Are there no Thai restaurants in Pattaya?

[Pattayamale]

I've lived off Thapyra for over 5 years

Gee whiz . . . After 5 years I would have thought you would have known by now it's pronounced "tah pra YAH," but definitely not "tah py ra." Oh well, don't feel too bad. We both know people who've lived here for years, but still think they live in "jawm-shun" and the city is "pa TAY ya" and they are "fa RANG," like rang a bell.

I pronounce it "The road from Pattaya that goes over the hill to Jomtien"

[monty]

Hi All
If you want real, Real authentic Thai Food cooked by a Thai who has work in restaurants for 20 years, come to Monty's any Time Before 8 p.m. and you will have the finest THAI food you could wish for. No dDish over 150 bht. Dishes start at 35 bht per dish.

[TomUK]

There is always Ruen Thai which is on Second Rd on right; not far from Royal Garden.

For a more pricey but worthwhile and unique dinning experience there is Sugar Hut and Cabbages & Condoms.

I have been to Ruen Thai once and was not impressed. The food was overpriced and nothing special. It is basically a tourist trap and not a place I would recommend. And regarding Cabbages & Condoms: I do like cabbage and there are occasions when a condom comes in handy (or is that cocky?), but I don't think I fancy cabbage and a condom served on the same plate.

For a unique dining experience, how about this:

During the rice cutting season I went with a Thai friend to visit his family in a small village in the north of Isaan. Their farm was a few miles away from the village and therefore they would spend their lunch break in a little shelter on the farm. The shelter basically consisted of a raised platform with a roof on top. In a corner was a little cooking area where the food would be cooked freshly every day. There were no plates and we would all eat directly from the serving dishes. Instead of cutlery we used a bit of sticky rice to pick up the food. One day, we had just finished lunch, a young guy on a motorcycle turned up to sell ice cream. He cut each portion from a larger block and then inserted a wooden stick in the ice cream. As it was a rather hot day the dessert was welcomed by everybody.

One evening we had dinner at the family home in the village. The last course was a cooked chicken. Nothing special, you think. Well, when we started the meal the chicken was still alive. I was sitting about 2 meters away from where the chicken was slaughered, prepared and cooked. You can't get chicken any fresher than this.

On a different occasion I was invited to another Thai friend's home when he was ordained as a monk. During the day more than a hundred guests arrived and there was plenty of home cooked Isaan food. On the day I was woken up at about three in the morning by a chopping noise coming from the kitchen. When I went to investigate I found several people preparing food for the big day.

TomUK