Editor Pick
Subway
- August 17, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
SeenThat from Tel Aviv, Israel
"Subway has been your neighborhood sandwich shop since 2508" reads the Thai text of the Subway leaflet I got in Hua Hin. That was the first hint my experience would be slightly different.
Justifying the Sandwich
In the light of my other writings - where I often emphasize local food as an important part of the travel experience and of the local culture - I must explain my unusual stop at a Thai branch of an international food chain like Subway. The Thai staple food is rice, and despite the wonderful dishes of this cuisine, from time to time the eternal pilgrim wants to eat bread.
Location
Subway Hua Hin enjoys a superb location in the downtown area, on the main road connecting the highway with the beach. The Sofitel and Hilton hotels are around the corner, the beach is a block away eastwards. Petchkasem Road (also known as Hua Hin Avenue) is also one block away, but westwards.
The Sailom Pavilion hosts several shops - including other major fast food joints - in a pleasant environment that includes a beautiful Chinese-style garden with water streams, bridges and sculptures. Subway is on its inner yard, so that the noise from the street does not reach it. Enclosed by glass walls, the small shop offers conditioned air with a clear look at the beautiful inner yard of the Sailom Pavilion.
The Thai Touch
Some aspects of the local culture manage to infiltrate even the most isolated foreign bastions; here they appeared in the form of missing toilets (more on that in the Starbucks entry of this journal), a single napkin alloted to each customer and a label proclaiming "stick sugar."
Menu
The menu was bilingual, though biased toward English; Thai translations appeared in parentheses or in small letters below the English text. Subway Thailand offers sandwiches in two sizes - 6-inch and footlong - and in a variety of breads, including, white Italian, wheat, Parmesan, oregano, honey oat and sesame. The main sandwiches featured were the Italian BMT, the Roasted Chicken Breast, the Subway Club and the Tuna one; several others were available.
The most striking characteristic was the lack of any distinctive Thai touch to the sandwiches. I couldn't find curries or items like shredded pork among the ingredients; not a single chili was in sight. The menu was utterly sanitized and unlocalized.
Pricing
The sandwiches prices ranged from 79 baht for the Veggie Delite 6-inch (less than $2.5 at the time of my visit) up to 209 baht for the Footlong Hot Subs. Deli style versions were available for less than 100 baht. For comparison, a parallel Thai dish at a local restaurant catering for locals, would cost 40 baht or less; meaning that Subway Thailand is an upmarket chain.
For an extra 39 baht, chips (or a cookie) and a drink could be added. At this branch coffee was available for 25 baht. Several extras, like transforming the sandwhich into a salad, were available as well.
Meal
Being in a piggy mood, I chose the ham sandwich. I was asked to choose the size and type of the bread and after the main ingredients were placed inside I was allowed to choose the cheese and vegetables. Four cheeses were available, but these are always a problematic issue in Thailand, their quality is low and their flavor undefined. On the veggies front the situation was better, a wide variety was offered, including black olives, pickled cucumbers and tomatoes - none of them a popular ingredient in Thailand.
Finally, in remembrance of recent trips I chose the Southwest sauce. Despite it being a regular sandwich, I was offered to transform it into a hot one; however, microwaving bread transforms it into a chewy affair and I declined.
The sandwich was good, the bread was as fresh as the vegetables were and provided an illusion of being back across the ocean, at least if ignoring the background Thai music.
Instead of choosing the meal option, I accompanied the sandwich with a coffee, which was prepared with a small espresso machine and was of unusual quality for a fast food joint.
From journal Hoo Hah, Hua Hin