Ho Chi Minh Restaurant Lafayette

HCM Part 3
We stayed near Hotel Continental Saigon, and each time we walked past, we always noticed this Restaurant Lafayette. Thus, on our last day in the city, we decided to have our lunch here before we departed for the airport.

胡志明市第三章
我们的酒店离Hotel Continental很近，每回徒步经过时，都会看到酒店一层的这家Lafayette餐馆。因此，在离开前往机场之前，我们决定在这里解决午餐。

Founded in 1880, Hotel Continental is the oldest establishment in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city).
Restaurant Lafayette (formerly known as Dolce Vita in the 70’s and Venezia in 2000) offers a vast choice of Italian and French dishes.

Hotel Continental 于1880年建成，是胡志明市最古老的建筑。
Lafayette餐馆的菜单里可以找到许多意大利和法国的菜式。

French Onion Soup – popular French classic, served with toast emmental topped croutes (80000 VND)
法式洋葱开胃汤，配搭圆状的吐司芝士。

Pasta all’Arrabbiata
– tube pasta with tomato sauce, mushrooms, onions, bell pepper and olive (132000 VND)
It is a Roman pasta dish usually served with chopped fresh parsley sprinkled on top.

*All’arrabbiata means “angry style”. It is named due to the heat of the peppers. But in this case, JAF didn’t find the dish very hot.

香辣茄酱意通粉。
由番茄酱、蘑菇、洋葱、柿子椒及橄榄油煮成。
它是一种意大利罗马式的意式面食，通常有碎香芹(芫茜)撒在上面。

*香辣茄酱有「愤怒酱料」之称，因为紅椒令酱料帶有辣味。不过，找食趣的这一盘意粉并不辣。

Creole Sea Bass
– pan fried sea bass fillet dusted with Cajun spice on bacon black eye pea ragout, coriander sauce (190000VND)

主要有卡真和胡荽调味的煎鲈鱼。有鱼、有虾、有菜，色彩缤纷，吃得很开心。

Address:
Hotel Continental Saigon
132-134 Dong Khoi Street
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam
Tel: (84.8)38226677 / 38299255 / 38299201
www.continentalvietnam.com
www.continentalsaigon.com

Ho Chi Minh Wrap & Roll

HCM Part 2
JAF and friend were shopping inside Hard Rock Cafe when one of the staff started chatting with us. He strongly recommended us to check out Wrap & Roll, and told us the nearest outlet was just a short walk away. So off we went.

胡志明市第二章
找食趣和朋友在硬石餐厅里头逛逛看看时，其中一位职员开始和我们搭讪。刚好接近午餐时间，因此他大力推荐我们到隔几条街的这家 Wrap & Roll 试一试。既然是当地人介绍的，我们还犹豫什么呢？

Wrap & Roll – “Best Vietnamese restaurant chain 2010”.
2010年最佳越南菜连锁餐厅。

Bright interior design and lively ambience. JAF loved the green walls!
It was lunch time when we stepped into the restaurant. Apparently this seems to be a popular place among the young local professionals.

具有亮丽色彩的室内设计和轻松怡人的进餐环境。找食趣太喜欢那绿色的墙壁了！
由于是午餐时分，餐厅几乎客满。看来这里似乎很受当地年轻白领人士的欢迎。

We were surprised to see such a variety of rolls offered on the menu. Some of them come already wrapped and rolled while there are those that allow the customers to do themselves.

打开菜单一看，哇，还真多各式各样的春卷菜色呢，有越南生春卷、越南炸春卷等等。你还可以选择亲手将配料一起卷在米纸里。如果懒惰又嫌麻烦的话，就点现成做好的春卷吧。

Vietnamese Pepsi.
越南版的百事可乐。

How could we miss out the Fresh Spring Rolls (Gỏi cuốn)?
又怎能少得了越南鲜春卷呢？

Fresh Spring Rolls with pork and prawns (VND 45000) (VND = Vietnamese Dong)
越南鲜春卷 ~ 馅料包括猪肉和虾肉。

Steamed rice crepe rolls with grilled pork (Bánh ướt cuốn thịt nướng) (VND 35000)
河粉包烤猪肉。

Grilled pork with vermicelli & vegetables (Cuốn bún chả Hà Nội) (VND 58000)
烤猪肉配越南米粉和蔬菜。

Wrap some fresh vege and herbs, vermicelli and a piece of pork with a dry rice paper and roll it up.

将生菜、米粉和猪肉片一起卷在一张米纸里。

Sticky rice with chicken wrapped in pandan leaves (Xôi gà cuộn lá dứa) (VND 55000)
We saw this particular dish on many tables as we walked past to our seats, so we decided to order a set.

糯米饭配香兰叶包鸡肉。
我们注意到周围大部分的餐桌上都有这道菜，便决定也点一份。

Glutinous rice. 糯米饭。

Yes, the chicken doesn’t look appealing, but the taste is not too bad.

鸡肉看起来虽不怎么样，不过味道还不错。

However, do take note: the chicken must be eaten while it’s still hot, taste much better.

但是我们建议鸡肉最好是趁热吃比较好。

You can check out the link below for a list of the restaurants and food court outlets located at different parts of Ho Chi Minh city.

Wrap & Roll 散布在胡志明市各个角落，大家可点击以下网址查询地址。

Address:
Wrap & Roll
62 Hai Ba Trung St, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: 08-08-38222166
http://www.wrap-roll.com

Ho Chi Minh Phở Eatery

Went on a short trip to Vietnam Ho Chi Minh three months back, and took some food pictures. Here is HCM Part 1.

前些日子到越南胡志明市度个短假，拍了些吃的照片，在此与大家分享胡志明市第一章。

Phở24 is a famous Vietnamese noodle restaurant chain in Vietnam. According to its website, “by June 2010, PHO24 has opened 77 outlets in Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, Da Nang, Vung Tau, Nha Trang, Binh Duong, Jakarta (Indonesia), Manila (Philippines), Seoul (Korea), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Sydney (Australia) and Hong Kong.”

Phở24 是著名的越南面连锁店。根据它的网站所提供的资料，至2010年六月为止，Phở24 的分店已经分布在胡志明市、河内、岘港、头顿、芽庄、平阳、雅加达(印尼)、马尼拉(菲律宾)、首尔(韩国)、金边(柬埔寨)、悉尼(澳洲)以及香港，共有77家分店。

Fresh Spring Rolls (VND 35000) (VND = Vietnamese Dong)
Wrapped with rice paper, ingredients include: Vietnamese rice vermicelli, vegetables, mint leaves and fresh shrimps.

越南鲜春卷 ~ 用米紙包裹米粉、杂菜、香草和鮮蝦。

Chilli to go with the fresh spring rolls. Ooooh….this is very spicy!
配春卷的辣椒。是辣的咯！

Egg in Broth (Trứng gà) (VND 10000)
Mix the egg well with the soup, it’s an interesting taste, quite nice.

不知应该给什么中文名，就叫“生蛋汤”吧。将蛋和汤搅混在一起，味道还挺不错的。

Pho with Chicken (Phở gà) (VND 48000)
越南鸡肉粉

The usual ingredients that go with Pho.
越南粉常用的佐料。

The complete dish. Let’s tuck in!
把料都放进去了，可以开动了。

Broken Rice with Shredded Pork, Pork Chop (Cơm tấm bì sườn) (VND 47000)
Was curious about “broken rice” and did a check on it.

碎米饭配猪扒肉和猪肉丝。
碎米饭的米粒很细小，口感和普通白米很不同，没那么实，吃起来有种“轻盈”的感觉。

The food here is cheap. Including drinks, we spent around $12++ Singapore dollars in total.

这里的食物相当便宜。我们这一顿晚餐，包括饮料，花了我们大约新币$12左右。

www.pho24.com.vn
**We saw quite a number of Phở24 outlets around. Just walk along the streets and you are bound to see one round the corner.

Phở24 其实有好几家分店。在街上走着走着，拐个弯就会看到一间。

老北京炸酱面 Peking Noodles

听说老北京炸酱面有二十几三十家，这不过是其中的一家。

Noodles With Soybean Paste, also called Zha Jiang Mian, is a popular food that can be easily found in Beijing. Check out this List of Outlets

The moment we stepped in, we got a bit of a culture shock.

进店就被服务生的吆喝声给震慑住了。
很热闹，有点乱哄哄的感觉。

Seems like it’s the culture here for the waiters and waitresses to shout the food orders at the top of their voices. It took us a while to get used to the shoutings.

Noodles With Soybean Paste is a traditional Beijing cuisine. It is an inexpensive dish, consisting of three main materials: hand-tossed noodles, vegetable pieces as well as pork. The noodles can be served either hot in the cold weather or cold during the hot summer.

Cucumber and other vege 黄瓜丝和其他配料。

Springy hand-tossed noodles 手擀面条口感不错，有弹性。

炸酱面是老北京的招牌，代表着老北京的饮食文化、中国饮食的精神符号。
准备过程很简单，是普通老百姓桌上的家常便饭。
主要是手擀面，加上几种不同青菜碎和猪肉碎。
炸酱面配合不同气候可以有不同的煮法。老北京人最爱在夏天吃冷面，到了气候转凉时当然就是热腾腾的汤面了。

This is fried fish. Yes, it looks ugly and doesn’t look appealing, but the taste was still quite ok.

这是炸鱼片，看起来卖相不怎么样，但味道还可以。

These biscuits and the fish come together as a set.

鱼肉好像是要配这些饼的，虽然不是很清楚怎么吃，还是照吃了。

This is definitely not the typical kind of hotpot. Yang xiezi is the chinese name of this dish, which is often directly translated as “lamb scorpions”. It actually consists of meaty bones from the lamb’s spine.
The soup is flavorful enough so no dipping sauce is required.
There are also vegetables mixed together in the pot.
This dish has the following benefits:
low fat, low cholesterol, low glucose, high protein, rich in calcium. The nutrients are easily absorbed and good for skin. Finally, it is also known to *erherm* help enhance “manhood”.

羊蝎子 (Lamb Spine Hot Pot) 就是羊大梁，因其形状酷似蝎子，故而俗称羊蝎子。羊蝎子常可用来做清汤火锅，味道鲜美。羊蝎子低脂肪；低胆固醇；低血糖；高蛋白；富含钙质。易于吸收，有滋阴补肾，养颜壮阳功效。

If you consider yourself a real carnivore, and you like lamb, this is really the dish for you.
爱吃羊肉的人，应该不会错过这道菜吧。

It’s DELIcious…

KUALA LUMPUR 吉隆坡
DELIcious at The Marc Residence is a stone’s throw away from KLCC. It is also near Jalan P. Ramlee, one of the city’s hottest nightspots.
Besides Marc Residence, I also saw 2 other outlets at Mid Valley and Bangsar Village II.

因为工作的关系来到了吉隆坡，然后只有在收工的前一晚大伙儿才有机会一起慢慢地吃一顿晚餐。餐馆就位于双子塔附近的一座服务公寓的底层。这家DELIcious 餐馆在吉隆坡应该有相当的名气，在Mid Valley和孟沙购物中心里也设有分行。

Wild mushroom soup with garlic bread
菌菇汤

Balsamic wild mushroom salad
意式香醋菌菇沙拉

The mushrooms are really nice and juicy!
菌菇细嫩多汁，很新鲜、很可口。

Thai crabmeat pasta with aromatic herbs, spices and olive oil
泰式蟹肉意大利面

I had this as my main dish. It’s a light yet appetizing dish.
这道就是我的正餐了，很开胃。

Seafood linguini tossed in homemade sundried tomato pesto
海鲜意大利扁面条

Mushroom mascarpone spaghettini with lemon zest, walnuts and coriander
意大利面配蘑菇与意大利奶酪

Other than the broad range of main dishes, there is also a long list of desserts, but we were so full by then we could only pick just 3 of them.
这里的甜品选择多得不知从何选起，大家简直是被宠坏了！可惜肚子就只能装得下那么多，能点三样甜品算不错了。

Tiramisu in a glass
杯状提拉米苏

Macadamia cheesecake, topped with crunchy macadamia nut brittle and caramel
坚果芝士蛋糕

Sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla icecream
枣布丁配黄油硬糖汁与香草冰淇淋

The DELIcious cafe at The Marc Residence is chic and stylish, and what is special is the interior deco of white trees with white birdcage lamps hanging from the white branches. Frankly, just the bare trees alone can be rather spooky, but with the addition of the birdcage lamps, it actually created an alternative kind of romantic feel. The overall atmosphere is cosy, warm and inviting, which makes it a good place to hang out.

这家餐馆的室内环境很有格调，尤其是餐馆中央的布置设计非常特别。干枯枯的树干其实有点阴森森的感觉，但将白色的鸟笼灯悬吊在白色树干上，便营造出了一种另类浪漫的气氛。舒服的环境，绝对是适合与朋友轻松聚会的好地方。

Address:
DELIcious Cafe
The Marc Service Residence
A-6-01 Ground Floor
No. 3 Jalan Pinang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (603) 2166 9099
http://www.delicious.com.my/

叽叽吖吖千层饼

SHANGHAI 上海
这里简单介绍一个在上海找到的简单小吃–千层饼，听说很受欢迎。
千层饼还蛮松软的，中间夹着薄薄的一层豆沙。口味分甜味和咸味两种。

Puff Pastry – consists of a layer of red bean paste in the middle.
There are 2 versions: sweet taste and salted taste.

而能买到千层饼的就在这家叫叽叽吖吖的店了。
地方不会太难找，就在长乐路和襄阳北路的交界处。

Look for this shop at the intersection of Chang Le Road and Xiang Yang Bei Road.

Address:
叽叽吖吖(长乐路店)
静安区长乐路606号(近襄阳北路)

台湾传统美食 Taiwan Traditional Cuisine

TAIPEI 台北
The authentic taste of Taiwanese delicacies…you simply just can’t stop loving them!
台湾一点都不乏充满道地风味的美食，让你吃得爱不释手!

Fresh Bamboo Shoots 鲜竹笋

Sautéed Fresh Clams 炒大蛤

Fried Eggplant 九层茄子

Fried Pork Liver 煎猪肝

This is my favourite dish among all the rest. The taste is superb and the tenderness of the meat is just right.
这是我最爱的一道菜了。爽口不带涩味，口感好、咬劲十足。

Braised Pig’s Trotter 卤猪脚

Stewed Chicken 三杯土鸡

Founded in 1965, this Umeko Restaurant serves really good food, and the prices are quite all right especially if you get a big group of people to share out the cost.
这家梅子台湾料理店创立于1965年，可说是道地的台湾料理传统老店。菜色多，食物好，价钱也蛮合理的，如果是一群人一起吃的话，还挺划算的。

Address:
Umeko Taiwanese Cuisine & Seafood
梅子台湾料理店
台北市林森北路107 巷1 号
Tel: 886-2-25213200~3

小龙虾

SHANGHAI 上海

上海有条寿宁路，是出名的一条专卖小龙虾的街。来到这里，看得出这是一个只有当地人才会光顾的地方。四月至九月夏秋季节是麻辣小龙虾的天下，而夏季更是最佳的时候，因为小龙虾肉比较嫩，壳也没那么硬。这里吃小龙虾以斤计算，因此大部分人都是一篮一篮地吃。

Shanghai Shou Ning Road is a small street with many stalls selling crayfish, and visited mainly by the locals. Apparently the period from April to September is the hottest season for crayfish in Shanghai. Summer is the best time to eat crayfish because the meat is much tender and the shell is not so hard.

There are so many shops along the two sides of the road that you can just choose any of them and get to eat a whole basket of crayfish.

Raw crayfish 还未煮熟的小龙虾

Cooked crayfish 红彤彤的小龙虾

Caution: As you walk along the street, you will notice that the hygiene condition may not be so desirable. So will you still dare to try?
注意：街道两旁都在卖小龙虾，但卫生状况看起来似乎不是很理想。有那么多的选择，就看你敢不敢试一试了。

“monster ice” & bitter gourd juice

TAIPEI 台北

This is 3P 霸王冰(“monster ice”). It consists of 3 kinds of fruits: mango, kiwi and strawberry, and 2 ice-cream flavours: mango and strawberry.
3P 霸王冰有三种水果：芒果、奇异果和草莓，以及两种雪糕口味：芒果和草莓。

The only problem is the size…we got a big shock when the dessert was served to us! Compare it with a 500ml bottle and my hand, that was definitely not a normal size loh!

霸王冰一送上来，我们马上就后悔了。这份甜点果然很有霸王的气势。与旁边的500毫升矿泉水瓶装和我的手掌比较一下，就知道它不是普通地大！

This dessert shop “三兄妹” is along a food street of Xi Men Ding. (The food street is opposite a hotel called Rainbow Hotel.)
Apparently some tour groups will come here for desserts, because it’s very near one of the entrances of Xi Men Ding where tour buses usually will stop.

JAF also saw a number of youngsters around in the shop. Here is the basement of the shop, and look at the walls, they are all scribbled with words and pictures, not a single corner is spared!

这间甜品店位于西门町的一条小小美食街。除了旅行团之外，当然也少不了年轻人的踪影，尤其从整间店的墙壁、天花板就可看出这些年轻人的“创意”。

彭暄媛有E罩杯！Bra size E Cup!

Another drink that is famous here is the bitter gourd juice, you can opt for original bitter taste, normal, or not so bitter taste. But it seems like the small shop below which is beside “三兄妹” is the first shop to sell the original bitter gourd juice. JAF tried the juice from this small shop and thought that it tasted better than that from “三兄妹”.

另外在“三兄妹”甜品店里也可以尝到苦瓜汁，怕苦的可以加蜜糖。但老实说，找食趣后来试了位于隔壁的这间柠檬屋，觉得他们的苦瓜汁比较好喝喔。或许你们也可以自己去做个比较。

Address:
柠檬屋正宗苦瓜原汁
西门町
汉中街 21号