Hanoi! 再び ハノイへ

* Nem cuon chay
16 April 2010 (Fri): There's a lot to write about Hanoi, but I have no idea where to begin.
I returned last December with a camera for idiots and so, have captured quite a number of sights. I have always had pre-trip anxieties about returning to Hanoi: How could I cope with the language? How safe would it be for me? These are common fears.
But each time I returned, the happiness experienced when I was living there returned. It would take me a day or two to slip back into the linguistic fluency, and then everything would fit right back in its old place. Unfamiliarity would then gradually subside as the old faces, smiles and sounds greeted me.
I missed Hồ Tây (West Lake), and had reserved lodging just right by it. Before I reached it, there was a jam on the road. My cab driver grew impatient, and hopped out of the vehicle several times to check.

There was no accident, fortunately. A bus broke down and jammed the Thanh Long Bridge. Traffic soon returned to normal. The cab sped past Lạc Long Quân, Âu Cơ and then Đường Thanh Niên. I checked in at the Sofitel Plaza.

I was admiring the shimmering surface of the West Lake as the bullet-elevator lifted me up.

It was the first hotel with such elevators in Hanoi, and the first five-star to be built by the lake. This hotel also has what I consider the best layout for its executive lounge on the 17th floor. A businessman or even a writer is able to have his own private space in the lounge and still easily make food orders or calls out for secretarial assitance. Other such lounges lack the 'working' function and serves as F & B outlets for the exclusives. Acoustics is good here. It is very peaceful - the interior is sqeaky clean and neat, and overlooks the Red River; yet it is also conducive for group discussions. There is plenty of wood to calm your nerves. A Singaporean chap once told me that his company hired a Japanese architect to design it, and the roof is the most outstanding.
I scooted off to a downtown cafe to meet my friends after dropping off my luggage in my room.

* Paris Deli Cafe, Pho Nha Tho
It's Christmas time! This is one of the few places with decor. The slightly more elaborately decorated place was Sofitel Metropole Hotel. It's where I usually go for a cuppa nowadays when I go to Hanoi besides Hoa Sua. Not Ciao, not Moca (where I used to go eight years ago)...Juliana is gone and Highlands Cafe has made its mark in the cafe scene; Tonkin has moved to 39A Lý Thường Kiệt. I did like the bitter coffee at the Tonkin.

* Second floor, Paris Deli Cafe
I think this "big church" street (where the Paris Deli cafe is situated) is incredibly tasteful. There's still no tall modern buildings. There's a lot retained along the street including the deep-fried bánh store at the corner. The oil is certainly "off" and the texture of the "curry puff" rather hard, but it's obviously very popular among folks in the city. I think its weak points are drowned in the fragrance of the herbs and the pungent nươc mắm(fish sauce). The resultant taste becomes one which is rather difficult to duplicate anywhere else in the world.
I like the ambience at Paris Deli, though I will not rate its food too highly. I couldn't meet Bien this time and I don't know his roster. The manager that I met was absent as well. I only met some of the lady staff and waiters that I met before.
I returned to my hotel in the evening. I was literally starved, but went to bed.

The next morning, I had my "vengeance" and ordered a huge bowl of phở. Most Hanoians must think I was silly- fancy eating phở in a hotel! The noodle should be partaken in the street or some famous small shops (Phở Thìn, Phở Mai Anh, etc.)
I returned to my old school which is beside this tower. It looks newer than before after the renovation- the alleys and streets have been paved with tiles and layered with concrete.

The classrooms are given a fresh coat of paint outside;the courtyard has also been tiled.

I had missed the charming kids at Hoa Sua - more than the food (see vegan rolls above).

The only disappointment in this trip was the lounge at the top of Sofitel Plaza (once known as the "Top of the M" after its former owner, Mandarin Group of Hotels). It used to be very lively - not sedate like it is now. Being "the" place where one could enjoy the beautiful sunset of Hanoi, it was cozy. Now the space outside and inside was limited to couples, but only accomodates a few of them. One can tell it's designed for very young couples who will not mind perching on high chairs and staring into each other because even certain parts of the glass window are covered, blocking out both view and ambience:

Black is overused; it makes the lounge spooky rather than warm.
On my way back to Singapore, I met a friend of Thoi, the driver who used to take me to Noi Bai. Duong is as nice as him.
Time flies! I will be back again in Hanoi soon.

Garden: Beauty, Calm and Bocelli

12 April 2010(Monday): Strolling in parks is my way of relaxing. One can say it's a British legacy, whatever. The Botanic Gardens is one of the most easily accessible, although it's not the only one that I go to. I can't imagine walking through a messy tropical jungle and feeling relaxed; I do that only when I "feel adventurous".

Nature is "managed" here; it has to be in a land-scarce island. I don't really mind, though, as long as I don't meet the mozzies and harmful bugs. Encountering squirrels, grasshoppers, and butterflies is what I look forward to in my walk.

I appreciate the concentration of amazing varieties of exotic tropical blooms in a lush spacious park smacked right in one of the most convenient spots of the city.

This is where A. Bocelli will appear on 8 May 2010. I am counting down to his concert...

A Western Meal at Jack's Place ジャクスプレスの西洋料理(63371752 / 6338663)

24 March 2010 (Wed): I went to this restaurant about a year and three months ago, on a day when A. asked me what was my favorite restaurant in Singapore when I was a kid. I answered "Jack's Place".

This is a household name for western food, as most kids know it. It's very reasonably priced, and I believe, it was one of those restaurants when one could hear oil sizzling on iron steak plates- something that was a thrill to kids those days.

The ambience then was great: It was dimly lit with a lot of wood and white table cloths. Now it has that 'minimalist' interior with no table cloths -only easy-to-clean smooth table tops- and no candles. It's bright and clinical. What a different Jack's Place it is.

The menu has reflected the change of times as well. There's a variety - including local sauces. Before, it was more "purely" western.

We ordered a chicken chop and steak (what we do not frequently eat), and they came with free desserts of mango pudding.

Overall, I can still say with some fondness: I like Jack's Place.

Shokudoo (Japanese Marche) しょくどう

10 March 2010:
By 'marche', no reference is made to the farmer's market in France.

Marche is the Swiss chain of casual restaurants with pick-and-choose-your-dishes from a variety of stalls. I like the idea of swiping my cards at small stalls just hugging one another under a common roof, offering a broad range of appetizers and desserts. The food is above average for some dishes like salads and soups; the ambience is also much more relaxing when the music is not blasting.

*Anmitsu: beans, green tea ice cream, rice cake & jelly cubes*
There is a better-than-average Ichigoo shochyuu as well going for S$9 a glass, rather highly priced item at this place.

I was surprised to find my comfort food here. Once I got ill and came here for the vegetarian claypot (yasai nabe) from which I got immediate relief from fatique.

I don't really frequent this place because twice I had to eat with blasting music in the background, but other times I did not. So unless I am not hungry I will not make a gamble.

*Mitsumame (bean and jelly dessert) and variations*
This place triumphs for its variety though not necessarily excellence in quality. For example, I find its kushi ryouri disappointing. It's still good for a casual weekend meal, overall.

My plant - Alocassia 観葉植物

June 2008
7 March 2010 (Sun): I found this plant with a big withered leaf and a shoot at Sis A.'s home. No one had noticed it. It was almost hidden by heavy white long curtains at a corner of the house. The two blades (growing from a single rhizome) were on the verge of dying due to lack of water and space - its pot was hardly more than 10 centimetres in diameter.

When I first spotted the shoot, I knew there was still life in it. I brought the whole pot home and transferred it into a bigger one. A. brought home some good soil very soon.

Since then, we have been talking to it. Wanting to ensure its growth and "happiness", I wrote to my librarian friend who referred me to an valuable website established by the National Parks of Singapore.

It offered me clues on how to take care of my new family member. At last I found out the name of its species: Alocassia (アロカシアー), originating from S. America. There are many members in the Alocassia family; this one is an Amazonica.

2009
It's been 'prospering'. The largest leaf that I measured was 49 cm in length and by its longest breadth. It now has 20 leaves, among which 14 are big and six are tiny.

Shanghainese Cuisine チャンギ空港の上海料理

2 March 2010:
We're being fast forwarded into the third month of the new year.

U san and her family have left Singapore for almost three months. While sending them off at the Changi Airport, Terminal 3, we had our dinner at the Crystal Jade Shanghai Restaurant. It wasn't my choice-but I had no other. Thus, we had to content ourselves with some unfamiliar orders and ambience, which was too cold in every sense of the word.

One of our dishes was stir-fried long bean with olive leaves(see above). It turned out really crunchy and was better than the local long bean with dried shrimp -often served soft. This is probably the best fried bean in my life!

Another impressive dish was shrimp with popped rice. If you've had choco-pop breakfast, then you'll know that it tastes almost similar, minus the sweet chocolate flavour, with crispy fat shrimps buried underneath the crunchy pile. Not bad; it's dry and not oily. So we managed to clean up most of the plate.

Despite good food, I think the restaurant manager totally dampened the mood. If you utter "thank yous" after settling the check, he wouldn't follow the polite routine because he hails from a different culture. He doesn't smile either. Instead his job of making guests feel welcomed is left to two other colleagues from our neighbouring land smiling and shouting out, "Thank you very much!" as we exited the place.
Gosh! How mechanical can service get?!

City stroll ぶらり散歩

17 February 2010 (Wed):
The fourth day of the lunar new year.

I looked below me from the verandah of my hotel room on the 21st storey. An unusual quiet pervades. There's no doubt that this city has always been on a go; but it is in a 'chilling out' mood, at least temporarily.

Last year, although the world is in a recession, this city emerged out of it. No one is sure if the track it is going on now will be smooth or not, but for the time being, it seems okay. It is unabashedly commercial - and surprisingly orderly. People say that there's no soul; but usually, I think, a dynamic pulse is throbbing.

I've had a voucher for a one-night complimentary stay at the Fairmont. Although I was a bit ill- from having the run that persists, the view of this concrete jungle and the air did not make me sicker.

To my left, I spotted the centenarian convent that has been converted into a hip bar-and-restaurant area. I had tapas there once - at a Spanish bar/restaurant with a Spanish guitarist who strummed some soothing ballads. I was also served by a Japanese-lookalike hailing from the city of Dalian at one of the Japanese restaurants (there used to be only one), but both food and service did not register well. Since then, however, the restaurant has expanded to a few branches in Singapore; and hopefully, that mama-san is long gone.


I admired the weather, the cleanliness and the green of the city and thus, decided that we were going for a stroll. We had no idea what kind of itinerary, but crossed the street to the old Capitol Cinema which has become just a building with small shops and cafes.

As we walked along the corridors of shops towards the Singapore River, we felt like we were part of the crew making NHK's Sekai no machi wo aruku 世界の町を歩く (strolling in cities of the world)' - a documentary series I initially felt uncomfortable watching because they contain no message and no clearcut goal.

"We had to eat"- was the immediate 'goal' that popped up. We crossed the bridge towards Chinatown and entered Circular Road, where we found a beautiful street of small restaurants in conserved Peranakan styled houses. A few were opened, but most spas, boutiques and cafes were closed.

After a light breakfast, we heard cymbols and drums - ah! the lion dance. We sauntered across the road where usual overflowing traffic had not returned, then stopped at a building- No.1 George Street.

Some playful lions frolicked and abruptly sat and focused on noshing their 'golden' fruit, oblivious to everything around them.

They behaved like tangerine-starved lions, 'spouting' the peel one after another from their mouths.

This must have symbolized the unending flow of 'gold' into the building.

A small crowd -mainly office tenants of the building patiently watched. This is followed by a gift-giving ceremony from the management to the lion dance team and vice-versa. There was silence and only smiles. No one applauded and the crowd dispersed. It was, nevertheless, a lively lion performance. Long lives tradition!

We walked on; well-dressed executives streamed past. We walked further and came to a sculpture donated by Lien Ying Chow, a philanthropist. The art piece portrays the old and new of Singapore's development. There is a scene of the Chinese junk and the coolies on one side; and on the other, skyscrapers - a sketch of where I was standing. No one seemed to care nor admire the art, except us. We took a few pictures of it and with it.

A few steps further we sighted Fullerton Hotel, the old General Post Office built during the colonial days, hence its English architecture. It looked a little different today, with the red auspicious latterns.

We made a right turn towards the Collyer Quay, and came to the entrance of an underground link:

"Singapore is well-organized", explains A. who suddenly became my "tour guide".

In the night, these places are safe and they come alive. In a way they are like the underground walkways in the big cities of Japan, but less cramp.

At one end of the tunnel, we emerged on an escalator right into an iconic apartment, overlooking the "three towers of hotels and offices" of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort now under construction.

Wow! I felt rather excited envisaging the next stage of development for this tiny island. We unknowingly trespassed a showflat (of Marina Bay Suites) in the same building where we were, only to be told politely by a lady property agent that we had to call for a viewing appointment.

We submerged underground into the Raffles Place mass-rapid transit station and were "conveyed" to the next stop at City Hall. Strangely I began to feel hungry.

At the crowded Kuriya eating outlet -now renovated and divided into a noodle and a rice section- we took our seats and I had my first lunar new year lunch- an unagi tama don (鰻卵丼　eel and egg served on rice).

Oishii...what a great start to the Year of the Tiger, I thought. I seemed to have immediately developed a growling appetite, without thinking about the 'aftermath'.