Pattaya Restaurant - A taste of Thai Food in Johor Bahru

Pasar Tani Larkin (Larkin Farmers Market), Johor BahruSultan of Johor passes away

Pattaya Restaurant – A taste of Thai Food in Johor Bahru

January 2nd, 2010 admin

If you have been driving through the Tebrau Highway recently, you might have realised that on the direction towards Tebrau City from the Johor Bahru CIQ (just 3 minutes away), there is a small stretch of shops on the right, all bearing the “Pattaya” logo in yellow. Opened in middle of 2009, this Thai Restaurant has been whipping up authentic Thai food in the likes of Tom Yam soup, Pineapple rice, Thai Style fried chicken and the likes.. at least that is what is being advertised.

On Dec 2009 (Christmas Eve), we decided to pay the restaurant a visit just to sample the dishes and to see for ourselves if this is a worthy food hunt for posting on Limsimi.com.

Limsimi.com - Pattaya Restaurant at Johor Bahru

The waitress greets us at the doorstep of the Pattaya Restaurant with a smile and we are led to our seats. The interior decor of the restaurant is simple with some attempts of creating an authentic Thai Restaurant atmosphere. For example, there are wooden cravings, paintings of elephants and Thai cloth-work which lines the walls of the restaurant. Ironically, while we are expecting photographs of Thailand’s revered King: King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the only royalty pictures we see are that of the Johor Sultan.

Limsimi.com - Interior of Pattaya Restaurant, Johor Bahru

Limsimi.com - Dining tables at Pattaya Restaurant, Johor Bahru

The air-con in the restaurant is sufficient and as we are nicely settled, we peer into the menu to order our Christmas feast. Almost 90% of the menu comes pre-fixed with the word “Thai-Style”. For example, there is Thai-Style Stir Fried Prawns, Thai-Style Chicken with Green Mangoes, Thai-Style Stewed Chicken with coconut shoot and the list goes on. Price looks decent and we hope that the serving is large too. We decided on the more common ones:

1. Pineapple Rice
2. Tom Yam Soup
3. Assorted Cold Plate
4. Broccoli with Scallops
5. Roasted Chicken
6. Thai Otah
7. Chendol as dessert

Limsimi.com - Menu at Pattaya Restaurant, Johor Bahru

Expectations are not really high but we must say that the restaurant provides a cosy and spacious environment. While waiting for the food, we wandered around the restaurant and understand why from the exterior, it seems like the restaurant is Hugh. The restaurant is also connected to a bar and a Thai massage center (the decent type!), so you can actually spend your whole afternoon in this area. Massage in the afternoon, dinner at the restaurant in the evening and drinks at night at the bar.

Food is served promptly and it is great that most of the food gets served at about the same time (so that you do not consume 1 dish and wait for the next). We are impressed by the food presentation – the photographs below speaks for themselves:

Limsimi.com - Cold Dish at Pattaya Restaurant, Johor Bahru

Limsimi.com - Otah at Pattaya Restaurant, Johor Bahru

Limsimi.com - Roasted Chicken at Pattaya Restaurant, Johor Bahru

Limsimi.com - Tom Yam Soup serving at Pattaya Restaurant, Johor Bahru

The food looks good and taste good as well! The Tom Yam soup is spicy enough and the roasted chicken is juicy and tender. The cold dish serving is large enough for 6 people, all at an affordable price! It cost us about RM$200 in all (for 6 people). We left the restaurant with a smile on our face and a new year resolution to lose the extra weight gained from this restaurant.

Pattaya Restaurant & Coffee House
Address: No. 5,6,7,8,9,10 Jalan Sulam, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Telephone: 07-333 0212

Limsimi.com Food Ratings:
Comfort: 3.5/5
Food: 4/5
Price: 4/5
Overall: 3.83/5
Comments: We recommend this restaurant as a family dining place which offers tasty Thai food at great value.

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8 Comments Add your own

1. haoqingren | January 18th, 2010 at 9:05 AM

We spent about 70 MYR on one one Tom Yang soup and green curry for two persons. Food was certainly unauthentic in taste and presentation especially. Was not particularly on following :
1) Too many of waiters serving us since we were there at 5pm. Though they were generally polite, but inefficient. We were told to ‘you can check up the price first’ thrice when we asked question on menu and asked them to come back later so that we can see the menu. When the bill came, three waiters crowd around us for us to check the bill. When the change were given back to us. They collected back the folder immediately so that we have no chance to decide if we would like to give tips.
2) Dissappointed that a Thai fragant rice is not served in a Thai restaurant though we thought Thai rice is just marginally higher in Malaysia. And the rice served were not well cooked anyway.
3) Plates and bowls used are too small seem typically in a Thai restaurants. The soup bowl was hardly good for two medium size prawns. Plates for food seem to be a side plate (for bread) to me.
2. sidebe | January 23rd, 2010 at 4:46 PM

Yeah, food not so authentic thai but i reckon still worth it for the price u are paying. TY Soup is good.
3. Tang L. T. | January 31st, 2010 at 11:44 PM

was there on 27th for dinner @8pm+, managed 2 find e place frm nearby The Store @Taman Sentosa. food was served promptly, service was gd, food taste & decoration was not bad also. total dinner bill was RM$170+ for x3 of us. then we went over to the ktv lounge nxt door @10pm+- as live performances start only then. live-singing & pole-dances as normal, gals was young & friendly–only thing is drinks prices r a little more expensive then sg, plus some hidden charges not told beforehand. would try e massage nxt time.
4. extreme | April 9th, 2010 at 7:39 PM

Looks nice. Must try next trip for badminton there.
5. admin | April 17th, 2010 at 10:37 AM

Hi extreme, if you have any feedback, do post them here for the benefits of our readers!
6. R.Mogan | April 18th, 2010 at 11:41 AM

an buffet dinner avaiable at there
7. De M | May 3rd, 2010 at 1:18 PM

I wonder how much a Thai restaurant can save by not using Thai fragrant rice? Penny wise and pound foolish.
8. M | September 7th, 2010 at 3:41 PM

I think in Malaysia – the rule is that if you want to eat Thai food – u need to ask is the cook Thai?

Thanks for the feedback – else I will surely kena con.

The best Thai food eaten was at Mid Valley mall at the basement – there is a Thai rest – and the cook were Thai….
really good food.- and cheap…