Restaurant reviews in Pattaya and Bangkok

[KittenKong]

7 hours ago, SirL said:

I think expats tend to think more highly of Pattaya restaurants than visitors who know the outside world better, .......

I think that we expats simply know that we have to make do with what we have. There are very few good restaurants here, and anything that is good usually costs a lot. Luckily I know that I can find better and cheaper in Bangkok, so I just go there from time to time which makes up a little. If I could find a Bangkok condo with a view as nice as my Jomtien one I would probably go and live there.

That said, mediocre as many restaurants are in Pattaya, they are a lot better and miles cheaper than the ones I came across in the USA.

 

7 hours ago, SirL said:

As well as not writing about boring slight disappointment restaurants, I can see that when I write about a bad time in a restaurant, often someone pops up who likes the place, to suggest that there's something wrong with my approach that has generated the problem. I can't really be bothered with people suggesting my approach is wrong, so it's simpler not to write those negative posts.

If you post in a public place you have to expect all sorts of responses. I do, and I cant say it bothers me at all. Water, duck's back etc.

 

7 hours ago, SirL said:

There's not much reward to me for time spent writing restaurant reviews on here.

Or indeed making any sort of comment, useful or not. Anyone who wants rewards should think about setting up their own blog and selling advertising space on it.

 

7 hours ago, SirL said:

I doubt I will write frequently on this thread in future.

That's a shame. I enjoyed reading your comments, even when my experiences of the same places were different.

[KittenKong]

On 14/01/2018 at 09:11, SirL said:

ee Lounge at Novotel Fenix Phoenchit, Bangkok                    Food: AYCE buffet B249

Great value indian buffet with tasty standard classics.  Recommended.

This place is excellent value for money. Well spotted. If I lived in Bangkok I would go at least once a week, and that would probably take care of all my curry requirements.

[jpmelville]

What a shame, I liked your straightforward reviews. My TGF watches every evening when I look these delicious food pictures. She also knows about the main content of this board but is not interested or angry of me hanging out this kind of board. She has never been in P4P either. I think your worry might be a little bit over the limits.

[SirL]

2 hours ago, KittenKong said:

If you post in a public place you have to expect all sorts of responses. I do, and I cant say it bothers me at all. Water, duck's back etc

I do expect all sorts of responses, nothing like that surprises me, but that doesn't mean it's worth my while writing the original reviews in the first place

 

Or indeed making any sort of comment, useful or not. Anyone who wants rewards should think about setting up their own blog and selling advertising space on it.

In theory yes, but of course that's not practical in the amount of time I'm thinking of.

 

That's a shame. I enjoyed reading your comments, even when my experiences of the same places were different.

Thank you, that's very kind.

My comments about expats liking restaurants more than visitors were really inspired by a recent lunch at Le Freelax, which gets very good reviews but I thought was very ordinary compared to the local French restaurants I eat at often near where I live in southern France.  IMO Le Freelax was a classic case of a 6/10 puffed up by Fr expats who love their home cuisine and give it hot reviews.  I know what neighbourhood Fr restaurants are like, and those hot reviews are IMO misplaced.  But is it worth my while writing a long review to explain why I think Le Freelax is just an overrated 6/10?

[SirL]

2 hours ago, KittenKong said:

This place is excellent value for money. Well spotted. If I lived in Bangkok I would go at least once a week, and that would probably take care of all my curry requirements.

Yes, go to Dee Lounge sometime soon.  For B249 you won't be disappointed.  I think it was B199 until a month or two ago.

[SirL]

2 hours ago, jpmelville said:

What a shame, I liked your straightforward reviews. My TGF watches every evening when I look these delicious food pictures. She also knows about the main content of this board but is not interested or angry of me hanging out this kind of board. She has never been in P4P either. I think your worry might be a little bit over the limits.

My GF is very strongly anti-P4P, she really hates those farm girls that take the short cut to big money.  I'm not going to take any chances of being associated by her with the evil P4P scene.  Not all Thai ladies think lying on your back and spreading your legs to earn a living is OK.

[SirL]

Momo at Marriott Sathorn Vista, Bangkok                                Food: B235

Medium-sized hotel buffet, very good value on Eatigo.  Recommended.

One place I haven't written up so far that I did like was the weekday buffet lunch at the Momo cafe at the Marriott Sathorn Vista.  It's location is perhaps not ideal for some guys here.  The best way by cheap transport there is to Lumphini MRT and then about ten minutes walk.  AIUI this is the financial district, and the high-rise blocks around here tend to have the names of big international financial institutions signed on their sides.

It wasn't as big a buffet as some.  I'd think of it as 80% of the size and scope of the Atelier lunch buffet I went to a couple of weeks ago, but at 50% of the price of Atelier on Eatigo.

There were about ten recipe dishes on the first part of the buffet, and it was them I focussed on.

I think there was some cooking specific items to order as well, but I didn't work that out as I was happy with the main recipe dishes in the first part of the buffet.  The manageress who explained about the cook to order thing was very helpful, but I was very hungry!

There were some Japanese items as well, and desserts.

Please note I'm recommending the weekday buffet which can be Eatigoed for B235.  The weekend buffet is I'd guess similar but quite a bit more expensive.

Food taste: 8/10 A medium-sized hotel buffet with tasty food.

Value for money at B235: 8/10 Much better value for money than many Pattaya restaurants.  In value terms puts that curry special at Retox to shame, and the Retox specials are amongst the stronger value things in Pattaya.

Would I return?  Yes, I'm very likely to as the location is just a few hundred metres from my GF's condo.  Other people may find the location not so convenient.

[Pheat]

13 hours ago, SirL said:

The main reason I haven't written much is that the lady I had a dim sum date with has turned into a great girlfriend

Girlfriend really ? under the thumb or what .lol

[splitpin]

I have enjoyed your reviews SirL, thanks

 

Saw one reference to Farang food  on cold plates, one of my real pet hates. I trained them well in The Pig and Whistle Jomtien after numerous Sunday lunches on cold plates, now all get red hot plates, been in some Farang steak places that refused to even heat the plate, first and last time for those restaurants.

First rule for a chef is hot food,hot plate surprising how many don't  

[KittenKong]

7 hours ago, SirL said:

Yes, go to Dee Lounge sometime soon.  For B249 you won't be disappointed.  I think it was B199 until a month or two ago.

Already been, hence my comment.

They have a selection of other fairly cheap lunch items available but I would not be surprised if the curry buffet went up to 299B at some point. It would still be worth going to at that price.

[Halfaboy]

8 hours ago, SirL said:

My GF is very strongly anti-P4P, she really hates those farm girls that take the short cut to big money.

Time to take another girlfriend ?

[SirL]

1 minute ago, Halfaboy said:

Time to take another girlfriend ?

Only just started with this one!  She's great!

[nosunje]

Beginner Pattaya Monger went to Soi BuaKhao's famous surprise bbq a 5 times. The ribs here are very tasty, but at a very low cost of 178 baht. The T-bone steak is as low as 200 baht. Coke costs 20 Baht. I am very sad now that I come home. I miss Pattaya

[Sticky Fingers]

Was impressed with Eatigo in Bangkok - very good selection and range of restaurants, including 5-star hotels. Unimpressed with it in Pattaya - only gave it one look.

[SirL]

9 hours ago, nosunje said:

Beginner Pattaya Monger went to Soi BuaKhao's famous surprise bbq a 5 times. The ribs here are very tasty, but at a very low cost of 178 baht. The T-bone steak is as low as 200 baht. Coke costs 20 Baht. I am very sad now that I come home. I miss Pattaya

Yes, Surprise!'s ribs are on my to visit list.  They sound good value, but maybe a little simple in a Thai way.  I've never tried them so far, but it sounds like they are well worth a try.  The bargain ribs in town appear to be at Licence to Grill's special, Surprise!, and Laongs if at 50% discount on Eatigo.

PS I think the exclamation mark in Surprise!'s name is part of the name......

[SirL]

6 hours ago, Sticky Fingers said:

Was impressed with Eatigo in Bangkok - very good selection and range of restaurants, including 5-star hotels. Unimpressed with it in Pattaya - only gave it one look.

Absolutely fair comment.  There are a lot of good-looking Eatigo opportunities in Bangkok, but few Pattaya rests are signed up to it.  If you are up for off peak eating in Bangkok, it's well worth having a good look through the Eatigo Bangkok listings, you may well find something that appeals.  In Pattaya, the best Eatigo opportunities appear to include Retox Game On, Laong's, Easy Health and The Kitchen (plus the restaurant named after a Nottingham archer that I will not name), the first four of which I have plans for.  I can't visit everywhere immediately of course, I'm planning medium term.

[MrJ200]

Have a look at the paddy field - Patpong Soi 2. Irish pub with great food. Used eatigo today for 50% off. I think you will like it

[forteune]

Thank You for your reviews. I have enjoyed your viewpoint and ideas. And good luck with your girlfriend. 

 

I stayed in Bangkok for my first two weeks in Thailand. And was very happy with the food overall. I didn’t know about the Eatigo app at the time. Now I’m here in Pattaya, I’ve downloaded the app, but there’s not a great selection. You have encouraged me to get my butt back to Bangkok for some good meals. I love Pattaya mostly because I can live with an ocean view for 20,000 baht. And there are a number of decent restaurants. Decent to good. And there are many Gyms here, though a bit expensive compared to the US. Also, most things are within walking distance with the baht bus available for longer trips. And Grab is very useful.  

 

I hope you post some more recommendations if there is any way to do it while ensuring your privacy. 

[SirL]

I think restaurant reviews in Pattaya can be influenced and positively distorted by the nationals of the restaurant country who are living expat in Pattaya, who yearn for the food of their earlier life.  ie American expats are very keen on American restaurants, too much so in my opinion, just as French expats are keen on French restaurants.  (I've lived in France for 17 years so I lean towards French restaurants, I'm probably just as guilty as anyone else of this).  This means that if you read restaurant reviews much, you will notice the overrated restaurants and you can start to see why that happens.  6/10's become 8/10's, 7/10s become favourite restaurants.  If you dispute a particular restaurant with some expat local, their reply will always be 'but I've been there twenty times recently, I know better than you' so you get nowhere.

The main problem with writing restaurant reviews as I did earlier is that there's little reward for the hard work done in assembling all the pics and so on.  If an expat of the relevant nationality clearly disagrees with a disappointed review you wrote, of course you wonder why you bothered.  It's much easier to return to writing little one-liners around this site here and there, which take far less effort.  I'm not sure there is a solution to this dilemma of improving the content on sites like this.