Au Parc is another one of my favorite hangouts in the town area. I went there 3 times during my stay in Saigon. It's located in a colonial french shophouse with high ceilings (i love these shophouse features), full of light and life and of course good food. 

Like many restaurants in Saigon or Vietnam, Au Parc does a Mediterranean as well as some French food and some American/English. This is typical of most cafes in Saigon in order to cater to the expats working in Saigon. 

There are 3 different spaces for dining. The ground level is bistro-style. You can watch the preparation of your food along with the madness of the service stuff during rush hour. That or take a seat outside, al fresco style and watch the world scoot by (literally). 

The 1st floor has a Mediterranean section. Really cosy space and very Middle Eastern. What i love about this space is the natural light that falls in from the roof and how it reflects off the yellow walls to create that warmth that envelops the space. Bright and cheery. :) It's amazing how all the contrasting designs, patterns, colors, shapes and textures come together so well. Love the mosaic tiled table tops! 

Happy us with our freshly squeezed juices and breakfast!
The bagel is the best i've ever had and this trumps anything we have in Sg. Seriously we've been eating crap all these while. Starbucks bagel is like a rock compared to this. I honestly have no idea how they can create such an airy texture and yet maintain the chewiness of a bagel. Even the ones i had in NYC weren't like that. I'm not too sure what exactly should the texture be- dense and chewy? Or light and chewy? Any bagel expert out there please do enlighten us.

Anyhow, they are so generous with the cheese and it's really good and light cream cheese with a tinge of sourness and saltiness. Beats the lousy Philadelphia cream cheese that we usually get. We had a side order of jam and it's made from mulberry. How exotic right? Fragrant and with the right amount of sweetness. It's certainly not as sour as the usual fresh raspberry or blueberry jam.

This would be a perfect place for a wedding luncheon. This is what i'd call a positive space.

Went back a second time for lunch after visiting Cu Chi Tunnels. I wanted to try their quiche but they didn't make any the day i went. So it was a different sorta bagel for me. Bacon with melted Camembert and rockets. This is absolutely awesome. I was surprised at how full i felt after a half of my bagel even though it is really small.
So what do you do when you eat alone? You entertain yourself with lots of silly pictures of yourself eating. :) You can still have fun when you are dining alone! Tested and proven. :))

After a glass of fresh mocha and my bagel, i decided that i should still stuff myself with desserts! This is the only downside to dining alone- there's no one to share my food with and i can't have a variety of dishes for tasting! :(( Anyway, i didn't try the Nemesis Chocolate Cake (it looks like a chocolate truffle block) but it comes highly recommended by Z and i trust her taste in desserts since we essentially have the same tummies.
The cheesecake looks fabulous too but certainly too rich for my overly expanded tummy.
I chose the Earl Grey Creme Brulee because it looks small enough and i love tea/coffee desserts. It certainly didn't disappoint. Very thick pudding, creamy too. I'm not sure what is the perfect texture because i'm not a Creme Brulee fan but it tastes ok to my picky tongue. :P

Z and i went back on the last day of our trip for lunch. Gave the dip a shot because it has spinach and blue cheese and some other cheese in it! Yums. I love the pungent and saltiness of blue cheese but this isn't too overpowering. I was surprised by how refreshing the dip is. 

My drink was practically a dessert in itself. It's a Strawberry banana muesli honey smoothie. High calorie drink! 

The apple crumble is to die for. Extremely soft and melt-in-your-mouth apple slices (not chunks) accompanied by the buttery and crispy crumble and real vanilla ice cream! Vanilla ice cream is only real if they come with vanilla beans. The ice cream is a tad too sweet though but well desserts are meant to be sweet.

I was craving for some toasted focaccia and this satisfied my taste buds. Ham cheese and avocado sandwich. The saltiness of the ham is complemented by the creamy avocado and this made in heaven pair is sandwiched between the buttery focaccia. -sighs in contentment- Ok now i'm craving for this. Think it'd have to be Toast for breakfast.  
I would really love to be back for the quiche. I'm sure they do their pastries well. The menu is pretty extensive and it'd take at least 2-3 weeks to taste everything? Or perhaps longer since i already have my favorites. Do check it out if you are in Saigon.

Au Parc
23 Han Thuyen
Saigon, Vietnam
Tel: +84 3829 2772, +84 3822 3080
Email: auparc@gmail.com

Ho Chi Minh City on Dwellable

L'usine is what i would consider my ideal cafe. It is tucked away on the 2nd storey above a Vietnamese arts gallery. As i walked through the alley, what greeted me was a motorcycle parking garage which was kinda dodgy. Up the stairs i went and immediately i fell in love. This is quite similar to PS cafe but with a little more quirkiness.

High ceilings, open and airy space. Perfect place to while the afternoon away.  Notice the similarities to PS? This is more relaxing i feel, people just leave you alone to do your own thing unlike in Sg where the servers make you feel you've overstayed your welcome. 

I love the long benches in the different sections of the cafe. Perfect for gatherings. Doesn't matter if you are sitting next to strangers. Who knows if they may become friends right? 

Quirky wallpaper. Z thought it was a picture of some gentleman. I thought it was quite disturbing the first time i saw it. Then we realized it's actually Sun Wu Kong in a suit! This is not something i would have in my house though. Imagine those monkey eyes following you wherever you go. Shudders.
L'usine also has a retail space within the cafe. It feels very much like UO and looks exactly like an old warehouse. Love the natural light that filters in through the huge window panes and the little red bird cages from the wooden beamed ceilings. I bought a rubber watch (O clock) from italy and another foldable sports glasses from Sunpocket. Super cool stuff!

Finally onto the food. I can't say that i've tried much but their baked goods are out of this world. My favorite? CUPCAKES! The cupcakes are by Sweet + Sour and they are the moist-est thing you can find. I am no cupcake fan but i've fallen in love. Even the little cupcake place S brought me to in NYC couldn't beat this. I doubt Magnolia is as good. :P Great flavors- Chocolate, black and white, vanilla, choc-cinnamon etc. This is me eating my favorite flavour! Choc-caramel! 

This is the S'mores flavored one. Chocolate based cupcake with melted marshmallow top which is really creamy and light and not overpowering in sweetness. It has a hidden secret inside- graham swirls!!! How wonderful is that?

This is chocolate mint if i'm not wrong. Cute. But i'm not a choc mint fan so didn't try this.
The berry muffins are good too. Crusty muffin top with a moist interior and icing on top.
Cheese platter. Not sure what sort it is but both Z and i prefer soft cheese better. So creamy it spreads like condensed milk on the crackers. Yums. Z likens the biscuit to 'Chicken in a biscuit'. Could try that for a cheese platter next time!

The red velvet is not very consistent though. The one time i tried it was dry but Z's was moist. Cream cheese frosting was good though. 

I was so hooked on the cupcakes i had to have them for desserts after dinner so we packed them. Our second hotel in Saigon was at Oscar Saigon and L'usine is just around the corner from there. Yay!

About my favorite choc-caramel- look carefully at the center! There's a chunk of melted caramel inside. It's like a kinder bueno. Love searching for treasures and surprises and the center is my favorite part. :))

Enjoying my cupcake in the comfort of our room. I finished 2 cupcakes on my own. Z didn't get much. :P 

This is how Bliss looks like. Or Contentment. Or maybe Gluttony. A bit unglamorous but honestly the tummy was doing a song and dance session right there and then. :)) If there's a reason why i'd fly to Saigon for a weekend trip it would be for the cupcakes. 

So if you are headed there, pop by L'usine. And get me a cupcake when you come back? Tyvm!!

L'usine
Et la cafeteria de l'usine
151/1 1st Floor, Dong Khoi Street
District 1
Saigon, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City on Dwellable

For those who regularly read this blog, you would know that i recently took a short break in Vietnam, Saigon to be specific. And i am proud to say that the anal and obsessive compulsive Type A in me took things pretty easy this time round and i stuck to the plan of not planning (read about it here) . Kudos to me!

Everything was flexible and spontaneous. I dragged myself to various restaurants even though i was lazy at times. Did the sights alone, ate alone, yoga-ed alone (yes i'm a yoga addict) and i really enjoyed my own company. That's not to say that i didn't enjoy the company of Z (my skinnyfat twin) but it's nice to have your own space and time to do the things that you like and we gave each other the space we needed so it was great. A post of finding the perfect travel partner soon.

I would be cataloging this journey in 3 parts. Eat Pray Love really speaks to me this time round because that was exactly what i did this trip.

Eat- The food is Saigon is heavenly. They are exactly the kind of food that i love- buttery croissants, smooth pate, aromatic coffee, moist cupcakes... And meats. Bring on the juicy and tender steaks and succulent German sausages. The Vietnamese food was also great. I fell in love with pho bo the first time i tried it in SFO. Weird place to have vietnamese but it was awesome. More posts on my cafe haunts in Saigon. Be prepared for lots of drooling.

Pray- I started doing yoga more intensively in December since it's a lull period for me. I did 1 to 2 sessions everyday prior to my trip and i love it. This comes from a non believer of yoga prior to doing it but it makes me happy (now i sound like a crazee). More on that later. Anyway i found myself a yoga school in Saigon and it's a really positive and inviting environment for me.

Love- No there wasn't/weren't any love interest in Vietnam but it was more about loving yourself and accepting your flaws, your body, your life and also treating yourself better. We accept the love we think we deserve- i believe that we have to love ourselves in order for others to love us. At the same time, it was also about loving friends and loved ones and showing our love in little ways or big ones.

More on my travel adventures soon!
#Travelerintransit
C.

Vietnam on Dwellable

This may seem like a very dated post because everyone knows about Chef Pang and Antoinette now. I first visited Antoinette when they were really new, perhaps a week into their operation. S was particularly interested because he loves macarons (Pierre Herme ftw!) and has been on the search for the best macarons in Singapore as a PH substitute. Sadly, there isn't any. Some came close e.g. Obolo but there are some hits and misses. Anyway we visited the Penhas outlet and i still prefer this to the one at Mandarin because MG is quite claustrophobic. So in the same week, we visited A about 3-4 times. So much that the servers recognize us and knows S by name (S went back on his own to get macarons).

It was pretty hard locating this place at night. We were walking around the area (a bit shady because of Fragrance hotel). We went all around only to realize that A is just next to Fragrance.

The decor is very simple and quite very Canele (considering Chef Pang's roots). A tries to be more french. Some plush cushion seats and other rattan ones. Lots of space between diners which is always nice because you don't want people to eavesdrop on your conversations. Downside? It's not easy getting a reservation. Please do make one in advance especially if it's for brunch or lunch. Not too much of a dinner crowd.

On the macarons- i hate them. It's too cloyingly sweet. Good macarons are not supposed to be very sweet. Of course i'm comparing them to the PH god but still.. The texture varies as well, which i felt is quite weird. Some were too dry and some were too sticky. None were airy or light or fluffy. Terrible terrible.

The selection of desserts is quite wide. Many similar cakes to Canele. I've tried quite a couple and my favorite is the Antoinette. The first time i ordered it, i thought it would be a heavy dessert but i was surprised at the lightness of the earl grey chocolate mousse that is inside. The milk chocolate coating is the icing on the cake, it goes so well with the slightly bitter tea taste. I love the crispy bits inside (the ferrero rocher kinda pastry). The raspberry compote (if i remembered correctly) refreshes the taste of the dessert, breaking the monotony of the chocolate dish.

I can't remember what's the Salted Caramel Profiterole or something. I love salted caramel but the profiterole was kinda too dry. More creme needed for sure!

 

Tried the Baba Rum on another occasion. If you can't take the alcohol don't do this dish. The rum is quite bitter as well. and the puff is soaked with it. Not a fan.

The hot Viennese Chocolate served with creme Chantilly on the side is thick and rich. Go for the hot ones because the cold ones become diluted and doesn't taste as good. I love the creme Chantilly and i ordered everything with that because it has vanillaa beans in it! YAY!

There's a selection of crepes. The above is the Pavlova- Flambeed caramelized banana, chocolate sauce, passion fruit banana sorbet, French meringue and vanilla creme Chantilly. S ordered this for breakfast. That is quite crazy. This is extremely sweet. Not breakfast food for sure.

I personally love the Nougatine which is filled with nutella, salty caramel, caramelized filo, nougatine ice cream and vanilla creme Chantilly. All my favorite flavors in 1 dish. :)) Contrasting texture, spongy creme soaking up the melted nougatine ice cream with crispy and flaky filo. Heavenly. And nutella! Who doesn't love nutella right?

Had a hard time picking out the desserts. Spoilt for choices. Anyhoo, these days i just stick to the Antoinette.

I've tried various items on their breakfast menu. Nothing really special but i like their scrambled eggs which are creamy and runny. The sausages are also quite good, thick chunky and moist. There are definitely better sausages but let's face it, they are hard to find and expensive.

The above it their classic Eggs Florentine- toasted Brioche, wilted spinach, serano ham, hollandaise sauce, salad with house dressing a side of sausage. The brioche is over toasted and kinda dry. Certainly not buttery enough and too porous. Can't remember much about this dish which meant that it is just mediocre.

In all, i would say that Antoinette is a good place for desserts and chilling out with friends.

Antoinette

30 Penhas Road (off Lavender Street), Singapore 208188
Tel: +65 6293 3121
Monday to Thursday: 11am - 10pm
Friday and eve of public holidays: 11am - 11pm
Saturday: 10am - 11pm
Sunday and public holidays – 10am to 10pm

Mandarin Gallery
333A Orchard Road, Mandarin Gallery,
#02-33/34

Tel: +65 6836 9527 

Daily: 11am - 10pm

Lazy weekends calls for lazy brunch. S is usually the lazy one who refuses to drive from the East to Robertson where all the nice cafes are. Knowing that i love English breakfasts, he tries his best to accomodate and so he searches for cafes in the East for me. So while we were driving around searching for food in the estate, we decided to stop by Upper Changi Road (always pass by that place but we only refueled there) to check out the restaurants. S always points out Porta Porta to me but we have never tried it BUT it was Lots Gourmet Shop that caught our eyes (and tummies).

Tucked away on a quiet street, this little cafe restaurant serves really awesome breakfast food. It has a very relaxed vibe to it. I could sit here all day reading a book, drinking cider (Brother's Toffee Apple cider is so tasty!) It is just across the Changi Women's Prison (i think) and you can hear bells at times. Gave me lots to think about just sitting there.

They do lunch and dinner as well. I haven't tried that before because i'm a breakfast food fan so only breakfast for me!

Just look at the amount of food! I would compare the portion to Jones', slightly smaller but this is half the price of what you pay there. Value for money or what? Lots used to do meats so the sausages are good. Looks a bit on the thin side but it's juicy and fragrant. I would go for the Kraftcorn bread and slather it with the salted butter (yay!) and then place the creamy and wet scrambled eggs on top. Best combination ever. This is my favorite but i always have trouble finishing. Now we switched it to the other combination that comes with pancakes so that S and i both get what we want without over expanding our stomachs. Brilliant plan.

The blueberry pancakes are fluffy and moist on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. I love the pancakes because they are not overly thick. I don't usually take pancakes because the taste gets boring after a while. Tried different pancakes from WH, Prive etc but i never liked them. FfT's is not bad but this is better. Go for blueberry, it's not as dry as the others.  

The iced mocha is also one of the better ones i've had. I would put this after Jones' (or at the same spot). Thick, sweet and creamy chocolatey fattiness but i lurveeee it. This is a dessert in itself.

I think they do a daily breakfast till 3pm. I shall be heading there when i get back. This has to be one of my favorite breakfast/brunch places in the East. Somebody try the other dishes and let me know if lunch/dinner is good as well? I'm so sticking to breakfast though. :)

Lots Gourmet Shop
965A Upper Changi Road North, Singapore
Tel: +65 6633 9651
Mon–Thu: 11am – 4pm
Fri–Sun: 10am – 10pm

Hello from Saigon! Yes i'm off for another trip and it's the 5th holiday this year. Awesomeness. Caught the 7am flight out yesterday and couldn't get mobile blogger to work for me so i couldn't post before i flew.

Anyway just a bit about this trip. Zero planning whatsoever. Just some general ideas on things to do. So far i have not done a single thing touristy unless you consider spa and manicure as part of that travel checklist. I didn't even have any authentic Vietnamese food (thanks to my other skinny fat friend Z). Anyway this would probably be the most relaxing holiday ever and i think i'm sold on this kinda traveling lifestyle.

What i did yesterday-
1. 2nd breakfast- Vietnamese iced coffee and the nicest cupcake i've tried in my life. 2 hours of talking and chilling out with the gf. <3
2. Spa and massage- Body scrub, massage and body mask. So nice to have someone knead every single knot out of my yoga-fatigued body. Another 2h gone.
3. Lunch at 2ish pm. German sausages! Really nice and juicy. Another 1.5h.
4. Mani and Pedicure- Another 2h or so
5. Back to bed.

Awesome or what?

Shall attempt to see some sights today, explore Ben Tanh market since it's just a street away. I'll be updating on my other travel eats but Saigon would have to wait till i get home.
So happy holidays my friends! Catch you guys when I get back. Enjoy the festive eating, we can worry about the weight loss later. :))

Ciao!
#Travelerintransit

Vietnam on Dwellable