baht.  Coffee or tea, OJ, 2 small pancakes with syrup or honey, two eggs your way, potatoes, one sausage, and two pieces of toast with two pats of butter. Tastes good, service is spot on, and the place is well kept with plentiful seating and multiple big screen TVs showing sporting events. Starts at Seven A.M.

[Evil Penevil]

7 hours ago, Piece Corp said:

Avoid the ketchup goulash 

I  wrote about that goulash in my 2013 review:

 

On 29/07/2013 at 08:14, Evil Penevil said:

The downside is the food is horrible. The first dish I tried was beef goulash. Here's what I got. I believe the price was 150 baht, but can't really remember.

 

And it didn't taste any better than it looks. The meat was tough beef cut stir-fry style. The only taste to the sauce was American-style ketchup. But tasting that sauce did give me one magical moment: I was transported back for a second to lower Manhattan. Some years ago I had volunteered two nights a month at a Bowery shelter for the homeless and the Sailor's goulash tasted exactly the same as the goulash served on Friday nights at the shelter!

The shelter's clients loved that goulash and the dining area was packed every Friday night. A formerly homeless guy who'd had some background in food preparation came in most Fridays to prepare it. One Friday, he couldn't make it and a NYC semi-celebrity chef supplied the goulash, made from top ingredients in his restaurant and delivered to the shelter for re-heating. I wasn't there that night, but I was told the clients didn't like the celebrity goulash at all. They much preferred the ketchup goulash. I thought I also recognized one of the guys from the shelter in the Sailor Restaurant, but my imagination must have been playing tricks on me, perhaps because my sensory nerves were over-stimulated by the ketchup taste.

My companion that evening, a lovely Thai lady, had declined the offer of food, Thai or otherwise, at the Sailor. She'd just wrinkled her nose and said, "No good." But so she'd have something in front of her, she had a butterscotch sundae.

I thought it was bizarre a sundae would come with Ritz crackers, but they turned out to be some sort of almond cookie. The sundae itself consisted of a few drizzles of caramel sauce on three tiny scoops of ice cream - one that was supposed to be chocolate, another vanilla and the third she couldn't tell because it had no flavor. The sundae was mostly commercial whipped topping.

After a couple of bites, we chek binned and abandoned the Sailor. She got som tam from a street stall and I had barbecued skewers of meat. A much better choice.

But I had seen a customer eating a schnitzel that looked pretty good. The menu said potato salad was an option as a side and I decided to come back alone another day to try it. Since the Sailor's menu is very German inspired, I been hoping it would be a warm potato salad with a vinegar-based dressing. This is what I got:

 

No magical moment for me that time because I had never before tasted American-style picnic potato salad that bad. Pieces of under cooked potato swimming in mayonnaise that had a rancid taste. Very, very old stuff. The schnitzel had been pounded so thin and fried so long it was rock hard. Except for an oily taste to the breading, it had no flavor at all. The shredded carrot and cabbage was the only part of meal that was edible. It cost 120 baht, so it wasn't much of a loss, more a waste of time.

If you want to economize on food, are very hungry and have a strong stomach, you might do OK at the Sailor. Otherwise, give it a miss and head to the nearest street vendor where you'll get far better food.

Evil

But the Sailor certainly had its defenders.  Because I dared to criticize the food,  a few posters flamed me with the vehemance of an Islamist denouncing the The Satanic Verses or the Mohammad cartoons.

The Sailor had been serving cheap food and 60-baht cocktails since the 1990s.  Undeniably it had a loyal customer base.  With hindsight, the quality of the its food went into a downward spiral that may have  hit bottom in 2013 and stayed low for several years.  Nowadays it seems to have improved.  And to be fair-  through its checkered culinary history, the Sailor appears to have offered acceptable breakfast options

I think I'll order the goulash with noodles again just to see if they have dropped the ketchup from the sauce.  

Evil 

[Evil Penevil]

7 hours ago, The Sculptor said:

Another recommended meal... The American breakfast at Retox for 179 baht.  Coffee or tea, OJ, 2 small pancakes with syrup or honey, two eggs your way, potatoes, one sausage, and two pieces of toast with two pats of butter. Tastes good, service is spot on, and the place is well kept with plentiful seating and multiple big screen TVs showing sporting events. Starts at Seven A.M.

Are you referring to the American breakfast at Retox Game On?  I reviewed it back in 2018 and thought it was mediocre at best. 

However, it may well have improved since then.  Inconsistency is the hobgoblin of small restaurants in Pattaya.

On 30/09/2018 at 14:15, Evil Penevil said:

I had the American Breakfast at Retox Game On at the beginning of the week.  The normal price was 179 baht, but I got it on the Eatigo 50% discount for 90 baht at 7.30 a.m. Sadly, it was a cheap but not very cheerful start to the day.

Things turned negative as soon as I showed the waitress my cell phone screen with the Eatigo confirmation code. She claimed it wasn't valid because it didn't include the date.  I tried to explain that the confirmation code indicated "Today," as it always does when you make a reservation the same day you eat.  She insisted the Eatigo confirmation message had to show the date in numerical form.   

I kept my voice calm and my tone polite, yet nothing I said had any effect on her. I showed her the app and how it worked, even offered to make a new reservation in front of her eyes, but she just shook her head "no."  I was about to ask for the manager when she grabbed my phone and scurried off with it.  I was NOT pleased she'd done that, but I figured she was taking it to show someone for a final decision. She came back in a few minutes, returned my phone and asked what I wanted to order like nothing had happened. Weird and unprofessional behavior, but I let it ride.  It's one more example of failure to communicate and nothing to harp on with her after the fact, although I did have a few frustrating minutes.

Retox' American breakfast consisted of two fried eggs; two small pancakes;  two slices of streaky bacon; a mystery meat sausage; and what the menu called maple syrup and hash browns.

 It also came with two slices of toast; two pats of butter;  a small glass of orange drink; and a choice of coffee or tea.  

The pancakes and streaky bacon were the two best items on the plate. The bacon had a strong smoky and salty flavor that's typical for the U.S., while the pancakes were light and fluffy if a bit thick.

The coffee was good, too. 

On the other hand, the eggs were overcooked for my taste and the formed-meat sausage and fried potatoes were inedible. The sausage had a horrid hot-dog-like smooth texture and the potatoes were greasy and mushy. The pancake syrup was about as far from the sap of the sugar maple tree as the forests of Vermont are from the cane fields of Chonburi province.

Bottom line:  It was a mediocre breakfast and that's being generous considering the hassle with the waitress. It reminded me why I seldom bother with a Western breakfast in Pattaya. I'm not expecting heaven on a plate for 90 baht, but I do expect better than I got.

One point for which I give Retox all kudos is that the menu prices are not ++.  Service and VAT were included the 179-baht price and the Eatigo discount reflected this.

Evil

xxxx

[jpmelville]

On 07/01/2020 at 03:54, Luv2Phuket said:

That sounded great....until the pickled beetroot!  5555

Not part of the traditional pyttipanna in my knowledge. But what we know in Finland?

[Evil Penevil]

Kilkenny on LK Metro is one of my personal favorites for farang food in Pattaya.  It serves up big plates of tasty fare at reasonable prices.  The Sunday roast lamb dinner at 199 baht is real value for money,

as is the pork chop special for 175 baht.

On Thursday I tried the chicken parmi special at 199 baht.

Here's what I got on my plate:

I don't rate it as highly as the Sunday lamb or the pork chop special, but it was still good and the portion huge. You'd have to have one hell of an appetite to walk away from Kilkenny wanting more.

I may have run into some cultural differences.  Chicken parmi is an Australian term for chicken parmigiana, which is called chicken parmesan or simply "parm" in the U.S.   Chicken parmi is customarily served in Australia with French fries and salad, as in the pic.  In the U.S., chicken parm stays closer to its Italian roots and is served with spaghetti.  It's also common in the U.S. to see chicken parm on a hero roll as a sandwich.

The U.S. and Australian recipes are similar.  A  chicken breast fillet is breaded and fried, then topped with tomato sauce  and a mixture of Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  The cutlet is baked or placed under a grill for a few minutes to allow the mozzarella to melt and brown slightly.

The cutlet was breaded and fried properly as the chicken remained moist. My criticism would be that the Kilkenny version was a bit bland.  It needed more parmesan cheese and the tomato sauce should have had a more Italian flavor.

Bottom line:  The chicken parmi was good, but could be improved.

Kilkenny was busy at 8.30 p.m. Thursday.  It's a good place not only to have a meal, but also for people watching, espoecially the goings-on at the Billabong across the street.

Kilkenny Bar & Restaurant has daily specials, almost always farang comfort-food favorites. Friday's specials:

[Evil Penevil]

13 minutes ago, jpmelville said:

Not part of the traditional pyttipanna in my knowledge. But what we know in Finland?

In Sweden it's customary for pyttipanna to be served with a fried egg on top and pickled beets on the side.  I used to be married to a Swedish woman and had pyttipanna many times in Sweden.  Whether at home or in a restaurant,  it always came with beets. The pic is from the Net.

 

Evil

[jpmelville]

9 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

In Sweden it's customary for pyttipanna to be served with a fried egg on top and pickled beets on the side.  I used to be married to a Swedish woman and had pyttipanna many times in Sweden.  Whether at home or in a restaurant,  it always came with beets. The pic is from the Net.

 

Evil

Ok. Nice to know. I have eaten that stuff also in Sweden and it was like in the pic minus the beets and the salad. That portion in the picture is also very small. My portions have been at least double. No wonder the beets and the salad did not make it in the plate 

[Taa_Saparot]

6 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

The Sailor had been serving cheap food and 60-baht cocktails since the 1990s.  Undeniably it had a loyal customer base.  With hindsight, the quality of the its food went into a downward spiral that may have  hit bottom in 2013 and stayed low for several years.  Nowadays it seems to have improved.  And to be fair-  through its checkered culinary history, the Sailor appears to have offered acceptable breakfast options

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.

Not everything on the menu is to my taste (breakfast ... yikes!!) , but some items I order regularly as they are great value for money.

The Thai side of their menu should also not be overlooked, and we always order the Goong Ob Woonsen which is a bit of a bargain compared to other places.

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.

But if there is any, I would expect to see the same consistent plates year after year.

[The Sculptor]

7 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

Are you referring to the American breakfast at Retox Game On?  I reviewed it back in 2018 and thought it was mediocre at best. 

However, it may well have improved since then.  Inconsistency is the hobgoblin of small restaurants in Pattaya.

I would consider it good, but not great in terms of taste. I believe it represents decent value for the money you spend. Up to you, perhaps we have a different palate.

[geezerrb]

6 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

Kilkenny was busy at 8.30 p.m. Thursday.  It's a good place not only to have a meal, but also for people watching, espoecially the goings-on at the Billabong across the street.

Kilkenny Bar & Restaurant has daily specials, almost always farang comfort-food favorites. Friday's specials:

I have fond memories of Kilkenny in my early trips but LKM was different then, never ever have eaten there.

[Evil Penevil]

3 hours ago, The Sculptor said:

 Up to you, perhaps we have a different palate.

That could be the explanation.  "One man's meat is another man's Poison,"  is a very old proverb, dating back at least to Roman times.  The ongoing discussion about the food at the Sailor is certainly proof of the proverb's truth.  

Evil