my Blurb book has arrived
Some of you will probably know that I've been working on a memoir of my trip to Singapore and Vietnam since my return. Well, I am proud to say that my first Blurb book was published a few weeks ago...
I was thrilled to see it arrive today! There are 240 pages of full glossy colour, happy snaps and drool-worthy food. I'm keeping this one private for now... but a public version is in the works. So watch this space for the release date! I'm hoping it will be ready by mid-year.
Here are some sneak peeks at my lovely Blurb book, "i ate my way through Singapore and Vietnam":
By the way, Happy Valentines Day :-)
Blurb
www.blurb.com
February 09, 2008
Halong Bay, Vietnam
Halong Bay was beautiful and tranquil... there were countless islands and grottos amoungst the limestone waters. Sorry for the long post, but pictures do speak a thousand words... so enjoy :-)
During our boat ride, we feasted on a huge gourmet banquet, explored some fluoro-lit caves and visited a fishing village. Below, is a floating school... part of the fishing village.
I was also fascinated with the lifestyle of these boat villages. It was sad to see little kids forced into labour by their parents. This young boy was selling fruits to passing tourists:
Just before lunch, we had the opportunity of picking live seafood from a fishing boat...
And for lunch, there were salads, spring rolls, fried hot chips, tofu with tomatoes, pipis, squid and much more!
The next couple of pics are from Thien Cung Grotto... The Jenolan Caves just don't compete against these crazy neon illuminated caves.
Another thing to note, is that most of the beaches in Halong Bay were man-made. The sand was shipped in from Nha Trang (which I visted later in the trip).
Beach lounges , umbrellas and huts were dottled all along the beach, but unfortunately were not free of charge.
This is Mai, our tour guide from Vietnam Open Tour:
Overall, Halong Bay offered breathtaking views in a tourist-driven atmosphere. Luckily, as a listed world heritage site, I know its beauty will be preserved ;-)
Lastly -this is where I stayed:
Atlantic Hotel
Tel: +84 (33) 842842
Web: atlantichotel.com.vn
The temple of literature & a shrimp cake restaurant in Hanoi
The Temple of Literature was founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong to honour those of high academic achievement.
Vietnam's first university was established here 6 years later...
I think these photos were taken inside the Thai Hoc courtyard within the temple.
Later that night, we were taken to Nha Hang Banh Tom Ho Tay (shrimp cake restaurant).
The shrimps were tiny and horrendously soaked in oil... these cool cucumbers provided a lovely crisp cut-through.
And... this is where I slept that night! :-)
Nha Hang Banh Tom Ho Tay
Shrimp cake restaurant
Tel: +84 (04) 8293737
Holidays Hanoi Hotel
27 Quoc Tu Giam Street, Hanoi
Tel: +84 (04) 7474106
Web: www.holidays-hanoi.vn
Inflight meals on Vietnam Airlines
Food I ate on Vietnam Airlines... flying from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and back:
Pho 24
While I didn't come across a McDonalds in Vietnam, there were plenty of other franchises. KFC, Lotteria (the McDonalds alternative) and Pho 24.
You can normally buy a bowl of beef noodle soup for $5000 - $15000 VND, so it's slightly more expensive here, but you'll see why.
They focus on ultra-cleanliness and quality. You would never get a plate of condiments this clean in Australia. The mints were washed and all of the same size... the lime was lively and the bean sprouts even had their roots trimmed!
The verdict? Although the pho stock was splendid, the beef didn't really do it for me. I suppose there wasn't all that much grass or land for cattle to graze on, but the quality of the meat cried out a huge difference to what's offered in Sydney.
Pho 24 is in the big game. Not only are they all over Vietnam, but they manufacture drinks too. This sugarcane drink wasn't too different to the fresh variety you can get on the streets.
On the menu were also traditional Vietnamese spring rolls, my favourite soursop shake and taro sago pudding.
Pho 24
http://www.pho24.com.vn
January 23, 2008
Nam Phan Restaurant... fine dining in Vietnam
When it came down to research, I definitely had that covered. I had searched through blogs, articles and of course the Lonely Planet guides for the best dining and shopping in Vietnam. Nam Phan is one of the poshiest restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. In comparison to fine dining in Sydney, for just $30 USD, I dined as the royals would.
The restaurant, set in a restored French colonial villa offered the perfect dining ambience. Twinkling lights were scattered around bamboo plants and orchids and there was even a pond amongst the luscious garden. The staff dressed in formal classic Vietnamese attire spoke fluent English and offered the type of service you wouldn't expect in this country. The table setting and furnishings reflected an European influence.. it was every bit gorgeous.
We started off with a hot and sour seafood soup which was intensely flavoursome. The food all maintained the traditions of Vietnamese cuisine but were served in new-age inspired ways. The triangle spring rolls were piping hot and delicious with perfect lettuce cups and symmetrical mint leaves.
The beef salad was dressed in tangy citric juices and fragrant with lemongrass. I loved the complementing giant prawn crackers!
The sweet and sour soup minus the tender bite-sized cubes of mudfish, was just like Mum's cooking back home. It was generous with chunks of bacha (alocasia odora), okra, pineapple and tomatoes.
We also had the braised king prawns which were marinated in a glossy red sauce... it smelt of fish sauce, lots of garlic and peppercorns.
The stir-fry was a colourful mix of pork, squid, prawns, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli and green beans.
And... *drum roll*... the best was saved for last. Look at this stunning tropical fruit platter of grapefruit, dragonfruit, mango, watermelon and pineapple. It was uber tasty with chilli salt.
And I also had to sneak in a shot of the pretty bathroom. It was made for romance... haha!
That night, we walked home from the restaurant, past this magnificent glowing City Hall... It was nice to be fed and served like a Queen :-)
Nam Phan
Finest Vietnamese Cuisine
64 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: +84 (08) 829 2757
Web: www.khaisilkcorp.com
Din Ky Restaurant, HCMC Vietnam
My first day in Vietnam was chaotic. I don't think I've ever seen so many people in the one place! The air was humid and stuffy and the traffic conditions were frightening. All I really wanted for dinner was something quick and tasty...
This is Vietnam's version of the Sarsaparilla (Sars) drink:
And then we ate....
The food was simple, fresh and scrumptious... however, the highlight of tonight was the ride home. A maxi-cab only costed $2 AUD!
Din Ky Restaurant
137C Nguyen Trai - Q1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: +84 (8) 925 3119
January 16, 2008
Snippets of Singapore
See more @ my flickr collection.
January 11, 2008
Pu Tien Restaurant
Pu Tien was only a minute's walk, down the road from Parkroyal Hotel. Its glow stood out among the other less glamourous restaurants. The staff were quick too... upon showing a second's worth of interest, we were taken to our table.
We ordered the $56 set menu for four people and added the deep-fried duck with yam dish, one of my favourites. However, when we saw that the inclusion of napkins, rice, tea, service and GST had boosted the bill up to $90, I was not happy.
Anyway, the food was good... so here it is -
The bamboo herbal prawn soup was fragrant, sweet and delicious. The deep-fried duck was yummy too, except it wasn't served with the thick mushroom sauce I like. And the fried noodles were simple yet scrumptious. I loved the extra bits of seaweed.
Pu Tien Restaurant
127 Kitchener Road Singapore
Phone: +65 6295 6358
Web: www.putien.com
January 10, 2008
i shopped a lot
January 09, 2008
We love our M&M's
Bryan & I picked up these adorable M&M's t-shirts from Bossini, Singapore. They come in a range of 5 colours, each with a their own facial expression. How cute do we look?
Singapore's hawker food
Hawker food was certainly one of the highlights of this trip. For as cheap as $1, or $5 at most, you can explore the tastiest chicken in glutinous rice, satay, char kway teow, laksa... and the list goes on.
Here's a bit of what I ate:
At the bottom of an Orchard Road shopping mall, this fruit stall had it all. Attap seed sicks, pineapple, agar agar, strawberries, soursop, red and white dragonfruit, sweet pear, papaya, apples, fresh dates, cherry tomatoes, chiku (aka sapodilla) and watermelon.
Also at the same place, there was this amazing Chilli Padi store...
The next day, we checked out another hawker centre near Bugis Street Markets. My favourite was the Nasi Lemak; the coconut rice was delicious and aromatic, the sambal sauce was perfect with the anchovies and peanuts... and the fried chicken wing and egg simply completed this yummy brunch.
On a separate day, at Smith Street Chinatown, I finally tried the fried oyster omelette. My Dad had mentioned this popular Teochew dish many times before... it was indescribably good!
This next photo breaks my heart... my younger brother fell sick with a fever. Here he is, with a few tears down his cute chubby cheeks -
And from a few random places, inbewteen my shopping mission, I picked up the following:
[EDIT: 10/01/2008] Oops, left out these 2 yummy little things...
[/EDIT]
Travelling to Singapore
I'm back from Singapore & Vietnam with an extra 3kg in body weight, lighter hair (I had my roots touched up and new highlights done for less than $8 AUD in Vietnam), 5GB of photos to edit and a wardrobe full of new dresses and shoes. Yay!
28 days ago, I boarded Singapore Airline's much talked about A380. I was quickly impressed with the mirror on the fold-out table, the range of new movies & games and the comfort, not to mention silence of the plane. It was smooth travelling.
Lastly, this is where I stayed during the 4 days and 3 nights in Singapore:
Parkroyal on Kitchener Road, Singapore
181 Kitchener Road
Phone: +65 6428 3000
Web: parkroyalhotels.com/hotels/singapore/kitchener_road/parkroyal/index.html