Marina | Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Food review Pattaya 2020

July 23, 2020 by David Herd

Food review Pattaya 2020

Food review Pattaya 2020 is simply a record of many of the great dishes I have enjoyed in the Autumn of my years. 🙂 According to TripAdvisor there are about 1300 restaurants to choose from. However 90% of the time I tend to visit places I know & like. The 1st & 2nd photos are from the food court at Central Festival shopping mall.

Oysters at Central Festival

Oysters were on special, B360 or $11 USD for 9 & they tossed in one for free. 🙂

Baked Ham & vegetables

Excellent dish with lots of flavour.

Sunday roast at Robin Hood tavern

Good value here at a reasonable price.

Salmon sashimi

At Genki in Soi 4, one of my favourite Japanese restaurants.

Another dish at Genki

Egg roll with onion, delicious.

Toast Skagen at Longhorn Steakhouse

Consisting of two pieces of toasted bread, mayonnaise, and many prawns. Sometimes crab or crabsticks are substituted for prawns.

Excellent breakfast

Bake & Brew is a little out of the way for me, however the food is very good indeed.

Roast pork & noodles

Another dish from the food park at Central Marina shopping mall.

Teriyaki chicken at Miyazaki Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant

This tasty dish comes with vegetables, steamed rice & miso soup. Located at

Hachiban-ramen

Another excellent Japanese restaurant at Central Marina.

Hollys coffee at Terminal 21

The best pancake I have ever eaten. 🙂

For lots of information on Terminal just follow THIS LINK.

Hamburger without a bun

Terrific burgers at Anos in Terminal 21.

Phad Thai with prawns

They serve much more than coffee at the COFFEE CLUB.

The Tuesday night special at Patrick’s Steakhouse

Without a doubt they serve the best lamb shank in Pattaya, perhaps even the northern hemisphere. More on Patrick’s HERE.

Jasmine’s Cafe breakfast

Located in Pattaya Klang between Beach & 2nd Rd. Great value at B99.

Yayoi at Central Marina

Located next to MK, excellent Japanese food.

L’Auberge French Restaurant

Thanks for visiting my Food review Pattaya 2020 photo blog. Expect more updates in the next few months.

Check out my Pattaya webcam here.

Get a very good discount on Pattaya hotels by using THIS LINK.

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Good English restaurants

Amazing World Food

Fresh seafood Bangkok

Steakhouse New York

Korea restaurants Itaewon

Pattaya live webcam

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Fuji Japanese Restaurant returns

August 1, 2019 by David Herd

Fuji Japanese Restaurant returns

Fuji Japanese Restaurant returns to Central Marina shopping mall in Pattaya. It has not operated there since before the major renovations took place in 2017. The food is still a very high standard however I think the prices may have risen slightly. 🙂

Super decor

Excellent staff as usual, plus the food is top quality & reasonably priced.

Red hot opening special

Only 240 Baht or $7.80 USD including a miso soup.

The old favourites are still on the menu.

Central Marina is only 5 minutes walk from my apartment, & 2 minutes from the Atlantic Bar, so I dine there 4 or 5 times a week. There are several excellent Japanese restaurants apart from Fuji, in particular I recommend Miyayzaki.

California Roll

Certainly one of my all time favourites at Fuji, I must say I love any dish that includes avocado. Please take a look at one of my Japanese blogs, in particular take note of the baked avocado.

A perfect combination

We are so lucky in Pattaya to have many very good Japanese restaurants.

Fuji Japanese Restaurant returns

Japan is my favourite for travel & food so I consider myself very lucky to have so many choices here in Pattaya for top quality Japanese food.

So glad Fuji is back

Thanks for visiting my Fuji Japanese Restaurant returns photo blog.

At Central Festival December 2021

Gyoza, cooked to perfection.

Sadly now in December 2021 we are in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis & 50% of the outlets here at Central marina, the Food Park & Central Festival have closed. I really can’t see them re-opening until mid 2022.

If you have the time please check out some of my favourite restaurants, just follow THIS LINK.

Click bottom right hand corner for full screen.

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Holiday Inn

Fabulous views, excellent restaurants & a very good room rate if you book through THIS LINK.

Check out these great food photo blogs.

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Tokyo fabulous food

Upmarket Chinese Food Sydney

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Good English restaurants

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Korea restaurants Itaewon

Pattaya live webcam

Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Miyazaki Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant

November 24, 2018 by David Herd

Great value Japanese food

Miyazaki Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant

Miyazaki Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant at Central Marina shopping mall serves excellent quality food at a very good price.

Small compact restaurant

I dine regularly at MK right next door to Miyazaki & have walked past dozens of times since the mall was rebuilt in 2017. However the food was such good value I won’t be walking past in the future. 🙂

Miyazaki Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant

I ordered the special set of NZ beef, vegetables, miso soup & rice at a low price of B280 or $11.70 AUD.

Loved the vegetables & the Miso soup

There is no doubt I will be a regular here. Although in Pattaya we do have many very good Japanese restaurants.

NZ beef was fabulous

Rare, juicy & tender, cooked to perfection. 🙂

My compliments to the chef. 🙂

I can’t believe how lucky we are living in Pattaya with so many great places to eat, every possible cuisine & price range, from five star hotels to street food. Since Terminal 21 opened on October 19 2018 Central Marina has lost half it’s customers, I do feel sorry for their loss of business, on the other had it’s much quieter & more peaceful.

Friday night at 8 pm.

Only 2 other customers apart from myself.

Teriyaki chicken is my favourite

It literally melts in your mouth.

Many thanks for visiting my Miyazaki Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant photo blog.

Another victim of the Covid-19 virus

So many businesses in Pattaya have been forced to close, to see more please follow THIS LINK.

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Holiday Inn

Fabulous views, excellent restaurants & a very good room rate if you book through THIS LINK.

The building in the middle is the Holiday Inn, on the left is the Amari Hotel which is another very good five star hotel. Use THIS LINK to book for a very good room rate.

Sabai Wing North Pattaya

The best Pattaya budget hotel, 3 pools & opposite Central Marina shopping mall. For a great room rate just book through THIS LINK.

Sutus Court is a great budget hotel right i the heart of one of Pattaya’s main bar areas, just use THIS LINK for a terrific room rate. 420/100 Moo 9 Soi Buakhao.

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Gold Coast Broadwater

August 22, 2017 by David Herd

Spectacular Gold Coast View

Gold Coast Broadwater

Gold Coast Broadwater all add up to a breathtaking view of Surfers Paradise which is located 800 kilometers north of Sydney & 80 kilometers south of Brisbane.

We are looking east to Marina Mirage on the right & the Vercace Hotel o the left.

Broadwater entrance

Beside those rocks is the entrance channel to the Broadwater, or the exit depending on which way you are going. 🙂

Blue Sky Boats Gold Coast Broadwater

Here is a closer look at the rock wall on the southern side of the seaway entrance.

Hundreds of boats use the seaway every day.

Everything from jet skis to huge luxury cruisers, all hoping to enjoy Blue Sky Boats Gold Coast Broadwater & maybe a bag full of fish.

For a great hotel room rate (with free cancellation) just book through THIS LINK.

Some get into trouble when the sea is rough.

The rescue boat is always there to lend a hand.

My friend’s catamaran.

A nice way to escape the rat race of Surfers Paradise. 🙂

Gold Coast Broadwater

A great day out on the Broadwater.

Some guys prefer to fish.

Boats, who needs boats? We are here to catch a big one.

And I’m here for a sun tan.

So no matter what you are interested in you will find it n the Broadwater.

Did I mention the seafood?

You have two great choices, pull into Charis seafood at Labrador & pick up your lunch. Those of you with a sharp eye will notice the mud crabs are $36.90 a kilo, well tat was 2010, sadly in 2017 they have doubled in price.

Direct from the trawler.

This is my preference, they are located just north of Marina Mirage, just call Curly on 0417 668 591, he’s one of the boat owners, he will let you know what they have in stock.

Best prawns in the world.

These medium size king prawns are around $25 aud a kilo. Check out more seafood on THIS LINK.

Decisions, decisions.

Take the at out or……..

Order lunch at one of the many restaurants?

So many decisions & such little time. 🙂

Gold Coast Broadwater

What a fabulous part of the world.

Houston, we have lift off.

The kite surfer is having a ball.

An amazing view.

From my friends apartment, it does not get better than this. By the way it’s for sale3 for a lazy $1.5 million AUD.

I’m guessing now in 2021 it will be closer to $2.5 million.

Here is the view from the opposite side of the Broadwater towards Southport.

Over the years I spent countless hours on my boat in this very area.

Finally a birds eye view of Surfers Paradise

Absolutely spectacular, featuring the Southport yacht in the foreground.

For a great hotel room rate on the Gold Coast just book through THIS LINK.

Thanks for visiting my Gold Coast Broadwater photo blog.

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Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you

book through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Plus free cancellation .

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That’s all folks

Check out these great food photo blogs.

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Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos

Central Marina Shopping Mall

June 8, 2017 by David Herd

Renovated Shopping Mall

Central Marina Shopping Mall

Central Marina Shopping Mall is only five minutes from where I live so I am often there enjoying Starbucks or the many good restaurants.

Sichuan Restaurant

This is one of the many exotic restaurants at Central Marina Pattaya Shopping Mall.

Delicious food

Reasonably priced & a little bit spicy as you can imagine. 🙂

Central bar surrounded by restaurants

The biggest problem is deciding where to eat, there are just so many choices.

I really like the hamburgers here.

Lots of choices between Thai or imported beef & totally delicious. 🙂

Thai cheeseburger

The cheeseburger is usually my choice, I really need to try some of the other varieties.

Strike up the band

Most nights this band seems to be entertaining the customers.

Mango & sticky rice

Always after a hamburger I must have this magnificent Thai delicacy.

Fancy food trucks

Mobile pop up restaurants add some colour & movement to the Marina forecourt.

Welcome sign is like a lighthouse.

I often wonder why they call the mall Central Marina as it’s 500 meters from Pattaya Bay. 🙂

MK Restaurant

Without a doubt MK is one of best Pattaya restaurants for value with a great selection of food.

Dim Sum

The dim sum is my favorite closely followed by their roast duck & BBQ pork. My bill is usually under B400 or $15 aud. Take a look at their menu here.

Huge chandelier

Quite spectacular hanging from the high ceiling in the front section of the mall.

Sushi Hina

One of the many Japanese restaurants at the Central Marina Shopping Mall, along with Korean & Chinese.

There is even a Playboy Cafe

One of the first in a chain being opened in Thailand. Didn’t last too long though, closed it’s doors around August 2018.

Fuji returns.

It has not operated there since before the major renovations took place in 2017. Check it out on THIS LINK.

Low cost food everywhere.

Lots of low cost food at Central Marina Shopping Mall.

Another good Japanese restaurant.

Yayoi serves an excellent Sukiyaki with either beef or pork for around B320 or $14b AUD.

Japanese is certainly the dominant cuisine at Central Marina Pattaya Shopping Mall.

Another favorite has re-opened at Central Marina

At Hachiban Ramen, the Gyoza & Teriyaki chicken are to die for, only 153 Baht for the two, priceless. There is another branch on the ground floor of Tukcom at the rear & one at Central Festival.

Sadly due to Covid-19 Hachiban Ramen closed July 2021. Glad to say it has re-openned on the ground floor adjacent to MK in January 2022.

Great food & lots of staff.

I regularly dine here at least twice a week.

Next door is Swensens

This is a real trap for me, after Hachiban I usually have a scoop of macadamia ice cream with caramel flavouring. 🙂

Sadly due to Covid-19 Swensen’s has closed July 2021.

Adjacent to Swensens

As you can imaging it sometimes gets a little noisy. 🙂

The bird is the word….

Lots of things to entertain kids at Central Marina Pattaya Shopping Mall.

Skechers have arrived October 2018.

I have 6 pairs of these fabulous shoes.

I couldn’t resist the opening specials.

So I bought 3 pairs for B3,750 or $160 AUD. In reality this relates to 3 pair for the price of one.

Right opposite is Honey 2 massage.

So just send the missus shopping while you enjoy a soapy massage. 🙂 🙂 🙂

That’s if you don’t object to 90% of customers being from India. 🙂

That’s why I always recommend my friends go to the one opposite the Atlantic bar.

Sabai body massage

Next door to the Sabai Resort in 2nd Rd & opposite the Atlantic Bar.

Looking from the Atlantic Bar.

This is the view I get from my seat in the bar where I am a regular.

Just two years ago

Here is how the centre looked.

The renovation took about 8 months.

They worked 24/7 to finish the project.

Click bottom right hand corner for full screen.

Sabai Wing Soi 1 North Pattaya

Sabai Wing Soi 1, 3 swimming pools and nice rooms, 100 meters from Central Marina Shopping Mall, great value at only $23 usd per night as of August 15. I live in the high-rise in the background, Markland. For a great room rate book here.

More budget hotels here, book now pay later with free cancellation.

For a more upmarket hotel on Beach Rd

Just use THIS LINK for a terrific rate at the Wave Hotel.

Checkout some more of my terrific blogs on the links below.

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Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later.

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Hawker Chan Hollys Coffee

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Breakfast Bake n’ Brew

Food review Pattaya 2020

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Marina Bay Singapore

April 23, 2016 by David Herd

World’s most expensive building

Marina Bay Singapore

Marina Bay Singapore is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is the world’s most expensive building, at US$ 5.7 billion, including the cost of the prime land.

View from the Ritz Carlton

Marina Bay Sands dominates much of the Singapore skyline, this view is from the front door of the Ritz Carlton.

Towards the end of construction

One of the world’s most amazing developments in Singapore Asia’s Lion City.

Wonderful photo of Marina Bay

My friend Hamish Elton took this from the 70th floor at Equinox restaurant in April 2016. Equinox is rated 48th out of 7,819 by TripAdvisor.

Spectacular at night

It’s difficult to decide what is more spectacular, night or day. The Equinox is on the 70th floor of the Swissotell The Stamford. Use this link to book a room and get a huge discount, you will probably pay around $215 usd.

Marina Bay Singapore Resort

The magnificent building is absolutely breathtaking.

Marina Bay Singapore Resort

Everything about Marina Bay Resort is on a grand scale.

Marina Bay Singapore Resort from the roof.

The view from the roof of Marina Bay Resort.

From Marina Bay Sands Resort.

Singapore’s ever changing skyline.

Visit this magnificent building

It really is special.

Marina Bay Singapore at night

Always spectacular and breathtaking, many thanks to my lovely friend Benjamina for this & the next photo.

A beautiful building

Another colour change to keep us entertained.

Time for a laser show.

Many thanks to my friend Hamish Elton for these laser shots.

Is there a better pool anywhere in the world?

Wonderful by day and fabulous by night.

Marina Bay Sands rooftop infinity pool, Singapore.

Watch this video on YouTube

Thanks for visiting

I hope you enjoyed my Marina Bay Singapore photo blog.

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For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.

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through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Free Cancellation.

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Sydney Harbour

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Singapore safe exciting city.

July 11, 2013 by David Herd

Singapore, home of the Chili Crab.

Singapore safe exciting city, and one of the cleanest cities on the planet, and the food is to die for. The monster chili crab above weighs 3.5 kilo and comes from Sri Lanka. I used to catch these delicacies from my jetty on the Gold Coast in Australia, and the biggest I ever caught was just under 2 kilo, no comparison to these monsters. If you are looking for an exciting safe city with great food and a fantastic skyline Singapore is the place for you.

Live seafood, it can’t get any fresher than this.

Live seafood in Singapore, it can’t get any fresher than this. Here is my friend Steve Bates examining the catch.

Boat Quay Singapore

Super travel tip. Ask the taxi driver to take you to Boat Quay, there are 30 to 40 restaurants beside the river, don’t be afraid to bargain a little on the price of the crab and the wine.

View from Boat Quay

Sitting here at sunset sipping a cold beer, life does not get much better than this.

Boat Quay, best Chilli crab in the world.

There must be 50 restaurants here offering live seafood, don’t forget to haggle over the price.

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River, purpose-built to be the centre for performing arts for Singapore. Apart from the shows, Singaporeans usually visit the Esplanade for its scenic outdoor view. It overlooks the Singapore river and is in between the Singapore Flyer and Merlion park, making for a good stroll around the vicinity. River ferries stops have been added recently, enhancing its accessibility.

Newton Circus.

The food centre was promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as a tourist attraction for sampling Singaporean cuisine. It was first opened in 1971 and it closed down in 2005 as the government wanted to revamp the food centre. The food centre then went through a major renovation before reopening on 1 July 2006.

Parkview Square wine angel.

The “wine angel” at Parkview Square is lifted 6 meters into the air to retrieve your wine selection. A nice quiet bar to enjoy a drink in this well known office block.

Your wine sir. 😛

Not to sure whether Duncan is checking out the wine or the angel. 🙂

One of the safest, cleanest cities in the world.

Singapore is the world’s fourth-leading financial centre, and its port is one of the five busiest ports in the world. Over five million people live in Singapore, of which 2.91 million were born locally. The population is highly diverse; the majority are Chinese with almost 75% of the total population, while Malays and Indians forming significant minorities. Reflecting this diversity, the country has four official languages: English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil.

The Singapore lion closeup.

One of Singapore’s many iconic landmarks.

Marina Bay Sands Resort

This is the fabulous infinity pool at Ku Da Ta, the restaurant on top of Marina Bay Sands Resort, the hotel is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is the world’s most expensive standalone Casino property at $8 billion, including cost of the prime land.

Marina Bay Sands Resort

The magnificent building is absolutely breathtaking.

Marina Bay Sands Resort

This view is from The Fullerton Bay Hotel. Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is the world’s most expensive building, at US$ 5.7 billion, including the cost of the prime land.

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