How do you become a legend in four years? Easy, you open a restaurant with your best friend, serving quality meals at sensible prices. That is the story of Kung and Pinky, two lovely Thai ladies who have overcome some difficulties, including those nice men who authorized digging up Soi Siam Country Club, bankrupting businesses let alone making passage impossible.
Now coming up for four years, we decided we should drop in and see how they were getting along. The answer was apparent: “very well, thank you”.
So, how do you find Kung and Pinky? Now that Soi Siam Country Club can be traversed without 4-wheel drive or a tank, coming from Pattaya, go straight on after the Mitkamol intersection (AKA “Chicken Intersection”) for about 1 km, passing the Planet Football stadium on your left until you see Pi-Poh and directly opposite is a small soi, which you go along for about 20 meters and take the left fork and 50 meters along you will see Kung and Pinky on the left.
The restaurant has air-con and is spotless and seats around 40, but there is also an outer section under cover for the smokers, seating another 16 people. Plenty of sauces on the table and serviceable cutlery.
The menu begins with rotating daily specials, all at B. 150. Monday is gammon, Tuesday sausage, Wednesday pizza, Thursday restaurant closed, Friday fish and chips and finally Saturday pie. All with very satisfactory portions.
The menu proper begins with breakfasts (B. 100-150) and followed by their soups and sandwiches (B. 80-150).
Burgers are next up (B. 140-170), followed by pastas (B. 140-220) and omelettes at B. 150.
While the cuisine is predominately European, Kung and Pinky have not disregarded the British love of Indian food, offering a choice of popular Indian items, all at B. 250 complete with yellow rice and naan bread.
There is a page of specials (not to be confused with the daily rotating specials) with gammon steak at B. 200, fish and chips (B. 240), salmon steak (B. 250) and a lamb shank (B. 380).
Continuing on, there are several pork dishes also generally around B. 200-240 including Weiner Schnitzel, Cordon Bleu and a pork chop. Steaks (250 gm) at around B. 300 (a fillet steak is B. 320) and you have a choice of four sauces.
Kung also does an extremely popular Sunday lunch which comes with a final dessert. The Sunday lunches are beef (B. 200), pork (B. 190), chicken (B. 190), lamb (B.250) and lamb shank (B. 380). These come with roast and mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and vegies including Brussel’s sprouts. Get there early!
That was just the European menu, there is also four pages of Thai items (B. 80-100).
Beers are standard prices and a good sized glass of wine is B. 110.
The Dining Out Team went for the gammon steak for Madame and I decided on trying the Wednesday special which was a Hawaiian pizza. The gammon steak, which came with an egg as well as pineapple ring and chunky chips, was given two thumbs up by Madame.
My pizza was thin and crispy covered with pineapple chunks on top of the ham and covered the plate. So filling that I was unable to finish and had to ask Madame to help with the final slice.
Every customer also gets a little “extra” with fruits in season such as watermelon, pineapple and paw-paw.
A very pleasant and inexpensive evening with good food, properly cooked, good portions and a fun evening. When you meet the laughing Pinky you will see why. (Kung is in the kitchen!)
Kung and Pinky, (off Siam Country Club Road), open 8.30 a.m. until 9.00 p.m. six days (closed Thursdays), with Sunday roasts noon till 2 p.m., telephone 087 043 3905, plenty of on-street parking.
