Friday, 30 May 2008

Pattaya

Beach Road
Beautiful downtown Pattaya is populated by buzz bikes, baht buses and tattooed beer monsters. Ain't it luverly; Southend on the Gulf of Siam.

The city has boomed since my last visit in 1989, then the North Pattaya was still tracks and gardens and 2nd Road was mostly a track. Thai life and low life.




















Soi 8
Of course, only the best for the fat blokes, we stayed on the fashionable Soi 8.





View from the 11th floor of the Sunshine Apartments; you really would'nt want to see a view of the Sunshine.










The Pig and Whistle





OLD school ties, wooden tennis rackets, and photos of the 1939 West Bromwich Albion team – the Pig and Whistle knows a bit about atmosphere.

The P&W could have been picked up from a secluded rural spot in England and dropped into Soi 7, it’s that convincing. The entire place is decked out with authentic memories from the past, from the black –and-white pictures of 1930s boxer Tommy Farr to the brass candlesticks.

The main area is made up of seating with a large bar, replete with draught beer. Farther into the bar there are more secluded booths, smartly fitted out with mock-marble tops and wooden panelling all around.

Our first ten minutes were spent craning our necks around to try and take it in. Once we’d finished gawping, a waitress speaking pretty good English took our orders.

Food here is just as traditional as the wicker wine holder which sat on a shelf above us. There are lamb chops, beef stew, fish and chips, or if you want something continental, go for spag bol or chicken kiev. In addition the English Breakfast sounds gargantuan, and you can add extras such as black pudding or toast for a few baht more.

pig and whistle restaurant in pattaya thailand - restaurant reviews I ordered the roast pork (195 baht) while my partner chose the roast chicken (195 baht).

Despite being busy, the food arrived within 10 minutes. Layers of gravy-laced pork filled my dish, while carrots and cabbage struggled for room on the plate. Roast potatoes, stuffing, and a perfect Yorkshire pudding sat next to the pork. The Yorkshire pudding was light and airy, while the pork was almost fat-free and the accompanying apple sauce went well.

The roast chicken was huge and came with chips (not fries) and more veg.

It took some effort, but the whole lot soon disappeared. Which left us with dessert. Ordinarily I’d bow out gracefully and admit that I’m ‘ihm’ but the apple pie and custard (100 baht) did look good.

It turned out to be even better than it looked. A bowl appeared full to the brim with hot custard, and a home-made pie sat in the middle, barely breaking the surface.

The Pig and Whistle is certainly one of Central Pattaya’s – if not the city’s – best choices for traditional Western food. And its attention to detail means ex-pats regularly fill the place for the one ingredient so often missing – nostalgia.


Zen Dining
It was'nt all beer and chip butties.














Walking Street

The famous Pattaya "Strip" in South Pattaya is known as Walking Street.





















More cosy than sleazy.


Great to see Abbe's Bar still in business, this one was a great favourite back in 1989. I was standing at the bar here and nearly got blown to bits by some nutter's firecracker on New Year's eve.


Heineken beer delivery.

Nong Nooch
Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, 163 Sukhumvit Road (15 minutes east of town centre); tel. +66-38429321 [20]. Beautiful gardens with waterfalls, elephant shows, "Cultural Extravaganza" performances 4 times a day, restaurants etc. - enough to fill an entire day. In Feb 2007 they had major construction ongoing. We did the whole place in 90 minutes. Disappointing. Yet another place in Pattaya that thinks it is acceptable to charge foreigners more than Thais .200 baht for locals, 400 baht for foreigners. This practice is illegal in Thailand but strangely nobody in authority is prepared to do something about it.


Easy Rider, Thai style.


Pattaya Highway Patrol




























Get yer head down!

























































































Seaside Special.









































A Happy Gardener.



Happy Campers.

No comments: