Long lunch Bistro Pattaya was a 5 hour session including 3 bottles of red wine. We should had have the brains to stop at 3 but by then common sense went out the window. 🙂 My entre above is fairly easy to pick, prawns & avocado for B320, or $14 AUD. My friend Mark Yagalla hade the mixed platter of cheese & cold cuts for B480, or $21 AUD.
Italian red wine
From Collio in Italy, very smooth indeed at B1,750, or $77 AUD.
Grilled Australian Wagyu
Mark ordered this very tender Australian steak priced at B790, or $35 AUD.
Pork brawn
Instead of a main course I ordered a 2nd entree for just under $10 AUD.
Second bottle of red was a Pinot Noir
AOC Valais 2017 from Switzerland, priced at B1850, or $81 AUD.
Time for desert
Caramel custard was very good at B180, by now however I’m starting to slow down. 🙂
Chocolate mousse for Mark
Looks good & priced at B240, or $10.50 AUD.
Things are starting to get messy
Mark said “hang the expense” lets order another bottle of red. This ridiculous idea certainly guarantees us entry into the “Idiots R us” Club. 🙂 It was a 316 Traluna Toscana for B1,180, or $52 AUD & it was a little disappointing, or perhaps we were too drunk to know the difference. 🙂
Here is the story of our 5 hour marathon lunch.
A lazy $320 AUD, well, after all Xmas only comes once a year. 🙂
Thanks for visiting my Long lunch Bistro Pattaya photo blog. Here is a LINK to an earlier Bistro Blog.
L’Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya has recently moved from Pratumnack Hill to 3rd road so I figured it was time to see if it lives up to TripAdvisor’s rating of 127 out of 1,433 restaurants in Pattaya.
Oysters from France
Quite large & tasty, B890 or $40 AUD for a dozen, however as of October 2021 the price is B590 or $23 AUD.
The fine de claire is for those who prefer a less fleshy oyster. These oysters are finished for several weeks in shallow clay ponds where they acquire a superior quality shell to oysters grown in the open sea.
It is during this process that the claires of the Marennes Oléron basin impart the subtleties of regional flavours.
This oyster is particularly appreciated by the consumer who prefers an oyster rich in water and balanced in flavour.
Good service & friendly staff
The owner regularly came out from the kitchen to check with all the customers that everything was quite OK.
Red wine from Chile
The house wine was good at B120 per glass or B240 for a 250 ml small carafe. I managed to put away 1/2 a litre. 🙂
L’Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya, the Sunday special
Consists of cheese & cold cuts, I will most certainly visit on a Sunday in the near future.
More of the Sunday special
A terrific variety.
4 course lunch menu
Great value at B390 or $12.50 USD.
Terrine
Served with gherkin & fresh bread.
Assorted cold cuts
A nice way to start what was to be a great value lunch.
Lasagne to die for. 🙂
Slow cooked lamb with carrots or mashed potato
The lamb was very tender indeed & the carrots were superb. 🙂
Piece de resistance
We both thought the Creme Brûlée was magnificent.
L’Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya
I took a motorbike taxi both ways from Markland in Soi 1 2nd Road for B80 each way.
Oysters on special January 2022
Fine de Claire oysters from France for only B590 or $23 AUD.
The world is my oyster
I can totally relate to this famous saying which means that you can achieve anything you wish in life, or go anywhere because you have the opportunity or ability to do so. On another level I have eaten oysters all over this wonderful planet called Earth. To check out my adventures please follow THIS LINK.
Contact number.
The restaurant is quite small so pre booking is the safest option. I was there on a Saturday evening & a few people were turned away. Another very good French restaurant in this neighborhood is Le Bordeaux, for more information just follow THIS LINK.
September 9 2022
Eating Gillardeau oysters with my friend Brad Robbins from Townsville in Australia.
Gillardeau no 3
Luckily the chef gave us a 50% discount with bought the price down to B9oo per dozen, or $36 AUD.
Nice decor, good food & service.
Thanks for visiting my L’Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya photo blog. I have written about 60 Pattaya restaurants, here is THE LINK to them.
Flashback, Sydenham Cellars was the name of my liquor store from 1980 to 1985. Situated in Unwins Bridge Road adjacent to Sydenham station. The photo above was my opening night in March 1980, the gorgeous girl Debbie Don who lived near me in Drummoyne.
A closer look at Debbie.
You must admit she is very easy on the eye. 🙂
The original shop
After three years I decided to renovate & sell the business.
Let the facelift begin
Here I am with my best friend Madison.
Flashback, Sydenham Cellars
Lucky for me my best friend & his brother Wolf Wotke & Hank were bricklayers.
What an improvement
Far too classy for a downtrodden suburb like Sydenham. 🙂
Madison’s favourite spot
Perched on top of a stack beer cartons in the middle of the shop, he scared the hell out of some of the customers. 🙂
Here he was at 6 weeks old
My ex girlfriend Carol Aboud decided I needed a watch dog. 🙂
This is how it looked around 2001
A wholesale clothing shop.
I owned the business for 4 years & amassed losses of around $150,000 due to the council closing the road for 3 months each year for various roadworks.
This really destroyed any chance of me making a profit. Plus my clients were mainly purchasing cases of beer & cheap flagons of wine, both of which had very small profit margins. Looking back I should have done my homework on the demographics.
However it was not all bad news, I enjoyed a terrific lifestyle during these four years, I only worked 3 or 4 days a week & enjoyed myself the rest of the time on Sydney harbour in my 25′ Bertram. Check out my life in 1983.
Say no more, wink wink, nudge nudge.
Life was very good as you can clearly see. 🙂
I also spent 3 months in California in 1982 while my brother Warren & auntie Dorothy looked after the store. The real upside was the decision I made at the beginning to buy the actual property, the profit when I sold was about $160,000, tax free because it was before 1984.
Kamimura Michelin Starred Restaurant is located in Niseko Hokkaido, Japan’s premier ski resort. The owner/chef is Yuichi Kamimura spent his early years in his parents’ restaurant. Finally when he met renowned chef Tetsuya Wakuda in Sydney, he became fascinated by both Testuya’s culinary philosophy and proficiency.
Take plenty of money. 🙂
My good friend Hamish Elton & his colleague Paul Elmsie are not shy about spending a fortune on food & wine. They enjoyed the 11 course degustation menu with the appropriate wines for a mere 63,000 Yen, or $850 AUD.
Chef’s Degustation18,000 yen per person
The menu is a chef’s ‘Omakase’ tasting menu, as a showcase of Hokkaido ingredients and challenging to some new tastes, exploring the treasure of food.
Such a romantic setting
Hamis, what a shame it was just you & Paul. 🙂
Strawberry & black pepper tart
Hamish took most of these photos on his Google Pixel 3 phone, thus the high quality. I’m only guessing the names of certain dishes so I could be wrong.
I have no idea which dish this is….
I’ll have to see if Hamish can remember.
I’m betting this is the Wagyu
Plus I bet it tastes sensational.
How good does this look
If it tastes half as good as it looks it will be terrific. 🙂
Quite a small serving
Lucky there are eleven dishes in total. 🙂
The magical mystery tour continues
Works of art everyone of them.
Could this be the pumpkin ravioli?
Your guess is as good as mine. 🙂
Another mystery dish
My apoligies for not knowing the correct names.
Kamimura Michelin Starred
Thanks for visiting my Kamimura Michelin Starred restaurant photo blog. Before you go please check out. Sushi Kato.
Wine Connection Beach Rd Pattaya has finally arrived in our city by the bay. Opened November 28 2018 & a friend & I dined there the following day.
Welcome to Wine Connection
A nice warm welcome awaits your arrival. 🙂
Relaxed friendly atmosphere
The restaurant is quite large, I’m guessing it would seat 100 people.
This is what makes Wine Connection different & unique.
The wine cellar is part of the restaurant & you can browse & select your bottle to enjoy with dinner. As you can see there are wines from all over the world starting at a low B500 or $15 USD, which is good value in Thailand where wine prices are ridiculously high.
Australians are so lucky they can buy very good low price wine for $4 Aud or $3 USD. Just last year Coles took home the title ofbest wine under $20 from Australia and New Zealandat the Winestate Wine of the Year Awards, with their $5 James Busby Big & Bold Shiraz 2015.
Recently an $8 Aldi rose was named one of the best in the world — catch was you couldn’t get it in Australia.
However another Aldi wine has won big at the Melbourne International Wine competition & a bottle is going to set you back only $6.99! Here is a selection of their best wines for under $10 AUD.
The guys behind the bar are ready & eager to look after you.
We found all the staff here were eager to please & very friendly indeed.
Spanish Style Gambas.
My favourite dish at Wine Connection, cooked to perfection. 🙂
Caesar salad was excellent.
The two entrees above are the perfect way to start a meal. 🙂
Wine Connection Beach Rd Duck Confit
Another excellent dish, Duck confit is duck that has been cured with salt and then gently cooked in its own fat. The duck emerges meltingly tender with a rich, slightly salty but mellow flavor—there’s nothing quite like it. Traditionally, the whole duck is used for confit.
La pièce de résistance
A 200 gram grilled Australian tenderloin cooked to perfection.
To finish I had the Cream Crème brûlée & my friend Ron Rigg from Hawaii had the chocolate cake.
Crème brûlée, also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream, is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a texturally contrasting layer of hardened caramelized sugar. It is normally served slightly chilled; the heat from the caramelizing process tends to warm the custard producing a cool center. Wikipedia
Here is a story that fits the theory of “six degrees of separation”, Eugene Chew was here from Wine Connection head office in Bangkok & he generously gave us complimentary deserts. We were chatting about various subjects & my friend Ron Riggs who lives in Hawaii told Eugene he grew up in Manchester Michigan. Here is the surprise, it turns out Eugene was also born & raised in Midland Michigan only 2 hours north of Manchester.
Also he went to college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor which is only 30 minutes from Manchester, what are the odds? 🙂
Manchester to Midland
Thanks for visiting my Wine Connection Beach Rd Pattaya photo blog. I have also had the pleasure of dining in several of their Bangkok restaurants as well as Koh Samui.
Wine Connection Central World Bangkok is called the Grill at the Groove, & is ideally located in the best location in Ratchaprasong district, this central business district is easily accessible via three different Skywalk links between BTS Siam station and BTS Chitlom Station.
Each Wine Connection restaurant has a liquor store where you can purchase wines from all over the world at very reasonable prices.
Secret cities worth visiting, well actually they are not all cities & not all secret, but they are all worth visiting. These are places mostly off the beaten track, places that many people may not have heard of.
Above is The lovely French village of Breil-sur-Roya which is particularly known for trout fishing. The Roya river runs through town and is open to trout anglers from March to September. Located in the mountains near the Italian border just north of the French Riviera.
Breil-sur-Roya
French and Italian rail lines run through Breil so it is very easy to travel anywhere. There is a great market every Friday at Ventimiglia on the border 30 minutes drive or 20 minutes by train from Breil.
Talking about Italy
In the Middle Ages and Renaissance era, San Gimignanowas a stopping point for Catholic pilgrims on their way to Rome and the Vatican, as it sits on the medieval Via Francigena. The city’s development was also improved by the trade of agricultural products from the fertile neighbouring hills, in particular saffron, used in both cooking and dyeing cloth and Vernaccia wine, said to inspire popes and poets.
Secret cities worth visiting include San Gimignano
San Gimignano is famous for its Medieval village architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls form “an unforgettable skyline”
Have you ever heard of Florianopolis?
Most people outside of South America have not heard of this fabulous city which currently has an estimated population of 420,000 people. The GreaterFlorianopolis Metro area is home to about 1 million people. Florianopolis is a wonderful Brazilian city which should go on the bucket list for anyone intending to visit this wonderful country.
Friendly people who love to party.
January 11, 2009. Newsweek placed Florianópolis in the “Ten most dynamic cities of the world” list in 2006. Veja magazine, a Brazilian publication, named the city as “the best place to live in Brazil.
Kagoshima Japan
Active Volcano Kagoshima Japan Sakurajimahad been peaceful since 2013 until July 2016, then suddenly plumes of smoke, cracks of lighting and a flow of lava came bellowing out of Japan’s Mount Sakruajima in July 2016. Located in a scenic bay on the southern island of Kyushu, this 1,117 meter high volcano has been a sleeping giant for the past three years prior to this fiery spectacle. The incident took place at 12:02 am on Tuesday at the mountain’s Showa crater, which resulted in a 5,000 meter high column of ash – but officials say no fatalities have been reported. Credit to STACY LIBERATORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Read about it here.
Fabulous food
One of the many reasons I visit Japan often is the fabulous food. A village near the railway station is called Kagomma Furusato Yataimura. There are about 25 small restaurants that seat only 8 or 10 people.
Forster Tuncurry east coast Australia
A population of over 18,000 people it is a holiday destination for many Sydney people who are only a 4 hour drive away.
A great area for fishing & boating.
At the Northern tip of the Great Lakes, these twin towns are where Wallis Lake meets the ocean. The twin townships are surrounded by National Parks and feature majestic headlands and long secluded beaches. Boating, fishing, diving, paddling, cruises, whale watching and coastal walks combine with galleries, unique shopping and award-winning restaurants to create an experience rich coastal destination.
Thailand Beach Resort Mae Pim on the gulf of Thailand is only ninety minutes by car east of Pattaya, and 2 hours south of Bangkok. Beautiful white sand and clean water, and so quiet and peaceful.
Secret cities worth visiting
Lots of great Thai food & seafood in Mae Pim.
Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina
It’s known for the iconic Stari Most (Old Bridge), a reconstructed medieval arched bridge. The nearby alleys are full of shops and market stalls, and the Old Bridge Museum explores the bridge’s long history. More on THIS LINK.
Cevapcici, the best I have ever had.
Cevapi, or Cevapcici, are homemade sausages traditional of the Balkans area.
Thanks for checking out my Secret cities worth visiting photo blog, drop me a line if you need any information.
Pattaya Hilton Buffet Edge Restaurant is a wonderful dining experience particularly on Sunday. It is in direct competition with the fabulous Mantra at the Amari hotel. Further on in this review I will endeavour to make comparisons between the two.
Fresh seafood
Fresh seafood is of course the star of the show, however there are many more special offerings guaranteed to delight you.
An impressive choice of Oysters
There are 4 or 5 variety to choose, mainly from France.
My first course
Oysters, crab, prawns, caviar & fresh white bread, I always find it difficult to get past the seafood counter. 🙂
Did I mention caviar?
Certainly one of my favourite delicacies, salmon Roe.
Lots of sushi & sashimi
As I said before, it’s hard to get past the fresh seafood. 🙂
Sushi
Too much sushi is never enough. 🙂
I travel to Japan every year and the Hilton sushi is certainly high quality.
Outside seating
Catering for smokers & those who want to get closer to the view.
Funnily enough the six baskets contain 6 different variety of Chinese buns, a little bit of overkill I feel. I would much prefer to see some Shumei & prawn dumplings similar to what’s on the menu at the Mantra.
BBQ seafood station
You really need a big appetite to cope with this fabulous buffet.
Hardworking chefs
This is one of my favourite photos from Pattaya Hilton Buffet Edge Restaurant.
Pizza
No matter what you fancy it is all here. 🙂
The Bakery
The bread here is excellent.
An excellent cheese selection
Pattaya Hilton Buffet Edge Restaurant I was at Pattaya Hilton Buffet Edge Restaurant on Sunday February 19, & sadly I overindulged & could not fit in any cheese. 🙂
An amazing choice of deserts to finish.
Put this great buffet on your list, & many thanks for visiting my Pattaya Hilton Edge Restaurant photo blog.
I have given a lot of thought to which is the best buffet, the Hilton (with the salmon caviar) or the Mantra (with the Alaskan crab), & the verdict is Mantra by a short 1/2 crab claw. 🙂
However I have noticed they now serve the clawless variety of Alaskan crab, please Mantra bring back the claws. 🙂
Bangkok Koh Samui Wine Bistro chain of restaurants has quickly become one of my favourite places to eat in Thailand. Excellent food and a great selection of wine at reasonable prices.
Beside Sala Daeng Sky Train station
Located in the basement of the Silom Complex right below Starbucks.
We only spent 4 nights in Koh Samui and chose to eat here twice.
Low cost wine
They offer a wonderful selection of wine from all over the world at liquor store prices. Our red wine from Chile was a bargain B650.
The chain I’m told is owned by a French group, I only wish they would open a branch in Pattaya. Hallelujah on November 28 2018 they opened at Royal Gardens in Beach Rd Pattaya. See for yourself on THIS LINK.
Lamb shank at the Wine Connection.
The food choices are extensive, lots of terrines a a big range of pasta.
Bangkok Koh Samui Wine Bistro
Thanks for visiting my Bangkok Koh Samui Wine Bistro photo blog, there are also branches in Phuket& Chiang Mai.
Check out the fabulous new Pattaya branch on THIS LINK.
When I’m in Bangkok I like to stay in Sukhumvit Soi 11, here is an excellent budget hotel, if you USE THIS LINKyou will get a great rate of around B1100 per night, or $30 USD around B1100 pn.
This is not a travel blog just my personal photo collection from the 2nd half of 2016.
Another birthday rolls around July 7.
Loving Pattaya life 2016
Loving Pattaya life 2016 has seen me spend all year here, the quietest travel year I have had this century. I over spent in the last 2 or 3 years so I thought I should pull my horns in. 🙂
I spent 5 days in Koh Samui in June, 2 weeks in Australia in August and a great trip to Japan in October.
Some of the usual suspects
Greg, Hamish & John helped me celebrate at the Mantra.
A year living in Pattaya seems like about 6 months, time just seems to fly.
Great beach shot August 4th at 7am
All the boats are waiting for the hordes of Chinese tourists.
And here they come in their thousands
The buses roll into Beach Road of a morning and the tourists flock to the boats.
Tony & Nikki Murphy at Signature Steak & Seafood.
The Murphy’s spent a week in Pattaya then 3 nights in Mae Pim before flying back to Australia.
Visitors from San Diego
It was great to catch up with Paul, Eileen, Parker & Elle in Pattaya as part of their 9 week Asian holiday with included Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Samet & Danang.
Seagulls in Pattaya?
Here is a sculpture on Beach Rd showing a flock of seagulls, yet to this day I have never seen a seagull in Pattaya. 🙂
Here comes the rain
I love seeing the black clouds roll in over Pattaya.
Steve is a great mate of Larry’s from the Gold Coast. Terrific news for movie goers which vastly overshadows the recent Brangelina bullshit, the “odd couple” Larry Krausz & Steven Reade have been signed by BangBros, the largest porn studio in the world, to star in a remake of the 1988 movie Twins, which stared Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. See if you can pick who will play DeVito. 🙂
The more thigs change the more they stay the same
After many years the Cherry bar on Soi 3 & 2nd Rd has been sold and is now Billabong 2.
When can we have some fun?
Every night you go out in Pattaya the fun starts.
For a discounted hotel rate with free WiFi in Pattaya or anywhere in the world, just book through THIS LINK
Starbucks
Opened in September at the “Bay” which is between Soi 5 & 6 on Beach Rd.
Good coffee & happy staff
They are the first to open at the Bay, next will be McDonalds.
Stunning November sunset
So many great sunsets from my balcony.
My new home
On November 1st after 4.5 years I moved from the 17th floor in Markland to the 20th, does that mean I coming up in the world?
The usual suspects
Jim’s Burgers is a great place for a casual dinner with friends, I’m with Hamish, Jonathon & Matt.
Delicious
Lots of varieties & you can order small or large.
One of my massage girls
Used to be a waitress in Chamiko in Soi 3, now she works at a massage parlour in Soi 3 & sometimes gives me a reasonable foot massage.
Spectacular clouds over Koh Larn
These days I seem to be obsessed with taking photos of clouds & sunsets. 🙂
October in Japan
I m with my friend Kayo in a Spanish restaurant in Tokyo. I purchased a two week ticket on the Shinkansen or bullet train, then after 3 nights in Tokyo I travelled to 6 interesting Japanese cities, includung Kanazawa, Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Nagasaki & Fukuoka.
I arrived back in Pattaya on Ocober 28th & the following day my good friend Larry Krausz was rushed to Bangkok Pattaya hospital after suffering a major stroke, now 5 weeks later on December 5th he is still in a serious condition in the intensive care ward.
Ross & Bryce arrive from Australia
The boys came over for a few days to visit Larry.
Centara Grand
After a couple of cold beers at Centara Grand and a Pattaya cop working security wanted to throw us out. I lay the blame 100% on Pothole aka John David Martin who was dressed like a local bum & showing off his silly tattoos. 🙂
Pothole & sons + Kayo.
Tate is Pothole’s eldest son, he arrived in Thailand from Australia to celebrate Xmas & to meet his 2 half brothers Tyrone & Tiger. Notice for some strange reason known only to Pothole, all his children including daughter Tamara have to have a first name starting with the letter T. Just another one of his many offbeat strange quirks. 🙂 The lovely Japanese girl in the photo is my friend Kayo from Tokyo.
Shopping for a dress in Soi 6
Even though Soi 6 is one of the wildest streets in Pattaya there is still time for some quiet shopping. 🙂
Soi Diana redhead.
A very sweet girl from Area 51, no wonder I’m Loving Pattaya life 2016′
On the subject of Soi 6
Here is Geoff from Australia, a fanatical Soi 6 supporter. We are at Leckerle in Soi 33 Naklua with his ex fiance Nana for a terrific meal & lots of wine.
Xmas Day with Geoff & Nana
We started with a bottle of French Champagne on my balcony.
Lunch at Surf & Turf & Loving Pattaya life 2016
A great location on the beach at Wongamat. Kayo flew from Tokyo to spend 10 days in Thailand before heading to Australia.
Two nights in Bangkok
December 29th took Pothole & Yogurt to Cheap Charles before checking out Brewski a new sky bar at the Radisson Blu.
New Years Eve in Pattaya
Steve “Jumbo” Reade having a ball at the Atlantic Bar & Loving Pattaya life 2016.
Atlantic girls
They all looked terrific, dressed to kill. 🙂
Meet the gorgeous Katie.
A very happy lady from Billabong 2.
Here’s Pothole dressed in his Jaffa outfit.
Anything to attract attention. 🙂
Farewell to an old friend
Larry Krausz, a friend for around 30 years suffered a major stroke on October 28. After 2 months in the Bangkok Pattaya hospital on life support he was transported to Australia by a hospital Leer jet, thanks to his Medibank travel insurance. After a month his life support was removed & he passed away peacefully.
It’s now 2017 and here is Glenn Frey to tell you exactly how I feel today.
For a discounted hotel rate with free WiFi in Pattaya or anywhere in the world, just book through THIS LINK
From Collio in Italy, very smooth indeed at B1,750, or $77 AUD.
Mark ordered this very tender Australian steak priced at B790, or $35 AUD.
Instead of a main course I ordered a 2nd entree for just under $10 AUD.
AOC Valais 2017 from Switzerland, priced at B1850, or $81 AUD.
Caramel custard was very good at B180, by now however I’m starting to slow down. 🙂
Looks good & priced at B240, or $10.50 AUD.
Mark said “hang the expense” lets order another bottle of red. This ridiculous idea certainly guarantees us entry into the “Idiots R us” Club. 🙂 It was a 316 Traluna Toscana for B1,180, or $52 AUD & it was a little disappointing, or perhaps we were too drunk to know the difference. 🙂
A lazy $320 AUD, well, after all Xmas only comes once a year. 🙂
