That’s probably the one you make yourself. You can choose whether to fry or grill your tomato, choose chips or hash browns and decide just how many calories you want to consume: the average fry-up is about 800 by the way. Commercially, the full English has many names such as Gutbuster, Full Monty and Champion, but must always be accompanied by lashings of HP sauce. Or not as you prefer.
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Pattaya has been offering the full English in countless greasy spoon establishments and upscale restaurants since the 1970s. Some of the early candidates for “best in Pattaya” were hopelessly confused. There was a cafe in Soi Post Office, long gone, which actually poured mayonnaise over two hard-boiled eggs. Another evidently provided you with runner rather than baked beans, although the chef claimed this was an early example of foody fake news.
In spite of the current travel lockdown in Thailand, there are still over 200 eateries in Greater Pattaya (including the Darkside and various hotels) where English-style breakfasts are on the menu. Some of the popular ones are promoted on the Facebook private group Breakfast Club Pattaya which is a handy reference for lunch and dinner options too. The Inspector Calls has been trying out several locations in an attempt to track down the cream of the fry-ups so to speak. The criteria are that the cost must be under 200 baht and the size generous since the traditional English breakfast must cater for the hungry trencherman.
Nicky’s on Soi Buakhao offers a tasty breakfast for 149 baht with the bonus that it costs only 99 baht if ordered between 8 am and 1 pm. But they offer a super-size one for a fixed-price 195 baht which the Inspector ordered. It is certainly a mighty offering, as witnessed by the photograph, and in terms of sheer weight is the biggest we have seen. Bonuses included the fried bread and the strategically-placed black pudding. The waitress asked if we wanted fried eggs or scrambled which was a nice touch. A tasty breakfast, but a little spoiled by the fact that it wasn’t warm enough when served and some of the pieces were at best tepid even though the Inspector is not a slow eater. Maybe a one-off, but easily corrected.
The Robin Hood Tavern on Second Road, part of the Avenue complex, is a spacious and popular sports bar. The large breakfast is 199 baht with good quality bacon and two particularly tasty English pork sausages which were the highlight of the meal. Again we were offered a choice of eggs style and there was hardly a trace of surplus fat on the plate, a very good sign indeed. We arrived there on a weekday morning at 10.30 am and the person on duty told us that the bar was open but that the kitchen only operated from 11 am. If this is a regular feature these days, it should perhaps appear in the on-line publicity.
If Pattaya Mail readers believe that there are other candidates out there for the best of the big English breakfasts (price not to exceed 200 baht), drop a line to [email protected] But the time and date of the visit has to be kept secret. Not much point otherwise. Incidentally, the cheapest UK breakfast in Pattaya is said to be 49 baht at Skint Clint’s on the Dark Side. But no coffee machine.
The Inspector Calls 1: Alibaba Tandoori and Curry Restaurant
The Inspector Calls 2: Siamburi’s international food mart
The Inspector Calls 3: Mr DIY and DVDs galore at Tukcom
The Inspector Calls 4: Pie Culture and Tinnies Gourmet Café
The Inspector Calls 5: Phoning 1337 – Pattaya’s unique call service run by City Hall
The Inspector Calls 6: Pattaya Makro more than a warehouse club for bulk buyers
The Inspector Calls 7: Urological examination at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya
The Inspector Calls 8: The Pattaya secret of Collingbourne Auction’s success story