Cliff(y) Goes Dining

Free-flowing Vietnamese sticky rice, anyone? Without having done any prior research, I couldn’t help but find it amusing that the hotel I stayed at happened to share a similar name with the lounge I visited at Tan Son Nhat International Airport before flying back to Singapore. With such a tasteful ambience, I was curious to see if the food and beverages would be just as delightful.

Vietnamese sticky rice for breakfast! I had a quick stopover in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam before flying home with Singapore Airlines the next day. For the night, I stayed at Le Saigon Hotel (3*), which is located not too far from Tan Son Nhat International Airport. The stay came with a buffet breakfast that offered quite a good spread for a simple hotel.

Virgin experience with Vietnamese coconut coffee! Tonkin Vietnamese Noodle and Coffee is a humble eatery housed inside KINEX Mall (previously known as OneKM Mall) located not far from Paya Lebar MRT station. For the uninitiated, the name Tonkin was used from 1883 to 1945 for the northern region of present-day Vietnam that was under the control of France.

JAL's curry is better than ANA's, methinks! Japan Airlines has got two Business Class lounges at Narita International Airport that serves the Greater Tokyo Area of the Land of the Rising Sun. Instead of going to the bigger lounge at the main building, my BFF and I were headed to the one located at the satellite building that's said to be more peaceful.

Delicious butter beer... I mean butter beef! Phnom Penh Restaurant is a renowned Cambodian-Vietnamese eatery in Vancouver, Canada that has bagged multiple recognitions from the annual Golden Plates awards. The restaurant even gives a heads-up in the website to "expect a long wait, followed by a fantastic meal".

Yummy 'har gow' with a heady aroma of sesame oil! Is anyone asking, "If Vietnam wasn't your holiday destination, where could it be?" After spending less than 24 hours in the capital city of Vietnam, I was back at Noi Bai International Airport to catch my next flight. Before departure, I had a quiet breakfast at Song Hong Business Lounge.

Trying deep-fried sticky rice for the first time! UPDATE (21/11/2021):  The restaurant has closed down. Housed inside  The Elizabeth Hotel  that's located at Mount Elizabeth, a stone's throw away from Orchard Road, is a Vietnamese restaurant that prides itself in using ingredients sourced from Saigon, the former name of Ho Chi Minh City. I didn't dine there when I had my staycation back in 2015.

First time having 'cha cha la vong' here in Singapore! Before I continue with more posts on eateries in Georgetown, Guyana, allow me to do a quick review of yesterday's Vietnamese dinner at home. I was too hungry that I didn't take out my trusty notebook to jot things down, so I shall do this post before I forget. At the point of writing, there are 16 branches of So Pho islandwide. 

Delicious BBQ pork chop, but the fried rice wasn't that 'colourful'... Quite a highly rated Vietnamese eatery online is apparently within a stone's throw away from where I live. Situated on the same stretch as the Chinatown Food Street, it's a simple restaurant with quite a nice modern decor. Since I wasn't too sure what to eat for dinner anyway, I decided to give it a try.

Shaking beef that's guaranteed to shake your taste buds! My uncle is a big fan of Little Saigon, a pretty classy Vietnamese restaurant adorned with classic lanterns that's situated by the riverside at Clarke Quay. He wanted to introduce me to two items that have effectively hooked him.

Sweet, sour and savoury stir-fried shrimps with tamarind! UPDATE (22/12/2017):  The restaurant has closed down. After visiting Hanoi, Vietnam in November last year for the first time in my life, I've started to have a craving for good Vietnamese food every now and then. I did an online research, landing on Hanoi Vietnamese Restaurant that's conveniently located at 100AM in Tanjong Pagar. Again, it's walkable from where I'm living.

A variety of instant noodle, including Vietnamese 'pho'! UPDATE (30/06/2019): As the old international terminal has now become the domestic terminal, this review isn't representative of the current Vietnam Airlines Lounge at the new terminal. The clinical Terminal 2 for international departures wasn't at all lively in the morning. Save for the colours from paraphernalia sold at some kiosks, there wasn't much to see. Thankfully, there's an unobstructed view of the tarmac from the lounge for those who love aircraft spotting. There weren't that many people either that day, so I was able to sit back while waiting for the flight to take me home.  

Aromatic fried chicken with coconut bits to end the trip! This review is the last part of the 2D1N Ha Long Bay tour with Golden Lotus Cruise. After the fun kayaking session that followed the simple breakfast , we checked out of the cabin and made our way back to the port. Subsequently, we had lunch at a restaurant nearby before being transported back to the capital city.

Enjoying dinner after a day of fun, especially during cave exploration! After we had our lunch onboard the cruise ship, we went to explore Sung Sot Cave. Literally means 'Amazing Cave' in English, it features spectacular stalactites and stalagmites, bathed in colourful illumination of lights that are strategically placed. We also went to watch the sunset at one of the islands at Ha Long Bay.

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.

Semi-buffet breakfast with friendly staff! UPDATE (12/04/2017):  The hotel has been rebranded to Ritz Boutique Hotel and has since moved to 23 Au Trieu, Hoan Kiem. Jasmine Garden Hotel (3*) is strategically situated within a short walking distance from Hoan Kiem Lake. "The friendliest hotel in Hanoi" can be seen as the tagline in the hotel website. I'm not too sure if that's really true, but I truly appreciated the hospitality that wasn't at all clinical, unlike that in some hotels done for the sake of formality. The breakfast is semi-buffet style, where main course has to be ordered from one of the staff.

Dining with a beautiful view of Hoan Kiem Lake in the evening! Located on the topmost floor of Elegance Diamond Hotel that is situated in the maze of the old quarter of the capital city of Vietnam, The Gourmet Corner Restaurant has been known to pamper its customers with a medley of Vietnamese and Western food, as well as the panoramic view of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Serving Vietnamese food, from northern to southern! After a long day of visiting most of the attractions and landmarks in the old quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam, we were determined to find a particular vegetarian restaurant in the region. Alas, the effort turned out to be futile. However, keeping our chins up, we made a detour, walking further down to discover another famous restaurant that serves a huge array of authentic Vietnamese food.

An interesting array of Vietnamese appetiser dishes! The weather in Hanoi, Vietnam was pleasant that time with an average daily temperature of around 25 °C. However, the haze was really getting on my nerves, ruining my mood to a great extent as I really wanted to go around mostly by foot. Not far from the Temple of Literature, one of the major attractions in the city, is a restaurant run by KOTO (Know One, Teach One), an Australian-Vietnamese charity for underprivileged youth.

Ever tried deep-fried minced pork cake with rice field snails? Welcome to the first review of a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam! I've finally managed to add yet another country tag to this blog. It was my very first time travelling to the country, not really knowing what to expect. On the very first day, I had dinner at a well-known restaurant, which is also known as The Old Quarter Corner Restaurant in English.