With a name like The Lincoln, which evokes memories of the UK, Lincoln Green and all that, it came as a small surprise that this is a Thai-run establishment comprising of a boutique hotel, bar and restaurant. There used to be a connection with Mother England, but time moves on, as did the previous owners, and the delightful Thai lady Pranom has been the owner for the past two years.
It is easy to find, being on Pattaya Third Road (Sai Sam) on the left hand side coming from Pattaya Tai sitting between Sois 29 and 27 (with one of Pattaya’s 300 new traffic light pedestrian crossings outside). Other landmarks are PK Garden Home (opposite) and The Village 20 meters further on the opposite side to the Lincoln. With those directions you cannot possibly miss it!
It is in a double shophouse, with the sit-up bar and a few tables on one side and a pool table and a larger restaurant on the other. Brightly colored tablecloths and padded chairs complete the setting. The toilet was absolutely spotless. There are also six boutique rooms upstairs, Pranom told us.
The menu is an easily followed photographic one. Three special items per page with three large photos opposite and clearly describes the B. 99 offerings which change every couple of days. The specials are otherwise (on non-special days) B. 150, so it is a sizeable saving. On a Sunday and Monday the specials include a cordon blue and a Jaegerschnitzel; Tuesday and Wednesday there is a schnitzel paniert, a minced pork ball and a spaghetti carbonara; Thursday and Friday you have a fish and chips and pork medallions, whilst Saturday features a pork chop.
Of course there are many Thai items including green curry chicken and Panang curry, both at B. 80 and others which are mainly priced at B. 120, so still an inexpensive dinner. Beer prices are also not excessive.
A wicker basket was brought to the table with the usual sauces, HP, tomato, chilli, Maggi and salt and pepper. We then selected our fare for dinner, and were given a small salad to fend off the hungries while waiting for our orders to be cooked. Madame had selected the schnitzel paniert that was on special, and arrived on a large plate, and was indeed a very large portion. By the way, we had not informed Pranom that we were actually doing the review at that stage, so we were not getting ‘special’ treatment or ‘super-sized’ portions.
I had decided on the minced pork ball special, which was also a very large portion, complete with vegetables and mushy peas (so beloved by the UK population).
The pork schnitzel paniert, which is a classic German dish, was correctly cooked, not greasy or tough and came with onions, potatoes and the mushy peas and was thoroughly enjoyed by Madame. My minced pork ball had some garlic in the mince, imparting a great flavor, and also came with the onions and potatoes and mushy peas.
Both dishes were very flavorsome and correctly cooked and were so large they took some time to consume, and at B. 99 a true bargain. (Even at B. 150 this would be considered a bargain, and at B. 99 sensational value.) This was a restaurant where you wash the food down with a beer or two, which were brought icy cold to the table. Well done, Lincoln! And incidentally there were copies of the Pattaya Mail to read to keep the diners up to date.
The daily specials menu at B. 99 is almost unbeatable in Pattaya. Trencherman portions of good solid British/Euro nosh, so it was not surprising that we saw so many expats dining there. It is a no frills establishment with an honest menu and certainly a restaurant that understands that not all farangs are “rich”. At that end of the market, it is difficult to fault the Lincoln. Well worth a visit (especially if you are hungry)!
The Lincoln Boutique Hotel, restaurant and bar, 420/76-77 Third Road (Sai Sam), telephone 038 424 476, email [email protected], web: www.lincoln-pattaya. com, and pranom_son@ hotmail.com. Open 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. seven days. Plenty of on-street parking.
