Street Food...
One of the best things about Thailand is it's impossible to be more than a couple of metres away from some delicious food…everywhere you look there is some stall, cart or a cluster of plastic stools on the sidewalk and someone is selling noodles, soft drinks or kebabs.
No trip to Thailand is complete without sampling the street food. Unlike many other countries it really is quite safe….why this should be I can only hazard a guess, the food is prepared, cooked and then reheated on sale, a high turnover ensures there is little time for bacteria to culture?
Those of you who saw the comedy "The trouble with Mary" may recall a scene where the lead actors bemoan the fact that there is not enough "meat on a stick" …they should have come to Thailand; everything is stuck on a stick…spicy Issan sausages, chicken livers, chicken satay, fish balls, and other dumpling-like savouries, eggs, squid, fish…the list is endless.
Whether sweet or savoury the food is delicious and cheap…usually about 20 baht a throw.
Another favorite is "Pok-Pok - Som tam thai, a spicy papaya salad made with peanuts and dried shrimps., you will see someone bashing away with a pestle and mortar, then they are most likely making some form of Som Tam, or "pok-pok" as it is called referring to the sound made by the mortar and pestle. It comes in various forms and can be extremely spicy so beware. Another option is chicken liver on a stick,Squid on a stick.etc etc....
In Pattaya itself there are street stalls everywhere, near the bottom of Soi8 at the entrance to the old immigration office is a great stall for kebabs, he also sells BBQ'd sticky rice.
Scorpions, grubs, and bugs.... 
On the lane that links Soi 7 and 8 there is a lady who has about 3 tables set Along the side of the road, she does fantastic Thai curries and salt egg salad…what's on offer depends on what she's got. I think it's a family thing, they never seem to close I had a great meal there once at about 4 or 5 in the morning. They even have a small English Language menu on the wall now.
On Central road make sure you visit the sweet mango and sticky coconut rice stalls situated about half way between 2nd and 3rd roads. 50 baht will buy you a Styrofoam boxful of heaven.
If you venture to Soi BuaKhao market, be sure to visit the duck noodle stall by the Seven-Eleven on South Pattaya Rd…it attracts scores of people ho sit at tin tables eating the duck noodle soup sat on plastic chairs. The drinking water is free. Strangely enough, noodle soup is about the only thing Thais eat with chopsticks (and a spoon) I guess because of its Chinese origins. Any of the noodle stalls offer great value, with pork, chicken or Beef mixed into various kinds of noodles. You can have it as soup or "dry" too!
For the budget traveller these sort of places are a boon…you can eat well here for about 3 dollars a day!
Soh Larb Pbet.... you won't break the bank here!
Please forgive the approximate spelling, but I it is well worth mentioning this restaurant specializing in Issan food. Larb Pbet is a minced duck dish usually eaten with sticky rice and some raw veggies as a side salad these are served with a spicy dip too.. This place in a back street of Pattaya does some of the best larb I've tasted...they does various flavours....duck, pork and even frog! Another great one is Yam Pla Duc Ful (??), which is a catfish salad consisting of catfish fried at high temperature served with spicy salad and peanuts. The grilled beef (Nua Yang) is usually a bit chewy but always tasty. Other items on the English language menu include bull's penis soup, various frog dishes and some startlingly hot Som Tam. Beer is only available in big bottles. With a beer 2 should eat for 3 to 500 baht.
A covered open-air establishment, the furniture is basic; bamboo chairs and tables, although they do have air-conned VIP rooms for karaoke. There are fish tanks around for decoration and some catfish in an artificial stream. The staff don't usually speak much English, so be prepared to point and mime the mime for "Not too HOT!'
How to get there......Start from the Carrefour supermarket crossroads on Pattaya Klang. Take the road off called "Paniad Chang" and continue along to Soi 8 on the left, it may be signed "Nantana Garden View", this tall building is a good landmark to look out for.. Follow this Soi and take the second lane on the right just before "Nantana Garden View", which will be seen on the left. The restaurant is down this rough old track (a cul-de-sac) about 30 meters on the left...there is somewhere to park.
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