Bad At Any Price

[Evil Penevil]

One dish I'm mildly surprised that hasn't been mentioned so far is Yorkshire pudding. I've come across some pretty horrible examples in Pattaya, but it seems out of line and unnecessarily antagonistic for an American to criticize an iconic British dish even when it is heavy as a hockey puck or charred to a cinder shell.

 

Yorkshire pudding is simple to make but it requires skill and a very hot oven, both of which are sadly lacking in the kitchens of some farang restaurants in Pattaya.   You'd think that with the number of ex-pats and tourists in town who are familiar with this classic side to a roast  dinner, the restaurant would get it right or take it off the menu. Unfortunately, a few restaurants which should "know better" continue to serve truly bad Yorkshire pudding.

 

One problem is that a lot of the cooking of farang food is done by Thai cooks who have no idea how it should look or  taste.  In one place, the cook came out of the kitchen and asked me if the dish I'd been served was OK. I was and I complimented her on it.  She said she never eats farang food, only cooks it and never knows if what she's sending out is good or bad.  I suggested that she should ask the farang boss to taste one example of each dish on the menu so she'd know if she'd gotten it right.

 

"Boss not care," was her answer.

 

Evil

[griffithvoice]

"Boss not Care" is pretty common in a lot of places unfortunately. 

 

My only experience was at the old KFC at the shopping center in North Pattaya. Got a twister wrap and the lettuce was clearly off....binned it and moved on. Certainly doesn't make the restaurant bad...but the quality control for farang food in some places is nil.

 

Interesting thread and I will be following along.

[Evil Penevil]

...but the quality control for farang food in some places is nil.

 

 

That's a key point.  Gordon Ramsay always yelled at the participants on Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares about tasting the dishes as quality control.  But if the cook doesn't know how a dish is supposed to taste, it's a pointless exercise.  Another difficulty is that it is extremely hard for restaurants to find qualified chefs in Pattaya. Too few cooks spoiling the broth, so to say.

 

Evil

[Evil Penevil]

Thankfully, I haven't had any any reason until now to update this thread, although the so-called Christmas dinner at Hooters came close. But I took one for the team and tried the breakfast buffet at the Lek hotel for the first time in ten years.  It was bad in 2007 and even worse today.  I can't remember what I paid in 2007, but it now costs 150 baht. 

Yuck, yuck and yuck. Horrible to the max.  I tried three mouthfuls of what I had on my plate and spit them into a paper napkin.  No way I would swallow that stuff.

Everything was lukewarm or room temperature. The one thing you don't want to eat are room temperature eggs that have been standing on a table for who knows how long.  The potatoes had a consistency I'd never encountered before and hopefully never will again. I took what I thought was a pork stew but turned out to be spaghetti sauce that was sweet beyond belief.  I think they used ketchup as the main ingredient.  The salad was old, like several days old. The chicken was obviously left over from the previous evening's buffet (hopefully not longer), but it was so hard and dry looking I didn't even taste it.

Since i needed something in my stomach, I had a bowl of corn flakes and milk, then a small bowl of plain boiled rice.It's hard for them to mess up those dishes, but the corn flakes weren't very fresh. I would have eaten some of the fruit, but flies were crawling all over the slices of watermelon and pineapple.

 

A total waste.  The only rating I could give the breakfast buffet at the Lek would be: 

Evil

[Edge]

3 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

Thankfully, I haven't had any any reason until now to update this thread, although the so-called Christmas dinner at Hooters came close. But I took one for the team and tried the breakfast buffet at the Lek Hotel for the first time in ten years.  It was bad in 2007 and even worse today.  I can't remember what I paid in 2007, but it now costs 150 baht. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A total waste.  The only rating I could give the breakfast buffet at the Lek would be: 

Evil

When I first arrived for HNY 2006 a 'friend' booked me into The Travellers' Rest in LKM.   

I relocated to Lek hotel and the buffet breakfast was included (I think it might have been 150 to outsiders even then).
We went down, looked at what was on offer and went straight round to what was then The Ritz.
I stayed at the hotel for a few weeks but I never ate there.

[hellyes2oo2]

Evil, talking about yorkshire puddings, the worst I ever had in Pattaya was at a rather well known place. Rosie O'gradys on soi 7. There were 3 of us and we all ordered a roast beef dinner, when it arrived the puddings were very brown, not light and fluffy. I went to cut into mine and it just shattered all over the table, and both my friends were exactly the same. We complained but just got blank looks, the rest of the food was good, but have never ordered a meal with a yorkshire pudding since then. It was a few years ago, so maybe they have improved since then. Another complaint I had was next door at the pig and whistle. I ordered a roast pork dinner, it was all well cooked, but the roast pork had obviously been sliced on a cooked meats machine, it was so thin you could see through it. I got about 6 slices, but would much rather have had 3 slices cut thicker. anyway grumble over.

[jiz]

I tried the breakfast at the APEX once ........

The place has the ambiance of a prison cafeteria.

[QuotaMan]

Some Thai buffet place far up South Pattaya road I believe was one of the worst meals I've ever had in Pattaya/Thailand. Don't remember where it was a but a girl took me there, food was inedible (gristly meat, rice sitting out in room temp for hours, etc.).

Another horrible meal was in the food court downstairs Central Festival mall. Some of the food items there taste pretty good, but I had a naan and tandoori chicken last December which was awful. The naan had the texture of something that was a week old and one bite and I spit it out. Tandoori chicken was equally horrible and both were nuked in the microwave.

Other bad meals I can remember was the Thai style omelette I had in P72 hotel years ago, made my stomach feel horrible for days.

[princeofwales]

The green man english pub in Phuket is the only place ive ever had poor food in whole of thailand 

It was a xmas dinner and quite expensive 

It was as bad as those frozen micro meals for 1

It may have been one

[Nayanugi]

A few months ago I tried the T-bone "special" at a place on Buakhao called Pattani or something like that.   I've had beef jerky that was more tender and moist than the steak they served me.   If I recall the price was about 350 baht for what should have been a 300 gram steak.  It was more like 150 grams the last meal I will ever eat there.   I've heard their breakfast is OK but again, why risk it.

[Evil Penevil]

4 hours ago, Nayanugi said:

A few months ago I tried the T-bone "special" at a place on Buakhao called Pattani or something like that.   I've had beef jerky that was more tender and moist than the steak they served me.   If I recall the price was about 350 baht for what should have been a 300 gram steak.  It was more like 150 grams the last meal I will ever eat there.   I've heard their breakfast is OK but again, why risk it.

We have to be careful, fair and accurate when identifying restaurants in this thread.  Was the place you had the bad T-bone on Soi Buakhao or a subsoi?   Could it have been Cafe Pitini?

Here's a better pic I lifted from the Internet:

Cafe Pitini usually gets good reviews, but I don't want to write too much until we hear from Nayanugi that Cafe Pitini was the one he visited. There is at least one other restaurant with a similar name nearby, but I don't think it does T-bone steak or breakfast.

 

Evil

 

[Piece Corp]

One of the first things you learn here is not to order local beef

[Edge]

4 minutes ago, Piece Corp said:

One of the first things you learn here is not to order local beef

Which, being realistic, is what is usually used in budget priced 'Specials' to get the price down.

Same applies to other ingredients and low season seems to focus the restaurateurs' minds even more.

[Evil Penevil]

10 minutes ago, Edge said:

Which, being realistic, is what is usually used in budget priced 'Specials' to get the price down.

Same applies to other ingredients and low season seems to focus the restaurateurs' minds even more.

Yes, local Thai beef is not really suitable for steaks.  The local beef is fine in dishes which are simmered or slow-cooked for hours, as tougher cuts of meat often have more flavor.  But as steaks or even ground for burgers, no way.  Too tough for grilling or frying.

For those of you from N. or S. America, Australia and Europe, you get much, much better steaks at home.  If you're only in Pattaya for a couple of weeks, forget about steaks unless you want to spend what it costs for the imported stuff.

For residents it's  a, uh, tougher situation should they be steak lovers.  But again, the only real option is imported beef,  although it's very expensive.

Evil

 

[jiz]

Where I grew up the butcher had a connection with some excellent cattle ranches. 

Since I'm so spoiled I've given up on beef in Thailand. 

Once in a while I'll make a trip to Neil's Tavern in Bangkok. The classic Bangkok Steakhouse named after Neil Armstrong. Opened in 1969 I recall.

Just prepare to take several thousand out of the wallet and kiss it goodbye.

 

 

 

[taylor1975]

I recall a burger i had in phnom penh. It was so tough, i stuck my fork in it and the fork could balance in an upright position. I showed it to the waitor lol.

...then a young kid came along begging for money. He could see i wasn't eating it and pointed at it. I wrapped it up in a few napkins and he was happy to take it. Quite a sad memory 

 

[starfucks]

Tequila Reef comes to mind.

Hops on Beach Road a close second.

[starfucks]

4 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

Yes, local Thai beef is not really suitable for steaks.  The local beef is fine in dishes which are simmered or slow-cooked for hours, as tougher cuts of meat often have more flavor.  But as steaks or even ground for burgers, no way.  Too tough for grilling or frying.

For those of you from N. or S. America, Australia and Europe, you get much, much better steaks at home.  If you're only in Pattaya for a couple of weeks, forget about steaks unless you want to spend what it costs for the imported stuff.

For residents it's  a, uh, tougher situation should they be steak lovers.  But again, the only real option is imported beef,  although it's very expensive.

Evil

 

La Petite Planète near TukCom sometimes has imported beef on offer at very reasonable prices:

entrecôte as part of the set menu at 320 baht plus 35 baht extra;

tournedos at 350 baht with potato gratin and a lot of vegetables.

[starfucks]

10 hours ago, Nayanugi said:

A few months ago I tried the T-bone "special" at a place on Buakhao called Pattani or something like that.   I've had beef jerky that was more tender and moist than the steak they served me.   If I recall the price was about 350 baht for what should have been a 300 gram steak.  It was more like 150 grams the last meal I will ever eat there.   I've heard their breakfast is OK but again, why risk it.

 

5 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

We have to be careful, fair and accurate when identifying restaurants in this thread.  Was the place you had the bad T-bone on Soi Buakhao or a subsoi?   Could it have been Cafe Pitini?

Here's a better pic I lifted from the Internet:

Cafe Pitini usually gets good reviews, but I don't want to write too much until we hear from Nayanugi that Cafe Pitini was the one he visited. There is at least one other restaurant with a similar name nearby, but I don't think it does T-bone steak or breakfast.

 

Evil

 

Caffe Pitini on Soi Buakhaow is a shithole.

Even their soups are fake: Campbell from the can.

[starfucks]

On ‎10‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 8:57 AM, QuotaMan said:

Some Thai buffet place far up South Pattaya road I believe was one of the worst meals I've ever had in Pattaya/Thailand. Don't remember where it was a but a girl took me there, food was inedible (gristly meat, rice sitting out in room temp for hours, etc.).

Another horrible meal was in the food court downstairs Central Festival mall. Some of the food items there taste pretty good, but I had a naan and tandoori chicken last December which was awful. The naan had the texture of something that was a week old and one bite and I spit it out. Tandoori chicken was equally horrible and both were nuked in the microwave.

Other bad meals I can remember was the Thai style omelette I had in P72 hotel years ago, made my stomach feel horrible for days.

I think you’re talking about the place opposite the Shell petrol station.

Thai chicks like those Thai-style barbecues, which indeed are horrible.

Moreover their beers are overpriced.

[starfucks]

On ‎10‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 6:27 AM, jiz said:

I tried the breakfast at the APEX once ........

The place has the ambiance of a prison cafeteria.

Never been there, but I think it has gone.

[petermik]

9 hours ago, starfucks said:

 

Caffe Pitini on Soi Buakhaow is a shithole.

 

 

And you are talking shite.............

[baddog666]

I rarely eat anything aside from breakfast at Cafe Pitini ....which is generally quite good and their coffee is also good. Have been there once or twice with a TG for a later meal and it was fine. 

So many comments on here regarding bad/inferior food but 99% of it is for items IMO you shouldn't order and expect a high quality product.

Steaks, Yorkshire pudding, cheap buffets..... seriously .... what do you expect ?

At home I wouldn't order a sushi special at a roadside diner , nor would I expect to get a good plate of General Tso's Chicken at an Italian restaurant.

Some of you may remember Uncle Charlies.... After Charlie died his Thai wife kept the place running for a few years. She used to do a steak night special.... on The Grill with baked potato and cob corn. She used to bring over the uncooked steaks and let you choose the one you wanted.

For the price, I'm sure it was local beef, but it was handled properly and cooked with care . 

 

[brooksie]

2 hours ago, starfucks said:

Never been there, but I think it has gone.

Apex hotel is still there,and so is their buffet breakfast as far as i know.

[Evil Penevil]

15 minutes ago, brooksie said:

Apex hotel is still there,and so is their buffet breakfast as far as i know.

The Apex stopped its evening buffet earlier this year, but as far as I know, it still has the breakfast buffet.  From what I've heard, it's even worse than the buffet at the Lek.

Evil