Thai Inter Express
Walking Street
South Pattaya
Quality: 7
Quantity: 8
Value: 7
Atmosphere: 7
I MUST have walked past this place a dozen times before realising it wasn’t an Italian restaurant.
Anything more than a cursory glance would tell you it serves Thai food. But it still kinda looks Italian, what with all the bright reds and greens.
Once I’d established what food it was offering, it came as a pleasant surprise. Few Thai restaurants make this kind of effort to stand out, they usually just focus on the food.
Situated right at the entrance to the world-famous Walking Street, its upstairs balcony offers an unsurpassed view at the creatures walking past. This, as anyone who’s been down Walking Street can attest, is a major bonus. You can watch police cart off fake CD sellers, see farang three times the size of their girlfriends, and marvel over a parade of fashion disasters.
Oh yes, sorry, the food. We went for chicken and green
curry (80
baht), tom yam gung (100), som tam (40) and asparagus
with prawns (80). As you’d expect from a restaurant that’s 10 yards from the sea, there’s a decent selection of marine life as well.
On the plus side, the som tam, or papaya salad, was among the best I’ve tasted, with a pleasant kick to it and a freshness that’s tough to surpass. The asparagus was wonderfully crunchy and went well with the prawns, while the green curry was pretty good too. On the down side, the tom yam was good, but tasted a little too much curry for my liking.
Overall though, the Express offers good value, traditional Thai food, as well as a perfect vantage point from which to ogle.
Located near the entertainment area of Central Pattaya, with sea or mountain view.