Farang

 FARANG RESTAURANT literally translates as foreign food and this by my estimation means some really successful western grub :)

Located on the by-pass next to Index living mall and just past Big-C and Central festival this treat serves a range of western food at Thai prices.The owner didn't put a single baht into the decoration of this place but he does give you an indoor(air-con) or outside eating area in what only can be described as a breeze block shack.

The spaghetti is particularly good. In fact I don't think you can find a better carbonara(90 baht, above right) on the island but there's plenty more to choose from such as the Teriyaki salmon steak with green noodle (140baht, below) or the grilled vegetable salad (amazing). In fact the whole menu is pretty appealing, the only real let down are the pizzas. They use frozen bases but when the rest of the menu is so great you can't really complain.

The service here is lightning fast making it a great lunch spot also but rather unfriendly. The English of the waitresses is also limited so it can become a bit of a point and order process that I find particularly annoying. If I can learn to order basic Thai dishes in Thai how can you not understand me when I order a western dish in English and you work in a western restaurant ... it's like they are completely unfamiliar with their own menu! These however are regular gripes in 'the land of smiles' but with time and perseverance you can get there in the end. Be warned the portion size is also small, don't expect a giant bowl of pasta, they go for quality not quantity here.

These small grumbles can be put aside however when your food is as good as it is here, as cheap as it is here (300baht for 2 pastas and a salad and drinks) and quick as it is here. A friend of mine once said to me "if only we could transport this restaurant to England, we would make a fortune" and he was right. This place is busy with a mix of Thais and Foreigners for a reason .... it's truly great.