3G Trois Gourmands (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

3G Trois Gourmands  is a French Dining Restaurant opened by Gils, a France native living in Ho Chi Minh, passionate in French culinary using natural products. The restaurant previously known as Le Toit Gourmand first opened in 2004.

3G Trois Gourmands is located in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), District 2. It is around 20 minutes to 40 minutes drive away from the city centre depending on traffic conditions. The restaurant is located in a traditional colonial house and its interior is beautifully furnished giving it a classy modern look. The setting inside makes it a perfect place for a romantic meal between couples or gathering between friends.

We had actually wanted to visit La Villa French Restaurant, another French restaurant recommended by my Vietnamese friend. However, by the time we reached our hotel and asked the hotel to reserve a place for us, the restaurant was fully already booked. Hence, we settled for the next option recommended by my friend; 3G Trois Gourmands and got the hotel to assist us in making the reservation. (Note: It is highly advisable to make reservations as these two French restaurants are popular among locals and tourists. You would not want to travel all the way there to find out that it is full.)

Menu cover

The menu cover.

Set Menu and Entrées (Starters)

The Set Menu offers a choice of 5, 6 or 7 Course meal at a nett price of USD40, USD45, USD50 respectively. Do note the price has increased, hence its different from the photo.

We went for the 6 Course Meal which costed USD40 / VND 840,000 (S$50.40) per pax then. The 6 course meal consisted of Truffe Scrambled Eggs (Brouillade Aux Truffes), Homemade cheeses (Assortiment de fromages maison) and a choice of 2 Entrées (Starters), a main dish and a dessert.

Main Dish Menu: Viandes (Meat), Poissons (Fish)

The Main Dish menu consisted of Viandes (Meat) and Poissons (Fish).

Desserts (Sweet Desserts), Glaces Bellany (Bellany Ice Cream)

The Desserts menu which consisted of Desserts (Sweet Desserts) and Glaces Bellany (Bellany Ice Cream).

Truffle Scrambled Eggs (Brouillade Aux Truffes)

The meal kicked started with Truffle Scrambled Eggs (Brouillade Aux Truffes). The scrambled eggs were light, fluffy and buttery. I was impressed by the strong and consistency of the truffle flavour present in it. What a great start!

Entrées (Starters): Scallops Mashed Potatoes Truffle (Coquille St Jacques avec sa Purée de Pomme de terre aux Truffes)

The Scallops Mashed Potatoes Truffle (Coquille St Jacques avec sa Purée de Pomme de terre aux Truffes) was the first Entrées (Starters). This was our favourite starter!

The panseared scallops were incredibly succulent, firm and fresh. Caviar was added on top of the scallops which were laid on a bed of truffle mashed potatoes and seafood bisque foam. The taste of all 3 (scallops, mashed potatoes and seafood bisque foam) was just divine. I was scrapping off as much foam as I could from the plate. If I had it my way, I would be licking the foam off the plate =P.

The both of us wished that we had ordered two portions of this instead of sharing it. This is a must order!

Entrées (Starters): Homemade Smoked Salmon (Saumon Fumé Maison)

The second starter we had was the Homemade Smoked Salmon (Saumon Fumé Maison). This was also excellently executed.

Entrées (Starters): Goose Liver Spring Roll (Nem de Foie Gras)

Entrées (Starters): Burgundy Snails in Garlic and Parlsey Butter (Escargots de Bourgogne au Beurre)

The next two starters we had was the Goose Liver Spring Roll (Nem de Foie Gras) and Burgundy Snails in Garlic and Parlsey Butter (Escargots de Bourgogne au Beurre).

For the former, I preferred the foie gras terrine compared to the foie gras macaron and the foie gras spring roll. Maybe I am too used to having my macarons and spring rolls with their normal fillings. As for the escargots, they were fresh and interestingly, the garlic flavour was much milder compared to those I had in Singapore.

Lime Sorbet

After the starters, the Lime Sorbet was served. This was light and refreshing, probably to cleanse the palate before the main course.

Viandes (Meat): Beef Filet Pepper Sauce or Morels Sauce (Filet de Boeuf Sauce Morilles ou Poivre)

For my mains, I was in a dilemma on whether to order the Beef Filet or Beef Cheeks. In the end I chose the former; Beef Filet Pepper Sauce or Morels Sauce (Filet de Boeuf Sauce Morilles ou Poivre). The beef filet was ordinary. The pepper and morels (mushroom) sauces that accompanied it was the game changer. (The sauces were served separately)

Sides

The potato and zucchini served at the side were awesome too!

Viandes (Meat): Duck Breast with Orange Sauce (Magret de Canard à l' orange)

The partner ordered the Duck Breast with Orange Sauce (Magret de Canard à l' orange) which came as a surprised to me as she was not exactly a duck fanatic.  But after hearing how the staff recommended this dish, she decided to order this.

Viandes (Meat): Duck Breast with Orange Sauce (Magret de Canard à l' orange)

The Duck Breast with Orange Sauce did not disappoint her. The Duck Breast was so tender and the orange sauce served at the side was richly flavoured but did not overwhelm the meat.

Pepper Sauce, Morels Sauce, Orange Sauce

The pepper, morels (mushroom) and orange sauces served separately. We could add the amount of sauces onto our mains according to our own preferences (the little things that matter).

Homemade cheeses (Assortiment de fromages maison)

After we were done with the mains, the Homemade cheeses (Assortiment de fromages maison) was served. We were shocked by the sheer variety and amount of cheese served. Nine types of homemade cheese ranging from goat cheese with truffle, spring onion cheese, red wine cheese, rosemary cheese, saffron cheese, cow cheese and other aged cheese. The both of us were not cheese fanatics and just sampled a little of each. Our favourite among the nine was the red wine cheese.

A video of all nine cheese. It was a waste giving us that much, but I understand that they serve this much for everyone, even if you are dining alone you get these. Cheese lovers would love them.

Desserts (Sweet Desserts): Gils Dessert (Dessert de Gils)

For desserts, we ordered the Gils Dessert (Dessert de Gils) which was recommended by the staff. It consisted of a combination of crushed meringue, nougat, berry coulis, strawberries with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sorbet. This dessert was fantastic! It had different texture and taste and was so addictive. Even though we were full, we had no problem polishing this up.

Desserts (Sweet Desserts): Chocolate Fondant (Fondant au Chocolat)

Our second (last) dessert was the Chocolate Fondant (Fondant au Chocolat). This was something that you could taste else where too. But still I must admit that it was well executed.

The chocolate cake was moist with molten chocolate flowing out of it. Berry and mango coulis was served next to the vanilla ice cream for additional flavour.

Lime Macaron

Just when we thought that we had came to the end of a fantastic fulfilling meal, we were each served a mini Lime Macaron!

Never mind that we missed out visiting Le Toit Gourmand. It was a blessing in disguise as we had such a satisfying meal at 3G Trois Gourmands. Not only was the food delicious, the staff were also very well trained. They were so friendly and hospitable. As the menu offers too many choices, I always make it a point to ask them for recommendations. They would them recommend the dishes and even went down to the extent of describing how the dish looks or tastes like. Their English was perfect! It was a breeze communicating with them.

Even though this was the most expensive meal we had, it was so value for money and affordable. It would be hard finding such food at such prices in Singapore. If we visit Ho Chi Minh again, we would visit 3G Trois Gourmands again even though we have to take a 30 minutes cab ride. This time I would go for the 7 Course Meal =) This is a must try!

3G Trois Gourmands (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)
39 Tran Ngoc Dien Street
Thao Dien Ward, District 2
HCM City, Vietnam 
Tel: +84 (08) 3744 4585

Website

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Original Sin (Holland Village)

Original Sin is a Mediterranean Vegetarian restaurant located at Chip Bee Gardens less than 2 minutes walk from Holland Village MRT (exit A) station. The restaurant offers both alfresco and indoor (air-conditioned) dining. As we made reservations, we decided to sit indoors as the weather was scorching hot these days. In addition, we did not want to feed the mosquitoes. 

We visited during lunch time on a Saturday. During lunch hours, they had Set Lunch available during lunch hours. The set lunch consist of a Starter (choice of Soup of the Day/Green Salad), Mains and Dessert at $26. All of us ordered the set lunch. 

Minestrone Soup (Soup of the Day)

Most of us including myself ordered chose the Soup of the Day as our Starter. The Soup of the Day was Minestrone Soup. The soup was full of ingredients such as carrot, cabbage, tomato, spaghetti, etc. The soup itself was not well balanced in taste, I felt that it was a tad too sour and something seems to be lacking. 

Green Salad

A friend of mine ordered the Green Salad.

Spaghetti

For mains, I ordered Spaghetti which was cooked with zucchini, olive, cherry tomato, tossed in tomato basil sauce and parmesan cheese. The chef executed this dish quite well. What was lacking was that they could have been more generous with some of the ingredients such as zucchini.  

Tofu Burger

My friend ordered the Tofu Burger which was served with wedges and salad greens. This was a hit among us; in a league of its own. 

Tofu Burger

The Tofu Burger consisting of tofu and lentil pattie was surprisingly tasty. Although the patty was soft and crumbled easily, we love it! The potato wedges which came with potato skin was also nicely done. In addition, the entire dish was not soggy. 

Mediterranean Wrap

The Mediterranean Wrap which was essentially tortilla wrap filled with chickpea and pumpkin spread, grilled eggplant, feta and salad was a dish which most of us did not appreciate. The main reason was because we were not a fan of chickpea which had a unique taste and smell.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

For desserts, we had Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. The chocolate cake was a tad too dry. The molten dark chocolate that flowed out from the centre of the cake was rich and dense. It was so good that it made the chocolate cake seems inferior.

The set lunch made the meal more affordable compared to the ala carte menu. However, one should still note that even with the set lunch, at $26++, this is not exactly cheap. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable meal.

Original Sin (Holland Village)

Blk 43 #01-62 Jalan Merah Saga Holland Village

Chip Bee Gardens 

Singapore 278115

Tel: 6475 5605

Opening Hours: Daily 1130am - 230pm & 6pm - 1030pm

Website 

.6475 .6475 56055605.6475 5605

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The Landing Point Afternoon High Tea Buffet (The Fullerton Bay Hotel)

The Landing Point Afternoon High Tea Buffet was something which we wanted to try for sometime. We had heard so much about its three tier high tea set.  

Noticed the piano at the side? A pianist started playing the piano at around 330pm providing soothing background music which set the tone for the relaxing afternoon. 

Comfy yet cozy sofa seats to chill out while enjoying the view.  

It over looks Marina Bay Sands. 

Elegant, dignified table setting.  

Beverage (Tea & Coffee) Menu

The Landing Point's Afternoon High Tea Buffet cost $49++ per person on weekdays and weekends from 3pm to 530pm. If you would like a sparkling wine to go along with your high tea, it is $69++. For a child, it would be $25++. Currently, UOB cardholders would be able to enjoy a 15% discount. So do remember to use this card if you have it.

There's 20 varieties of TWG Tea to enjoy while indulging in the high tea and enjoying the beautiful view of Marina Bay. 

Plain Scone

Plain Scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam. There was also Raisin Scone. The Scones were average; they were not buttery enough.

Festive three-tiered high tea set

The main star was the three-tiered high tea set which is refillable. As we visited during the Christmas period, their normal three-tier high tea set was replaced with the Festive three-tiered high tea set.

Top Tier

The top tier consisted of mainly sweet items - Crème Brulee, Christmas Cake, Christmas Cookies and Christmas Pie.

Second Tier

The second tier which consisted of savoury items was our favourite - Lobster Tarts, Biscuit with Cheese and Fig, Truffle Egg Sandwich, Smoked Salmon Sandwich, Turkey Sandwich, Smoked Duck Sandwich and Cucumber Tomato Sandwich. We refilled this tier several times and did not refill the other tiers.

Front to back (Lobster Tarts, Biscuit with Cheese and Fig, Truffle Egg Sandwich, Smoked Salmon Sandwich)

Our top 3 items were the (order of preference) Lobster Tarts, Truffle Egg Sandwich and Smoked Duck Sandwich. We constantly ate these 3 items and got refills for them as they were real good. Other than that, the rest were mediocre.

Last Tier

The last (third) tier also consisted of sweet items - Pistachio Cake with Chocolate, Christmas Fruit Cake, Raspberry and Cream, and Macarons. The bitter sweet Chocolate Macaron was easily the best among all the items in this tier.

Most of the items in the first and third tier was too sweet.

Refills

The refills were placed at the back of our seats. The staff would make it a point to constantly provide refills for customers. However, service was a little on the slower end. They seemed under staffed and could not cope with the crowd. As you can see from the above photo, the popular items which was constantly being refilled was the food items in the second tier.

Left to Right: Fullerton Express Tea, Fruit Mountain

There was way too many selections of TWG  teas to try and could only try 2 different tea. For the first tea, I went for something light; the Fullerton Express Tea which was specially commissioned from TWG Tea by the Fullerton Group. It was a light, refreshing and fragrant tea. The second tea I tried was the Fruit Mountain which was a black tea. It was stronger in taste with a delicate sweetness to it.

As you may have already figure out, other than the Teas, the food was average. We ate mainly the Lobster Tart, Truffle Egg Sandwich and Smoked Duck Sandwich only. The price was on the higher end. But the ambience was excellent - Quiet, cozy with a great view. Perfect for a date or to just chill out and chat.

A summary video on the Afternoon High Tea Buffet which I posted on Instagram.

The Landing Point Afternoon High Tea Buffet (The Fullerton Bay Hotel)
The Fullerton Bay Hotel 
80 Collyer Quay 
Tel: 6597 5277
Opening Hours: Daily 7am to 1am (note: afternoon tea is available from 3pm to 530pm only)
Website

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After You Dessert Café at Siam Paragon (Thailand, Bangkok)

Shibuya Honey Toast with Honey Syrup 165 Baht (S$6.88)

After You Dessert Café; a cafe chain started by a 30 year old Thai lady called Kulapat “May” Kanokwatanawan has been highly raved about online. The cafe specialises in serving toasts and desserts. After You Dessert Café has several outlets in Bangkok. We visited the outlet in Siam Paragon (next to Siam Exchang BTS station) on a weekday at 930pm. The cafe is located at the basement of Siam Paragon, the same level as where Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is located at.

After You Dessert Café at Siam Paragon was modern, cozy, clean and bright. With its wooden furnishing, it looked so inviting and homely.

Although we arrived at 930pm, the cafe was full. There were a few benches located in front of the cafe which gave an indication of the crowd during peak hours. Fortunately for us, the screen located in front of the cafe started flashing our queue number soon after we got the queue number. We were lead to a table located at a corner of the cafe. The cafe seemed popular among the younger generation. 

Menu

Menu

This was the menu on the table. The words were relatively small in size. If you would prefer you can get the A3 menu located at the entrance. It was more enticing as there were colourful photos of the toasts and desserts on it.

Customers would need to order and make payment at the counter.

Honey Syrup and Utensils

There were two staff at the counter where I made my orders and payment. One staff keyed in my order and collected payment while stood behind listening and preparing the utensils for my table. When I got back to my table, the utensils and honey syrup was already brought back to my table! So efficient! We were given the honey syrup as we ordered the signature Shibuya Honey Toast.

Chocolate Lava 145 Baht (S$6)

The Chocolate Lava priced at 145 baht (S$6) was one of the items highly raved about on the internet.

The Chocolate Lava consisted of a small, soft, warm chocolate sponge cake with molten chocolate in it. A scoop of vanilla ice cream and chunks of strawberries were served with it.

Chocolate Lava 145 Baht (S$6)

Look at the molten chocolate flowing  (oozing) out! The chocolate sponge cake was delicious! It was not sweet and not overly fluffy. The molten chocolate was out of this world. The bitter warm chocolate flowed out slowly as it was so viscous. Each bite of the sponge cake together with the molten chocolate literally got us on a high. Irresistible! Shiok!

The vanilla ice cream deserved a mentioned too as it was not only sweet and yet flavourful.

Shibuya Honey Toast 165 Baht (S$6.88)

The signature Shibuya Honey Toast cost 165 Baht (S$6.88).

The Shibuya Honey Toast was essentially a thick big chunk of oven baked toast with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sugar icing on top. At the side, there was another scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. As you can see from the photo above, the toast has been partially sliced into 9 pieces.

The toast, the most essential component (which can make or break the whole experience) was very well executed; baked to perfection! The exterior of the toast was crispy and slight hard (an important factor for not only the taste department, but also to ensure that the weight of the ice cream on top does not cause the bread to sink in) whereas the interior was warm, soft, fluffy and full of buttery fragrant! Yes, butter was probably added into the toast when it was still hot just before serving!

The burst of different temperatures, flavours and textures in one mouthful was overwhelming (in a positive way) as the different senses in the tongue were teased. Superb! Even the non-dessert person in the group praised this.

Matcha Toast 195 Baht (S$8.13)

The Matcha Toast was similar to the Shibuya Honey Toast. It cost slightly more than the Shibuya Honey Toast. The main difference was that instead of vanilla ice cream, Matcha (green tea) ice cream was used. In addition, Matcha powder was sprinkled on top of the ice cream. The Matcha ice cream was surprisingly good with a great balance in sweetness and green tea flavour. Outstanding!

As the portion of the toasts are big, this is best shared between 2 to 3 persons.

Although we might have seemed to have ordered too much, we polish off all 3 items! The tag line in After You Dessert Café says it all "There's always room for desserts".

There was free flow of ice tea at the side of the cafe for all customers.

I highly recommend After You Dessert Café! This is a die die die must try!  We had no regrets ordering the 3 dishes. Ironically, this place which I am highly recommending does not serves authentic Thai Food. Price wise, although it was on the higher end, I thought that it was money well spent (worthwhile) as the food good! The Chocolate Lava and Shibuya Honey Toast were totally out of this world. Do give it a try and let me know what you think.

ps: if you intend to patronise during peak hours, be prepared to queue/wait  for as long as half an hour.

After You Dessert Café (Thailand, Bangkok)
Siam Paragon Ground Floor (basement), beside Gourmet Market
991 Rama 1 Road
Khet Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: +66 02 610 7659
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 1030pm
Website

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