Two new places to try in Soi 88

[DawnHRD]

This is a bit difficult to place, as the places I'm going to talk about are fairly diverse - a restaurant & a beauty salon. So Beach Bar, it is. And no, I have no interest in the places, nor are they sponsors. I just tried them out & was impressed.

Natta Restaurant & Guesthouse

This is located on the left as you go up Soi 88 from the railway line towards Hin Lek Fai. It's just before the small locally owned supermarket/grocery store. The guesthouse is a lime green colour & there is a small neon sign & blackboard detailing specials outside.

I took my little boy there a couple of nights ago. The seating for the restaurant is open air & cosy - quite charming. The staff are extremely attentive. They offered mosquito spray & were very friendly without being obtrusive. They have a good moderately priced menu - not super cheap, but not expensive by any means with Thai & Western food.
My littl'un had mussels in garlic & I had chicken satay to start. He liked his mussels (I can't comment - I hate seafood!) & my satay was good. Then our main courses, spaghetti carbonara with loads of cheese & ham in the sauce for him & a pepper steak for me. Many steaks on the menu are imported, but I think this was a local one. Cooked exactly to my liking, it came with French Fries and a really tasty pepper sauce. Very tender. Very good.
They had a mango promotion on & littl'un had a mango shake, while I had 3 glasses of a reasonable enough house red. Then I gave in to the temptation of mango crepes with Grand Marnier & vanilla ice-cream. All I can say is, YUM!

The bill for all of that was just over 1,100bt. Not within my usual budget, but reasonable & certainly somewhere I'll go back to when a little flush. I was very impressed with Natta.

Vanilla Beauty Salon
Vanilla is just a little further up Soi 88 on the right. It's actually right next door to the Thai restaurant (Porn?) HHS reviewed recently. I decided to try it because it said they spoke English on the window & it's near to my home. The first time I went they did a hairwash & cut & pedicure. The girl's English was adequate & I was very pleased with the service which cost 300 bt in total.
As my hair needed colouring and littl'un was in Bang Saphan, I decided to go again & pamper myself on Monday. This time I met the proprietor, a lovely Thai lady who had lived in Manchester for 10 years and has come here with her English husband and 2 gorgeous children to live. I opted for a facial & hair colour. She did the facial for me, herself & it was bliss. Very nice, including steaming, face masque, all the usual stuff, plus skin brushing. As this costs 700bt at my usual place in HH, I was wondering about the cost. Next the colour - done completely professionally & with some very high-tech heat machinery. My usual place is 550bt without the high tech stuff. Ooops, getting a bit worried about price now...

400bt for the facial & 600bt for the colour. I've got to have been in there for 2 and a half hours! Lovely decor & pictures, aircon, Enya on the stereo, comfy furniture, fantastic service & friendly staff & proprietor. Even UK English magazines (& Thai, of course). Well, I've just found my new salon & it's 4 mins from my door. Highly recommended.

[bradders]

Many thanks for the info Dawn - I'm sure a few folk will try both venues based on your experience and observations! I'll certainly give the Natta a try on my next visit though I'll be skipping the Beauty Salon - I guess it's far too late to 'help' me unless they can perform miracles!!

As a matter of interest: Appreciate you went to The Natta to eat and not to stay -I note you mention it's also a Guesthouse and just wondering if you happen to know what sort of accommodation they offer and for what price? (I doubt they will have a website?)

If you don't know maybe you would be kind enough to make some enquiries when you're next "flush" and visit again!! If their rooms are as good as and as reasonably priced as their food it could well prove to be a place to stay - with breakfast, lunch & dinner "on tap" whenever the mood takes!

Thanks again!! bradders

[DawnHRD]

Don't know about the guesthouse side, but it's really close to where I live, so I can go & check it out next time I'm passing & report back.

[bradders]

Many thanks again Dawn!

"you be a good maid" as we say in The Westcountry!!

bradders

[raphoedon]

Dawn everything on the bill you had is manna to me I'll be going there. Thanks for the tip

[migrant]

Sounds great Dawn, thanks!

For me (collecting budget info) the mentioning of prices really helps!!

[huahindolly]

Dawn,

Thanks for the detailed information. It sounds like quite a find, and it's a whole lot more convenient than the place I've been going to for hair/facial/pedicure.

Is the salon owner named Nui?

I'll give her a try!

HHD

[huahindolly]

Yesterday was a two-fer: I had my hair cut at Vanilla and had dinner at Natta. Both places are great finds, and thanks to Dawn for her post.

Vanilla is owned by Nui, and she speaks excellent English and had the hair stylist do exactly what I wanted. She also has a masseuse. It's easy to find - on the right just past the new Markwin Lodge and the new bakery.

Natta is owned by the same people who own All Seasons across from the Hilton. My salmon was excellent and service was first class. As Dawn said, a bit more expensive - say, than Mini Farm Kitchen - but worth it for a special night out. No website yet.

HHD

[Gail]

Thanks Dawn. plus thank you for the directions. I was totally lost but gave me a chance to look at quite a few bars/restaurants I hadn't seen before. The Salon is really good and I was pleased with the result. Will definitely go there again. The Owner so friendly and knew exactly what I wanted, the only down side of the whole day is a young Thai Boy crashed into me, because he wasn't looking what he was doing. Luckily he only had gravel rash, but made me feel quite bad, thinking what could have happened. Hopefully he will have learned his lesson and go a little slowly now. When I produced my licence and said "You Have" of course No he didnt. I could scream about how the young people drive here and how many lives will be lost before they have to learn to "TAKE CARE" and the mirrors on their motorbikes are not to look at your hair/makeup/spots etc. I when somebody is indicating to turn right you do not overtake on the right but go to the left!!!!! I have been here a long while now and always look in my mirrors maybe 3/4 times before I make my move but he must have been going like the hammers from hell because I didn't see the little so and so. He lives to fight another day thankfully.

[Farang]

Dawn, thank you for the Natta restaurant hint. One went there for a bit of Chateaubriand in one's everlasting quest
for a piece of half-decent burned meat. (hell of a job, but someone's gotta do it, preferably one's own good self)
Natta's Chateaubriand was made of imported beef, was really tasty, juicy and done just right. One now places it as
second-best one has ever had in HH. The best one was at Cafe de Paris, but Natta's is half the price.

Should you go there (you should!), do not pass the dessert in season; Mango crepes in Gran Marinier sauce.
They are truly, Truly Scrumptious.

Chitty, chitty!