Sunday Roast is here again
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 façade 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 [email protected], web www.queenvictoria-inn.com. Parking generally available on Soi 6 or on Soi 6/1.
