Baan Pipat Restaurant- Hua Hin - A Review


This corner restaurant or cafe, as its probably better called, is easy to find being on the corner opposite the Sofitel Hotel in Hua Hin.

Baan Pipat probably can hold 30 to 40 patrons when full, but we have never seen it full. The food is good and simple, middle of the road stuff, probably around the 6/10 mark- not bad, but not really impressive and its fairly cheap eating and there is a reasonable menu to choose from.

Its hard to find the name of the place on the outside and I eventually saw it on the corner wall inside.

We nicknamed the place "Grumphy's" because the woman working there just will not crack a smile, no matter how hard you try to get her to do so- you just get one of those looks that seems to say, dam, another customer or why aren't you going somewhere else, I just want to watch TV.

Nevertheless, the service is prompt, the place is clean and the beers are cold and well priced and the food comes out quickly.

When its not busy and we are sitting there having a beer I noticed that they have three women working in the kitchen. They come and sit on chairs on the footpath and giggle and laugh at us when we give them a smile and then they go back to the kitchen when grumphy takes an order, so its an in -out, in-out arrangement- I guess the kitchen must be hot.

While I am not a huge fan of their meals it doesn't mean I won't eat there- its a handy place to relax at when you are staying closeby and can't be bothered walking too far for lunch in the heat, or you just feel like a simple dish like a pad thai which is around 60-80 baht, its fine. Having said that I have to say that they do do a great desert for 60 baht.......Pancakes and ice cream. This has to be the best pancake on the block and some days I found myself popping in at lunch time or in the afternoon just for this desert (and a cold beer).

The ice cream is as good as an Oz brand Streets Blue Ribbon variety and possibly better. I am particularly partial to good ice cream.This is a 8.5/10 desert and a bargain compared to the Pizza place over the road which charges 120 baht for an inferior desert (but has great pizzas).

We have been coming to this place for about 5 years and nothing seems to change. The tables and chairs are in the same location, the menu is the same and the staff are the same and the old lady beggar who sits out the front is still there. I watch her collecting money from the tourists in an old battered, grimy, cardboard cup and transferring the coins to her tattered bag when it gets about a quarter full- she gets irritable if people give her one baht coins and these go into a separate container and she gives them to another person who seems to arrive most days at the same time of the day- usually when I am having an afternoon beer. Each year I come here its still the same, a bit like groundhog day.

If you are in the area its worth while popping in, ordering pancakes and ice cream and a beer and watching the passing parade go by you.

Today it is raining and I had popped in to get some shelter from the downpour and to have a quick beer.Tuk Tuk sir? says the smiling guy parked out the front who has been sitting in his vehicle and watching me finish my beer for the past fifteen minutes. Grumphy looks at me, then at him and walks to the back of the restaurant. I guess its time for my bill................................

Is this the place on the corner where the motor bike taxis hang out? if it is we used to go in there in the evening after eating out for a beer/reasonable glass of wine at good price. Great place for just relaxing and people watching. Made me smile becuase you are spot on with the staff. It was always just about empty when we used to sit down at a table by the pavement and the look on the face of the waitress was always the same, as if 50 customers had just come in. But surprising as you say the service was ok as long as you did not exect any conversation. Never tried the food but the pancakes and icecream sound good to finish the day.

Incidently there were 3 restaurants just out of town which were recommended to us, we tried, and became favourites that i must get around to reviewing - Khun Oy, Terrace 90 and kims Kitchen (just about walking distance from Sofitel. The American guy that owns Terrace 90 you may know - he used to own the Mexican restaurant by the Sofitel.

Hi

Yes-We are both talking about the same place. Glad you enjoyed the read.

I was watching the motor cycle taxi drivers on a couple of occasions and they don't get a lot of work on this corner. I notice that if things are really quiet they move off to another location after 20 minutes or so. hard way to make a living.

If you find time I am sure the forum readers would love to read your reviews about the places you mentioned. Its always good to have a few more eating places to add to the list that you can try next trip.