Tinnies is my favourite place to eat in the Jomtien area. Its speciality is pies and I like pies. There are various beef pies, chicken pies, lamb pies, mixed vegetable pies and for dessert various fruit pies. Did I mention it specialises in pies? Whenever I go there, which is about once a week, I look long and hard at the various offerings in the glass cabinet and then almost always choose the pepper steak pie with mash, peas and gravy. With a soft drink that comes to 290 baht. The other available side is french fries with salad. I've never had anything but tender beef in my pies; it comes in a thick gravy and generously fills the delicious pastry case. Other available items include breakfasts, sandwiches, fish and chips and lasagna. I can vouch for the excellence of the last item.,
The owner is a friendly Australian who had a successful pie shop in Tasmania before moving to Thailand and his experience certainly shows. I asked him once if the beef is imported, but no, it's Thai beef which he checks carefully on delivery - if it's not up to standard he sends it back. He's very open to customer suggestions. I once told him I liked balsamic dressing with my salad and the next time I went there, it was available.
For those who don't know Tinnies, it's on the corner of the Dick's Cafe soi where it meets the main road. For years that seemed like a jinxed site, with businesses coming and going in quick succession, but there is an air of stability now. It's not usually busy when I go there of an evening but the owner tells me there is a steady flow of customers all day, mainly for takeaways. His body language and ready smile certainly suggest that he is doing well and in fact he has just opened a well-designed balcony area upstairs.
It's a clean, no-frills, functional place, not somewhere you would probably want to go for a celebration. But if, like me, you like simple, tasty food at a reasonable price for your regular diet, it's hard to beat Tinnies.
