Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant is a new eating establishment built at the Miri marina near the iconic seahorse statue facing the sea. Kim and Mark wanted to check it out at night but were kind enough to accommodate my schedule by bringing me there for lunch instead. 🙂
The place seems to be referred to as ulumulu by a lot of local Mirians but the only signage I saw called it the Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant. The waitresses were all wearing uniforms with the same title so I’m not sure if this is the same place as ulumulu, but it’s the only restaurant at the Marina Bay in Miri.
There is a wooden path surrounding the area beside the sea and it offers a great view of the coastline and the cityscape across the body of water. There are also two smaller structures besides the main wooden restaurant construction as a more private dining enclave. The two clubhouses are still under construction but the main restaurant is complete.
The landmark of the Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant is a huge bronze seahorse facing the sea. It’s the official mascot (?) of Miri, just like ours is the swan. Sibu is called Swan City for a reason…and no, I know we’ve not actually achieved city status yet, Kim. :p
The marina is located to one side of the Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant and all kinds of seafaring vessels were parked there – from fishing boats to yatchs.
The sea in Miri is a deep blue that is rivaled only by the best beaches in Sabah. The gentle undulating waves and the cool breeze coming in from the beach makes the leisurely stroll from the car park (which is quite a distance away) to the restaurant rather enjoyable.
The architecture of Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant is heavily inspired by Balinese and Siamese themes and attention is paid to the most minor details, giving it an authentic ambiance of a marina retreat.
There is a waitress on duty for seating diners at the main entrance. The ground floor of the place is a bar and lounge while the restaurant is located on the second floor.
There is a flight of stairs that one has to climb to reach the restaurant upstairs and you’ll be escorted by one of the Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant waitresses. The service over here is truly international class.
The dining area is huge and consists of various seating accommodations of every configuration you can think of. There is no air-conditioning in the place but the sea breeze makes the temperature just right even for midday dining and you get all the benefits of al fresco dining without being rained on.
There is even a verandah area which doubles as the smoking section of Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant.
There is a great view of the ocean and the interior design capitalizes on this by making one side of the restaurant open to the breeze coming in from the sea. I find that the open sea view and the smell of the ocean does wonders to my appetite.
Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant has an open kitchen concept where the entire kitchen, ovens and all, are visibly located beside the restaurant. The entire place is kept neat and clean, which is quite a feat, considering the size of the restaurant.
This is our waitress for the day. She’s wearing a white Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant uniform.
I had the orange juice (RM 8.50) which came with a slice of the fruit on the rim of the glass it came served with. The watermelon juice also contains a thin slice of watermelon as a garnish as well.
Mark went for the Oriental menu and had the Fried Yee Mee with Seafood (RM 30). The seafood bits are quite generous, with fish and squid dominating the dish. The general consensus was that the yee mee tastes better than the fried vermicelli.
Darren also ordered from the Oriental menu – Fried Vermicelli Noodles with Eggs and Seafood (RM 30). It tasted pretty good but it was a little bit too dry from the frying process.
Kim had the Pan-Fried Salmon Fillet with Ragout of Squid and Lemon Grass Pepperonata Drizzle with Mirin Reduction (RM 38).
The salmon tasted better than mine since it had sauce on it and it’s pan-fried instead of grilled.
I had the Trio Grilled Seafood on Bed of Mash Potato served with Crispy Julienne Veggie and Lemon Hollandaise Sauce (RM 78) which the waitress recommended.
There is grilled salmon, which came out a little bit too dry but the presentation was excellent.
The cod is great though, tender and juicy.
The prawn is fully de-shelled and is one of the best fresh water prawns that I’ve ever tasted.
I also ordered the Poached Pears in Saffron served with Vanilla Panna Cotta (RM 18) for dessert.
I know I look kinda fucked up. My eyes look soulless, or so I’ve been told. My drink was spiked with three (3) tablets of Ecstasy just the night before and I only slept for 2 hours before the lunch at Marina Bay.
This is the blogger group photo from Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant. L-R: Darren, Huai Bin (me), Kim, Mark (who is a blogger by association with Kim). 😉
I still had half a glass of OJ left and insisted on having Kim pose with her empty one. 🙂
This is me and Darren, who joined us at the Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant after he went back to get his d-SLR.
I had a photo taken with Kim at the veranda with the sea as the backdrop. I thought this would make a nice photo with the palm trees swaying in the wind.
Thanks goes out to Kim and Mark who picked me up and drove me around Miri. Much love!
We went for a walk by the seaside to take a photo with the Miri Seahorse after the meal. The weather was just right for a stroll, if you disregard the midday sun and head for the shaded areas. 😉
There were a lot of beach front properties across the marina. It would be a really nice place to live in, just by the seaside with the beach just a step away from your front door.
Kodak Moment: Mark attempts to throw Kim into the sea.
*cue Titanic music*
This is Take #2 of the iconic Titanic scene. It seemed that we didn’t look “sad” enough for an accurate reenactment in the first photo. I put on my best sombre face for the second take but Kim was kinda smiling so this is the final version:
Jack: Winning that ticket, Rose, was the best thing that ever happened to me… it brought me to you. And I’m thankful for that, Rose. I’m thankful. You must do me this honor, Rose. Promise me you’ll survive. That you won’t give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless. Promise me now, Rose, and never let go of that promise.
Rose: I promise.
Jack: Never let go.
Rose: I’ll never let go. I’ll never let go, Jack.
The Titanic Foursome (The Titans?)
The Marina Bay has a lot of No Fishing signs which in grand tradition, was largely ignored. 😉
I had fun with Kim, Mark and Darren in Miri. Thanks for all the great memories! 🙂
