VIE: Golden Lotus Cruise [Part 1: Lunch]
Welcome lunch to kickstart the Ha Long bay tour!
Happy New Year 2015! We, the members of Cliff(y) Goes Dining, sincerely hope that everyone has had a good start to the year. Continuing from where we left off last year, we're going to write about the food that we had during our 2D1N Ha Long Bay tour with Golden Lotus Cruise (3*). For the uninitiated, the said bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring thousands of limestone karsts. It has also attained the status of one of the New7Wonders of Nature since 2012.
Happy New Year 2015! We, the members of Cliff(y) Goes Dining, sincerely hope that everyone has had a good start to the year. Continuing from where we left off last year, we're going to write about the food that we had during our 2D1N Ha Long Bay tour with Golden Lotus Cruise (3*). For the uninitiated, the said bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring thousands of limestone karsts. It has also attained the status of one of the New7Wonders of Nature since 2012.
The trip began at around 12.30pm after more than three hours ride from the capital city. Four meals are included; the first one was served at 1.00pm after we checked into the cabin. Pika's advice: Note that drinks are chargeable. You can take a look at the prices of the various drinks offered on the bar table.
Soup Dish
Taste: 8/10
First up was the warm, pretty thick broth akin to mock shark fin soup. The heady aroma of mushrooms made a good start for the lunch onboard.
Fish Dish
Taste: 6.5/10
The deep-fried fish was pretty firm and fresh. However, it was a pity that each piece wasn't crispy, and could be less oily.
Squid Dish
Taste: 8/10
I enjoyed the squid rings which were nicely chewy without being tough at all. The natural sweetness of the onions was also the highlight of the dish.
Chicken Dish
Taste: 6/10
While the chicken was flavourful enough, it was kinda dry. The fact that the white meat came without the skin was a plus point though.
Potato Dish
Taste: 7/10
The fried potatoes were lightly salted. They went well with the chili sauce provided on each table (not shown).
Vegetable Dish
Taste: 7.5/10
The stir-fried 'white vegetable' (白菜) was adequately fresh and crunchy. While it was good, I'd actually prefer something less plain.
Pickled Dish
Taste: 7/10
The pickled cucumber slices were served with sliced tomatoes. Overall, I'd prefer the dish to be sourer
Watermelon
The fruit was sweet and juicy. Enough said.
Melon's Rating
Taste: 7/10
Ambience: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10
The lunch wasn't exceptional, but it was acceptable. I was hoping that the dinner would be better. Find out about it tomorrow! Anyway, below is a picture of the cruise ship that I took with my very own camera while we were on the transfer boat.
Golden Lotus Cruise
Ha Long Bay
Vietnam
(Daily: 1.00pm - 2.00pm)
*No separate price given as the meal is included in the cruise price.
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
Comments