When are we going to get an up market exclusive restaurant?

[crocodile ian]

I am not knocking any eating establishment in Udon Thani .....but why oh why has nobody moved to Udon and opened a top notch restaurant with top notch chef....are we the only major town without one ???? I can't knock the Irish clock were I eat maybe 4 or 5 days a week, food is good and prices reasonable .....but and there's always a but .....it's hardly top notch and very much the same stuff .....that is not knocking the Irish clock as it is run by a lovely couple who I now call friends ...but somebody really does need to open a top farang restaurant bistro .......Irish clock is a pub with grub like it or not thats the facts ...... restaurant is defiantly needed in udon and if it grows like everybody is expecting I am sure it will come .....mean while the Irish clock does a great gammon steak chips and pineapple and if they don't forget the peas its even better .....

[harmonyudon]

Recently a big thai steak restaurant open on Phosri Road near the ringroad, for the Udon
locals considered as exclusive.

But to say top notch? Do you mean a restaurant like The Landau in the uk
http://www.thelandau.com/ ?

[crocodile ian]

Recently a big thai steak restaurant open on Phosri Road near the ringroad, for the Udon
locals considered as exclusive.

But to say top notch? Do you mean a restaurant like The Landau in the uk
http://www.thelandau.com/ ?

that restraunt for the thais is rubbish i ate there with my thai gf and we both thought below average and i wont go back ...no i mean just a good small restraunt bistro only ..maybe 10 tables and a little bit dearer than the others as the quality will be upgraded ..again i must stress i personaly eat in the irish clock 4/5 times a weak ..very rarley do i complain the odd time if they forget my peas ..or the mince is left out of my lasagne ,,,but for me personaly it still is the best restraunt food for farang in udon ....but we need either another a like or somebody has to move the game up a notch ...

[harmonyudon]

no i mean just a good small restraunt bistro only ..maybe 10 tables and a little bit dearer than the others as the quality will be upgraded

As Udon is developping its a very good idea.......worth to consider

[jorg]

Maybe not the top notch you are looking for, but Good Everything is definitely a good restaurant and I think they meet your requirement of about 10 tables (maybe even less?).

[harmonyudon]

Jorg,
Since the PHIL staff left its different now.

Alles goed met jou?

[jorg]

Oooh... yes, it's been a long time ago. Sad to here that.

Yes, i'm fine thanks. Back working in Holland , but at least the weather is nice . Hope to be back in Udon in maybe a month or four.

[TJ]

Any decline in the food, ambiance or service of Good Everything would be disappointing. It is one of my favorites. Hate to think it's days might be numbered.

Good Everything is the only Udon Thani restaurant I am aware of that might be consider up-market.

[harmonyudon]

Any decline in the food, ambiance or service of Good Everything would be disappointing. It is one of my favorites. Hate to think it's days might be numbered.

This is then the alternative by Ian:

somebody really does need to open a top farang restraunt bistro

OR

how is the food/restaurant of the new hotel in NongPrajak??

[Prenders88]

Looking at all the development going on around us, and the new Ducati showroom it might come.
The biggest question is, would there be a big enough customer base to support it.

[BobHelm]

It has been tried in the past Ian.
Most notably, for me, by The Greenleaf. They certainly tried to raise the standards of Falang Food in Udon. When it opened the quality of the food was excellent & the offerings on the menu a class above anything being offered elsewhere in the town - obviously as was the price. It just couldn't get enough customers through the door though & while the location was not (ironically) at that time the best the ambiance they had developed within the restaurant itself was excellent.
This is what the owner wrote on here when she eventually closed it in June 2009. I believe that their equivalent place in Khon Kaen is still up & running.

What happen to Greenleaf ? here's the answer from me, Mink the owner.

First,it was my fault for misunderstanding many things about Udon . I saw many big houses, roads full of fancy cars. I know many wealthy people and I saw a city full of farangs. So I decided to open up another branch here
on an empty lot in the heart of town where the rent is sky high,It was quiet and peaceful with a view of green grass field and white train station building back then. I'm an interior designer and my husband is an architect
so we designed and built up this beautiful and comfy place the way we like no matter how much the cost was.
The food we offered here is the same menu, same quality and same price as Khon Kaen which we never heard anyone there complain about price or food so we think it should be the same in Udon

Things went quite well for us with huge number of tourists who's happy with what we offered as main customer and some locals as minor until Suvarnabhumi Airport was closed by the yellow mob, then the rise of red mob right here in Udon. Tourists were gone and never come back till now.

Things get worse when the market opposite us opened up and destroyed all our peace and quiet atmosphere.
we tried so hard to maintain it by talking to the market manager everyday but seems like they didn't care or show any responsibility about the lousy loud music that had make our glass wall shaking every evening, silly concert every weekend and cracy traffic jam in front of us were still there so our customer have to dine in bad mood cause by brain numbing music.
This situation continue for several months yet we decided to hang on, but with lower number of customer we had to cut cost by reduced staff member, cut off lunch buffet which made big expense but made no benefit.These conditions might cause the problem some of you had experienced with, we're deeply apologize for that.

The last straw fallen on our back is the economic recession. The sign that told us ' it's time to go and do something else that worth the effort ' was the sight of a well-dress local family order the cheapest dish and one glass of water only for each children, the mother said "Who want more water must wait until we go home"
or a couple who arrived in Mercedes-Benze ordered just one som-tum,two boiled eggs and two rice.

We are moving back to Khon Kaen where we are doing a renovation with furnitures you saw loaded in a truck 3-4 days ago.
Greenleaf KK. is too packed so we have to expand the sitting area. We also plan to open another branch in Central
department store next year by their invitation. If anyone who like us here want to pay a visit please go to KK Airport road you'll find big white modern house with a pool in the green grass field on the left side of the road. We welcome you all and hope to see you dearest customer soon.
Thank you-Mink

[harmonyudon]

Just a thought:
500-700 baht for a dinner per person excl wine many farangs can permitt it once or
twice a month besides the A-B class locals. For tourists no problem at all I would say.

How many farangs (inhabitants) are there in Udon city and Udon province??

Good idea to attract locals and farang customers!

Abt GreeLeaf:

Things get worse when the market opposite us opened up and destroyed all our peace and quiet atmosphere.

Location is then also important for an exclusive bistro.

[Prenders88]

"Good idea to attract locals and farang customers"

I am a local.
Been here 10 years, Yellow book, with Thai ID number.
Three houses, two cars.

Why use the word farang in the prerogative?

It's impolite.

[udonfox]

With regards to Good everything,I have driven past a few times,and the place looks really run down.Like Bob,I relly liked Greenleaf.It was my favourite place to eat outsuch a shame it closed down
udonfox.

[harmonyudon]

Why use the word farang in the prerogative? It's impolite.

In many threads also above the word 'Farang' has been mentioned. I thought its in Isaan a common
word now, for example 'farang restaurant, farang food, farang bar and farangs' . And with 'Locals' I ment
the Thai inhabitants, you are right Mr. Prenders.

My excuses if I and/or others have offended you!

[BobHelm]

The other major problem with opening a top quality restaurant is the quality of the local produce available.
If you talk to any chef they will say that the quality of the meal depends on the quality of fresh ingredients.
I understand that the Greenleaf got around that on the vegetable front because they had either their own, or connections with, a local farm that produced what they needed through hydroponics.
Much of the 'fresh' 'Falang' vegetables available locally are actually produced in China (I am not sure under what conditions, but I would imagine 'intensive' farming would be the most likely type) &, with the best will in the world, it is really not possible to get fresh quality beef or lamb locally...

It could be done but I am really not convinced that there is the customer base that would be willing to pay the price required, or that is large enough to make it a going concern..

[parrot]

You can cut the durian any way you like, but no matter how many years you've been here, you'll be a farang. No harm done by differentiating between the two groups as farang habits (especially eating habits) are often different from the natives....as evidenced by this forum's near-obsession with all things farang-food-orientated.

[Khun Paul]

As far as I can see one of the problems here, unlike maybe bangkok or even the seedier touristy places is that in the main, most foreigners here are not as flush as a tourist here for 2-4 weeks.

Many foreigners I know seek a good cheap meal that titilates their tastebuds without having to go to the bank. Also as the vast majority of eating places are predominately catering for the local population what may seem not top notch to us is for them the bees knees.

having said that I have over the past few years eaten at many Thai owned restaurants who do actually have a smattering of menus which can cater to my finer demands for good food. But I have learnt to stay away from BEEF and some sea-food.

What I will not do is to eat at the market cafes nor roadside cabana as the food their is not kept correctly.
the big Vietnamese restaurant has always provided me with good clean and well cooked food to name a particular restaurant, years ago it was smaller but with its enlargement can cater to many. Also out of town there are some restaurants which are better than those in town.

To say when are we getting a Hi-class farang restaurant, would mean that we and I mean all of the local foreign contingent would have to visit at least once every two weeks to ensure it pays.

the last time I ventured out in bangkok, i visited the Sea Food restaurant on Sukavit Road, Soi, dont know but it was expensive, total cost for 2 was in excess of 8000 baht but the food was superb, so once a year maybe. Therefore , for Udon I am happy I can always get good food here at respectable places. You just have to look.

[rct]

Upmarket restaurants Oishi and Shabu-shi both seem to be thriving, should pave the way for more risk takers and higher end, and the new Central Plaza should attract a few. x Roma has it's fair share of high end Thai Chinese customers willing to pay for premium... x said they are the majority of his market, not the farangs.

Related to the willingness to spend in Udon, UD Town seems to have frequent promotions of grey market car dealers. At least two of these dealers have opened showrooms in Udon, plus other dealers from Bangkok tapping the market. The curious thing is why people with 4-5-6 MB and up to buy a car (or several cars each at that price), would prefer to buy grey market Benz, Audi, BMW, Mini Cooper and Porsche etc. rather than from the official dealer where the warranty would be honored? Often the answer is price sensitivity, eg 4.2 MB grey market vs 5 MB offical (albeit with lesser options so a subtle downgrade). Even the wealthy are careful with their money.

Where do the well heeled go out to eat in Udon? Say 500-700 baht and up per head for food, not counting alcohol.

[Shado]

The wife and I do enjoying to an "upscale" restaurant occasionally. We liked Greenleaf and Good Everything. Howerver, lately, especially if we are taking guests out to dinner, we usually go to Picola Roma. We've never taken anyone there who did not enjoy the atmosphere and the food. Depending on what you order, it can be a little more pricey the most other places, but the quality of the food and the comfortable surroundings easily make up for that.

It is a little off the beaten track and parking is not real good but once you have been there it's not hard to find and you can schedule your visits to avoid the parking issues.