The Shibuya Wagon (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

Matcha Toast 95,000 VND (S$5.70)

The Shibuya Wagon's bright colour signboard was so eye catching that we saw it on a mini bus while on the way back to our hotel. We did a quick google on this place and found that it was a Japanese restaurant serving Japanese food and desserts (e.g. Shibuya Toast).

The first thought that came to our mind when we read Shibuya Toast was our experience at After You Dessert Café in Bangkok. The thought of being able to try this again was too hard to resist. Hence, we slotted The Shibuya Wagon in for tea. 

When we arrived at 4pm on a weekday, the eatery was empy

With the environment, it did not felt like we have stepped into a Vietnamese restaurant. Even the menu was in English language only. 

Matcha Toast 95,000 VND (S$5.70)

There was a variety of toasts to choose from such as the Original Shibuya Toast, Stick Toffee Toast and Mega Toast. We settled for the Matcha Toast 95,000 VND (S$5.70). The Matcha Toast was served with Matcha ice cream, whipped cream and syrup. 

Matcha Toast 95,000 VND (S$5.70)

Sadly, the Matcha Toast failed to match up to our expectations. The toast was dense and not as soft and fluffy as what I had expected. In addition, the buttery fragrant in the toast was lacking. What a let down.

The Shibuya Wagon (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

258 Lê Thánh Tôn, 

Quận 1 

Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Tel: +84 (08) 3827 0770

Opening Hours: Daily 1030am to 10pm
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Kem Cong Truong (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

Kem Trái Dừa (Coconut Ice Cream)

After our meal at Ngoc Suong Marina, my Vietnamese friends brought us to Kem Cong Truong (Kem Công Trường) as we requested to go somewhere, where the locals would go to for desserts. Kem Cong Truong was located next to Hồ Con Rùa (Turtle Lake), besides a busy traffic circle. It would be around 15 minutes walk from the Reunification Palace. 

Kem Cong Truong has been in operation for a long time since their parent's time (before the 70s) and is famous for their home made coconut ice cream. This no frills eatery with just a neon signboard had both 'alfresco' and indoor dining areas. It looks old and run down, in need of a renovation. When we arrived at 830pm, we noticed that only a few customers were in the indoor dining area (which was not air-conditioned). Most other customers sat at the alfresco area which consisted of low level tables and chairs located outside the shop just next to the busy road. Wanting to experience this for ourselves, we sat at the alfresco area.

The menu. They sell mainly small snacks, desserts and drinks. They had no english menu and we noted that except for our table, the rest of the customers were locals. Another point to note would be that the saff only understand Vietnamese (not English). Hence, do at least know what you want to order before coming here. 

We ordered the Kem Trái Dừa (Coconut Ice Cream) and Cacao Sữa Đá (Iced Cocoa).

Their signature Kem Trái Dừa (Coconut Ice Cream) was served inside a coconut shell with traditional toppings; crushed peanuts, pineapple, and dried bananas and plums. This is the authentic Vietnamese Style Coconut Ice Cream. The chilled coconut juice was served separately in a small glass. The Coconut Ice Cream was very well executed. The flavour of the coconut ice cream was robust and fragrant while the toppings added complexity to the taste resulting in sweet creamy yet tangy sour flavours. It also provided contrasting textures as the ice cream was smooth and soft where as the toppings varied between hard, soft and chewy. At the end, customers could enjoy the coconut flesh by scrapping them off the shell. It was very refreshing trying the Kem Trái Dừa (Coconut Ice Cream) which provided different tastes and textures.

The way the coconut ice cream was presented reminded me of the coconut ice cream in Bangkok at Chatuchak Weekend Market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. 

Cacao Sữa Đá (Iced Cacao)

We also ordered the Cacao Sữa Đá (Iced Cocoa). It was a very 'thick' intense and rich chocolate drink. 

Kem Công Trường (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)
10 Phạm Ngọc Thạch
P. 6, Quận 3
Hồ Chí Minh

Opening Hours: 630am to 10pm

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Fanny Ice Cream (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

Demi Bol 149,000 VND (S$8.95): Chocolate Sauce and Almonds

After our dinner at 3T Quan Nuong, we proceeded to the building next door for dessert! Our destination was Fanny Ice Cream, a highly raved about french owned ice cream parlor in Vietnam. I heard about this place on Celine's Carpe diem. 一期一会 blog.

Fanny Ice Cream was established in Vietnam in 1994 by Jean-Marc Bruno, a pastry specialist graduated from the renowned Le Nôtre Paris school. It manufactures 100% natural ice cream with natural ingredients, using tradition method which the Jean-Marc Bruno acquired in the school. Today, it manufactures and distributes its premium ice cream to over 1000 restaurants and hotels, and has 7 ice cream parlors in Vietnam.

Fanny Ice Cream's outlet at Ton That Thiep Street was huge, occupying 2 units.

This was what greeted us when we went in through the entrance. Clean, warm, cozy, air conditioned with a pink theme. Even the waitress were wearing pink too!

Part of the selection of ice cream with real fruits being displayed. I was wondering how come it seems like no one ate

Fridge with more ice creams, probably for takeaway.

As we were undecided on what to order, we were lead to the next unit where they had more seats available. They provided both alfresco and indoor sittings. All their other customers chose to seat outside (i.e. alfresco). But we chose to take the indoor seats and we were the only ones =).

This was what was on each table. By the way, the flowers were real.

Menu

Part of the menu. We decided to order the Demi Bol after pondering for sometime as there was so many choices and all the pictures were so beautifully taken!

Demi Bol 149,000 VND (S$8.95)

We ordered the Demi Bol 149,000 VND (S$8.95) which allowed us to try a little of everything. There were a mix of sorbet and ice cream, chocolate sauce, almonds, caramel sauce, whipped cream and fruit salad.

Mix of sorbet and ice cream

From the left to right: (i) Chocolate, Pistachio and Mint Chocolate ice cream, (ii) Mango sorbet, Vanilla and Stracciatella ice cream, (iii) Strawberry sorbet, Vanilla and Chocolate Coffee ice cream, (iv) Green Tea, Coconut and Vanilla Macadamia ice cream, and (v) Strawberry and Cookies ice cream, Mix Berries sorbet.

Fruit Salad, Caramel Sauce and White Chocolate

Demi Bol was very beautifully presented, just like how it looked like on the menu. I was impressed with the effort. The mix of ice cream and sorbet was very good and allowed us to discover so many flavours. We also had the choice of adding chocolate sauce, fruit, caramel sauce or white chocolate as a topping. For just 149,000 VND (S$8.95), the Demi Bol was so value for money! If you are around the area, you should give this a try! Great place and ambience for dessert!

A Instagram video (aka Instavideo) which I took.

Good news for Fanny Ice Cream fans. Fanny Ice Cream is in Singapore! The franchise outlet was opened in Feb 2014 at 99 East Coast Road, Singapore 428795 (opposite 112 Katong). It is Fanny Ice Cream's first outlet outside Vietnam. The prices are charged in Singapore Dollars (of course!). The Demi Bol would cost $25 in Singapore!!!

Fanny Ice Cream (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

29-31 Tôn Thất Thiệp
Phường Bến Nghé, Quận 1
Hồ Chí Minh

Tel: +84 (08) 3821 1633/0949

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other outlets in Vietnam
1) Vincom Center, tầng B3, 27 Lê Thánh Tôn, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
2) 22 Phạm Hồng Thái, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
3) 63 Xuân Thủy, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
4) Foodcourt Lầu 4, TTTM Pandora City, 1/1 Trường Chinh, Quận Tân Phú, Hồ Chí Minh
5) 6A Trần Hưng Đạo, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
6) 51 Lý Thường Kiệt, Quận Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội.

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Creamier Ice Cream and Coffee (Toa Payoh Lorong 1)

Creamier Ice Cream and Coffee (Toa Payoh Lorong 1) is a cafe hidden in a corner of one of the oldest HDB estate in Singapore (i.e. Toa Payoh HDB estate)! Homemade (handcrafted) ice cream, coffee and waffles are sold in this cafe. This cafe is located in between Braddell, Toa Payoh and Caldecott MRT stations. The nearest MRT station is Braddell and it is around a 10 minutes walk away from the station.

We (a group of three) visited Creamier Ice Cream and Coffee on a weekday (Friday) at around 215pm. Although I was aware that this cafe was popular and that it was small, I did not expect it to be full house even on a weekday! 

Interesting lights

We tried waiting for a table, but after 15 minutes of wait, we only managed to get a counter table. Well, what to do.... I can't imagine what the crowd would be like on a weekend. 

After securing our seats, we proceeded and place our order. 

After making payment, we were given this paper cup with the number "09" on it. Any guess what it is?

The answer was hidden in the cup. It was the key to our orders. A waiting number!

Belgian waffle with Earl Grey Lavendar and Orange Cranberry Vodka Ice Cream $11.80

After around 10 minutes, we received our food! Needless to say we ordered their signature Belgian waffle with ice cream! From observation, this was the most popular order, every table had at least one of this! 

Belgian waffle with Earl Grey Lavendar and Orange Cranberry Vodka Ice Cream $11.80

We ordered our Belgian Waffle with Earl Grey Lavendar and Orange Cranberry Vodka Ice Cream $11.80. They had a wide variety of ice cream such Sea Salt Gula Melaka, Roasted Pistachio, Banana Chocolate Chip Crumbles and Banana Roasted Pecan. We sampled several of them before settling for the two ice creams.  

The Earl Grey Lavendar ice cream which had a unique lavendar after taste, was fragrant and creamy. The Orange Cranberry Vodka ice cream was a premium ice cream. The combination of orange and cranberry was a perfect match as both flavours complemented each other well and did not overwhelm each other.

For information on the cost/prices: A waffle with ice cream cost $8.50. Extra scoop of ice cream cost $2.50 each. As the Orange Cranberry Vodka was a premium ice cream, there was an extra cost of $0.80 per scoop. 

Belgian waffle with Earl Grey Lavendar and Orange Cranberry Vodka Ice Cream $11.80

The freshly made Belgian Waffles were well executed! They were incredibly crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. The slightly hard (outside), soft (inside) texture, warmth of the waffle couple with the cold ice cream were such a perfect combination.  The addition of the maple syrup and chocolate sauce went very well with this too! 

After trying this, I understand the raves about the dessert served here. The Belgian Waffles with Ice Cream is a must try! But I will not advise coming on a weekend unless you are prepared to wait and squeeze with the crowd. 

Creamier Ice Cream and Coffee (Toa Payoh Lorong 1)

Blk 128 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 

#01-835

Singapore 310128

Tel: 6250 1476

Opening Hours: Fri to Sat 12pm - 11pm

                          Sun to Thur 12pm - 10pm

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Buddy Hoagies at Nee Soon South Community Club (Yishun)

Buddy Hoagies is a restaurant cafe specialising in western cuisine. I did not call it a restaurant became it has a friendly and relaxed ambience which is child friendly too. Moreover, the photo frames of English oldies singers and environment gave a unique warm comfort country feel. I visited Buddy Hoagies on a weekday evening for dinner at Yishun. They have two other outlets at Bukit Timah and Downtown East.

During my visit, I noticed that there were quite a number of children in the cafe. After walking around, I knew the reasons. Buddy Hoagies was a children friendly cafe! They had plastic utensils (spoon, forks, plates) for kids (not those disposable ones) and a corner filled toys for children to play. Some children even brought the toys to their tables where they could play while waiting for the food to be served. Not bad, I did not notice any children playing with ipad or any mobile devices! 

There was an option to upgrade the main course to a Buddy's Set Meal for $4.50 which would include soup & garlic toast, coffee/tea/ ice tea and ice cream.

We ordered a Fish and Chips and upgraded it to a Set Meal ($13.40), followed by a Western BBQ Chicken ($8.90) and Cheese Fries ($3.50). 

Tea

Cream of Mushroom & Garlic Toast

The Cream of Mushroom was average. It was too thick for my liking while the Garlic Toast was a tad too hard. 

Cheese Fries $3.50

The Cheese Fries $3.50 tasted quite good when it was still warm. When it cooled down, the cheese became hard and the fries at the bottom were soggy. 

Fish and Chips

The Fish and Chips $8.90 served with fries fared better. Though they could be more generous with their servings, both items were not overly oily. In addition, the fish was slight moist in the interior (not hard and dry). In fact, I like this fries better compared to the cheese fries. 

Western BBQ Chicken $8.90

The Western BBQ Chicken $8.90 was essentially grilled chicken in barbecue sauce with vegetables and baked potato. Initially, I thought that the portion was very little. But come to think of it, for the ambience and price, I really should not fault it too much as the operating cost of the F&B industry have gone up.

The chicken was nicely grilled and the interior was juicy and tender. There was a slight hint of smoky flavour. If the smoky flavour could be intensified, this would have been wonderful. There was a big chunk of butter in the baked potato. Needless to say, I took out most of the butter before they had the opportunity to melt. This main course was not bad and quite value for money. 

Ice Cream

The vanilla ice cream was well, simple and ordinary.

There were hits and misses at Buddy Hoagies. But generally, their main course seemed to fared better. They did quite well in creating a warm cozy ambience with a children friendly environment.

Buddy Hoagies at Nee Soon South Community Club (Yishun)
Nee Soon South Community Club
30 Yishun Street 81
Singapore 768455
Tel: 6752 8722
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm daily
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Danro Japanese Hot Pot Buffet (Serangoon NEX)

Being a fan of steamboat cuisines, I just had to check out Danro Japanese Hot Pot Buffet. Danro Japanese Hot Pot Buffet opened by Ministry of Food (MOF). Although Japanese hot pot buffet is not new in Singapore, Danro is the first to offer eight broths (soup base) from different regions of Japan.

The prices range from $17.90++ for weekday lunch to $25.90++ for weekend dinner (for adults).

Left to right: Chicken & Milk Broth, Chicken Spicy Broth

Customers can choose up to 2 different soup base in 1 pot. We chose the Chicken & Milk Broth from Asuka Nabe and Chicken Spicy Broth from Danro Nabe. Now's the best time to taste the original taste of the soup as the refills would dilute your soup base (will explain more on that further down the post).

Handmade Kiritanpo

Danro Japanese Hot Pot comes with handmade Kiritanpo. However, this is limited to one per person. The Kiritanpo, a specialty dish of Akita Prefecture is essentially grilled rice skewer. Japanese cooked rice are pounded until they are mashed before being hand formed into cylinders around wooden skewers. They are then lightly brushed with special sweet sauce or miso for flavour before being toasted over an open fire. The Kiritanpo can either be eaten on its own or dipped into the hot pot.

Soup Refill Station

There was a Soup Refill Station, an innovative way to cut down on the manpower and increase productivity. There were small pots of Chicken or Wafu soup in it which customers could get anytime. These soup were a 'one soup fits all solution'. Since both our soup were chicken broths, we had to use the chicken soup refill. Even when e were to ask a serving for a refill, they used just chicken soup for both our soup bases. The problem with this was that it resulted in a diluted and not as fragrant soup base compared to when we just started.

Hence, our Chicken & Milk Broth became less milky and less fragrant while our Chicken Spicy Broth became less spicy. In addition, there was no attempt to stock up the soup refill station. Midway into our meals, there were no more pots of soup at that station as the were too few staff and these staff were all busy clearing the tables.

Condiments and sauce dips

A wide variety of condiments and sauce dips.

Onsen Egg

The Japanese Onsen Egg in light soy sauce was very well executed. Not only did it looked good, it also tasted good too. I liked it so much that I went for an additional helping of it.

Left to right: Japanese potato salad, Somen with soba sauce

The Japanese potato salad and Somen with soba sauce were quite decent too.

Sushi

There's a wide variety of food available ranging from Sushi, Bak Kut Teh, Japanese Yong Tau Foo, Cooked food and the typical steamboat ingredients such as corn, meat, seafood, vegetables.

Left to right: Bak Kut Teh, Japanese Yong Tau Foo

Left to right: Homemade Hot Dishes and Vegetables

Left to right: Seafood, shabu shabu beef and pork slices

The seafood corner was just average. The clams and prawns were not fresh especially the latter which stuck to its shell and meat was not firm. The shabu shabu beef and pork slices fared much better. We ate so many plates of it.

It was easy to control the temperature of the hot pot with the electric induction cooker.

Desserts and cakes

Left to right: Drinks, Soft Serve Ice cream

The DIY Soft Serve Ice Cream was fantastic. Its the same as what you get when you order ice cream dishes in MOF. Even though we were very full, we still went for this and it was oh just so shiok! There's always room for dessert! 

Although there were hits and misses (seafood was not fresh, one size fits all soup for refills, service), Danro Japanese Hot Pot Buffet is really value for money! I certainly enjoyed most of the food here. 

Danro Japanese Hot Pot Buffet (Serangoon NEX)

#02-04/06 Serangoon NEX

23 Serangoon Central

Singapore 556083

Tel: 6634 4608
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri: 11:30 am - 3:30 pm, 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm
                          Sat to Sun: 11:30 am - 3:30 pm, 5:00 pm - 10:30 pm

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