Almost nine years ago, I wrote the above heading which I
have re-used for this week’s restaurant review, “The Queen Vic’s Carvery -
Sunday Roast is here again.” At that stage, the Queen Victoria Inn had been
running for 14 months, and like all new ventures in Pattaya there were those
who questioned whether it would still be there in another 14 months. Well,
perhaps it was the good review we gave the Queen Victoria Inn, or perhaps
the personality of Vic King at the helm or the engaging smiles of his staff,
but whatever, it is still here 10 years later and a very well established
pub, complete with 31 rental rooms.
The fa็ade is the same, that from the Eastenders TV
series, though the pub has grown, with the Queen Victoria Inn now covering
five shophouse frontages. Despite the growth, the British pub ambience is
just the same, with wood paneling everywhere, red leather upholstered
booths, wooden floors and curtains around the windows shielding the casual
drinker from the fairyland of Soi Half Dozen. The main sit-up bar is central
and the taps with the different beverages are prominent. On each table is a
wicker basket with vinegar, HP sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt
and pepper and Colman’s (English) mustard. The staff are uniformed in white
shirts with a St. George’s flag on one sleeve. This is an ‘English’ pub
after all.
The Queen Victoria Inn now has Carlsberg beer on tap as
well, and it is still a very welcome drop, having been absent through
‘political’ reasons for a few years. Happy Hour price for Carlsberg draft is
B. 99 a pint. Good value there.
The Sunday carvery is quite comprehensive (12 noon until
8 p.m. and is all you can eat for B. 370) and has a soup (changes each week)
and prawn cocktails as starters. The main roasts cover turkey, pork, beef
and ham accompanied by Bain Marie trays of cauliflower in cheese, peas,
carrots, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, baby spuds in their skins, mashed
pumpkin, Brussels sprouts, chipolata sausages, gravy and Yorkshire puddings.
I think I have all of them, but if I have missed one, please forgive me,
Vic. The meats come from the MatVic Wholesale Butchers, and I have toured
their facility (next door to the Queen Vic), and it is spotless.
But back to the Sunday lunch. Despite the attraction of a
prawn cocktail, we began with the soup, which is held in a large hot-pot,
and on our week it was the very traditional ham and pea, and I have to admit
to a weakness there. A (very) large, hot, plateful was thoroughly enjoyed,
washed down with an icy cold Carlsberg.
After a little breather (always recommended with ‘all you
can eat’ deals) I approached the carvery, where the smiling chef was
awaiting, carving knife at the ready. I chose some pork and ham as my meats,
and added roast potatoes (one of my favorites), cauliflower, peas and
Brussels sprouts. The ham was juicy and delicious, and when teamed with the
pungent Coleman’s mustard was just superb. The vegetables were correctly
cooked and we enjoyed our Sunday carvery immensely.
Vic King realizes that there are partners who may not be
as enthusiastic over carvery meals as the ex-pats, and the a la carte menu
is available, and Thai favorites are all B. 150.
As a final point, the toilets are exceptionally clean and
Mike Baird’s cartoons on the walls will bring a smile.
We approached this review from the point of view of the
standard of the food and value for money. We can honestly say that the Queen
Victoria Inn Sunday Carvery has great food, and with ‘all you can eat’ from
12 noon until 8 p.m., plus ‘Happy Hour’ from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. makes this
carvery at B. 370 certainly good value for money. Definitely worth a visit
next Sunday. By the way, the Queen Victoria Inn also does outside catering.
The Queen Victoria Inn, 437/137-140 Soi 6 (AKA Soi Yodsak
or Soi Half Dozen), North Pattaya, telephone 038 425 418, email mail@
queenvicpattaya.com, web www.queenvictoria-inn.com. Parking generally
available on Soi 6 or on Soi 6/1.
