firecat69 Posted January 12, 2011 Posted January 12, 2011 If you are like me and looking forward to real Deli Pastrami sandwich, you will have to wait longer IMHO. I was there the first night that Street Life opened , and had a Corned Beef sandwich because they did not have pastrami yet. It was an Ok sandwich, good size and fairly priced. However tonight I could not tell the difference between the Corned beef I got the first night and the Pastrami I ordered tonight. First , the rye bread is still awful and I know supposedly it is very hard to get Rye Bread but I have gotten far better Rye Bread in Bangkok. The bread was cut to thin and the meat evidently had to much moisture because the bread was soaked through and it was impossible to eat it as a sandwich with holes throughout the bread. But the most important thing was that the pastrami just tasted like corned beef. There was no spice to it and most importantly there was no fat. Anyone who has had a real pastrami sandwich knows it is the fat that gives it the flavor. Many NY delis offer 2 or 3 variations of the amount of fat , so that those who need to can adjust for their diet. But it would be highly unusual to get Pastrami served perfectly lean with absolutely no fat evident and no evidence of any spices. Maybe they ran out of the real pastrami and thought they could substitute corned beef or maybe this is the best available. But I know that's not true because there is a sandwich shop in Jomtien with far better pastrami. Maybe they cook their own. Don't ask me the name because I forget but you can ask jack at Oud's Cafe for the name and address. If you know what real pastrami is then order something else at Street Life. You will be much happier!!! firecat69 Quote
gerefan Posted January 12, 2011 Posted January 12, 2011 Am I right is assuming that Street Life and New Orleans share the same kitchen? From the street you can see directly into the kitchen and there are serving hatches either side...presumably one for each restaurant. Also they appear to have very similar menus! Quote
TotallyOz Posted January 13, 2011 Posted January 13, 2011 These 2 places are ran by different people but they share some services. At least that is the way I understand it. Firecat, thanks for the review. It was a very well-written and honest approach to the place. I enjoyed my meal there but I just wanted a turkey sandwich and there was no way to mess that up. I also enjoyed their desert. They have a great location and I hope they keep moving forward during high season an make the place a success! Quote
kokopelli Posted January 14, 2011 Posted January 14, 2011 However tonight I could not tell the difference between the Corned beef I got the first night and the Pastrami I ordered tonight. If you know what real pastrami is then order something else at Street Life. You will be much happier!!! firecat69 It's just a sandwich, so don't be too hard on a welcome addition to the restaurant scene in Pattaya. I like corned beef so really it would make no difference if it were called pastrami, either would make me happy. Quote
firecat69 Posted January 14, 2011 Author Posted January 14, 2011 I completely do not understand a response like yours. The sandwich cost as much as many meals at a lot of restaurants. But I have no problem with the price. But what you are saying is that if you go into a restaurant and order a pork dish and you got chicken that would be ok with you!!! I think not!!!!! I ordered Pastrami and did not get what I and any Jew in the world would consider Pastrami. By the way I am not sure if I got Corned Beef or whether the meat called pastrami is just a very poor imitation. I made no value judgements on the restaurant and said the Corned beef sandwich I got on opening night was OK. This sandwich IMHO was not what I ordered and was prepared badly. A sandwich is meant to be picked up and eaten. This was impossible!!! If all you want to do is read positive reviews then you must get a lot of bad meals!!! Quote
kokopelli Posted January 14, 2011 Posted January 14, 2011 If all you want to do is read positive reviews then you must get a lot of bad meals!!! Like I said, it's only a sandwich. The big question is, "how was the pickle"? Quote
Jason1988 Posted January 14, 2011 Posted January 14, 2011 I have had the corned beef and the pastrami sandwiches at Street Life on several occasions and they both are very good indeed. The rye bread was also good, but I usually order mine toasted. You may have caught them on a bad night or there was a mix up. No one is perfect and certainly your Thai may not be up to standard. It is important to not be so harsh on restaurants as there are some differences in the meats that you get in Thailand and those you get in your home country. Many times, in Thailand, the meats are leaner, so you won't get the fatty pastrami that you are use to in the Jewish delis in let's say New York City. But then again, your waistline might not be so affected and your arteries not so clogged either. Quote
firecat69 Posted January 15, 2011 Author Posted January 15, 2011 I have had the corned beef and the pastrami sandwiches at Street Life on several occasions and they both are very good indeed. The rye bread was also good, but I usually order mine toasted. You may have caught them on a bad night or there was a mix up. No one is perfect and certainly your Thai may not be up to standard. It is important to not be so harsh on restaurants as there are some differences in the meats that you get in Thailand and those you get in your home country. Many times, in Thailand, the meats are leaner, so you won't get the fatty pastrami that you are use to in the Jewish delis in let's say New York City. But then again, your waistline might not be so affected and your arteries not so clogged either. First of all I repeat that I said the Corned Beef sandwich I had on opening night was fine and had no complaints. Speaking Thai has nothing to do with anything. Sandwich was ordered from Manager who is not Thai. I also echoed what you said about various levels of fat in the meat. You are making my case for me. Various levels is one thing , zero fat is another and no spices which all pastrami has and this did not. My review was posted so that anyone who thought they were going to get a pastrami sandwich would not be disappointed and might choose to order another sandwich. It is no different then someone saying that spaghetti bolognese they had at a Thai restaurant was not a good representation of the dish. Or someone saying the steak they got was tough and had no flavor. That is information , if you choose to be swayed or not by it is totally UP tp You!! Many people including myself were looking forward to being able to get a good pastrami sandwich. If they really know what a good pastrami sandwich , they will have to continue to wait. IMHO. Also I have no idea where you are from but if you think that rye bread is good then you are certainly not from the USA or Canada because if you were you could never say that bread is good!!! Quote
kokopelli Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 Also I have no idea where you are from but if you think that rye bread is good then you are certainly not from the USA or Canada because if you were you could never say that bread is good!!! To be fair, I doubt that any food in Thailand is as good in quality or price as that found in our home countries perhaps with the exception of Thai food. Rye bread in the USA or Canada can be just as bad or worse as anything in Thailand. But if you want a great corned beef or pastrami on rye try Schwartz's in Montreal, Canada. Eat your heart out, Firecat. Quote
Guest RichLB Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 I've eaten at Streetlife ofen and always enjoyed my sandwiches there. Back in the states I've ordered pastrami rueben sandwishes from several different restaurants and found each place's version of pastrami different - some were fatty, some lean, some highly spiced, and some bland. I just chalk Streetlife's pastrami up to another version of the dish. I do agree though, that what passes as rye bread there is a whole different thing. Doesn't rye bread have caraway seeds in it? Isn't it supposed to hold together so a sandwich can be held in your hand? Streetlife's does neither. My other complaint is the length of time it takes for food to be delivered. I will continue going there since I like the food, but be prepared to spend more time than you have budgeted to be served when you give it a try - but do go and support the place. Quote
firecat69 Posted January 15, 2011 Author Posted January 15, 2011 To be fair, I doubt that any food in Thailand is as good in quality or price as that found in our home countries perhaps with the exception of Thai food. Rye bread in the USA or Canada can be just as bad or worse as anything in Thailand. But if you want a great corned beef or pastrami on rye try Schwartz's in Montreal, Canada. Eat your heart out, Firecat. I lived in Montreal for 6 years and was a frequent visitor to Schwartz's . Funny story there is always a panhandler or bum outside their door. Many times we would tip him and sometimes when we could not eat everything, we would take the rest to go and give it to him. One day we gave him some food and his response was , the meat is not so good today. He was right , that day a rarity happened and the meat was not so good. Happened 1 time out of 100's of visits. Quote
Jason1988 Posted January 15, 2011 Posted January 15, 2011 To be fair, I doubt that any food in Thailand is as good in quality or price as that found in our home countries perhaps with the exception of Thai food. Rye bread in the USA or Canada can be just as bad or worse as anything in Thailand. Sometimes the Thai food in Thailand can be bad too. This is the best deli I have found in NYC. Quote
