Bondi Aussie Bar and Grill, Lamai — Restaurant in Ko Samui

Having failed to get a meal at this restaurants sister establishment (The Palm Island). I tried to get a decent lunch at Bondi in Lamai. Firstly it is almost impossible to communicate in English with any member of the 4 or 5 lunchtime staff, even though the Australian flag was flying over the restaurant. I wanted red wine but a bottle was too much and a glass too little. Even though carafes were on the menu it took me a good 20 minutes to convince a member of staff to give me one. I asked for a tenderloin steak with mushrooms cooked medium but no fries and onion rings instead. Well their attitude was as if I asked for the family gold. I was told unceremoniously that I couldn’t swap one for the other, it took me another 15 minutes to explain to them that I was not destitute and was not looking for charity. Eventually after a conversation that was like pulling teeth they (3) got the message to hold the fries and charge me for onion rings separately. After my raised voice I guess I should have expected that the chef would give me “special treatment” which she did by serving a tenderloin steak which was well overcooked and 75% gristle membrain which I left uneaten! There were only two tables taken during my lunch and both of us complained about the blaring music coming from the sound system. I would expect loud music on a night but not during an attempt to have a quite civilized lunch. After the staff were asked to turn down the volume I discerned no difference. Clearly the staff need their own entertainment whilst working over and above the customers comfort! I could go on but the result of this miserable experience was a decent carafe of red wine and some average onion rings culminating in bill for 2000 baht for one person. A sobering experience which as a resident of Samui I have no intention...

I've tried the place 4 times, always willing to give a place like this a fair chance.

1st time I tried the Chicken Parmesan burger, it would have been great if whoever sliced the bun knew why you have a bun, the top half was about 4cm thick and the bottom half was a scant 3mm thick. It was impossible to eat as a burger and I resorted to using the knife and fork 😠

2nd time I had the Bondi beefburger safe in the knowledge the cook couldn't make the same mistake twice...how wrong could I have been. Again the bun was unusable for a burger and again I resorted to knife and fork 👎

3rd time I decided on the Steak and Ale pie with chips (fries), peas and gravy, what could go wrong I thought...It came with Mash 🤨. They eventually replaced it with chips by which time the pie, peas and gravy were virtually cold 😝

4th and final visit, on my last night, I went for the Big Meaty Pizza, pig out time, and finally they got it right (apart from the shape, oblong cut into squares) and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it and was totally stuffed. Well worth every penny 😋

On the plus side the staff are excellent, the beer in a frozen glass 🍺 was perfect and the live bands were very good.

In conclusion it doesn't live up to it's billing as the best in Lamai, not by a long way, and having discovered that it is up for sale I for one will not shed a tear when it closes, hopefully before I return to...

I came here last year and I had a great experience. That would mean coming back again which I have. The staff are very welcoming & friendly and the service is pretty good. The place has a great atmosphere with chilled background music during the day & then the live music starts up in the evening but I will get to that. The menu is pretty extensive and the prices are reasonable value for what you get. It’s good pub grub but not amazing. The location is excellent in Lamai but it can get petty toasty & the aircon inside is a waste as it is an open facility. Best to sit at the outside bar near the fan. The price for a 330ml Singha beer b4 19:00 is THB65 (US$1.90) which is dirt cheap!! That jumps up after 19:00. The draft beer itself is reasonably cheap. For a Pint (568ml) of Heineken it is THB200 (US$5.80). In the evening, the live music cranks up and it’s pretty good but to be honest, I’m not sure how much is sung compared to lip-synching but it sounds good!! I would just like to recommend a few things as a full time traveller to the establishment. More fans… it gets very hot some days. Cool towels on arrival… many places do it. PS. Say G’day to Rob. He is the Manager from South Africa & he is on the ball and a really cool bloke. That’s it.. come here &...