Chic exterior
We were finally cafe hopping and hubby had previously done some research, and it seemed like Greyhound Cafe was a good choice!
We had a little difficulty locating the cafe, as Siam Center as a shopping mall was rather big, and there was actually a fashion store by the same name (that’s the origin of the Greyhound name).
Anyway, the cafe was quite near the fashion store, and we immediately fell in love with the environment when we reached.
Happy couple!
Today would be our activity day!
We had breakfast with bread bought from the 7-11 store just beside the hotel when we came back last night after a long day of shopping and walking around Chinatown.
We had 8 adults and 3 children, so we managed to pre-book a half day tour in advance, and the driver-cum-tour-guide came to our hotel to pick us up in a very comfortable van.
The first stop was the Mae Klong Railway Market, and we had close to 45 minutes to wonder around the market before the scheduled train arrival.
Most tourists were at the stalls lined along the railway tracks, but there were actually many more stalls behind them, much like our local wet market.
Cafe Latte and Thai Iced Tea with Milk
While I shopped at the amazing Platinum Fashion Mall, poor hubby needed a place to rest his tired legs. We found Black Canyon Coffee at basement, conveniently located just beside the escalator at Zone 1, and there were actually 3 branches within the mall!
We had a Cafe Latte (THB75~S$3) and a Thai Iced Tea with Milk (THB65~S$2.50). The tea was great, and definitely a perk-me-up, since I managed another 2 hours of shopping after that 😛 The cafe latte was alright. Each order came with a free little muffin cup filled with small biscuits, which was a nice complement to the drinks. Hubby had a rather lovely time sinking deep into the sofa seats. There were definitely more male customers than females, so perhaps a common waiting spot while the ladies go on a shopping spree 😛
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Happy couple!
We finally made it to Bangkok!!
This was a special trip that we were not sure if it would actually happen, if everyone really could make it, and if everyone would truly enjoy the trip (or kill one another).. And when it did happen, it really changed my opinion of Bangkok! As everyone flew in at various times, and the itinerary was flexible such that we would all join in at times and split up at other times, I could only write about what the 2 of us did 😛
Hubby and I decided to take a late flight to Bangkok, figuring that we might as well as pay for an additional night of stay in Bangkok and start the following day earlier, than to pay for the taxi to Changi airport and the more costly day flight. It was not too bad really, we just had to make sure that we knock off on the dot and have dinner at the airport 🙂
So here is the summary of what we did:
I was searching for dinner options and chanced upon this Italian restaurant, La Pizzaiola (they have another branch beside Wimbly Lu in Serangoon) which was within the Teacher’s Estate. Funny we didn’t noticed its existence when we frequented a rather delicious fish head curry restaurant that used to be in this area.
We tried one of the specials, Stracciatella with Homemade Bread and Fresh Rockets, the La Pizzaiola Speciale, and Spaghetti alle Vongole.
The Stracciatella (a kind of buttery cheese) was the highlight of the night! The accompanying bread was soft and warm, and when spread with the Stracciatella cheese and topped with the fresh rocket, made each mouthful a bursting happiness of flavours! The La Pizzaiola Speciale was a roast beef pizza and was extremely delicious too! The pizza base was not as thin as we would preferred it to be but it was soft and not as hard as some of the other ones which we have tried elsewhere. The roast beef was a fresh idea which we have not tried before but it blended pretty well with the rocket, the cheese and the tomato base. The pasta, on the other hand, was only marginally better than what we had at Jamie’s… I’m not sure, maybe this was how authentic pasta was supposed to taste like? But we really disliked this type of sticky pasta.
Overall, a pretty satisfied meal and I am sure we will be back for more!
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[Here is the photostream of Ho Chi Minh City 2015, for those who prefer pictures to tell a story. 🙂]
Banh Mi
Holidays always come to an end too soon! Today was our last day. After breakfast at the hotel, we chilled a bit in our room before checking out. Left our luggage with the hotel, while we went for some final eats and drinks.
Hubby especially picked Hatvala Tea & Coffee for lunch, as it was supposed to specialise in tea 🙂 Unfortunately, due to the massive construction just outside the cafe, they have stopped serving food 😮 Nonetheless, the staff was very kind to allow us to bring in food from outside. So we went to the Banh Mi stall just next to the cafe, ordered a combination flavour Banh Mi (VND15,000), and brought it into the shop so that we could enjoy the drinks. Hubby had a Iced Latte (VND70,000), while I tried the Mountain Mist Tea (VND75,000).
[Here is the photostream of Ho Chi Minh City 2015, for those who prefer pictures to tell a story. 🙂]
Simple breakfast
Tickets to War Remnants Museum
After a very sumptuous breakfast at the hotel, we made our way to the War Remnants Museum and spent the remaining morning there.
This is a museum on the Vietnam War, and it is a rather emotional exhibition to us, and it serves to remind us of the cruelty of war and the selfishness of people.
[Here is the photostream of Ho Chi Minh City 2015, for those who prefer pictures to tell a story. 🙂]
Sleepy but happy couple
We arrived at the airport around 5am in the morning for breakfast 🙂 Also, because the boarding pass indicated that we should still go to the airport early for verifications. Strange, but anyway, we did the self check-in since we did not have any check-in luggage, so we spent like 5 minutes to do all that, and went to the nearby coffee and toast for breakfast. Hubby decided on the Ham and Cheese Croissant Set ($5), while I settled for the Ham and Cheese Toast ($4.60), after observing the other customers eating not-very-appetizing-looking traditional toast.
The eggs were cracked for us, but I was not sure if it was deliberate that we each got 1 whole soft boiled egg and 1 broken egg. So we swallowed the whole egg and dipped the bread into the remaining runny egg yolk 😀 The ham and cheese were very salty and went better with the slightly buttery croissant.
We had redeemed a 1-for-1 voucher and were very excited to try the food here! Hubby wanted a medium rare Beef Tenderloin with Purple Potatoes, Honshimeji, Broad Beans, Cherry Tomatoes and Veal Jus ($46++), while I was very attracted by the Alaskan King Crab with Angel Hair, Black Truffle Cream and Candied Ginger ($38++).
Beef Tenderloin
Alaskan King Crab with Angel Hair
We totally loved the food here! The fresh crab meat was firm and juicy, and the sauce was so addictive with the pasta, that was of the right firmness… I cleaned the plate 😀 Hubby thought that the steak was done very nicely, very tender and flavourful!
While the usual prices were a little steep for ordinary dining, we gotta say that the quality of the food was really quite excellent 🙂 It would make a lovely choice for celebrations *hint hint hubby*
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We were looking for a quick dinner as we had to rush hone, and this place was empty! So in we came and ordered the weekly promotion of medium rare Char-grilled Ribeye (grain fed 100 days) served with Sautéed Mushroom ($23.90++), Braised Lamb Shank (stew) served with Sautéed Vegetables and Mashed Potatoes ($29.90++) and a Flower Pot Milo Tiramisu ($11.90++).
It was a rather long wait for the food, considering that we were the only customers. The ribeye was a bit too rare and too salty for my liking, but hubby enjoyed the lamb shank very much (abit too gamey for me). My favourite was the tiramisu! Not just because it looked so pretty, but also because it came with this layer of “soil” that was actually popping candies that went all fizzy in the mouths! Well, it was very sweet, but interesting.
The wait for the bill also took a while… So visit this place only when you have plenty of time to spare.
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Eat.Eat.Walk.Walk . 吃吃走走 