Dinner at The Orange Lantern Restaurant @ IMM

2 Jurong East Street 21, IMM #02-52 Singapore 609601

Tel: 6896 2640

Website: http://www.orange-lantern.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrangeLantern.SG

The Orange Lantern is a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant drawing its inspiration from the delicate but sturdy orange silk lanterns in Vietnam, seeking to bring about fortune, joy and warmth to its diners.

Ambience is cosy and pretty with orange lanterns decorating the place and painted walls, depicting the Viet culture. Service was polite enough, depending on which crew staff you got. Menu is largely Vietnamese cuisine - pho, rice rolls, Viet curry (sweet), and hotpot.

The latter was what drew our attention so Mon Beau ordered the Beef Hotpot Set (SGD$13.90) served with a delicious broth with spices, succulent beef slices, fresh vegetables and rice.

I had the Chicken Pho aka chicken noodle soup with a light, clear broth, tender chicken strips and bouncy chicken balls.

Finally, some Chestnut Cake for dessert - cool, sweet cubes of agar-agar filled with chestnut studs to lend an extra crunch.

Overall dining experience at The Orange Lantern was pretty good - wallet friendly and delicious.

Visiting Vietnam: Hankering Hanoi

Having visited Ho Chi Minh (review here) and decided that it was a cityscape filled with cosmopolitan indulgences and art studios, we decided to organize a family outing to the capital city of Vietnam- Hanoi.

It would have been fun to visit some museums and governmental buildings but we did not manage to do so. Here are some places we visited and dined at.

PLACES OF INTEREST

HANOI OLD QUARTER (BA DINH SQUARE)

Address: Hùng Vương, Điện Biên, Ba Đình, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Ba Dinh is a touristy spot packed with places of interest showcasing some of the capital's finest examples of early twentieth French colonial architecture and historic icons - such as Ho Chi Minh's Masoleum, Ho Chi Minh's house on stilts, the Presidential Palace and One Pillar Pagoda.

squid fishing

HALONG BAY
Address: Thanh pho Ha Long, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam
Website: http://www.halongbay.info

A scenic water body with caves and serene ambience, Halong Bay is a must-visit if you visit Hanoi. It borders north along China, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We boarded the V-Spirit Cruise where we woulf be staying for 2 days 1 night. The cruise took us around Halong Bay itself, offering gorgeous views when we were dining or simply hanging out. 

Food items comprised 10-course meals as well as Vietnamese Spring Rolls where we also learned to make this local specialty. Breakfast was traditional Vietnamese Pho (soup rice noodles with chicken or beef). We had lots of drinks as it was very affordable.

Other activities included evening squid fishing, sunset party, morning sunrise Tai-chi and water sports like kayaking. We also visited Sung Sot Cave (Amazing Cave) which will be described in detail.

SUNG SOT GROTTO
Address: Cat Hai, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam
Website: http://sungsotcave.com

Located right in the centre of UNESCO-declared World Heritage area is Sung Sot Grotto, also known as "Amazing Cave"  or "Surprise Cave". The way in is paved by foliage, trees and stone blocks; the interior is beautiful with stalactites, stalagmites, rocks forming shapes of animals and an array of deeply beautiful lights adding enchantment to the cave.

HOTELS

FLOWER GARDEN HOTEL
Address: 46 Nguyễn Trường Tộ, Trúc Bạch, Ba Đình, Hà Nội, Vietnam 
Tel: +84 123 763 1111
Website: http://flowergardenhotel.com.vn/vi

We had a nice surprise upgrade to the new, 4-star Flower Garden Hotel located at Hanoi area. Around the hotel are rows of shops and diners where one could see locals eating seated on low stools or locals carrying sticks tied with goods on their shoulders to peddle.

Anyway the hotel staff was warm and very personable. The hotel was simple but elegantly furnished, with spacious rooms. The hotel restaurant serves good food as well, such as traditional Vietnamese beef pho. Hotel rates is merely around SGD$130 per night for a double bed executive room.

RESTAURANTS

VUON PHO RESTAURANT
Address: 3B Phan Dinh Phung, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Tel: +84 94 569 78 66
Website: http://vuonphohanoi.vn

A beautiful hut-like restaurant standing on its own, where lower level was open-space dining and upper level consisted of air-conditioned, nicely decorated glassroom dining room. We took the upper level of course. The service crew was polite and friendly.

We started with 2 soups namely Lobster Bisque and Mushroom Tofu Soup, followed by Garden Salad. Then we had Pineapple Fried Rice and Pork Belly cooked with coconut and vegetables. Food was excellent and surprised us immensely.

SHOPPING

The tryst to hunt for huge malls or local bazaars was minimal so we were left to browse rows of shops near our hotel's vicinity.

I managed to get a nice dress when the mannequin donning it kept beckoning me over. A Mango dress, no less! And lots of local produce such as Green Bean Cakes, Lotus Seeds etc.

Overall, Hanoi is a more laid-back area compared with Ho Chi Minh city, allowing tourists to appreciate the culture of Vietnamese better, and visiting some historical spots which are the essence of travel.

Lunch at Nam Nam Noodles Bar @ Wheelock Place

501 Orchard Road #B2-02 Wheelock Place, Singapore 

Tel: 6736 1488

Website: http://www.namnamnoodlebar.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nam-Nam-Vietnamese-Noodle-Bar/773200276058657?fref=ts

Here's another place that spiked my interest but I never could bring myself to join the long queue to try - Nam Nam Noodle Bar. The fad has died down, and there are more outlets now, so I happily decided to lunch there during a shopping trip with The Beau.

Decor of Nam Nam Noodle Bar is simple but rich in Viet culture. Menu comprises of different types of Pho (Vietnamese noodles), baguette-wich and an assortment of sides such as Vietnamese vermicelli rolls. A rather straightforward menu, no-fuss or fanciful description required.

We started with a Coconut Orange Drink - sweet and refreshing, a lovely tropical delight.  

The Beau had a Sauteed Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi (SGD$6.90) aka toasted baguette stuffed with chicken pate, hot chilli peppers, mayonnaise, pickled carrot, daikon, fresh cilantro and cucumber. The baguette was utterly crispy and flakey to our surprise, it was almost like eating a freshly-baked croissant. The moistened, succulent pork was bursting with flavours from the exotic lemongrass, pickled carrot and chilli - it made for an utterly tasty meal.

I went for the Pho Chicken (SGD$9.00) - bowl of Vietnamese rice flour noodles  in broth boiled intensely for 24 hours and garnished with freshly-chopped herbs.  Broth was scrumptious and flavourful, and rice noodles were smooth; chicken strips were tender and meal was enjoyabl. We couldnt get enough of the piping hot broth for sure.

Overall we were pleased with dining experience at Nam Nam's, and I would look forward to being back for another bite of the crispy baguette as well as maybe try the beef pho.

[Media Invite] Golf, drinks and food at Urban Fairways (Revisit)

168 Robinson Road #01-07 Capital Tower, Singapore 068912

Tel: 6327 8045

Website: http://urbanfairways.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Urbanfairways

This was a Yelp media event for all community members and reviewers to bond and have some fun together in a chillax sports bar settings. We were here at 7.00pm sharp and proceeded to register ourselves. This was also my second visit; for details of my first visit, click here.

Urban Fairways is a cafe that serves up interesting fusion food items, a pub with wide range of drinks as well as an indoor golf range played on simulators replicate of luxurious golf courses all around the world. The service crew here is dressed as caddies but instead of golf clubs, they hand out food and drinks.

Simulator rates are as follows:

Mon to Fri (8.00am to 5.00pm) - SGD$75.00++ an hour

Mon to Fri (5.00pm to 11.00pm) - SGD$150++ an hour

Saturday (all day) - SGD$75.00++ an hour

Back to the Yelp event, after registering, we had to download the Yelp app on our phones and check-in. Then door gifts were handed out to us, as well as "guess the number of golf tees" contest. We were also given 2 black tees each, to exchange for drinks.

In the mood for reds, I started with a glass of Red Wine and ended up another glass of the same. We mingled around with representatives from Yelp as well as other reviewers, eating and playing virtual golf as the night drew on.

Food-wise, they started us with Delhi Belly Good (SGD$12.00), made of flat bread, feta cheese, red pepper, Spanish onion and coriander. The pastry base was crunchy and ingredients were flavourful - a lovely combination of spices and umami cheesey goodness.

Next, Oh Calcutta (SGD$14.00) - chicken tikka wrap with poppadoms and mint yogurt. This made for another tasty bite flaunting the heavy taste of spicy tikka chicken and refreshing pierce of mint yogurt.

Following that, Amazeballs (SGD$15.00) - meatballs, parmesan, spicy tomato sauce and ciabatta. One of our favorite dishes as well - this tangy dish with tender, springy beef meatballs.

Last but not least, Wrap & Roll (SGD$14.00), comprising rice paper stuffed with red pepper, coriander, mint, cucumber, carrot, glass noodles, soy, lime and chilli. The palate was on fire with this one, but the sensation was addictive; the chopped vegetables were crunchy and an explosion of flavours as well.

Finally, the night came to a close with some photo taking and announcement of the contest winners. Wow, my wild guess of 66 golf tees turned out to be the closest of 65 tees in total, making me the proud winner to walk away with SGD$500.00 voucher from Urban Fairways.

This marked a happy night - thank you Melissa (Instagram @cptslowyeo for the invite and Yelp for the fabulous event.