Andrew Zimmern gives Udon Thani food a big thumbs down

[lee]

The food writer and TV personality Andrew Zimmern passed through Udon Thani recently during a trip to Thailand and Cambodia. By the looks of it he wasn't too impressed with the food in Udon. I must admit I agree with him a little, although I wouldn't go as far to say 99% of the food was bad, there are a few good restaurants around if you know where to look.

This is what he had to say...

for the last week of the trip I was in Udon Thani, the only place I have ever been in Thailand where 99 percent of the food I ate was horrifically bad—poorly cooked, crappy ingredient quality, no passion. Sure there was the amazing grilled pork and chicken liver satays in the night market, but aside from that the food was un-Godly awful. Which is a long drawn-out way of saying that the Thai food in the Twin Cities is better than the Thai food in Udon Thani. Not by much though.

http://blogs.mspmag.com/chowandagain/20 ... red-h.html

[BobHelm]

Poor man.
A real "jet setting" food critic & he does not understand the difference between 'ethnic' food created to satisfy a foreign pallet in his home country & genuine regional cooking in its place of origin. I hope he never ventures off the beaten track in India or China or he will starve to death, the poor dear.

[UdonExpat]

Finally, someone who will tell it how it is.

The food in Udon, farang and Thai, is generally abysmal. That doesn't mean there aren't exceptions. The problem is they are the exceptions, not the norm.

[jackspratt]

Andrew Who?

Who gives a ---- what he thinks.

[NOLA]

Who gives a ---- about what anyone says about the food in Udon Thani...Food is a personal thing and personally I think the food here is good, Thai or Falang.

[jai yen yen]

I guess I have bad taste because I find a lot of great places to eat here. Both Thai and Farang.

[LoongLee]

The idea that he finds the food bad in Udon encourages me,,,, he's an idiot that's built a TV series built on nothing but shock value. His slogan "If it looks good, eat it" is pure crap, because I've yet to see him eat anything that looks good.
Obviously, he didn't find anything in Udon shocking enough to generate ratings for his show, poor fellow.

[Texpat]

Especially odd considering McDonald's opened less than a month earlier.

[Khun Paul]

Personally I have never heard of this chap Andrew ( whatever), now I am not in the same league as a person who purports to be a food critic, however I am a picky sort of person when it comes to food, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that in many places in udon, both Thai and farang eating places, the food is acceptable and eatable.
Now those who feel udon fare is not for them, kindly MOVE, for those of us who have over the last few years seen an upsurge of good food, lets enjoy it and damm Andrew.........who ?????

[Techland]

The comments here are typical. He said 'I ATE', not you, nor did he say that the food IS ALWAYS AND FOR EVERYONE bad in Udon.

But I have no doubt that I would have the same experience running around in Udon, without a proper guide and my wife (best cook on this planet!). Most of the food here is exactly what he describes, 'horrifically bad — poorly cooked, crappy ingredient quality, no passion'. If you can not see that anymore then you have been here far too long...

[Khun Paul]

If you can not see that anymore then you have been here far too long...

I am only too well aware of the sub-standard food offered to Thai's, but as I am not a Thai, I do not frequent those establishments, I am sure your wife is the best cook on the planet, perhaps you should stay at home and always eat her cooking, before passing a biased judgement on others who have to descend into ignomy to eat at those passionless, unappetising establishments you obviously have eaten at before.

If one is food critic it would be up to you to find and taste many food sin any town before passing judgement, something this chap did not, of that fact I am sure.

But then whatever nationality he is, many critics are biased in any event, i knew a Michelin spy once for want of a better word, and they were very careful before passing judgement on any establishment, something this person obviously isn't.

So his critique is really not worth waxing lyrical about so I will stop.

[Texpat]

Generally speaking, Lao food is putrid.

There's a good chance, if he was eating food the natives eat, that's what it was.

I doubt a food critic would fly halfway around the world to eat at the Irish Clock or Fuzzy Kens.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

Obviously, he never ate the bugs, termite eggs, scorpions et al.

He should have at least tried the ice-cream at Swenson's!

I bet he did not have a go at the som tam either.

[Philrjones]

Yeah, Andrew who? There are many great eateries around Udon that no doubt he wouldn't have visited. It's like anywhere - some good, some bad. Anyway, giving a bad sit rep on Udon may keep some undesirable elements away! For me, I love the food there. Sure I've been to a few places I wouldn't go back to, but that happened even when I took the TW to Tasmania.

Thailand and Udon isn't just about food - it's about everything that's intoxicating - How I miss the open air restaurants on a balmy night, live music playing, terrific food, cold beer served by some lovelies, sabai sabai attitide - wonderful. That Andrew Z can certainly stay away if he doesn't like it - more for us!
Cheers
Phil

[Shado]

"for the last week of the trip I was in Udon Thani, the only place I have ever been in Thailand where 99 percent of the food I ate was horrifically bad—poorly cooked, crappy ingredient quality, no passion. Sure there was the amazing grilled pork and chicken liver satays in the night market, but aside from that the food was un-Godly awful. Which is a long drawn-out way of saying that the Thai food in the Twin Cities is better than the Thai food in Udon Thani. Not by much though."


I remember coming to Udon Thani and expecting to find Thai food that was similar to what I had experienced in other parts of the country. I was thinking of the extraordinary seafood found along the coasts, the wonderful coconut milk based curries of the southern region, the amazing sausages from Chaing Mai and some of the "Royal Thai" cusine from the Bangkok area. I quickly learned that Isaan food is different in many ways from the rest of Thailand. I doubt seriously that the Twin Cities have any authentic Isaan food and even if they do, I can't imagine that it would be much of a hit. Most of the very best Thai food that I have eaten in Thailand was from some place other than Udon Thani.

People from Isaan love Isaan food. If you have traveled to other parts of Thailand with your Isaan wife or girl friend you will soon notice that they enjoy eating food from other regions, but after a few days they begin craving larb gai, som tom, pla ra and woon sen dishes. Isaan food is regional and different. Much of it I have grown to like. Honestly, I'm now eating things in the village that I had problems with a few years ago. And, I must admit, some of the best Isaan food has been eaten at home rather than at a restauarant.

Is Udon Thani a culinary backwater? I think not. As already mentioned, there are a wide variety of eating places and quality varies as well. We have several favorite places to eat in Udon Thani and I think the food is great. My personal opinion is that for the most part Thai food here in UT is prepared for Isaan Thais by Isaan Thais. If you come here expecting the food to be the same as Bangkok, Phukett, Chaing Mai or just about any other place in Thailand or the Twin Cities, you will be in for a learning experience.

[lee]

We don't have many celebrities pass through Udon so I thought I'd mention it. The last celeb to visit Udon that I'm aware of was Tom Oliver (Lou Carpenter from Neigbours), he was visiting his girlfriend a few years back and used to drop into the Aussie Bar for a beer.

[747man]

We don't have many celebrities pass through Udon so I thought I'd mention it. The last celeb to visit Udon that I'm aware of was Tom Oliver (Lou Carpenter from Neigbours), he was visiting his girlfriend a few years back and used to drop into the Aussie Bar for a beer.

Bet HE did'nt tell his Mrs what he was doing in Udon..

[fatbas***d]

At the risk of offending the ardent udonphiles, the guy is right. In the main, food available here in Udon sucks.

It don't worry me too much there is no need for me to eat away from home, as 4 yrs ago I sent my 'ol lady to a freinds restaurant in Melbourne for 3 months training, after that she cooks fairly well and even manages some pretty decent western food.
Even my dear old 84 YO Mum after a holiday here made the comment "you didn't choose to live here for the food do you?"
Whereas when she used to visit us in Bangkok she loved going out to eat.

[Texpat]

Some will never be convinced their "paradise on Earth" has faults.

Never. I'm happy to live here for now, but no so blind as to realize the shortcomings.

[parrot]

Give me one good noodle shop (SriChumChern Rd just around the corner from the prison), one good beef lahb shop (SriChumChern Rd next door to the mosque), one good shrimp restaurant (alongside RomYen near Carrefour), and one decent Chinese restaurant (across the street from Kasikorn bank on Phosri). An occasional Harry's burger to satisfy the falang that remains in me. The rest is home cooking or a bite out here and there just to satisfy the hunger pains. Oh, strike that......add the Dim Sum restaurant to the list!

We just came back from Bangkok......one small indoor/ac restaurant near Siam Square served a wide variety of excellent dishes at reasonable prices. Across the street at Paragon, you could get the same dishes in a nicer atmosphere for double the cost. No doubt there are hundreds of other restaurants in Bangkok with the ambiance and prices too boot to fit any connoisseur's budget/appetite. No one is going to tell me the 35 baht bowl of noodle soup I eat at my favorite shop isn't good soup (to me). If someone wants to blow their wad on a hundred or two baht bowl of soup, be my guest.