Vietnamese Restaurant: Long Phung

I never ate Vietnamese food in the first 22 years of my life until i visited San Francisco. S and i chanced upon an authentic Viet eatery while waiting for our laundry to be done and that's where i fell in love with Pho. You'd think that with Singapore being so close to Vietnam and all, we would have better Viet food, but it's really quite sub par compared to many Western countries.

We were recently introduced to Long Phung by a friend who swears that this is probably the best Viet food in Singapore. The Joo Chiat location is kinda seedy, with plenty of KTV bars (aka lup sup bars) but that hasn't stopped the horde of Singaporean and Vietnamese families alike from patronising the place. The latter is certainly an endorsement of the authentic flavors served here. 

The set up is very simple and no frills. Join the queue outside the store and wait for a table to be available. The wait could be long on weekends but you could occupy yourself with pictures of the dishes on the wall while you make a mental note of your order. Once seated, do not hesitate and start ordering. 

The Viet Iced Tea (S$0.80) was the choice drink of many but I could never resist the Cafe Sua Da, Viet Milk Coffee with Ice (S$3). Never mind it is made from robusta and corn and god knows what. This is a sweet (not cloying) condensed milk coffee heaven that i don't mind going to. I would highly recommend the Tamarind juice (S$3) as well. This is a sweet and refreshing dessert drink with honey preserved fruit/plum and peanut chunks.

The Viet Prawn Roll, Goi Cuon, (4 for S$6, 6 for S$9) was served with a sweet sauce with peanut, garlic puree and chili. This went well with the fresh minty rice rolls filled with rice vermicelli, sliced pork and prawn. This is good for sharing because the roll are huge. I would have ordered the spring rolls but S stopped me from over ordering.  

I've never seen or ordered shellfish in Vietnam but i heard this is quite a local snack so we ordered 2 dishes to try anyway. The Huyet Xao Toi, Stir Fry Cockles with Garlic (S$6) is a good beer snack for sure. Eat this while it is hot and make sure you mop up the garlic pepper sauce and then dip it into the salt, pepper, chili mix that accompanies the dish.

Oc Len Xao Ot Sate, Stir Fry Zuzu with Satay (S$6) was a little on the bland side. I kinda thought it would be similar to the local satay sauce but this was just a chili garlic sauce that did little to add flavor to the green entrails in the shell.

I had the Pho Dac Biet (S$6.50), a Special Noodle Soup with beef balls, beef slices and beef brisket. This generous bowl of smooth rice noodles is topped lots of tender meat and juicy chewy balls. I was surprised by a raw egg when i was poking around my bowl. This has to be the most flavorful pho i've had in Singapore. The sweet rich broth is fragrant and flavorful and it had me hooked. Extremely addictive soup i say!

S had the rare beef steak noodle soup (S$5.50) which he happily devoured. If rice is more your thing, they have braised fish, cutlet, stewed pork or beef to go with that. 

We have nothing but praise for this authentic Viet eatery in the east. The food is hearty, home cooked and unpretentious. What's more the price is extremely affordable. This is what Viet food is about really and this is what i miss about Saigon. If you want to experience Saigon but don't have the time to travel, get your tummy right over to Long Phung now. You bet this is where i'll be every time i have a Viet craving. 

Long Phung

159 Joo Chiat Road
Tel: +65 9105 8519
Daily: 1pm - 2am

Dessert Review: Brownice

When i feel like i'm in need of a dose of calcium, i would have ice cream and i love the full cream sort (sorbet is not my thing). The fuller, the creamier, the better. However, i know of poor souls out there who are lactose intolerant or vegans who can't get to enjoy the full smooth sweet dessert made from moo juice and eggs. Well, here is Brownice to the rescue, the first Vegan Ice Cream parlor in Singapore that does organic, dairy free frozen treats that will satisfy any sweet tooth out there.  

Their ice cream is made organic brown rice milk, fruits and nuts. Absolutely no cream, no milk, no eggs and Au-natural flavors. For the weight conscious folks, eat up without worrying about the extra pounds. These low fat desserts are absolutely guilty free. #TrueStory

If all that health nut stuff is putting you off, you really need to reserve your judgment on this one. I guarantee you it tastes nothing like what you envision healthy ice cream to be. Brown rice milk is a great substitute for cream and it still provides the creamy smooth texture. It tastes exactly like normal milk. You wouldn't know the difference unless someone tells you that. 

The flavors here change daily (they keep the best sellers and rotate the others) and they have quite a range. The French Chocolate is very delicate and has a powdery mouth feel to it. In my memory, it simply sublimed after i took a bite. The Dark Chocolate is very rich in comparison, it's like eating a chocolate bar. The Pumpkin Coconut is extremely unique and it really tastes like Chinese dessert paste! Very smooth and rich flavors in this one! Eating the Apple Cinnamon is like having candied apples and the Peanut Butter Caramel is almost out of the jar. I was thoroughly amazed at how real all the flavors are. 

If you can't decide what to have.. well, just get everything! 3 scoops will only set you back by S$7! Or have an Ice Cream Bowl with 4 scoops of ice cream and 4 toppings of your choice. Every additional scoop will only costs S$1.50. Whee!! The servers are also very generous with the treats!

Pick from fresh roasted walnuts, organic raisins and cranberries, syrups and all. I highly recommend the caramelized sea salted almonds for the extra crunch in your guilt free dessert (S$1 per topping). Brownice also does waffles and brownies if the toppings aren't enough to satisfy you. The brownies looked really rich and moist. 

If you are in the Sin Ming area and a little sick of Udders, Salted Caramel or Scoopz, why not give Brownice a shot. Great place for a fat free but tasty snack after all that supper. S highly endorses this. He thinks he can eat all the ice cream he wants now but he has obviously forgotten about the sugar... 

Anyway, just enjoy the dessert and then work it off later. Life is too short to be counting calories really. Enjoy this hidden find! :)

Brownice

8 Sin Ming Road, Sin Ming Centre #01-03

Singapore 575628

Tel: +65 6456 6431
Mon-Thu: 1pm - 11pm

Fri-Sun: 1pm-12am

Croatia Travel: 24 hours in Zadar

When S and I looked back on our Croatia trip to pick our favorite town/city, we both had the same place in mind- Zadar. Funny thing is, we both can't put our fingers on what exactly we love about this Romanesque Dalmatian city, precisely because there isn't much to do or see here. Then again, the best travel experiences aren't always based on physical/quantifiable items. Sometimes it's more emotional. 

Zadar was beautiful because we had it all to ourselves. Just a couple in love, wandering down the white marbled streets, building shared memories. It didn't matter where we were, as long as it's just the 2 of us. Then again, Alfred Hitchcock would say that it must have been "the world's most beautiful sunset" that drew us in.

This was the first coastal stop we took after Zagreb and the scenic Plitvice Lakes in the mountainous North. Driving was easy and smooth and it took us 2 hours to get here from the waterfalls.

Old Town is where all the sights are and a great place to base yourself. Everything from Roman ruins to restaurants and the great blue is within walking distance. You could finish viewing them on foot in an hour or so. In the center of Old Town is The Forum, where the famous Church of St Donat stands. The St. Anastasia Cathedral, Archaeological Museum, St. Mary's Church and Monastery are in the same corner as well.

My favorite is however the Sea Organ, an award winning art installation along the promenade. A strange but enchanting string of chords could be heard as you approach. They soothe or alarm, depending on the mood of the ocean and the temperament of the winds.

Hang around the Organ to catch the said sunset. When it turns dark, the Greeting to the Sun art piece (by the same artist) transforms the harbor into a disco ball with its multicolored photovoltaic cells. 

We stayed at Accomodation Gina, a lovely apartment above a caffe bar. It is situated at Varos, and also considered 'downtown' of Old Town. It's quite funny because it's just a stone's throw away! As it was off peak season, the caffe wasn't opened when we arrived and we had a hard time identifying the place. However, with the help of a kind hearted passerby (Croatians are really friendly and helpful), we managed to get to our very cosy room.

There are 4 rooms available in total and ours was the double one with an en suite bathroom. For 70 Euros a night, it was a steal for the beautiful space we had. The Jacuzzi shower was a plus too. Some rooms come with a bathtub. Wifi and air-conditioning included. 

Another place that you may want to consider would be Apartments Donat, which has a slightly more central location. But really, if you are already in the Old Town, everything is within a 5-10mins stroll. Use this opportunity to explore the churches/monasteries along the way.

Dining options are easily found but it would be a challenge if you don't have a reservation. The famous ones include The Kornat, Niko and Fosa but there are plenty of traditional Konobas and pizzerias that serve hearty and affordable meals. For other dining options, check out Tripadvisor or the Croatian travel sites.

We had dinner at Seafood Restaurant Fosa which is just outside the city walls. The harbor facing outdoor terrace is a perfect spot for dining but the interior is also very chic. Fish lovers would be pleased with the wide variety of fresh seafood available. Set menus are between 115-185kunas (approx S$25-30) for a 3-4 course meal. This is cheap for fine dining in fact. Can i say that truffles are terribly overpriced in Singapore? Here you can get 6g of Black Istrian truffles for S$10. Sliced black truffles. NOT truffle oil.

After dinner, remember to get the most famous slado (ice cream) at Slastičarna Donat. You have to save space for this one i swear. One of the best we've had.

The next morning, we woke up a little earlier to explore the rest of Old Town and the city walls. To our delight, we noticed that the caffe bar downstairs was packed with locals. Coolios. If you notice the orange coloured walls in the above right picture, Accommodation Gina is just on the left of that corner.

The Varos area is as shown above and you can just hang out anywhere in the neighborhood. Kult Caffe, a popular cafe bar with the younger generation, is just around the corner from our place and they serve really good coffee. I think in general the coffee in Croatia is better than what we get in Singapore. That kinda explains why their cafes are packed at all times of the day!

Just across from Kult is another popular pizza and pasta place. It's hard getting a table here especially at night when this street really comes to life. It's nice to know i'm in the heart of the action but not affected by the noise when i need to snooze.

The local markets in Croatia cannot be missed because they are full of fresh organic produce. Some of them are even home grown in little gardens. They are a photographer's dream with the vibrant splashes of colours and textures. As usual, we went away with bags of cherries and other fruits.

Just beyond the city walls lies a famous tradition that you can't miss and that's the boat ride that connects the shores of the city port. The boatmen of Zadar, called barkarioli, have been rowing their wooden barges and ferrying loyal customers for over 800 years and more recently clubbers visiting The Garden in Old Town. This tradition has been carried from father to son for centuries and they can be identified by their well worn, sea battered blue and whites.

Zadar is also famous for their Maraschino, a bittersweet, clear liqueur flavored with Marasca cherries. I'm not sure if you can visit the factory that produces it but you should be able to get a bottle from the souvenir shop. I don't think it's widely available at the caffe bars, perhaps they're not really popular with the locals . I'm not a fan so i didn't look out for it. 

However, if you are looking for a drink, a good place to check out would be The Garden.

This is an open air bar owned by a British music producer. In the day, it's a great place to chill out on the day beds and watch the ferries go by. It's easy to forget about leaving when one is a little high on Moscato.

At night, it transforms into a chic club with groovy beats. I guess this is one of the better places in Zadar for partying. If you prefer a slightly more laid back and casual scene, head to The Arsenal, an ex-military warehouse that now houses a café, bar, restaurant, art galleries and shops.

This concludes our 24 hour rendezvous in Zadar. Barely scratched the surface on this one but i think it's sufficient for a short day trip. Now, it's time for you to get yourself there. 

Afternoon Tea: Axis Bar & Lounge

An English wave recently hit our sunny shores and had caused a tsunami of people to appear in a matter of minutes when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited. While i do like Kate and her impeccable work dressing pretty much, poor people like us are actually too busy at work and we hardly have the time to exercise in the park. Especially not so when the sun is blazing hot at 3pm.

Anyway, for those of you who are still hung up over the fact that you have missed the Royal Couple, here is a spot of English Afternoon tea to cheer you up. Introducing the Mandarin Oriental's Axis Bar & Lounge.

There are many things to love about 3 tiered English Afternoon tea. 1. It's very royal and dainty. 2. Butter, sugar and flour are my best friends 3. A pot of Earl Grey soothes all tension and stress. I'm sure the Duchess would approve of this wonderful English tea at the Axis Bar.

Being a mega tea fan, i've tried most of the noteworthy afternoon tea sets in Singapore- Ritz Carlton, Regent, St. Regis, Fullerton, Fullerton Bay etc. But i've always remembered this to be one of the better, if not the best all rounded tea place in Singapore.

Located on the 4th floor of Mandarin Oriental, Axis Bar provides a great view of the Marina Bay/Civic District (that's what they call the CBD area on our tourist maps). It's very idyllic and soothing, knowing that you are not stuck in a cubby hole working like bees. My little eye also spotted the F1 tracks from my comfy plush seat. Great place to hang out for the upcoming F1 Weekend!

Tea started off with some savory puffs. It's weird that they only gave 1 item each for sharing among 2. On hindsight, it's a thoughtful gesture because we wouldn't have been able to finish our tea set otherwise. The pastries were well executed. I love the quiches here and they rotate the flavors daily. The Potato Bacon and Spinach quiches had the right filling to puff tart ratio and the centre was moist and flavorful.

One thing that irks me about Afternoon Tea sets in Singapore, is the lack of attention paid to the savory items such as the sandwiches. How is it ok that the mass produced and common place items like off-the-shelf white bread and Kraft cheese are used when one is paying premium price for them? (Hello Regent, that's you.) Axis Bar trumps most in this aspect. I love the mini muffins that they use for the Roast Beef and Truffle Egg Mayonnaise sandwiches. Rye crispbread was used as a base for the Smoked Salmon Cheese bite and premium cheese for the simple Ham and cheese sandwich.

The sweets were a mix of light and intense flavors; crisp and smooth textures. They were delicately made and incredibly tasty. We could hardly find fault with any of them. I especially enjoyed the Chocolate and Orange tart and was surprised at how the rich dark cocoa could be so light.  Worthy of mention is also the Salted Caramel Macaron, even though the texture is a tad too soft.

The Mango Kallis Lime creme was a great spread on the Scones. My friend accidentally discovered that combination when she mistook it for the preserves.

The Home made Raisin Scones were to die for. These are probably the most delicious mini scones in Singapore. The other mini scones that i know of at Marmalade Pantry were too dry for my liking. These were moist and dense in the middle and the yellow sun dried raisins lent a light sweetness to the buttery flour. Goes best with the rich clotted cream that we couldn't get enough of.

For S$38 each (or S$65 for 2), you'll be able to enjoy the daily tea set. I would say it's the more reasonably priced hotel tea sets around. Free flow coffee or a pot of TWG tea (refillable) is provided, or if you wish, the champagne option is also available.

More on the other tea places soon!

Axis Bar & Lounge

5 Raffles Avenue, Mandarin Oriental

Singapore 039797

Tel: +65 6885 3098

Daily Afternoon Tea: 3pm–5pm

Restaurant Review: Crab Party

Singaporeans love their crabs, especially the Chili ones. The Uniquely Singapore dish was first invented by Mdm Cher Yam Tian in 1950 with her bottled tomato and chili version and then made popular by Chef Hooi Kok Wah of Dragon Phoenix Restaurant. The current version is a tad sourer, making use of lemon juice, vinegar, sambal, tomato paste and egg white for that thick cornstarch gravy which goes so well with the fried man tou (buns). The dish is so popular that there has been an attempted hijack by Malaysia, claiming it to be their national dish in 2011. That got us pretty riled up of course. If there's one thing Singaporeans are passionate about, it's food. Do not cross us.

I recently visited Crab Party at Serangoon for a crabby fest with a bunch of friends. Heard not bad reviews of their Chili and Salted Egg Yolk crabs (2 of my favorite flavors) so it was a good opportunity to test it out for myself. The price of the crabs is $48/kg (quite pricey) so it made sense to go with the set menu (S$288 for 6pax) which included 2 medium sized crabs, a fish, trotters, cereal prawn, seafood platter, veg, a rice/noodle dish and yam paste desserts. It is possible to change the items on the menu so we went for 3 crabs instead.

Conclusion? Perhaps it's wiser to stick with the crabs because they are after all the highlight of the store. The other dishes were average at best but they did help fill us up a little.

The seafood platter looked more appetizing than it tasted. The prawn rolls were lacking in the 5 spices and was too bland for our liking. The baby squid tasted of overused oil and had too much of the charcoal taste (not the good wok-hei sort). Definitely needs more of the Thai Chili sauce. Cuttlefish was refreshing though with the lime and chili padi seasoning.

I like the Cereal Prawns. I don't have a habit of eating the shells (some people do) but these were so crispy the legs made for a crunchy snack. They were very generous with the salted butter cereal morsels which carried a tinge of sweetness in them. The prawns were fresh too; the shell separated readily from the succulent meat.

I used to love the No Signboard Chili Crabs but the standard has fallen. The Chili Crab at Crab Party has the same problems as No Signboard. I thought it to lack the chili oomph. It's ok if you don't take the spice but i like them hot. One tip for ordering Chili Crab is to go for the female crabs because the roe adds a richer flavor to the gravy. It could be creamier depending on how cooked the roe is.

Surprisingly, the not-so-good Pepper Crab (as claimed by my friend) turned out to be really tasty. I started out eating Black Pepper Crabs when i was a kid and this really brings back those wonderful grubby memories of finger licking goodness. This really packs a punch with the spicy black pepper. They may have gone a little overboard with the salt but the condensed black gravy complements the sweet and juicy chunks of meat. I like it better than the Chili one. 

Highlight of the night was definitely the Salted Egg Yolk Crab. This flavor has overtaken Chili as my must order at seafood restaurants. There is a hint of either milk powder or condensed milk in this one to give it the sweet creamy texture. I like that there is a substantial amount of gravy in this one and it is perfect with the fried man tous (S$1 for 1 big bun).

The service was pretty slow. We were one of the first few customers on a Saturday night but we waited for more than 30 minutes in between our first and second dishes. By then we were starving already. The food came pretty fast after we highlighted that to our servers.

The crabs are worth a try over here. Again, people have been telling me Crab Party is better than the House of Seafood nearby. Shall give it a shot next time. Till then, enjoy the eye-feast!

Crab Party

100 Yio Chu Kang Road 

Singapore 545576

Tel: +65 6288 8588

Daily: 11.30am - 2.30pm, 5pm - 1am

Bali Travel: Alila Villas Soori

Bali is known for its island getaway and it draws in the crowd from all over the world. Australians especially love her for the surfs and you'd see all the tanned bodies on bikes scooting around the Kuta area. Weary couples or individuals looking to recharge have found peace and balance in the many secluded villas in the Seminyak area.

This time round, we decided to simply luxe it and went with Alila Villas Soori, an extremely isolated 5 star villa in the SouthWest coast of Bali; a good 1.5-2h drive from Denpasar, Indonesia. We went on dirt tracks and cut through padi fields before finally arriving at the exclusive black sand fronted, Indian Ocean facing villas.

The service and hospitality was warm and impeccable. We chose the Indulgent in villa service: 24-hour personalized butler services to deliver our every whim. The hostess addressed us by our names and showed us around the 2 Bedroom Beachfront pool villa. This is a unique configuration because those that are advertised on their website are the 1,3 and 10BR. You can make your request at a premium of course. A typical 1 BR beachfront villa is 156sqm, each with private pool and outdoor pavilion. There is also direct access to the beach, which is just a few steps away.

Alila really aims to please their guests. All our preferences were noted prior to our arrival. Movies, music and reading materials of our choice were loaded in the living room. S went overboard with his pillow choices and we had 8 pillows on our king sized Ploh bed with 300 thread count linen and duvet.

I really enjoyed the bathroom amenities: a complete range of superior quality locally-sourced organic ingredients Alila bathroom amenities specially made for HIM (lemon grass and black pepper) and HER (mandarin, lemon grass and rose geranium). I thoroughly enjoyed my bubble bath in the huge ass bathtub in the room. It sits 4 comfortably and proved to be a little too big for the petite me.

Sunscreen, tanning oil, cooling gel and moisturizer were nice touches that enabled us to enjoy our beach holiday (though i was still burnt). I carried them around in the nicely woven brown beach bag provided and the pretty huge beach hat provided some respite from the rays.

When one is at such a luxurious villa, there is simply no need to get out. You shouldn't really. A day should be spent lounging at the infinity pool, submerged in the water day beds to escape the heat. We had fun on the black power volcanic sand beach and the grains are like a million speckles of bright lights under the sun. We chased the 3m tall waves far out into the ocean, trying to catch a surf. If you please, get on horseback and ride into the sunset.

Meals are served at the 3 restaurants- Cotta and Ombak for the main meals and the Reading Room for a snack in between. We enjoyed the breakfast tasting menu at Cotta, which made us buttery croissants and fluffy pancakes, along with a good selection of cheeses and cold cuts. They also have the more substantial like Steak and Indonesian mains.

Dinner on the first night was a special BBQ buffet on the lawn. We had an enjoyable time watching the traditional Ramayana performance. The performers were mainly local fishermen, not full time singers. They do it for a token sum but the main purpose is to carry on the traditional arts. We also tried Cotta's dinner on another occasion and it wasn't too bad except for the failed souffle.

The other thing i love is the daily complimentary yoga class held at the yoga studio. It's a 1.5h session either in the morning or at dusk. I dragged S with me to a session and laughed while he struggled with some of the poses. It was practically a private session with the instructor since we were the only 2 who showed up. Uber zen moment. What's best is the sight that greeted us thereafter the session. I've never seen a sunset this beautiful. 

I love the beautiful play of natural lights in the skies and the reflection on the smooth black chalk canvas. The salmon pink is mirrored on the cool waters at the break of day and then a lovely purple at dusk. It was me and the world and nothing else mattered. That was my solitude. No one to interrupt the crashing of waves or the whisper of the wind. 

If you don't mind spending 500USD a night for a 1BR Beach Villa then this is the place to really get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. Great place to throw an engagement or wedding as well with the availability of the 10BR private villa. If you prefer a less secluded spot, check out Alila Uluwatu in Bali as well.

Alila Villas Soori
Website: http://www.alilahotels.com/soori