Arriving at the portals of the Sugar Hut at the top of Thappraya Road is like arriving in a different world.  You leave the vibrant thrusting metropolis of Pattaya-Jomtien and suddenly you are in a world of quiet and verdant greenery, set in 30 rai of native forest.

A couple of months ago we went to the Ambassador City and enjoyed ourselves in their Italian restaurant Pasta Pasta with Chef Claudio.  However, F&B director Prayoon Chaitosa suggested that we should return and overview rather than ‘review’ some more of the outlets at this amazing property.  I use the word “amazing” without reserve, as the whole Ambassador City has changed so much from the veritable mausoleum of a few years back, to a modern thriving, vibrant complex today.  At 4,000 rooms it is also the fourth largest hotel in the world, and as you can imagine, to feed a potential 8,000 people needs more than one food outlet!

The Tavern by the Sea, the Amari Orchid’s ocean front pub/restaurant has been steadily making a name for itself in Pattaya, as a very viable alternative for diners looking for “comfort food” in a sports bar environment.

The dusitD2 baraquda pattaya has always tried hard to carve a rather different niche for itself in Pattaya’s sometimes crowded marketplace at the “better end” of the city’s hotels.  That goes most of the way to explain the jumble of lower case letters and unique spelling in its name.

The Sheraton Pattaya Resort and the Bangkok Fine Wine Company combined to present the Best’s Top Chef Wine Dinner in the Papaya Fine Dining area.

If there is one hotel in Pattaya that is an icon for its restaurants, the Montien must be near the top of that list.  The Marco Polo is still one of the best Chinese restaurants in town under Chef Kajorn, La Mer is famous for its quality dining, and the Verandah coffee shop is renowned for its buffets.  So when Mon, the energetic PR lady from the Montien invited the Dining Out team to dinner at the International and Seafood BBQ buffet at the Verandah Coffee Shop, we naturally said yes.

A very, very new restaurant this week.  So new we were there on the opening night and what an event that turned out to be!  Called Coco’s Bistro, it is on Chaiyapruek 1, about 100 meters from the Chaiyapruek/Sukhumvit Road intersection.

Dicey Reilly’s held the second of their wine series dinners with the guests sampling wines from the Delicato Family Vineyards.  For those who were not conversant with this label, regional sales manager Ryan Stewart spoke of the, in some ways unique, history of the vineyards.

“Dining with an Indian Queen” might be stretching it a little, but after a couple of hours in the Royal Cliff’s Maharani restaurant, billed as the Queen of Indian flavors, I too felt like royalty with the décor, service and spices.

Is there anyone who has not seen the Ambassador City Na Jomtien?  That enormous collection of buildings, which was once the largest hotel in the world.  Well, it has lost that title, but is still the fourth largest at 4,200 rooms.  I used to swear that if everyone pushed the flush button at the same time Mabprachan dam would dry up!