But it was the indoor pool that my kids enjoyed the most. It has a very relaxing ambiance specially since it's located at a high level, you're treated with a good view too.

So, I'm starting this year with a post on our recent stay at Sheraton Pattaya Resort. Pattaya is a popular beach resort situated in the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand. It's roughly 2 hours or more away from Bangkok. We went there last December 2012, just a few days prior to Christmas. The weather was sunny and it's just perfect to roam around. We arrived in the afternoon and we were welcomed by a very beautiful sunset. Unlike Thailand's other popular beaches, Pattaya has very limited choices in terms of good accommodation. Among the few secluded ones, we opted for Sheraton. If there's one thing that the place boasts off, it's definitely its serene ambiance and the relaxing view. Unfortunately, even the scenic beauty of the resort cannot hide it's already run down facilities. It's sad, but the Sheraton Pattaya evidently needs a facelift and renovation. They need to replace some old stuffs inside the resort.
 

Having said that though, the staff's service are truly commendable. We experienced Thai hospitality at its best.

Crunchy Chopped Salad - Chop, mix and toss! That's all there is in this sure pleaser. The dressing is a combination of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, honey and finely minced garlic.

Garlic Prawns - Season the prawns with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pan fry until they turn pink, set aside. Melt a knob of butter on a hot pan and sauté a handful of finely chopped garlic until fragrant. Add in prawns and coat well with the garlic butter sauce. Sprinkle with chopped Italian flat parsley before serving.

Griddled Cod Fish - season the fish with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Griddle in a hot pan until tender.

Rib eye Steak with Mushroom Sauce - my favourite show stopper! Season the steak with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow to rest for a while before cooking. Add olive oil in a hot pan. Pan fry the steak 3 minutes per side. Add sprigs of rosemary and 2 cloves of garlic after the first 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate, cover and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.  

Potato Gratin - this is Jamie Oliver's Perfect Gratin. Since I prepared it the first time, I fell in love with it completely. Hence, it's becoming a regular in my meal repertoire.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake with Mixed Berries and Vanilla Ice Cream - another sure pleaser yet easy to prepare dessert. After a series of trials in finding the best recipe for a Molten Choco Lava Cake, I finally settled and felt satisfied with Martha Stewart's version. This is best prepared just minutes before serving it. You need about 25 minutes to have it done.

 

This dinner certainly warmed me up for the next important one.

 

Instead of the typical flowers, sweet goodies or other crafts that hotels normally provide as a welcome note to its guests, Rex Hotel surprised me with this Card sitting on my bed. It's not just an ordinary card because it narrates the tale of the world famous Vietnamese dish - Pho. It also describes how a Pho is usually prepared (see recipe below). But what caught me from everything that's written was this:

 

"To appreciate Pho propersly, it should be eaten in restaurants with the atmosphere of people going in and out, the sound of bowls, chop sticks and knives, and the passionate faces."

1. Put the ox's bone, tendon and pork's bone into a large pot with 300ml boiling water. Simmer the stock at low heat. Skim the scum on the surface of the stock.

2. Add grilled ginger, onion and star anise along with cloves and cinnamon and 1 tbsp of salt into the boiling stock.

3. After 4 hrs, remove all ingredients and set aside. Let the broth continue to simmer, until the broth is rich and flavorful; about 1 hr.

4. Taste the broth and add more salt or fish sauce to taste.

5. Arrange the slices of raw fillet over the noodles in the bowl. Carefully ladle the boiling broth all over; the raw beef should be submerged in the broth.

6. Serve immediately along with the platter of garnish.