Pizza One-Oh-One, Thawat Buri (Roi Et)

[TomUK]

Last evening I fancied a slice of pizza for dinner – maybe understandable after three weeks of Isaan food only. The Saturday before we went to a BBQ buffet restaurant in Thawat Buri and after our meal we walked across the road to Ninna's Fresh Coffee for some ice cream. The coffee place is in the same building as the pizza restaurant; well, it is actually more or less one restaurant with two separate departments and is all owned by the same person. On the ice cream menu were about a dozen flavours and everybody had one large scoop, only for the farang it was decided that he should eat two – can't say that I complained too much. Before the ice cream was served we all received a glass of iced water. The service was quick and the ice cream was OK, not as good as at Svenson's or similar places, but one can't expect too much when the total bill was 90 Baht (for six scoops of ice cream shared among five people). When I paid I gave a rather generous tip and we left.

Yesterday I thought why not go and try their pizza. Since my Thai family will not eat any falang food, my only concern was that there would be enough Thai food on the menu to keep them happy. When we arrived we could not sit in the restaurant because we were five and the tables were only large enough to sit four people. As there were no other customers they could have pushed two tables together, but instead we were led to a seating area in the garden. Here we sat at a table with a top made of a rather crooked slice of a tree trunk and if I wished to do so I could have sat in a way that I would have faced away from the family. The menu came in A5 size folders and looked home printed. When I opened it there was page after page of Thai food and my first thoughts were that we are either in the wrong place or they have stopped doing pizza. But finally, on the last two pages, I found the selection of their pizza varieties. Considered that it was to be a pizza restaurant I would have expected these to prominently feature on the first pages of the menu. The choices were just the usual suspects, so I won't bore you with listing them all. They were available in sizes of 8” (85 Baht), 10” (159 Baht) and 12” (249 Baht). There was no choice of crust and as my pizza had a rather thin crust I can only assume that's all they offer. I had a salami-ham-mushroom pizza and opted for the largest choice, half expecting that it would be too much and that I could take the leftovers home for breakfast. I needn't have worried, I polished off the lot. Maybe it was because I did not have any food since a late breakfast, but I rather suspect that it was because the toppings were so thinly sliced that even Dr Quincy would struggle to find enough material for a DNA sample. Everything was covered in cheese and any salami, ham or mushrooms remained invisible to the naked eye. Although I like a pizza with a thin crust this was a bit too thin for my liking and some bites tasted more like chewing half cooked pasta dough instead of pizza. I don't eat pizza very often, and at home in England I usually make my own, but should I again feel a desperate need for some pizza while in Isaan I might go back to this place. Anybody who wants to eat a really good pizza should go elsewhere.

When we placed our order the waitress mentioned that the owner of the restaurant is from Spain. I immediately asked myself why don't they have paella on the menu. A dish which includes rice, shrimps, squid and chicken should go down well with Thai customers.

After we had placed the order we had to wait a while for the food to arrive, but not too long to complain. First the Thai food, which my family seemed to enjoy, was served. A few minutes later my pizza arrived. The family had ordered Tom Yam Goong which they spooned with a central spoon onto their individual spoons until I asked why they had not received individual small bowls as is customary when people order a large bowl of this dish. The waitress was called and she then dutifully brought small bowls and spoons for everybody. After she had filled our glasses for the first time she was never near our table again for any refills – in the end we had to do this ourselves. Now if she had been extremely busy I wouldn't mind too much, but apart from our group the only other customers were two young girls who already had their food served when we arrived. When we finished our main course we ordered some ice cream and a cappuccino for the falang. Now I would have expected that somebody would clear the table first before serving the desserts and coffee, but no, the dirty dishes remained on the table until after we left. We actually had to make some space for the ice cream bowls and my cup of coffee ourselves. First the ice cream was served and I thought the waitress would return to bring my cappuccino, but after we had finished the desserts I was still waiting for it. So we had to trace the waitress and ask for my cappuccino again. When it finally arrived it looked like an ordinary cup of coffee with milk. I would never have guessed that it was supposed to be cappuccino, but at least it was hot.

The final bill, including an extra portion of Tom Yam Goong to take home, came to 769 Baht – for five people. Because of the very poor service I did not leave any tip this time.

Twice we went to this place on a Saturday evening between 18:00 and 20:00 and on both occasions the restaurant was virtually empty. On both days the farang owner was nowhere to be seen. Now I don't know when Isaan people go out for a meal, but I somehow expected a place like this to be busy at the time we went, especially since there seems to be a larger farang community nearby. I can only assume that they have already been there and decided that once is enough. The restaurant also does not seem to have any website – something I can't understand at all in this day and age. It always baffles me that somebody from Farangistan can just start up a restaurant or bar in Thailand and then appear not to care at all whether the customers are actually happy with the service received. Maybe a better name for the restaurant would have been “Pizza Why-Oh-Why”.

TomUK

[Alex]

Wait, you come from the UK and you complain about sub-standard pizza that can be found in Thailand? That's brave!

But I do agree with you regarding the paella. It would be nice to see that more often. I could imagine that it would go down well with quite some Thais as well.

[TomUK]

Wait, you come from the UK and you complain about sub-standard pizza that can be found in Thailand? That's brave!

If I had gone to any of the big pizza chains I wouldn't have expected anything but sub-standard pizza whether in Thailand, the UK or anywhere else in the world. I did not go to this restaurant expecting to eat the best pizza outside of Italy, but when somebody starts a pizza restaurant I would expect to get at least the same quality of pizza I make myself at home - and I would never claim to be a great chef.

TomUk

[lvdkeyes]

But I do agree with you regarding the paella. It would be nice to see that more often. I could imagine that it would go down well with quite some Thais as well.

If you want paella in Pattaya try Valencia on Theppasit Road.

[Gaybutton]

try Valencia on Theppasit Road.

Are they open? Lately, every time I drive by they've been closed. I hope Valencia is still open. I like their paella too and they give you a choice of having it served over rice or noodles. I prefer the noodles. And the portions are tremendous.

[lvdkeyes]

try Valencia on Theppasit Road.

Are they open? Lately, every time I drive by they've been closed. I hope Valencia is still open. I like their paella too and they give you a choice of having it served over rice or noodles. I prefer the noodles. And the portions are tremendous.

I will have a look when I go past there again. I don't understand about paella being server over anything. Paella is a rice dish.

[lvdkeyes]

After doing some research I found there is a Spanish dish resembling paella called "Fideuà", which is made with noodles. I learn something everyday.

[Gaybutton]

I learn something everyday.

Me too. Valencia doesn't make that distinction. When they take your order, they simply ask if you want with rice or noodles. Either way, it's good!