Under 300 Baht ... And Mediocre (updated 2020)

[Evil Penevil]

I started the "Under 300 Baht ... And Good!" thread to disprove a particularly idiotic statement by Pattaya's least intelligent and most corrupt Internet poster.  Humpty-Numpty  claimed  if you spent less than 300 baht on farang food in Pattaya,  you got "garbage." 

It was easy to find dozens of examples of good farang food that cost less than 300 baht in Pattaya.  The "Under 300 Baht..." thread has run more than two years and still has a ways to go. There are so many restaurants in town where you can get good food under 300 baht and it's almost impossible to cover them all.

However, not all the food in I try qualifies as good.  Mediocre dishes also abound under 300 baht, so I decided to start a thread about those meals.

But before we get going, I have to stress "mediocre" is not the same thing as "bad." Mediocre means "average or ordinary in quality; neither very good nor very bad." Generally speaking, a mediocre meal will be adequate, but not more.  One more time, so everyone understands: mediocre does not mean bad.  Another point to stress is that a good restaurant can serve an undistinguished dish while the rest of its menu is much better. One mediocre dish does not a mediocre restaurant make, much less a bad restaurant.

So with the notes of explanation out of the way, feel free to share the details of meals in Pattaya that were notable only for their mediocrity, no matter in which restaurant you had them. It doesn't necessarily have to be farang food.  It can be Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, whatever.   Thanks!

The fixed plate roast chicken dinner at the Robin Hood Tavern for 199 baht rates a "C," with one component on the plate scoring an "A," two failing miserably and the rest average. 

I give the roast chicken an "A" because it was a generous portion of juicy and tasty chicken.  

The Yorkshire pudding and bacon-wrapped sausage were inedible, so they get "Fs."  The Robin Hood also has a carvery buffet for 299 baht and I believe the Yorkshire and the sausage had stood on heating trays for a long time and the plate had been rewarmed in a microwave or oven before serving.  The Yorkshire was burnt on the outside, tough as leather inside.  The bacon around the sausage was so hard it couldn't be chewed.  The vegetables and potatoes were OK, but nothing special, the definition of mediocre.

A possible upside for some diners is that there was a lot of food on the plate.  The downside was that except for the chicken, it was mediocre or bad food.  The Robin Hood Tavern is located on the  first upper level of The Avenue on 2nd Road.  

 

Take Away is an oddly named restaurant on Soi Bukhao, close to the subsoi that connects New Plaza with Bukhao.  It's menu aims it clearly at visitors from the U.K. as it's heavy on what can be considered British comfort food.

 

Prices aren't exactly cheap, but they are reasonable and every item on the menu is under 300 baht, with most under 200 baht.

You order at the counter and pay at the counter, but the food is carried to the tables by the waitress.

I tried the spaghetti Bolognese for 180 baht. Maybe that was a bad choice on my part.  If I eat there again, I'll pick something more British.

Basically, it was a bland ground beef sauce dumped on top of overcooked pasta.  There was no Italian seasoning and very little tomato in what was supposed to be a Bolognese sauce. Mediocre is the best I can rate it. The garlic bread was actually the tastiest part of the meal.

 

Lee's Diner has been operating eight years in the Pattaya restaurant shark pool, which is a longer run than many get. 

It's located on Soi Diana near the intersection with LK Metro and dishes up Thai and farang food 24/7.

It's clean and well-lit, which are definitely positive factors in my eyes.  A serious downside factor is that there's no wall between Lee's and the neighboring bar that features a live band blaring the usual numbers at ear-splitting levels.  What the band lacks in quality it makes up in volume. There is no way I could ever eat a meal with that deafening racket in the background, but the band knocks off at 2 a.m. and that's when I tried Lee's recently.  I had eaten at Lee's in years past, but hadn't gone back much because I found the food, well, ... mediocre.

There was nothing about the beef with oyster sauce I had at 160 baht that caused me to change that opinion. 

It was bland and heavy on the vegetables but light on the beef, also a bit oily.  On the positive side, the ingredients seemed fresh and the beef wasn't tough.  Everything considered, it fit comfortably in the realm of mediocrity.

 

Edited January 15, 2020 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil]

The all-you-can-eat international buffet at the Atlantis Restaurant at the Centara Azure on Soi 15 falls squarely in the mediocre column.  It runs Monday through Thursday, 6.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m, and costs  299 baht.  
 
There isn't much variety- about eight main dishes ( four each of Asian and farang food), a measly salad bar and a few side dishes, appetizers and desserts to choose from. It's not a bountiful buffet. The food is undistinguished and dining can be hassle due to Chinese and other tour groups.  We got there at 7.00 p.m. but the serving trays had already been heavily plundered and the staff was slow to refill them.

 

 

It's a rather off-putting experience to see Chinese tourists hit a buffet and much worse if you have to compete with them.  I'm not going to say more, but I think you get the idea. 
 
 
 

 

The best thing about the Atlantis is the decor and huge aquarium. Kids love it, but it's sad when watching fish in a restaurant is more enjoyable than eating fish.

 

 
 

 

I haven't tried the BBQ buffet and never will, but a friend who did try it thought it was not just mediocre but bad considering the price.

 

 

 

Evil

[cc7up]

So,  there Are 'Pound Shops' in Thailand, eh?

[SirL]

Good thread idea and good start, but IMO you should call a spade a spade.  That Centara Azure buffet would count to me as "bad".  Maybe you're being a bit American about not criticising and talking positive?  That said, there's a fine line between too much food out in a buffet (goes cold and stale) and too little (staff slow to replenish, chafing dishes messy and empty), and a single unpredicted coachload of Chinese would shift many buffets from good to bad.  If on entering I saw the scene in your second and third Centara Azure pics, of many Chinese around the buffet, I'd consider leaving and returning another time.

Edited July 31, 2018 by SirL

[semi-retired member]

15 hours ago, cc7up said:

So,  there Are 'Pound Shops' in Thailand, eh?

Yes IME, known as 19-Baht shops, although prices are usually all-sorts !

[Saddic]

19 hours ago, SirL said:

Good thread idea and good start, but IMO you should call a spade a spade.  That Centara Azure buffet would count to me as "bad".  Maybe you're being a bit American about not criticising and talking positive?  That said, there's a fine line between too much food out in a buffet (goes cold and stale) and too little (staff slow to replenish, chafing dishes messy and empty), and a single unpredicted coachload of Chinese would shift many buffets from good to bad.  If on entering I saw the scene in your second and third Centara Azure pics, of many Chinese around the buffet, I'd consider leaving and returning another time.

Centara: ...ditto...  bad...

Lee's Diner:... meh...

Take Away:  bad... how do you screw up a bacon sandwich?  go and find out...

Robin Hood:  Under new(current mgt)..  mediocre to good... I do like their cod & chips...  Will never do the carvery again...  held under heat lamps all day (I guess you get there at noon, or you get worn out shoe leather...

 

Anyplace with tour buses: agree, mediocre to extremely bad...

Edited August 1, 2018 by Saddic

[Taa_Saparot]

20 hours ago, cc7up said:

So,  there Are 'Pound Shops' in Thailand, eh?

Yes, apart from everything is 60 baht.

[petermik]

11 hours ago, Taa_Saparot said:

Yes, apart from everything is 60 baht.

not the 20 baht specials...oh no......

[Evil Penevil]

A lot of people favor the Sailor Restaurant on Soi 7, mainly because it is cheap, but I've never had much luck. I've eaten there five times in the past six years  Three meals were bad (one totally inedible), one was good and the most recent (last night) was mediocre.

I tried one of the more expensive items on the menu, the T-bone steak for 150 baht. It came with a choice of potatoes, boiled vegetables and a smattering of cabbage salad.  I'm fully aware that for that price you're not going to get imported beef, so my expectations weren't too high.  I asked for the steak to be done medium and that's how it came.

As soon as I had a piece of it in my mouth, I was reminded of the children's story "The Little Engine That Could."  Chew, chew, chew and me tell myself, "I think I can, I think I can."  It wasn't impossibly tough, but tough enough to place it in the mediocre category.  The mashed potatoes tasted weird and the veggies had been boiled way too soft for me, but some like them that way.

I knew before I stepped into the Sailor I was entering the heart of Cheap Charlie darkness, where price and portion size are much more important than taste.  I figured I'd get a mediocre meal and that's exactly what happened.  But whatever its culinary faults, the Sailor has been in operation for many years and remains popular.  I sat down at the last available table about 8.00 p.m. At least 30 people were dining, including three groups of  eight. It thinned out a bit as I ate my meal, but still had plenty of customers when I finished.

 The day the zombie apocalypse comes to Pattaya, the Sailor Restaurant will be one of the last outlying bastions of Cheap Charliedom to fall before the final stand at New Plaza.  I'll check back in 2019 to see if the Sailor has changed.

Evil

[jpmelville]

I never have eaten in Sailor Bar as I have heard too many horror stories about the food. I have done fair share of drinking there and the drinks are cheap and cheerful.

[Crushed]

Sailor bar was all about the breakfasts for me as I would stay in the area and my hotel breakfast stopped serving breakfast at 10 am whereas sailor serve until much later.  I have eaten dinner there twice and it was Thai food both times.  Second time I ate dinner there was with a BF, she was unimpressed and got street food while I ate.  Other than breakfast I wouldn't bother with the Western food there.  

[hetepatat]

I had breakfast once in Sailor Bar.
The way they were shouting and bashing on people who asked for some salt etc there is enough to never return.
Bad attitude servers that day.
Breakfast i had was cheap but less than mediocre in portion size, taste and quality.

[baddog666]

On 8/10/2018 at 03:49, Evil Penevil said:

 

A lot of people favor the Sailor Restaurant on Soi 7, mainly because it is cheap, but I've never had much luck. I've eaten there five times in the past six years  Three meals were bad (one totally inedible), one was good and the most recent (last night) was mediocre.

I tried one of the more expensive items on the menu, the T-bone steak for 150 baht. It came with a choice of potatoes, boiled vegetables and a smattering of cabbage salad.  I'm fully aware that for that price you're not going to get imported beef, so my expectations weren't too high.  I asked for the steak to be done medium and that's how it came.

As soon as I had a piece of it in my mouth, I was reminded of the children's story "The Little Engine That Could."  Chew, chew, chew and me tell myself, "I think I can, I think I can."  It wasn't impossibly tough, but tough enough to place it in the mediocre category.  The mashed potatoes tasted weird and the veggies had been boiled way too soft for me, but some like them that way.

I knew before I stepped into the Sailor I was entering the heart of Cheap Charlie darkness, where price and portion size are much more important than taste.  I figured I'd get a mediocre meal and that's exactly what happened.  But whatever its culinary faults, the Sailor has been in operation for many years and remains popular.  I sat down at the last available table about 8.00 p.m. At least 30 people were dining, including three groups of  eight. It thinned out a bit as I ate my meal, but still had plenty of customers when I finished.

 

 The day the zombie apocalypse comes to Pattaya, the Sailor Restaurant will be one of the last outlying bastions of Cheap Charliedom to fall before the final stand at New Plaza.  I'll check back in 2019 to see if the Sailor has changed.

Evil

I have to say.... you really go above and beyond to TOFTT.....   That is a truly frightening example of a T Bone steak , even at 150B and I can't even tell what that white side item is.... potato ?  rice ?  grits ?     I have never seen something referred to as a T Bone steak that is almost round in shape.

I do love your reports......

 

Edited September 7, 2018 by baddog666

[PBear66]

Slightly mystified why you keep ordering steaks in these restaurants. It is as clear as day that they are going to be dreadful.

It may have only cost 150 baht but it was still 150 baht wasted.

[stubby]

I had the t-bone there once was like shoe leather so never again but the yellow curry had plenty of potato chunks and surprisingly good.

[Evil Penevil]

17 hours ago, PBear66 said:

Slightly mystified why you keep ordering steaks in these restaurants. It is as clear as day that they are going to be dreadful.

It may have only cost 150 baht but it was still 150 baht wasted.

I sometimes eat in restaurants where I don't have high expectations to be able to write a review backed up by recent pics.  Of the 186 reviews of the Sailor on TripAdvisor, 25% rate it as Excellent and 46% as Very Good.  Even on the punter boards I've read the T-bone steak at Sailor is good value for money.

All I can say is that anyone who thinks the food at Sailor has been luckier than I have or they have  a very different concept of good food.

Evil

[PBear66]

No problem and i really enjoy you taking the time and effort to post these reviews.

My point was that it's hard to get bad chicken or pork but beef and steak normally fall into 1 of 2 catagories good or bad with nothing in between.

Keep up the good work. Thanks. 

[baddog666]

2 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

I sometimes eat in restaurants where I don't have high expectations to be able to write a review backed up by recent pics.  Of the 186 reviews of the Sailor on TripAdvisor, 25% rate it as Excellent and 46% as Very Good.  Even on the punter boards I've read the T-bone steak at Sailor is good value for money.

All I can say is that anyone who thinks the food at Sailor has been luckier than I have or they have  a very different concept of good food.

Evil

Food , beer, women..... all can be subjective.   I enjoy your reviews and respect that it is your opinion.

The problem is , some guys can't seem to understand that tastes differ..... what may be crap to you or I may be " the dogs bollocks " to someone else....even if the dish in question was actually made from canine testicles.....

When I stayed at Areca a while back , I ate often at Lee's and enjoyed their food.... Thai dishes and pizza... but I also respect your opinion.

We used to make a joke when out picking up girls , as the night wore on... our motto would be " when all else fails, lower your standards "....   When it comes to good food , some guys begin with low standards.

[Evil Penevil]

1 hour ago, baddog666 said:

 When it comes to good food , some guys begin with low standards.

That's very true.  Some people who have eaten low-quality food all their lives tend to prefer it even when much better food is available.  Children from disadvantaged families will often want spaghetti from a can; fish sticks; instant mashed potatoes; mac and cheese from a box; White Castle hamburgers, etc. rather than home-made stuff.  Some carry over these preferences into adulthood.

Another factor is the inconsistency in Pattaya restaurants.  Menu items that were  good one day can be horrible the next, depending on who's in the kitchen.  Add to that many Thai cooks don't eat farang food and have no idea how it should taste.  They are simply unaware they are serving bad food.

Evil

Edited September 8, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[hetepatat]

Many other reasons are possible to make bad food as an Asian cook.
Maybe they just had the fresh ingredients for breakfast 'German style' like ham and cheese, etc on bread.. (sandwich) today and it will be nice.
Maybe just got them a week ago and saved them in the fridge that barely works.. or even worse : froze it , then defrosted it 'to order' = too fast anyway for an ingredient that should never be frozen.

Had a spaghetti bolognese once in China :   just the spaghetti with a little bit of tomato sauce. No meat. And most of the noodle stuff even stayed white. It's like you said : they have no idea what it should look like.

I saw people there who thought ketchup was the same as spaghetti sauce.  What can you do about that ? Make them a real spaghetti , let them watch how to make it, then taste it.. and hope they never forget.

A good restaurant owner should check on the staff and the foods regularly, supervise the buying of fresh ingredients, and correct what goes wrong along the way. Without this : no good restaurant .. Seen many examples of this in LOS.

[hetepatat]

9 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

 Of the 186 reviews of the Sailor on TripAdvisor, 25% rate it as Excellent and 46% as Very Good.  Even on the punter boards I've read the T-bone steak at Sailor is good value for money.

But then again, most punters get drunk every day and don't get sober until after the flight home.
So ...   what do they care or even realise about the food.
Their mind is on drinking and shagging.

IMHO Sailor Bar's food can only end up in the top of a ranking if the customer only looks at the price and just checks 'yes' for any food (or what looks like it) at all being on the plate.
Half of them will give a good rating if the food doesn't make them puke again. The other half will be very happy it does make them throw up, just to make room for more beer, and will give a good rating too.

Soi 6, 7 or 8 visitors are not really a reference if you want to find good food critics. I bet you can serve rat meat for some of them and they wouldn't mind if the price is ok.

No pun intended. Just an opinion.
I fully respect any other person's views on the matter. As for you, Evil : i guess you were just generous calling them 'mediocre'.

Keep on doing the good job of reviewing places for us please.

Edited September 8, 2018 by hetepatat

[Evil Penevil]

Early this week I tried the daily special (roast chicken dinner, 139 baht) at Malee Restaurant on Soi Honey.  I've had several meals at Malee 3 off Soi Buakhao and the Malee branch on Soi Lengkee  and they had been pretty good.

Unfortunately, the meal at Male Soi Honey wasn't. It was merely mediocre. It consisted of a quarter chicken (thigh and leg), mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and packet gravy.

The chicken was dry and the skin had a weird texture, as though it had been cooked, left to stand and reheated. The potatoes were crudely mashed with a fork.  The veggies were OK and not overcooked.

On the positive side, portion size was fine and the service was friendly.  The restaurant was clean and well-lit.

Bottom line: a mediocre meal at a cheap price.

Evil

[baddog666]

11 hours ago, hetepatat said:

But then again, most punters get drunk every day and don't get sober until after the flight home.
So ...   what do they care or even realise about the food.

Excellent point....the fact is , a person who drinks a lot on a regular basis has limited taste ability , needs more salt than the average person , and generally has a damaged palate .  Same for heavy smokers.

http://www.harbourhealthdc.com/7-things-can-kill-sense-taste/

[superroo]

Shame about the meal you got at Malee .  Can't fault the breakfast they serve ,it's excellent.

[stubby]

I tried the fish and chips special at pitini's and i am sure it was freshwater Pangasius (Shark Catfish) very mushy and the best thing about it was the batter fortunately the chips were ok.