lunch | Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Bangkok Dim Sum

January 14, 2021 by David Herd

Bangkok Dim Sum

Bangkok Dim Sum is one of my regular lunches when I visit the big mango. Very good quality reasonable price food & a good variety. Here are three of my favourite places around Sukhumvit in Nana, JW Marriott, Landmark Hotel & the Ambassador in Soi 11.

Ambassador Hotel Soi 11

This is where I go most of the time, good quality at a reasonable price & never crowded.

Delicious food at the Ambassador

How good does this look?

Soi 11 Ambassador Hotel

A good low cost place to stay in the heart of the action, for an excellent room discount just use THIS LINK. If you want to see some of the great bars & restaurants in Soi 11 just follow THIS LINK.

Landmark Hotel Sukhumvit

High quality restaurants & food. In the basement there is a terrific bar called the Huntsman, which is designed like an upmarket English pub, please check out THEIR LINK here.

Noodles & wontons & celery at the Landmark

An unusual dish but very good.

Pork Shumai at Landmark

Compulsory with every dim sum meal. 🙂

JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok

Excellent hotel with some very good restaurants.

JW Marriot at Nana

On the corner of Soi 3 & Sukhumvit.

Bangkok Dim Sum, sticky rice at the Marriot

This is a great place to stay if you want some luxury with loads of nightlife at your doorstep, including the infamous Nana Plaza. 🙂 Once again for a very good room discount just book through THIS LINK.

Talking about Nana Plaza

Well here it is, one of the world’s most famous red light districts. Of course right now in January 2021 we are in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis, consequently Nana Plaza is in temporary lockdown.

Breakfast at the Marriott

This is definitely my favourite venue for breakfast when I’m in Bangkok, poached eggs, avocado & crispy bacon, delicious.

Brad Robbins & I at The Ambassador January 2019

Thanks for visiting my Bangkok Dim Sum photo blog.

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Counter only started January 14 2021.

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Long lunch Bistro Pattaya

December 22, 2020 by David Herd

Long lunch Bistro Pattaya

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.

Check out these great food photo blogs.

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Counter only started December 22 2020.

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Mantra Restaurant Amari Pattaya

November 23, 2015 by David Herd

Mantra Sunday lunch

Mantra Restaurant Amari Pattaya

Mantra Restaurant Amari Pattaya has been my favourite restaurant since it opened about 10 years ago. Sunday brunch is amazing allowing you to sample food from seven different kitchens. My number one dish is Alaskan crab and oysters from France.

Sashimi and Sushi

As I said there are seven kitchens to choose from, however I rarely get past the seafood, sashimi and dim sum. 🙂

Mantra Restaurant Amari Hotel Pattaya October 2012

I’m even stuck on the seafood in this photo blog. 🙂

Dim Sum station

Dim Sum has always been one of my favourite cuisines, the Peking Duck rolls at the mantra are to die for.

Bring on the duck

Delicious.

Not everyone is happy with the duck

Leave us ducks alone.

Dim Sum washed down with cold sake.

The Mantra is part of the fabulous Amari hotel and the food, service and décor is world class.

Benjamina Sitthi

This gorgeous lady is the public relations manager at the Mantra, she always makes sure we all have a wonderful dining experience. We always seem to spend Xmas and birthdays at this great restaurant.

From the Chinese kitchen

Beef fillet steak with Cantonese onion sauce just melts in your mouth.

Mantra Restaurant Amari Hotel Pattaya Xmas day 2013

All the usual suspects celebrate Xmas at the Mantra.

Mantra Restaurant Amari Hotel Pattaya Xmas Day 2014

Here we are again celebrating Xmas. I’m with Brendan Daley who is GM at the Mantra, and a Sydney boy as well. Brendan has left the Amari & I have not met the new manager.

Looking towards the sushi & seafood

The décor is simply stunning, is it any wonder so many of my friends think this is the number one restaurant in Pattaya?

Beautiful presentation

The food at the Mantra is presented beautiful, we often take over three hours to enjoy the Sunday brunch.

Wood fired Pizza

They even have a pizza oven. The à la carte servings are smaller at Sunday lunch, the idea is to encourage customers to sample many dishes on the menu. As you can see casual dress is acceptable on Sundays compared to dinner 7 nights per week when you are expected to dress a little more formally.

Mantra Restaurant Pattaya July 7 2015

Another birthday, another Mantra celebration.

Le cake

A cake and a hat, both birthday gifts from the Mantra.

Lets not forget the beautiful welcoming smile from Anusara songkarin

Like most Thai ladies she has a nickname we can pronounce, Beer.

January 2011

We have had some big groups at Sunday brunch over the years.

Birthday 2011

There is no better place to celebrate with friends.

pièce de résistance

It has to be the wonderful seafood which I usually wash down with cold sake. The brunch (B.1,690) opens at 11 a.m. and operates until 3 p.m every Sunday, so take your time, wander through the stations, enjoy a glass of wine (the free flow wine buffet is B.1,490)

Of course those prices were in 2013, now in 2017 brunch is B1,990 & free flow wine is B1750.

Birthday for Hamish

July 21st 2014 and we celebrate Hamish turning 46.

A lovely lady

This is Katoon, these days I only see her on Facebook travelling the world. 🙂

Farewell from David & Benjamina

Thank you for visiting my Mantra Restaurant Amari Hotel Pattaya photo blog, there is no better Sunday brunch on the planet.

For a discounted room rate at the Amari Ocean View just book through THIS LINK.

For the Amari Garden please use THIS LINK.

Sabai Wing Soi 1 North Pattaya

Sabai Wing Soi 1, 3 swimming pools and nice rooms, 100 meters from BigC, 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.

For a more upmarket hotel on Beach Rd

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

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The fabulous Mantra restaurant, Amari hotel in Pattaya Thailand.

Watch this video on YouTube

Click bottom right hand corner for full screen.

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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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Slide show here.

Pattaya live webcam

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That’s all folks

Check out these great food photo blogs.

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Counter only started February 16 2020.

This gallery contains 3 photos

Ritz Carlton buffet lunch

June 26, 2014 by David Herd

The Ritz Carlton buffet lunch is quite a feast, oysters from France & Australia, Main Lobsters & many other tasty dishes all washed down with vintage Moet.

Oysters from France & Australia

All-day dining at Greenhouse in the Ritz Carlton buffet, which showcases international flavors and local favorites on buffet or á la carte. Seafood aficionados may dive into our delectable buffet dinners and savour Singapore’s iconic dish – chili or peppered crabs, along with scallops, oysters, main lobsters and Japanese sushi and sashimi.

I really loved the seafood

The seafood was great but I can’t help making a comparison between the Ritz Carlton buffet and the Mantra in Pattaya. The Main Lobster at the Ritz was a little tough, where as the Alaskan Crab at the Mantra is perfect. 8/10, Mantra 9.5/10.

Great variety of cheese & the Wagyu beef in the background

I ate so much seafood I had no room left for the cheese. 🙂

Ritz Carlton buffet lunch serving Wagyu Beef

OK, here is where I get critical, the Wagyu beef seems to be the signature dish at the Ritz. I was so disappointed in the taste & texture. It was way underdone and did not resemble any Wagyu I had enjoyed in Tokyo & Australia.

Good music at the Ritz.

These guys really played some good music to make our lunch more enjoyable at the Ritz.

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The reason we were at the Ritz Carlton

Steven’s belated birthday with Peter & Maria looking on. It was a belated birthday celebration at the Ritz Carlton buffet for my old friend Steven Bates, Steve & I have been friends since the early 1980s in Sydney.

What time can we start having fun?

I have been lucky enough to be a guest of Steven & Anne in Singapore several times in the last 6 or 7 years. Sadly they are moving back to Australia so no more luxury accommodation in Singapore for me.

Happy crowd at the Ritz Carlton buffet.

Steve & Anne have a really nice group of friends, simply because they are both really nice people.

Two nice girls from London.

These lovely girls were at an next table so naturally I had to say hello, 40 years or so age difference means nothing to me. 🙂 Anyhow the blonde in the green was so drunk she literally could not stand up without leaning against something. I’m guessing she woke up Monday with a huge hangover.