Green Mango - Fusion Cafe

M and I went to Green Mango Restaurant located along Hang Quat Street last Saturday. I went there with my friends previously and thought it was quite a nice place. The thai green curry was supposedly quite good so I told M about it and he was eager to give it a try.

The ambience of the restaurant was warm and cozy and we comfortably settled ourselves down at a corner.

I had wanted to order a salad but most restaurants in Hanoi have stopped serving raw vegetables due to the recent cholera outbreak. So I opted for a grilled chicken sandwich instead. M had a little episode with the waiter while ordering his thai green curry lunch set. Initially, the waiter wanted to charge us the same price though salad was removed from the set menu. I asked if a replacement e.g. soup could be given but was told it was not possible. M said he was not willing to pay the same price if the set was not complete. Eventually, the waiter agreed to reduce the price but it was after much hassle and "consultation" with his manager. We almost wanted to leave. I thought it's really strange that a restaurant would continue to charge its clients the same price though the set served was incomplete. But well.. what can we say?

The bread rolls served as appetizers were quite yummy and I was quite tempted to buy some from the restaurant. :) My grilled chicken sandwich was average and M was a little disappointed with his green curry as he felt it tasted like the pre-packed sauces. I had wanted to try the green mango with sticky rice for dessert but was quite full after the carbo-heavy meal (an entire meal of bread + more bread). So I gave that a miss.

Top left: Yummy bread roll; Top right: Chicken sandwich
Bottom left: Thai Green Curry; Bottom right: Hard crust with cheese

The total bill came up to around VND 160,000 (around SGD 9) which was quite affordable. But I must say the service was a little disappointing that day. I probably won't be going there again.

Green Mango Restaurant and Hotel
18 Hang Quat
Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

Welcome to Taipei (Part 6) - 龙山寺+Farewell

It was our last morning here so we thought we would make a trip to 龙山寺, a famous temple in Taipei.

There's a Long Shan Si Underground Shopping Mall opposite the temple but it had not opened when we were there as it was too early. Still, I would never associate a temple with a shopping mall so I thought the link was quite ... err...

L recalled that there's an interesting herb alley next to the temple so we decided to venture there as well. To say that it's a herb alley is no joke. There are tons of different types of herbs and herbal drinks sold there. It's quite a small, twirling walk but we had fun browsing around.

Mousie's mum sent us off to the airport that afternoon. Felt really bad to trouble her but she was very kind and insisted on doing so. It's like we had already given her so much trouble putting up at her place for one week.

Food for Thought
I enjoyed my trip to Taipei very thoroughly, thanks to Mousie and L. It was great catching up with my old friend again... and I enjoyed my daily night chats with her. It's the first time that I went on a trip with a friend so I was very excited + L turned out to be a great holiday planner! She had a good sense of direction too which helped since I am "direction-less".

Taipei is a very vibrant city, with lots to see, shop and eat. However, it didn't come across as enchanting compared to Rome or Florence. Perhaps the city is too similar to Singapore. I guess it's also partly because we didn't get to see the scenic sights like 阿里山 due to the typhoon. But it's a city that I would love to visit again. This time, I would not hesitate to enjoy the yummy snacks. I can always go on a diet when I come back. :p

Welcome to Taipei (Part 5) - 淡水+士林夜市

Mousie was very sweet and took leave on the Tuesday that we were going to visit 淡水 so that she could go with us. That morning, she also brought us to eat the famous 永和豆浆. There are several branches of 永和豆浆 in Taipei (even in Singapore) but this, apparently, was THE authentic one. I remember the taste of the hot soya bean milk (served in a bowl) was really good.. silky and smooth with a slightly burnt, fragrant taste. We ordered a few side dishes to share and all tasted good, except that we ordered too much. It was only when I had finished all the food that I realised I forgot to take a few pictures!

As it was still quite early, we went to a nearby Sogo departmental store to take a look and managed to catch a miniature performance of "It's a Small World". Reminded me of Disneyland!

I saw this at the entrance of the shopping centre and couldn't resist taking a picture. See how safety conscious the Taiwanese are?

The train ride to 淡水 was close to 1 hour. When we arrived, it was fairly crowded as it coincided with the school term break.

We walked along the old streets of 淡水 for a while before my stomach started growling. I think it's the holiday effect but I always get hungry easily when I go overseas. Mousie introduced several famous local snacks to us, such as 阿给, 淡水鱼丸, 酸梅汤, 桂花汤圆, etc. I think I was the only one who was eating non-stop. :p


After a satisfying round of food hunt, we took a bus to 渔人码头. This place is quite popular with young couples as it's considered a romantic haunt. Well, with three 30 years old girls, the romance is not quite there but it's definitely a scenic place worth seeing.


In the evening, we took a speed boat back to 淡水车站 to begin our next food journey to 士林夜市.

士林夜市 is one of the most famous night markets in Taipei and has undergone refurbishment in recent years such that all the food stalls are now located under one roof while clothes and other accessories are sold a street away.

I guess I ate too much that afternoon so I wasn't that hungry at 士林. Tried the 生炒花枝 and 姜汁番茄 which were average.


It could be due to my not-so-ravenous appetite then. :p

We took a long stroll along the street to look at clothes and fashion accessories. It was interesting though I wasn't quite in the mood to buy stuff that day. Perhaps I was coming to terms with the fact that my holiday in Taipei was ending soon. We were leaving for Singapore the next day so decided to go back earlier to pack and chat. The usual girls' practice. :)

Welcome to Taipei (Part 4) - 故宫+五分铺+饶河夜市

On Monday morning, L and I headed off to 故宫博物院 in Taipei, as it is one of the most famous museums. It turned out to be big and we expected to be there for around 3 hours to complete all the exhibits.

As we were not allowed to take pictures inside the museum, I was unable to upload any into my blog. However, the museum was slightly disappointing for me. There were a lot of displays on artefacts found during Stone Age times and artistic displays which sadly, I was unable to appreciate. It seemed more like an arts museum to me.

After a quick lunch, we headed to 五分铺 for our shopping spree. 五分铺 is known to be a wholesale market in Taipei where one can get trendy yet affordable clothes. I have been warned to bring lots of $ there. :)

My conquests for that day were shocking as I ended up hoarding bags and bags of clothes around. It was fun exploring the small shops, lane after lane.


Some of the clothes were definitely too fashionable for me but there were many other stylish yet cheap apparels. I also managed to get a few T-shirts for my brother.

It was already evening when we decided to call it a day at 五分铺, nearly exhausting our pockets. As we were a little hungry, we started to head towards one of the famous night markets nearby, called 饶河夜市. The 夜市 or night markets in Taipei are known to sell a wide variety of delicious local snacks. What more can a foodie like me ask for? I couldn't wait to try!

The baked black pepper chicken pie was really v good!

The braised spare ribs with herbs and pan-fried kueh.

We tried a variety of snacks together and nearly stuffed ourselves full but there was just too much to eat! We also saw an interesting scene at the 夜市. Little shops were located along the way where you could ask to 挽面. It's an old beauty practice where the beautician will take a few strings and help to smoothen your face by plucking out your facial hair. Some people said it's a comfortable experience while others complained that the pain was intolerable. My mum said she used to do it when she was younger and totally hated it.


It was already quite late by the time we completed our snack tour but before we went back, the two of us crazily hopped on a cab and headed to another 夜市, called 公馆夜市. Our intent was to maximise our night in Taipei. 公馆夜市 was much smaller in scale compared to 饶河 and dispersed across a few streets. So in a way, it did not look as "happening" as 饶河.

We went back to Mousie's house quite late that night and I felt bad that Mousie had to wait up for us. But before she could say anything, I was busy showing her the purchases that I made on that day. Shopping just has this positive effect on girls. As we were going to 淡水 the next day, we did not chat long that night. I was looking forward to more good food the next day! Yeah!

Welcome to Taipei (Part 3) - 慈湖和西门町

It just struck me that I have yet to finish my entries on my Taipei trip (long outstanding since I went there in August last year) so here I am, furiously blogging away to complete my recollection of the entire trip. :)

On Sunday, Mousie and her bf were kind enough to offer to drive us to the outskirts of Taipei for a day trip. We were quite excited and set off early in the morning after a quick breakfast. Initially, we wanted to go to 拉拉山 where there were lots of ripe, juicy peaches. But after a long drive, the roads were getting quite dangerous so we decided to turn back and head to 慈湖 instead. 慈湖 is a park built to commemorate Chiang Kai Shek and his mother. It's a very scenic place and right at the end of the park, is small memorial hall to pay our respects to the late Chiang Kai Shek.

This picture was taken at a temple near the eatery where we stopped for lunch.

The exhibition in 慈湖
Pictures taken at 慈湖. Bottom right shows the memorial hall.

Saw this huge butterfly at the park...

After 慈湖, Mousie suggested that we go to 西门町. There is a very famous oyster mee sua stall there called "阿宗面线" which she wanted to introduce to us. When we arrived at 西门町, it was drizzling but the young crowds filled the streets. We inched our way towards the mee sua stall as Mousie said it would only get more crowded nearing dinner time. Each bowl of mee sua cost around $2 for a small bowl and $3 for a big one. The taste was good though it was too carbo-heavy for me. Not a strand of vegetable could be found in this dish. :p

Busy busy...

See the long queue...

After our meal, we walked around the bustling 西门町 to shop and admire the night scene. It really reminded me of our Orchard Road on weekends, with throngs of people on the street.

When we came to a junction, a signboard called "甜不辣" caught my eye and I dragged L and Mousie to yet, another eatery. I always thought that 甜不辣 means "Tempura" (after being conned by watching one of 吴宗宪's show) but it was not. It's a combination of fish cakes and tofu mixed with a slightly sweet sauce.

I ordered a soup version to try as well. It's like our yong tau fu...


The night ended pretty fast as Mousie needed to work the next day. Guess as tourists, we never have enough of a new city...

Baan Thai Restaurant

My first Thai experience in Hanoi actually began along Cha Ca street!

The infamous grilled fish street!

Hee.. As mentioned in my earlier blog, Cha Ca is a famous dish in Hanoi so when M told me that there was a pretty decent Thai restaurant at Cha Ca Street (the lane with multiple grilled fish restaurants), I was quite surprised.

The restaurant was quite small but clean. When we arrived, there were only two other tables taken up. M mentioned that the portions were quite big so we decided to order two dishes to share: green curry with chicken and vegetables with prawn paste & grilled fish.

The green curry - not spicy enough for us

I love the prawn paste dip!

The grilled fish...

The food was quite good except the curry was really not spicy at all! We didn't get to try a variety of the dishes though since there were only two of us. The total bill came up to be VND 180,000 (SGD 17) which was decent since we ordered some drinks as well. But I probably won't go there again since I can find better quality Thai food in Singapore. :)

Baan Thai Restaurant and Hotel
3b Cha Ca Street
Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Tel: 04-8288588

Freshly Ground Coffee at Cafe Mai

The other day, A wanted to buy ground coffee for her friends so we went to Cafe Mai. There were several varieties to choose from, Expresso, Ngon, Moca, Arabica, etc. All smelt the same to me though H highly recommended Expresso. He said it's thick and good. A bought both Expresso and Moca and I had fun snapping pictures at the coffee shop.

The shop boasts of selling coffee beans roasted according to the traditional French method. I have no idea what this meant but since the coffee is so popular among the locals, it should be good. I never knew that freshly ground coffee was so aromatic. Very enticing even for a non-coffee lover like me.

The cafe also serves coffee at its branch across the street. So it's a perfect pick-me-up perk for locals who would sit at cafes and sip a cup of coffee before they start their day.

See the different types of coffee beans on display outside?

A closer peek at the beans...

The beans are placed into the grinder before the powder is packed.

Luna D Autunno Italian Cuisine

A is in Hanoi for a 2 weeks' holiday so I have been out with her for the past few days (the poor gal was sick for the first week). Really enjoyed her company and wish that she could stay longer.

Today, I brought A to a nice Italian restaurant called Luna D Autunno, located along Dien Bien Phu. Have gone there a couple of times with my friends but never remembered to bring along my handy camera until today. :p

We ordered a pasta, salad and starter of grilled vegetables to share. We ended up chatting more than eating but I realised pleasantly that we are both foodies and enjoy taking pictures of good food!

Our mixed salad with beans and potatoes

Seafood pasta

Grilled vegetables

Our yummy triple combo!

Our total meal came up to around $35 for two persons, including drinks. Perfectly satisfying but I guess for me, the best part of the meal was the company. :)

Luna D Autunno
11B Dien Bien Phu
Tel: 04-8237338

Cha Ca Thang Long - Vietnamese Grilled Fish

Last week, M and I decided to try a famous local Hanoi cuisine called "Cha Ca", which means grilled fish. The famous Cha Ca restaurant is along the Cha Ca Street but this restaurant, highly recommended by M's colleagues, is located along Duong Thanh Street.

The restaurant was rather crowded when we arrived but we managed to get a table pretty quickly. As only cha ca is served there, we did not have to place our orders. The moment we sat down, the condiments, bun and hot pot (with fish slices) were served on our table.

The condiments of basil and coriander leaves, thinly shred spring onions and fish sauce

A huge serving of bun (rice noodles)

The hot pot of seasoned fish and oil

Generous servings of spring onions and dill are added and stir fried

The final stir fried product

The finale: add the bun, peanuts, fish sauce and condiments to the fish. Yum!

The dish was not as oily as I expected and the loads of spring onions and dill made the fish very fragrant. I quite enjoyed the meal. The total cost came up to VND 160,000 (SGD 15) for two persons, including drinks, which was was cheap. Fairly interesting experience which I would probably bring my friends to enjoy but definitely not a healthy food to indulge in.

Cha Ca Thang Long
Unit 21 and 31, Duong Thanh Street,
Hanoi