One of my greatest little pleasures in my visit to Pattaya is a little Khao Nieow Kai Yaang shop in North Pattaya. This little restaurant is a well-known secret amongst Bangkok visitors to Pattaya and also known amongst Pattaya people.
On my last visit there, I found that the number of people at this restaurant had reduced. Fear was that maybe the food quality had gone down with the rising prices of food. That was not to be the case, it was just that they opened another branch in Pattaya Sai 3 closer to Central Pattaya than this one.
You can get to Champ Saak Thong easily if you follow these directions: On North Pattaya road (going towards the beach), look out for Tesco Lotus on your right. Across Lotus is a small soi with "DIFFER" in large letters, and also there is a Thai restaurant there (it will be on your left side). Drive into the soi for about 50 meters, Champ Saak thong is on the right hand side with parking on the left hand side. The soi has not much development, so if you see a lot of development, you're in the wrong soi.
The secret to their Kai Yaang is the honey glaze they put on it. The chicken meat is sweet and juicy, yet onto their paste they added some spice, like tamarind, but I'm not so sure. Sticky rice is sticky rice... som tum there is delicious, the right combination of sweet, sour, and spice. The naam jim jaew is very spicy (you have to ask for the spicy version, or they give you a sweet version). The yum seafood is good due to chunky pieces of fish. Khor moo yang (grilled pig neck) is juicy and meaty.
All in all, good light Esarn food.
Food: 45/50
Service is ok, really, pretty good for a place like this.
Service: 27/30
Atmosphere is ok ok.
Atmosphere: 18/20
Total: 90/100
Excellent value for money, and a must-stop lunch at Pattaya for the Issarn food lovers.
Showing posts with label Thai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thai. Show all posts
Monday, April 28, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Ratchapreuk dam
The wonderful thing about road tripping is seeing the countryside.
Whoever wrote that probably has a fear of flying.
The endless hours of driving alongside trucks, buses, pickups, vans, motorcycles has taught me but one thing: NEVER DRIVE ON ONE LANE ROADS IN THAILAND. Unless of course, you have a low value for your life.
If you do insist on road tripping still, it would be better if you get a driver! That way, your viewjoyment won't be ruined by swerving left and right to avoid overzealous truck and bus drivers.
Road tripping however does have its benefits... you get to enjoy out of the way restaurants!
We took a turn off the main highway to Ratchapreuk Dam. It's a beautiful place, you could even think you were in another country with fjords and what not. It is a great fresh water reservoir. Funnily when we were there, there were some Thai school on a field trip there singing songs from Oasis. Watch the view, and live entertainment from a class full of kids going, "Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you..."
The cool thing of the dam is that on the drive up, the nice windy roads and reaching the part where I cross the dam, I could even feel that I was doing a CRV commercial, but that is another point altogether.
Because after that stop off, I was hungry. And a hungry man is an angry man.
Logic thus told me to drive towards the direction of the Ratchapreuk golf course (where I was bound to get food) rather than the road. The road to the golf course however led me to a restaurant whose name I cannot remember, and didn't write.
And that is exactly what is wonderful about blogs, you're not liable; you can miss a few things and it doesn't matter... especially in a blog that is probably hardly even read by anyone....
I miss eating fish curry; the kind to eat with roti pratha (south Indian/ Singaporean/ Malay style). This restaurant without a name also had a fish curry, I think it was called "Kaeng Phrik" which literally means "Chilli Curry". The curry is made using some mud-fish or "Pla Krabok" or some name like that. The curry was mad mad spicy, so as an accompainiment I ordered Khai Jeow Moo sab (Pork Omelet) as well as bai kra phow gai. Everything was spicy... but yummy.
The food gets high marks because they warn you of their spiciness, and I took it as a challenge, and boy was I challenged...
Food: 45/50
For a place with no customer, they could've at least smiled, said hello, or commented when I told them how beautiful I found the dam. They just seemed bored with life, get some vibrancy people!
Service: 24/30
At least they have the basics, so the atmosphere is not bad, just not any good either.
Atomsphere: 14/20
Total: 83/100
Good value for money. Good luck finding the place!!!
Whoever wrote that probably has a fear of flying.
The endless hours of driving alongside trucks, buses, pickups, vans, motorcycles has taught me but one thing: NEVER DRIVE ON ONE LANE ROADS IN THAILAND. Unless of course, you have a low value for your life.
If you do insist on road tripping still, it would be better if you get a driver! That way, your viewjoyment won't be ruined by swerving left and right to avoid overzealous truck and bus drivers.
Road tripping however does have its benefits... you get to enjoy out of the way restaurants!
We took a turn off the main highway to Ratchapreuk Dam. It's a beautiful place, you could even think you were in another country with fjords and what not. It is a great fresh water reservoir. Funnily when we were there, there were some Thai school on a field trip there singing songs from Oasis. Watch the view, and live entertainment from a class full of kids going, "Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you..."
The cool thing of the dam is that on the drive up, the nice windy roads and reaching the part where I cross the dam, I could even feel that I was doing a CRV commercial, but that is another point altogether.
Because after that stop off, I was hungry. And a hungry man is an angry man.
Logic thus told me to drive towards the direction of the Ratchapreuk golf course (where I was bound to get food) rather than the road. The road to the golf course however led me to a restaurant whose name I cannot remember, and didn't write.
And that is exactly what is wonderful about blogs, you're not liable; you can miss a few things and it doesn't matter... especially in a blog that is probably hardly even read by anyone....
I miss eating fish curry; the kind to eat with roti pratha (south Indian/ Singaporean/ Malay style). This restaurant without a name also had a fish curry, I think it was called "Kaeng Phrik" which literally means "Chilli Curry". The curry is made using some mud-fish or "Pla Krabok" or some name like that. The curry was mad mad spicy, so as an accompainiment I ordered Khai Jeow Moo sab (Pork Omelet) as well as bai kra phow gai. Everything was spicy... but yummy.
The food gets high marks because they warn you of their spiciness, and I took it as a challenge, and boy was I challenged...
Food: 45/50
For a place with no customer, they could've at least smiled, said hello, or commented when I told them how beautiful I found the dam. They just seemed bored with life, get some vibrancy people!
Service: 24/30
At least they have the basics, so the atmosphere is not bad, just not any good either.
Atomsphere: 14/20
Total: 83/100
Good value for money. Good luck finding the place!!!
Savoey Seafood Review @ Patong
One the greatest pleasures in life is the Phuket Lobster.
yes indeed.
The main reason is that it is simply delicious.
The second is that in addition to its wonderfully sweet taste, it is also an aphrodisiac.
It doesn't really get much better than that.
In my search for the ultimate Phuket Lobster (being in Phuket and all, it was the most logical choice), we stopped at Savoey Seafood @ Patong Beach. Now, Savoey is next to another place called Patong Seafood but I picked Savoey for purely materialistic reasons: the fact that they had a beachfront section, and that my lovely wife was looking radiant that night I felt the better atmosphere of the place might suit.
I wasn't wrong. The Phuket lobster was grilled to perfection. Now normally, taking the grilled version of the Phuket Lobster comes with risks, it could get burned or it could be undercooked. The safe bet is to take the Phuket lobster baked in butter, while I like that, the butter taste can overwhelm the taste of the lobster itself. So grilled it was and grilled it was brilliant.
The meat was succulent. It easily peeled off with the spoon and fork, yet it did was not too soft. It was chewy, but not tough. It was sweet, and a small dip into seafood sauce made it perfect.
We accompanied this meal with a nice Khao Phad Poo (Crab fried rice) and Tom Yum Goong. The combination worked perfect. The goong inside the tom yum was nice and chunky. There was good meat in the khao phad poo, not the fake kind of crab mind you. I like it when they make khao phad poo out of the fats from the crab meat itself, too many places overcook it with cooking oil. I prefer it light and flavorful, that way you can eat it with tom yum without getting a full or bloated feeling.
Savoey. You just can't go wrong.
Food: 48/50
Service beat 5 star establishments. All the wait staff seemed chatty and happy. They were very polite and didn't come across like they were trying too hard. They knew their job, and exactly how far they could take their chats without making anyone uncomfortable. What I appreciate most was that it was easy to find them and they didn't need to have 1 staff doing nothing but staring over our table. When our heads turn to look for them, they look back. Almost a Zen-like awareness for our peace and well-being while we satisfied our stomachs.
Service: 30/30
There is nothing I like more than sitting and eating at a place with a view. The patio entrance could throw you off, and remove the food, tables, and chairs, the patio is in pretty bad shape as well.
That I could notice it...
Atmosphere: 17/20
Total: 95/100
Incredible value for money.
I trust Savoey should be like a tourist destination for all upper middle class independent tourists who love seafood. It's just blasphemy to not visit there if you are in Phuket.
yes indeed.
The main reason is that it is simply delicious.
The second is that in addition to its wonderfully sweet taste, it is also an aphrodisiac.
It doesn't really get much better than that.
In my search for the ultimate Phuket Lobster (being in Phuket and all, it was the most logical choice), we stopped at Savoey Seafood @ Patong Beach. Now, Savoey is next to another place called Patong Seafood but I picked Savoey for purely materialistic reasons: the fact that they had a beachfront section, and that my lovely wife was looking radiant that night I felt the better atmosphere of the place might suit.
I wasn't wrong. The Phuket lobster was grilled to perfection. Now normally, taking the grilled version of the Phuket Lobster comes with risks, it could get burned or it could be undercooked. The safe bet is to take the Phuket lobster baked in butter, while I like that, the butter taste can overwhelm the taste of the lobster itself. So grilled it was and grilled it was brilliant.
The meat was succulent. It easily peeled off with the spoon and fork, yet it did was not too soft. It was chewy, but not tough. It was sweet, and a small dip into seafood sauce made it perfect.
We accompanied this meal with a nice Khao Phad Poo (Crab fried rice) and Tom Yum Goong. The combination worked perfect. The goong inside the tom yum was nice and chunky. There was good meat in the khao phad poo, not the fake kind of crab mind you. I like it when they make khao phad poo out of the fats from the crab meat itself, too many places overcook it with cooking oil. I prefer it light and flavorful, that way you can eat it with tom yum without getting a full or bloated feeling.
Savoey. You just can't go wrong.
Food: 48/50
Service beat 5 star establishments. All the wait staff seemed chatty and happy. They were very polite and didn't come across like they were trying too hard. They knew their job, and exactly how far they could take their chats without making anyone uncomfortable. What I appreciate most was that it was easy to find them and they didn't need to have 1 staff doing nothing but staring over our table. When our heads turn to look for them, they look back. Almost a Zen-like awareness for our peace and well-being while we satisfied our stomachs.
Service: 30/30
There is nothing I like more than sitting and eating at a place with a view. The patio entrance could throw you off, and remove the food, tables, and chairs, the patio is in pretty bad shape as well.
That I could notice it...
Atmosphere: 17/20
Total: 95/100
Incredible value for money.
I trust Savoey should be like a tourist destination for all upper middle class independent tourists who love seafood. It's just blasphemy to not visit there if you are in Phuket.
Khao Nieow Kai Yaang @ Haad Surin
The problem with not blogging a while is this:
keep eating, keep enjoying good and tasty food... but not sharing it with anyone!! arrrrrgh! how to stay up to date?!??
Here is a quickie then.
A drive to the cashew nut factory in the morning resulted in a cashewfast (its when you eat cashews for b'fast).
Afterwards, we drove around aimlessly in Phuket hitting all the major beaches. Finally, a laid back beach in Haad Surin in the middle of the hot afternoon.
Lazing on a chair ordering kai yaang, khao nieow, and som tum. It was good no doubt, but I've had better:
Food: 35/50
I always say Thailand offers great service
Service: 16/20
The sounds of the waves crashing on the seashore. The bright blue sky. Sand, Sun, women in bikinis.
Atmosphere: 18/20
Total: 69/100
Quite honestly the bad food could have just resulted from picking the wrong stall... o well.
keep eating, keep enjoying good and tasty food... but not sharing it with anyone!! arrrrrgh! how to stay up to date?!??
Here is a quickie then.
A drive to the cashew nut factory in the morning resulted in a cashewfast (its when you eat cashews for b'fast).
Afterwards, we drove around aimlessly in Phuket hitting all the major beaches. Finally, a laid back beach in Haad Surin in the middle of the hot afternoon.
Lazing on a chair ordering kai yaang, khao nieow, and som tum. It was good no doubt, but I've had better:
Food: 35/50
I always say Thailand offers great service
Service: 16/20
The sounds of the waves crashing on the seashore. The bright blue sky. Sand, Sun, women in bikinis.
Atmosphere: 18/20
Total: 69/100
Quite honestly the bad food could have just resulted from picking the wrong stall... o well.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Frankenweiss Beer House
The Bkkeater had eaten here maybe 2 and a half years ago. Can totally remember both the beer, the orange juice, and the old coffee eaten there.
The location of Frankenweiss is all the way out into Puthamonthon Sai 3 and Sai 4. It is on Utthayan road, sometimes referred to as Switzerland in Thailand.
The setting is this big German farmhouse. The waitresses are dressed like Barmaids a la Octoberfest. The weather was nice while I was there, and I got a good seat with a nice view of the 3-4 geese that populate the man made pond.
I must note upon reaching it was crowded, and parking was difficult.
The first dish to arrive was steamed fish with mushrooms, ham, and bamboo. I picked this dish not because I have any clue as to what is good about this restaurant, but because it was so different. And well, the taste was just that, different. I liked it, ok, but not so much that I will ever think about it again.
The second dish was fried duck with sauce. The duck was over fried, I felt, but the sauce made up for it, and was quite tasty.
Final dish to arrive was fried pork leg. The sauce served with the leg was fantastic, and even the meat on the pork leg was very good, very meaty and less fats.
I wasn't too satisfied with my meal, the menu was vast, and I've heard a lot about this place. My conclusion is probably that this restaurant is probably better if you come in a big group and order a wide variety of food while having beer.
Food: 43/50
Service was fantastic. Every need met, and sometimes even before you realized it.
Service: 29/30
The atmosphere was incredible, definately chill, and being a Sukhumvit-person I probably will never drive out of my way to go there, I may just pop by if I'm in the area. I cut points because they would lose a good 60% of their business with the rain.
Atmosphere: 18/20
Total: 91/100
Value for money: Very good. Including a beer, and orange juice, and water, and our 3 dishes (seabass, pork leg, and duck) 900baht.
I would definitely like to get back there with a big group of friends. My final feeling is that the food would probably grade a lot better if I knew how to order and what to order.
The location of Frankenweiss is all the way out into Puthamonthon Sai 3 and Sai 4. It is on Utthayan road, sometimes referred to as Switzerland in Thailand.
The setting is this big German farmhouse. The waitresses are dressed like Barmaids a la Octoberfest. The weather was nice while I was there, and I got a good seat with a nice view of the 3-4 geese that populate the man made pond.
I must note upon reaching it was crowded, and parking was difficult.
The first dish to arrive was steamed fish with mushrooms, ham, and bamboo. I picked this dish not because I have any clue as to what is good about this restaurant, but because it was so different. And well, the taste was just that, different. I liked it, ok, but not so much that I will ever think about it again.
The second dish was fried duck with sauce. The duck was over fried, I felt, but the sauce made up for it, and was quite tasty.
Final dish to arrive was fried pork leg. The sauce served with the leg was fantastic, and even the meat on the pork leg was very good, very meaty and less fats.
I wasn't too satisfied with my meal, the menu was vast, and I've heard a lot about this place. My conclusion is probably that this restaurant is probably better if you come in a big group and order a wide variety of food while having beer.
Food: 43/50
Service was fantastic. Every need met, and sometimes even before you realized it.
Service: 29/30
The atmosphere was incredible, definately chill, and being a Sukhumvit-person I probably will never drive out of my way to go there, I may just pop by if I'm in the area. I cut points because they would lose a good 60% of their business with the rain.
Atmosphere: 18/20
Total: 91/100
Value for money: Very good. Including a beer, and orange juice, and water, and our 3 dishes (seabass, pork leg, and duck) 900baht.
I would definitely like to get back there with a big group of friends. My final feeling is that the food would probably grade a lot better if I knew how to order and what to order.
My Choice Restaurant review on Sukhumvit 36
Ok, Bkkeater has been slow updating his site, but we make up with the difference today.
Since the last post, Bkkeater has been to 3 restaurants (with photos only at 1 of them) to enjoy a meal and review the food for the rest of you palate-adventurous in Bangkok.
The first of these was "MY CHOICE" restaurant on Sukhumvit soi 36. The restaurant is situated on the left side approximately 60meters into the soi. There is a sign outside in Thai writing some of their 'specialties', a very intriguing menu with a dish called 'Sator' on it that captured my attention.
For those who don't know what Sator is in English, I'm sorry, I won't be able to help with a direct translation. For my best knowledge, Sator is a vegetable (considered by some to be smelly, but i strongly oppose that viewpoint) that is grown and eaten by many Thai Southerners.
Anyways, the menu being interesting, I decided to stop by there for a meal, and was more than satisfied with the outcome.
This is not some michelin 2 or 3 star restaurant with fancy decor, artistic presentation, and food so incredibly flavorful and pleasant that you'll be dying for the next bite. This is more simply food fair that is just wonderful for the mouth and stomache because it is not commonplace to find a good Southern Style Thai food in Bangkok.
The first dish that came my way was baked duck (Ped Ob Liab). Granted this is probably more Chinese does not belie the taste. The duck was really flavorful. You see, the duck is not baked the Chinese way, I won't be able to describe the difference but its full flavored, and the meet literally flakes off.
The next round for me was Serpent hesh fish filet in yellow curry (Kaeng Leaung Pla), Sator and white rice. The Sator was a great combination of the Sator bitterweet flavor, and the sweet cheweyness from the diced shrimp. The soup had a citrusy-spicy-tangy flavor mellowed out by the taste of the curry, and cucumbers! Yes, CUCUMBERS in the yellow curry. I've never imagined such a combo, and must say that the cucumbers keeps your stomach cool from all the hot spices. In all, the sator and yellow curry combination with rice was superb. The best combo-palate I can think of is like eating bai kraphow kai with tom yum soup. Full flavors just bring alive your tongue.
Didn't have dessert, was too full to even look at the menu.
I ate everything with a Singha beer, and the food and beer really went well together.
Food: 47/50
The place was middle sized, mabye 20+ tables, but only 3 tables were full, Bkkeater was 2, another table of 2 and 1 big party of 12. For this there was 3 servers, and at times you had trouble finding them. Shouldn't happen in a small place. However, the staff was very helpful and knowledgeable about the food.
Service: 25/30
Like sitting in your Thai upper-middleclass Grandma and Grandpa's house with oddly decided paintings, color patterns, and curtains. Yes, those floral curtains that you don't see anywhere. Its a riot, and even though I graded it low, somehow it just worked and created its own charm.
Atmosphere: 15/20
Total: 87/100
Value for Money:
food for 2, one beer, fish, shrimp, and duck for 500++ baht. Very good I'd say.
Since the last post, Bkkeater has been to 3 restaurants (with photos only at 1 of them) to enjoy a meal and review the food for the rest of you palate-adventurous in Bangkok.
The first of these was "MY CHOICE" restaurant on Sukhumvit soi 36. The restaurant is situated on the left side approximately 60meters into the soi. There is a sign outside in Thai writing some of their 'specialties', a very intriguing menu with a dish called 'Sator' on it that captured my attention.
For those who don't know what Sator is in English, I'm sorry, I won't be able to help with a direct translation. For my best knowledge, Sator is a vegetable (considered by some to be smelly, but i strongly oppose that viewpoint) that is grown and eaten by many Thai Southerners.
Anyways, the menu being interesting, I decided to stop by there for a meal, and was more than satisfied with the outcome.
This is not some michelin 2 or 3 star restaurant with fancy decor, artistic presentation, and food so incredibly flavorful and pleasant that you'll be dying for the next bite. This is more simply food fair that is just wonderful for the mouth and stomache because it is not commonplace to find a good Southern Style Thai food in Bangkok.
The first dish that came my way was baked duck (Ped Ob Liab). Granted this is probably more Chinese does not belie the taste. The duck was really flavorful. You see, the duck is not baked the Chinese way, I won't be able to describe the difference but its full flavored, and the meet literally flakes off.
The next round for me was Serpent hesh fish filet in yellow curry (Kaeng Leaung Pla), Sator and white rice. The Sator was a great combination of the Sator bitterweet flavor, and the sweet cheweyness from the diced shrimp. The soup had a citrusy-spicy-tangy flavor mellowed out by the taste of the curry, and cucumbers! Yes, CUCUMBERS in the yellow curry. I've never imagined such a combo, and must say that the cucumbers keeps your stomach cool from all the hot spices. In all, the sator and yellow curry combination with rice was superb. The best combo-palate I can think of is like eating bai kraphow kai with tom yum soup. Full flavors just bring alive your tongue.
Didn't have dessert, was too full to even look at the menu.
I ate everything with a Singha beer, and the food and beer really went well together.
Food: 47/50
The place was middle sized, mabye 20+ tables, but only 3 tables were full, Bkkeater was 2, another table of 2 and 1 big party of 12. For this there was 3 servers, and at times you had trouble finding them. Shouldn't happen in a small place. However, the staff was very helpful and knowledgeable about the food.
Service: 25/30
Like sitting in your Thai upper-middleclass Grandma and Grandpa's house with oddly decided paintings, color patterns, and curtains. Yes, those floral curtains that you don't see anywhere. Its a riot, and even though I graded it low, somehow it just worked and created its own charm.
Atmosphere: 15/20
Total: 87/100
Value for Money:
food for 2, one beer, fish, shrimp, and duck for 500++ baht. Very good I'd say.
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