MK restaurants great value at a very reasonable price. You will find them in most shopping malls, in fact there are 3 within 6 minutes walk from my condo on Beach Rd Pattaya. The one I visit most is at Central Marina.
My favourite soup
Prawn dumplings, noodles & BBQ pork, delicious.
Terrific Dim Sum
It’s December 2021 & I have eaten the same 3 dishes twice in the last 4 days at Central Marina. Shumei, prawn dumplings & BBQ pork buns.
Another of my favourite selections
Braised beef & vegetables.
MK restaurants great value with low cost food
There is an excellent range of Dim Sum & prices are very low as you can clearly see. 🙂 Even with the low prices the food quality is very high, as is the service.
Promotion
There always seems to be a promotion, I find it hard to believe all of the above is only B210, or $8 AUD.
Another look at the soup
It really is delicious, from memory it costs about B106 or $4 AUD. I’m getting hungry just looking at it. 🙂
Another triple treat
Cost for these 3 is about $7 AUD or B 180. It’s hard to find a restaurant in Pattaya which is better value than MK restaurant.
These are favourites
Prawn dumplings & crab shumei, a perfect pair, even the carrot they sit on is very tasty. 🙂 The good news is, you will find an MK restaurant in nearly every major shopping mall in Thailand.
Thanks for visiting my MK restaurants great value photo blog, as you have probably gathered most of my blogs are all about food. 🙂
Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants which are so authentic you will think you are in Osaka. There are several branches in Bangkok & one in Pattaya, the Asoke branch is ranked by TripAdvisor # 866 of 10,352 restaurants in Bangkok.
Pattaya branch
I prefer to sit upstairs.
Location
Opposite the Mike Hotel in 2nd road, +66 33 036 369.
Now for the food
On my first visit in 2017 I ordered two of my favourite dishes, salmon caviar & Unagi or Japanese eel.
Shakariki 432 great Japanese restaurants
Hard to fault the food at this noisy authentic Japanese restaurant.
How good is this?
Is it any wonder this is now one of my favourite restaurants along with Genki in Soi 4North Pattaya.
Is there a better beer than Asahi?
I don’t think so, the Belgium beers are great but my pick is Asahi. 🙂
Fabulous colour combination
And what a taste, perfect.
Salmon Caviar washed down with Asahi.
As good as it gets. Plus they have a special on liquor, all you can drink in 90 minutes for B299.
Home delivery is a great idea.
The restaurant is two floors, upstairs is better.
Shakariki 432 great Japanese restaurants
Dinner with friends February 21 2018. Hamish, Jonathon & Anne.
How good do these oysters look? Photo credit Nick & Sharon. 🙂
Absolutely mouth watering.
Have I convinced you?
Just trust me & try out this great little hole in the wall & you will feel like you have been transported to Osaka. In fact follow THE LINK for one of my Osaka photo blogs.
Meanwhile thanks for visiting my Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants photo blog. I will be back in Japan in May 2018, here is my agenda.
I first visited this iconic bar on New Years Day 1982, 35 years ago. The reason I am so sure of the date is it was the day after my unforgettable NYE on Sydney harbour with my overloaded boat being showered by sky rockets.
O’Malleys on Cavil Avenue
After Melbas we wandered down to O’Malleys to have a couple more drinks and watch the rugby league.
The view from O’Malleys
Overlooking the famous Surfers Paradise Beach.
Great week Surfers Paradise in Cavill Avenue, what a terrific poster.
That photo is always going to grab my attention. 🙂
The Avenue in a new location
The Avenue moved across the road to make way for a new property development.
Orchard Avenue Surfers Paradise
Certainly on of the most famous streets in Surfers Paradise.
Costa D’oro restaurant
I can remember eating at this restaurant over 35 years ago.
Corner of Orchard & the Gold Coast Highway
You can clearly see the light rail tracks that stretch from Helensvale to Broadbeach.
Certainly one of the highlights of my trip.
Caught up with Karen Greenwood an old girlfriend from 1991, 26 years ago. As you can see see still looks fantastic. 🙂 So many terrific memories came flooding back, it certainly made it a Great week Surfers Paradise Australia. We are at Franks seafood café on Chevron Island.
Here we are 26 years ago.
I could’t resist posting this photo from 1991.
Fabulous breakfast
Green Days restaurant on the corner of Bundall Rd & Ashmore Rd offer my favourite breakfast.
Green Days restaurant
It is difficult not to feel totally relaxed here. Open for lunch every day & dinner Friday & Saturday.
Two of my best friends
Ross Kennedy & Bryan Dart are two very old friends, we met for a few drinks at the Benowa Tavern.
Talking about old friends
Here are two of my oldest friends, both in years I have known them & years they have been on this planet. Tony Murphy aka Murph the surf & David Robertson aka Chocolates.
Back to Rossco and his new home.
Paradise waters is now home for the Kennedy’s.
They plan to pull it down & re-build
A wonderful location with beautiful water views.
Last but not least the Legendary Lloyd Ross.
Caught up briefly with Lloyd & hope to see him in Thailand soon.
Thanks for visiting my Great week Surfers Paradise Australia photo blog.
Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980 and 81 living on the waterfront in Drummoyne with the view you see in the header on this post. I drove a white Mercedes Sports, had my Bertram 25 moored in front of my apartment, and a liquor store in Sydenham, quite a few good friends and a long line of beautiful girlfriends, life was very close to perfect. The Watsons Bay hotel shown above was one of my regular haunts as was Doyles restaurant. It’s a great place to stay when in Sydney, for an excellent room rate just book through THIS LINK.
This is not part of my Travel Blog. It’s part of my personal history, check it out if you wish.
My boat
I had an absolute perfect mooring right outside my apartment, it was so much fun on Sydney harbour visiting all the great beaches & restaurants. They really were Great years Sydney 1980 to January 1987 when I pulled up stakes and moved to the Gold Coast.
Smooth operator
It seemed the parties and drinks never stopped at my Drummoyne apartment, life was very good indeed.
Jeff and Debbie Don
Gorgeous Debbie & party animal Jeff, another smooth operator.
Sade - Smooth Operator - Official - 1984
The party never stopped
Looking back to my 6 years at Drummoyne I feel I made a serious mistake getting engaged and moving to Newport. My decision was based on a particular mindset we grew up with, eventually we all should settle down, marry & have children. In hindsight I now know that’s OK for the majority of people, but not everybody, & I’m certainly in the category of “not everybody”. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Talking about being engaged, here is my future fiancee in 1981
Karen Smith and Dirk Kammerling were an item for several years until her and I started going out in 1984 which led to our engagement.
Karen & I in 1981
Who would have thought in 3 years we would be engaged and living together at Newport?
Castle Cove 1980
Two of the girls here were sisters, Carmen & Antionette Sherry, plus my good friend Rob Symonds and Peter H.
Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980 included Carmen & Antoinette
Decorating my XJ 6 in 1980.
Antoinette Sherry
What a beautiful redhead. 🙂
Here are some of the usual suspects
John Malouf, Peter Singleton and Dennis Moran at another one of my Drummoyne gatherings.
Joanne Barrett came 3rd in Miss Universe 1969
What a beautiful face, is it any wonder she was 3rd in the Miss Universe?
Singapore 1980
Some people who have seen this photo have been cruel enough to suggest that I looked like a Miami drug dealer, and here was I thinking I was just a very cool dude. 🙂
Rob Symonds & I in Singapore 1980
Rob & I had a great trip to Manilla, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Pattaya and Singapore. This was when I first got hooked on Thailand, little did I realise 31 years later I would move there permanently. Take a look at my photo blog, just follow THIS LINK.
Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980, the blondes are here
That’s Teresa on the left sitting at my bar, and I can’t believe that I have forgotten the name of the other beautiful creature. 🙂
Here is the beautiful anonymous blonde as a redhead
Now is that a fantastic face or what?
When can I start having fun?
Right about now I would say, in fact I clearly remember a ménage à trois with two of these gorgeous babes. 🙂
Tall gorgeous redhead
Her name was Louise and we had a brief fling, Antoinette & I are checking her prowess on the BBQ. She knew how to handle a sausage. 🙂
I told you she was gorgeous
An absolute knockout.
Two more knockouts, Kerry & Terry
Two of my favourite Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980.
Shirley Jones 1980
Shirley was an air hostess for TAA which does not exist anymore. She & Debbie Don were flatmates who lived around the corner in Drummoyne ave and came to most of my parties. Compare us in the following photo. 🙂
After many hours of booze
At the end of the day decorum would go out the window. 🙂
Another Shirley
This Shirley worked for Stripper-gram, we used to go out together occasionally. A very funny thing happened at my Dad’s retirement party, he had worked for Berger paints for 46 years. We were celebrating at what was then the Silverwater Businessman’s Club, in came a gorgeous girl in a bikini, draped in feathers, and proceeded with her well-practised routine.
The shocked look on my mother’s face had nothing to do with the girl sitting on Dad’s knee, it was when she walked over to our table and said to me, “hi David, nice to see you, when are we going out on your boat again”? Yes, it was Shirley, somebody had hired a stripper-gram for him. 🙂
This was Vickie in 1980
The long line of Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980 continues, it seemed there were so many babes and such little time. 🙂
Carol Aboud the ultimate party girl
Even though Carol was the mother of four young children she was the ultimate party girl. Part of a wealthy eastern suburbs family, her father was the managing director of Century batteries & in his eyes she could do no wrong.
We really had some great times together over a four year period, although it was one of those on & off relationships that ran into quite a few road blocks along the way.
Talking about party animals
This is Roger “Ramjet” Williams who could always be relied upon to put on a show. Two of his party tricks were drinking a Bloody Mary containing 1/2 a bottle of Tabasco sauce. If a normal person had one sip it would set your mouth on fire. His 2nd trick was to take a raw onion and eat it like an apple, this man obviously had no taste buds. 🙂
A Mexican bandit? No it’s Chris Adams
One of the Adelaide guys I knocked around with when I lived there in 72 to 74, Chris wound up in Sydney then I lost track of him. I have always had a knack of giving people nicknames that seemed to stick with them, in Chris’s case his name was “The Mouth”. 🙂
Another Shirley, Xmas 1981
A gorgeous little girl from the eastern suburbs who had a wealthy father and lived at Darling Point.
Ron Walsh from Broken Hill with Donna.
Ron was a close friend for many years, he owned the Retravision store in Broken Hill and would find any excuse to visit me when I lived in Adelaide, we had some wonderful fun times together.
Debbie Secombe another of the Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980
Debbie a cool Aussie chick who worked at the Manilla Playboy Club for a few years before turning up at one of my famous parties.
Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980, Di Parkinson Xmas 1981
Di was one of the most beautiful ladies I ever knew, also one of the craziest. No woman has caused me more problems in my life than this one. Apart from all that we had many great times together during the last 10 years.
One of the great nights of my life, and one of the best NYEs of my life, we overloaded my boat with 16 people and headed off to a seafood restaurant at “the Spit” for dinner before heading to the Opera House for the incredible fireworks. My girlfriend for the night was the gorgeous one in the middle, very unusual that I can’t remember her name.
I considered Wolf Wottke my best friend since we met in Adelaide in 1973, that friendship continued until I moved to Newport in 1984, sadly after that it was never the same.
Sydenham Cellars grand opening 1980 featuring Debbie Don.
In the 4 years I owned my liquor store I never really made too much money, 3 of those years the road was was closed for 3 or 4 months which effected my turnover rather badly. Luckily I had purchased the property and made a killing when I sold.
OK, one last look at Debbie.
She is certainly worth a look don’t you think?
Thanks for visiting my Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980 photo blog, what an era that was. No doubt at all 80, 81 & 82 were amazing years for living large & gorgeous ladies.
It’s now 2017 and here is Glenn Frey to tell you exactly how I feel today.
Great hotel rates here, just book through THIS LINK.
Great Buddha Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 13.35 meters, it is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan, surpassed only by the statue in Nara’sTodai-ji Temple. The weight is approximately 93 tonnes.
Kayo and Hamish
My friends taking selfies with the Great Buddha Kamakura.
Kotokuin Temple entrance
This was the third temple & shrine we visited today after getting the train from Tokyo to Kamakura, a journey that took a little over and hour.
I almost needed this guy
After all the walking I almost needed this guy. 🙂
Great Buddha Kamakura, old bridge
The old bridge surrounded by beautiful Japanese trees. This stone arched bridge in the old days used to be reserved
only for the Shogun’s use (others used the flat bridges). This sort of bridge is usually called a Taiko Bashi (drum bridge), since the reflection in the water makes it look like a drum.
Japanese tradition
The Chozuya (purification pavilion). Visitors wash their hands and rinse their mouths before entering the shrine.
Washing hands and mouth
We did wonder whether or not this may be a way to pass on germs to each other.
Buddhism originated in India in the 6th century BC. It consists of the teachings of the Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha. Of the main branches of Buddhism, it is the Mahayana or “Greater Vehicle” Buddhism which found its way to Japan.
Donations from Japanese business.
I have seen these displays at other temples and parks, they acknowledge support from various businesses.
Oh no, more stairs 🙂
After all the walking today I was not thrilled climbing the stairs to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.
This shrine was originally founded in 1063 and Burnt down in 1191, it was reconstructed as the shrine which we see today.
In March 2010, after standing next to the steps since just after the Shrine was established, the 1000-year-old Assassin Gingko was uprooted and fell in a storm. Part of the trunk and the stump itself were replanted, and are now growing new leaves, so it looks the fine old tree has survived.
Shrine at the top of the stairs
I was happily taking photos around the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine until a guard told me it was forbidden, luckily by then I had enough for this post.
Not sure of the significance
I never did find out the significance of all these labels. I can only guess they indicate support from various businesses and individuals.
Kotokuin Temple
In the peaceful grounds behind the Great Buddha Kamakura.
Down we go
We took the back stairs down to ground level.
Great Buddha Kamakura, happy shopkeepers
As soon as you raise your camera you are sure to get a smile.
Walking to Hase station
The Great Buddha Kamakura is located a 5-10 minute walk from Hase Station, the third station from Kamakura along the Enoden railway line. The Enoden is a streetcar-like train that connects Kamakura with Enoshima and Fujisawa. It is well worth taking the trip to Enoshima, the venue for the 2020 Olympics yachting.
Hase station
About a 30 minute train ride to Fujisawa.
Two Buddhas at Kamakura
Thanks for visiting my Great Buddha Kamakura post, in case you missed it take a look at Engaku-ji and also Kencho-ji.
A week before the above photo was taken I broke a front tooth eating a ham sandwich in Seoul Korea, I had to wait until I returned to Thailand to have it replaced. Most of the photos showing it I photo shopped but in this case I thought I would leave it as it was.
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.
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.
This is the view from Horizons the amazing rooftop bar. A great five star hotel located opposte the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate.
Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC New York starting with Japan, I’ll list the 5 countries in alphabetical order rather than by personal preference. The photo above is Shabusen at the Ginza A terrific restaurant for Kobe beef, go at lunch time for special prices. Check out my first post in this series here.
The train system is fantastic, from Tokyo it’s a 40 minute trip to Yokohama or 3 h0urs by bullet train to beautiful Kyoto.
One square meter of land in the Ginza center is worth more than ten million yen (more than 100,000 US dollars), making it one of the most expensive real estate in Japan. It is where you can find the infamous $10 cups of coffee and where virtually every leading brand name in fashion and cosmetics has a presence. To me Tokyo is all about food, food and more food, interestingly the Michelin guide has Tokyo comfortably ahead ofParis(10 three-starred restaurants), New York (7) and London (2), with a total of 350 establishments making it into the guide this time around.
Kabukicho is an entertainment and red-light district in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Kabukicho is the location of many host and hostess clubs, love hotels, shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, and is often called the “Sleepless Town.” Make sure you check out my post called “Piss Alley”.
I don’t know any other person who has travelled more than I during the last 20 years. Perhaps I can provide you with a few ideas on where to go for your next holiday.
Thailand
I sold my home in Australia October 20th 2011 and have have been living in Thailand since then. My first trip to this great country was in 1980, however it wasn’t until 1997 when I started visiting 2 or 3 times each year. In the early days Koh Samui was a favourite destination, however in my opinion progress has not improved the island, it was far better before all the modern gold shops etc moved in. These days I prefer Koh Chang near the Cambodian border & of course Bangkok is fantasticwith so many great bars, restaurants & shopping malls.
Chiang Mai tiger warning, the sign could not have been clearer. It was placed a metre from the cage which was at the rear of the zoo away from the other tiger enclosures. It simply said “danger, don’t go past this sign”. Looking back I have done many stupid things in my life and this certainly ranks highly in the “stupidity stakes.”
Naturally I ignored the warning and moved past the sign and put my camera lens through the wire to get a clear shot of the magnificent beast sitting quietly in the pond two meters from my lens. Within one second of taking the photo there seemed to be an explosion in front of me and suddenly I jumped backwards totally soaked with water.
I could barely hear my brother’s raucous laughter from several meters away due to the rapid beating of my heart. The 240 kilo beast had lept from the pond and hit the wire full force with all his four giant paws. My luck held as did the wire, which without exaggeration saved me from being torn to pieces.
I e-mailed the tiger zoo and inquired about this particular tiger. They told me his name was Tone, he weighed 240 kilo and was far too dangerous to allow the public to get close, he was just used for breeding.
United Kingdom part of my Travel tips five great countries photo blog.
So many places to see & so much history. I travel there most years making London my base, then visit cities & towns all over the country either by train or car. Apart from London some of my favourite places are Brighton, Bath,Glasgow & Bradford on Avon.The photo above is Gold Hill is a steep cobbled street in the town of Shaftesbury in the English county of Dorset.
Travel tips. Great Britain has an excellent rail service, save up to 80% by booking your ticket before you arrive, just click here. London Underground’s Piccadilly Line provides the most cost-effective rail route between Heathrow Airport and the capital, so look for accommodation around Earl’s Court, Gloucester Rd or Knightsbridge. For more information click here.
United States of America
Another huge country offering everything from snow capped mountains to desert, beaches & exciting cities. New York of course is everyone’s favourite however hotel costs are so expensive. I really enjoy Miami with the wonderful Cuban influence, but I must say the last time I was in San Francisco I was quite disappointed by the high numbers of beggars on the city streets.
Car hire and internal flights are reasonably inexpensive. In Los Angeles I always stay in Santa Monica where I enjoy the restaurants and Venus beach.
Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh Cityis Honda heaven, it is quite a shock when you see the number of motorbikes on the streets, crossing the road seems like a game of Russian roulette. My main memories of this wonderful country are the beautiful ladies and the terrific food. My first visit was twice in 2003 then 12 years later in January 2015. Halong Bay is a magical experience, make sure you stay overnight on one of the many boats, it’s an experience you will never forget. Vung Tau and Nha Trang are two of my favourites places in this great country.
Warning, when catching a taxi in Saigon stick with Vinasun or Mai Linh for clean honest low priced taxis. Many other companies are rip off merchants who will try to rob you.
Don’t under any circumstances use the company below.
Thanks for visiting my Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC photo blog.
Checkout some more of my terrific blogs on the links below.
This is the view from Horizons the amazing rooftop bar. A great five star hotel located opposte the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate.
Great Ocean Road Australia on the south coast of Victoria offers some of the most breathtaking spectacular scenery in the world. Look at the following photos to see what I mean.
Breathtaking scenery
I drove from Adelaide to Melbourne along the Great Ocean RoadAustralia in October 2014, I had driven this road once before in 1988.
Twelve Apostles in 1988
One of Australia’s best road trips.
In 2009, gone baby gone.
Now there are only 8 Apostles left. 🙂
Great Ocean Road Australia in 1998
Of course there were more Apostles back then. 🙂
The Twelve Apostles Great Ocean Road Australia
The Great Ocean Road officially starts at Torquay and travels 243 kilometres westward to finish at Allansford near Warrnambool, the largest city along the road.The road is two lane (one in each direction), and is covered by a speed limit changing between 80 kilometres per hour and 100 kilometres per hour Great Ocean Road as viewed from Teddy’s Lookout, south of Lorne The road is considered a tourist attraction in the area,in which much of the road hugs coastline affectionately known as the Surf Coast between Torquay and Cape Otway and the Shipwreck Coast further west of Cape Otway, providing visibility of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean. The road traverses rainforests, as well as beaches and cliffs composed of limestone and sandstone, which is susceptible to erosion.
The road travels via Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo Bay, and Port Campbell, the latter being notable for its natural limestone and sandstone rock formations including Loch Ard Gorge, The Grotto, London Arch and The Twelve Apostles. At the stretch of the Great Ocean Road nearer to Geelong, the road meanders along the coast, with tall, almost-vertical cliffs on the other side of it. Road signs put up along the road warn motorists of possible rockfalls, which have occurred before.
If you ever visit Australia put the Great Ocean Road on your bucket list.
Nice view on the Great Ocean Road
Certainly one of the best views I saw today. 🙂
A stunning view
It really does take your breath away. 🙂
Great Ocean Road Australia featuring The Arch
Another famous landmark.
London Bridge
When I last drove this road in 1988 London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road was one piece, some years later the middle collapsed as you can clearly see.
London Bridge 1988
I consider myself very lucky to have seen the bridge intact.
London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road
Now you see it, now you don’t.
Here is one of my favourite travel stories, I’m guessing the conversation went something like this, “gee Dave do you think it’s safe to go out there?” “Of course it is, what could possibly go wrong Kelli? This has been standing here for millions of years. It was the 15th of January 1990 & just as they got to the end of the bridge it collapsed behind them, they were later rescued by police helicopter.
Great Ocean Road Australia
Australia has many wonderful landscapes, none better than this.
Great Ocean Road Australia near London Bridge
I imaging this coastline looked the same hundreds of years ago.
Bay of Martyrs
Small islands weathered by millions of years of erosion.
Great Ocean Road Australia Bay of Martyrs
I bumped into only a hand full of tourists on my road trip.
Bay of Islands
Travelling from Adelaide on the Great Ocean Road the Bay of Islands is the first of the spectacular vistas.
Great Ocean Road Southern Australia Bay of Islands
Of course the other famous Bay of islands is on the north island of NZ.
Great Ocean Road Australia
Here is a photo I found online.
Bay of Islands
Magnificent colours.
Bay of Islands Great Ocean Road Australia
Too many rock formations are never enough. 🙂
There is a hole in my cliff.
Many thanks for visiting my Great Ocean Road Australia photo blog.
We did wonder whether or not this may be a way to pass on germs to each other.
