Pat’s Pies and Deli

A familiar face in a familiar place

Pat’s Pies and Deli has been around the Pattaya scene for a few years, and was one of those successful restaurant concepts that just grew and grew, opening up The Chippy on Soi Buakow and then Pat’s Pies the Restaurant on Soi 3. However, sometimes rapid expansion can bring its own problems. For Pat, it brought on a stroke, which she now laughingly calls her “head popping incident”, but it was no laughing matter then. She and husband Chard sat down and had a rethink and came to the conclusion that the quality of life was more important than restaurant empire building. They sold Soi 3 and have now returned “home” to the original Takeaway and Supper Room on Third Road. They decided to return and so did the Dining Out Team, it being a few years since we had dined in the Supper Room.

The same warm welcome was there as soon as we walked in. The same ‘Old Mother Hubbard’ statue at the door. The rattan furniture and the homeliness. The small number of tables (five with another outside in the small pavement courtyard) and the smiling faces of Pat and Chard. A real British welcome.

It is, indeed, a British restaurant, with British food and many imported British food ingredients such as the flour to make the Yorkshire puddings, the gravies (chicken, lamb, beef and pork) and even those incredibly British desserts, Spotted Dick and Treacle Sponge!

The menu is much larger than you expect, beginning with five soups (B. 75) including the British Potato and Leek and running into seven items called Traditional English Fayre (B. 75-195) with pork pie and Branston pickle at the low end and cod and chips at the top. These are followed by small side dishes (B. 15-135) which covers a large salad and cold meats and chips, roast or mashed potatoes.

Next page there are 14 specials, with the majority under B. 200. In this group is roast turkey dinner (B. 295) and three dedicated vegetarian items, and the gravy is vegetarian too, Pat assured me.

Then there are the pies (B. 145-150) which come with your choice of potatoes and two vegetables. Next are the four roasts (beef, pork, chicken, lamb) which come with potatoes, two vegetables and Yorkshire pudding (B. 170-215). Giant Yorkshire puddings (B. 160-195) round out the main menu, with only the desserts and drinks left with local beers B. 60 and house wine B. 70.

There is a separate snack and breakfast menu, with breakfasts from B. 30 to B. 120 for the full English. If someone in your party wishes to have Thai food, this is brought in from a local Thai restaurant, so everyone is catered for.

Madame and I decided to have some very British items, with liver and bacon in an onion sauce, with roast potato and vegetables for Madame and a gammon, egg and chips for me. They were presented as large serves on large plates, and both were cooked correctly and the vegetables not overdone. I particularly liked the hefty cut English chips which I smothered in vinegar and salt. So much nicer than those thin fiddly items from the other side of the English Channel!

We enjoyed both dishes, but had to disappoint Pat when we did not have any room left for desserts, coffee or even a post-dinner wine! Sorry Pat!

Pat’s Pies and Deli is back! It is British, it has good food, the quantities are more than adequate and the prices are very reasonable. It truly is a ‘supper’ restaurant which has a surprisingly large menu. And as good as ever - and it was lovely to see Pat herself, back from the brink, and smiling as broadly as ever. Take this restaurant as you find it - and enjoy it! Recommended for everyone - not just the Brits!

Pat’s Pies and Deli, 313/235 Pattaya 3rd Road (Soi 31, 500 metres from South Pattaya Road), telephone 038 723 302, 038 723 598. Open six days (closed Tuesdays) 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Free hotel pick-up on request. Free delivery in the Pattaya area for orders over B. 250.