Like all youngsters I had a train set. Hornsby 00 if I remember rightly. You can imagine my surprise when I spotted what looked like a train set inside Tesco Lotus on Sukhumvit Road, South Pattaya, but instead of tenders and passenger cars, this train set was ferrying food to, around and past the diners.
Further investigation revealed a sukiyaki and sushi buffet restaurant called Sukishi, a fairly new addition to the many food outlets in Tesco Lotus.
Sukishi is all chrome, white and shiny red, which imparts a very fresh and clean look to the restaurant. Along the back wall is an open view kitchen, whilst along the opposite wall are stations with sushi and teppanyaki items, plus dispensers of various sauces and wasabi. Further along are various fruit drinks, green tea and coke/sprite drinks machines.
However, it is the restaurant itself that is so novel. An elevated “train” line runs along endless belts past the diners who are either in sit-up areas with white melamine counter tops, or seated in booths which can take up to four diners. The booths all feature ceramic glass cook-tops.
As this is an all-you-can-eat concept, the management has wisely decreed that you have one hour and twenty minutes in which to dine. Time penalties apply for overstays! There is a time stamped on your account when you come in, so there is no denying the real time.
The principal dining is in a sukiyaki style, with a container of soup stock brought to the table, and you drop in the items you want as they pass you on the tracks. Our container was an interesting divided one, with a tom yum spicy stock on one side and a non-spicy one on the other side. With Madame being Thai, this fitted our circumstances perfectly.
The ingredients you can add to your suki number around 60, including sliced or tenderized beef and the same with pork, bacon, chicken sliced or tenderized, fish, salmon and squid, clam, jellyfish, wontons, toasted tofu, fish balls, prawns, various noodles, black cloud and straw mushrooms, different styles of cabbage - the list is enormous, with the items constantly parading past you.
There are separate containers on the table, with Japanese soy sauce and another of lemon juice, plus chopped chili and another with fresh chopped garlic, which impressed Madame greatly.
We began slowly, adding some greens and then some fish and prawns for Madame in her tom yum side, whilst I went more for the different meats and a couple of mini crab claws. We did not have to wait long as the bubbling stock soon cooked the items and we were away again.
I also decided to raid the sushi bar returning with crab sticks (many) and a container with the wasabi. Lovely! Later on, Madame was to also make a sushi run while I took our glasses and filled them with ice and drinks. Again these are bottomless glasses.
We had gone at lunchtime and we were certainly full long before our one hour and twenty minutes were up. We had been up several times to the sushi bar (I am a sucker for crab sticks and wasabi), had plenty of soft drinks, and several versions of my suki. As we came to the end of the stock, we were asked if we wanted some more, but no, we really were full up, though I did drain the last of my non-spicy stock. The added soy with a hint of lemon was good enough to bottle!
It was a very enjoyable lunch and we even purchased the offered 10 percent discount card for use then and in the future - as we will be back. Special offers seemed to be the name of the game (such as one free after five stamps on the coupon) and even before our discount, the all-in price was only B. 229++ per head. Children by the way are charged B. 120, provided they are under 110 cm tall. Definitely worth a visit.
Sukishi Sukiyaki and Sushi Buffet, Tesco Lotus Sukhumvit Road, ground floor far right entrance. Open seven days 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Parking in the Tesco Lotus car park.

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BBQ Snow Fish in Brandy

This is a very easy BBQ dish and you can use almost any fish fillets. You are best to make the basting sauce two hours before and actually use it like a marinade, prior to the BBQ. The most important feature with all fish dishes like this one is in the careful filleting. A mouthful of bones does not impress your dinner guests! And do not overcook.

Ingredients                           Serves 3-4 Snow Fish fillets                          750 gm Butter                                           ¼ cup Soya Sauce                              2 tbspns Lemon juice   from 1 lemon (or 2 limes) Brandy                                        ¼ cup Garlic crushed                             1 clove Sesame seeds                             ½ cup

Cooking Method
In a pan on low heat melt the butter, then add and combine soya sauce, lemon juice, brandy and garlic. Remove from the heat and brush on to the fillets and leave them in the refrigerator for two hours.
Heat the BBQ plate and lightly grease the surface. Place fillets on the BBQ and baste frequently with the sauce. Turn once and repeat the basting until the fish is cooked through. This does not take long, especially if you have had the fillets soaking in the brandy and lemon.
When almost cooked, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with lemon wedges and a steamed rice accompaniment.