Chiangmai Thai, Surfers Paradise

The last dinner in the Gold Coast during my May 2010 trip was spent at Chiangmai Thai. After many a day of research, I decided on this restaurant because it was rated as #1 in Surfers Paradise on both Urbanspoon and Tripadvisor. One of three establishments in the Gold Coast, it has won many awards since its first opening in 1993, such as best themed restaurant and restaurant & catering awards for excellence and so forth. I have yet to find out if they are affiliated in anyway with the Chiangmai Thai here in Melbourne, located on Lygon St, Carlton.

Chiangmai Thai is located in the Crown Towers Hotel at 5 Palm Avenue, Surfers. It was reasonably easy to find if you enter Palm St via Surfers Paradise Boulevard. As we entered, we noticed the huge swimming pool and gym on the righthand side (belonging to Crown Towers Hotel) and the outdoor area which I presume was also a swimming pool with a small bridge. On the left was the restaurant where small pavilions - able to seat a few guests - lined the side and coupled with the many golden and wooden decorations, it was as if I just walked into a high class restaurant in Thailand. The atmosphere was indeed quite romantic, not to mention very dark. As you can see from the photos, I had to use flash because it was just too dark to photograph anything without it. So sorry about the bad photos!

As there was only two of us, we weren't able to use the pavilion (what a shame!!) but decided to sit outside to enjoy the beautiful outdoor atmosphere. The seats were wooden carved elephants which were very cute, however, were so heavy that it was quite impossible to move.

The first dish we ordered was deep fried prawns, almost like the popular tempura prawns in Japanese cuisine. It was fried with coconut shreds which gave it a lovely coconuty flavour and was very crispy, a great start to the evening.

We also ordered a seafood tom yum soup which is my all time favourite Thai dish. I totally loved the sour and lemongrass flavours, together with the right amount of chilliness, this was by far my favourite dish of the night. I wish it was bigger though, because sharing it with Yuye meant I didn't even get a few mouthfuls. :(

Wassam (Japanese restaurant), Surfers Paradise

Continuing on from my last post about my trip to Surfers Paradise in the Gold Coast, for dinner on the first night, we decided to visit Wassam. I searched long and hard and realised there wasn't really that many fantastic restaurants to choose from at Surfers. Wassam seemed a bit mysterious to me at the time because I couldn't actually find any details about the place on Google. I couldn't even find a phone number (its details are now up on Urbanspoon, not much use for me anymore though :P). The only thing I found was from Tripadvisor and that it's 'authentic' Japanese food. The name certainly didn't sound Japanese to me! My curiosity got the better of me.

The restaurant was located at Level 1 in the Chevron Renaissance Building. We walked along Gold Coast Hwy thinking that going through the Chevron Renaissance Hotel side was the way to go (since we were so directionless) and ended up getting swiped in through security by a guest at the hotel. Only after we got through did we realise that we could have just entered through the other side off Surfers Paradise Boulevard. It's actually located inside a shopping area at the bottom of the hotel which houses many fashion stores and restaurants. It boasted a small but nice collection of bar items and patrons are able to sit at the bar to enjoy their evening.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were the only patrons there (it was still early) and took our time taking in all the menu offerings. We decided on a tasting platter for two as an entree which included delicious elements such as tamagoyaki (sweet egg rolls), beef tataki which I remember had been chilled in the fridge (which means it was pre-cooked) but was still tender and pleasurable. Others included deep-fried baby octopus, chashu (pork) and salmon. I couldn't quite remember how these tasted but I do remember that they were well-seasoned and quite delightful on the palate.

Next we ordered soft-shelled crabs (one of my favourites). I like eating fuss-free crabs where I don't have to spit out every little piece of shell…I know, I'm so lazy! Anyway, the crab was crunchy and tasty, too bad there weren't that many on the plate.

If memory serves me right (proof of my old age), I believe we ordered a wagyu steak. Looking at the picture now, I couldn't be 100% sure. I do remember it was around the $30 mark for this dish but can also remember nothing of the taste. Ah silly me.

Pancakes in Paradise, Surfers Paradise

We had breakfast one of the mornings at Pancakes in Paradise just a stone's throw away from The Watermark Hotel where we were staying at in Surfers Paradise. It was what I believed to be a better version of the Pancake Parlour in Melbourne and around the same level or better than Pancakes on the Rocks in Sydney. Either way, pancakes are beautiful. I can never go past the sweet ones :D because they are just so appetising! The stacked pancakes sign outside said $8.95 (which has increased in price to $9.50 now) for all you can eat pancakes with whipped butter and maple syrup - what great value! Although it's probably better for people with big appetites unlike myself.

Inside the store, many colourful hot air balloon decorations can be seen, making the eating experience even more exciting. I felt like a child going on my first hot air balloon flight sitting in one of those stalls, eagerly waiting for my pancakes to arrive.

I, like always decided to order a sweet pancake and this time it was Passion Pancakes for $16.95. It consisted of fresh strawberries and sliced banana on two buttermilk pancakes topped with vanilla ice cream, freshly whipped cream and passionfruit bits. Doesn't just reading the ingredients make your mouth water? It was indeed delicious. WIth the right amount of sweetness, I finished the whole thing while craving for more. You can see the heart attacks sitting on top though, with the cream piled up that high. :P I found their pancakes were a bit thicker than the pancakes in Pancake Parlour.

Watermark Hotel & Waves Restaurant, Surfers Paradise

Our next stop after a day in Brisbane was Surfers Paradise in the Gold Coast. I had booked for 3 nights at the Watermark Hotel which is supposedly 4.5 stars. Compared to my experiences at the Metro Hotel Tower Mill in Brisbane just earlier, this place was like heaven. The entrance of the lobby was huge - with a very high ceiling and friendly concierge, even a Japanese guests counter to serve the ever growing number of Japanese tourists in the area. When I asked at the reception for directions, they were very helpful and even showed me to the bus stop outside. Now that is service.

I also liked their decorations and furniture which had a modern yet comfortable feel.

The room we stayed in was a standard room with 2 queen size beds. I rolled around in both of them as soon as I put my bags down :D. The beds were really soft and I liked the pillows. The carpet and beds were really clean which is hugely important for me.

The bathroom was clean as well, although it seemed a little worn out. For some reason I didn't like the colour combination in it which may have contributed to the 'worn-out' look. The shampoo and conditioner were (eucalyptus and lemongrass) refreshing and aromatic - I like :D.