Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) food trail- dinner (part 3)

Finally gotten around to write about our adventurous dinners at Saigon!

Ramen Bar Suzuki HCMC

8/5 Lê Thánh Tôn, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
093 781 45 69

https://g.co/kgs/pCRT6k

Very flavoursome ramen with thick soup. But the flavours are heavier comparing to those in Japan. Go early to try out their limited edition ramens at only 10 servings per day.

ASIANA FOOD TOWN

tầng hầm khu B, công viên 23/9, 4 Phạm Ngũ Lão, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
090 377 08 36

https://g.co/kgs/5ZK8sZ

Great for big groups because it's a big food court. Price is pretty average and taste was the more internationally acceptable.

5KU Station

29 Thái Văn Lung, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
090 777 54 87

https://g.co/kgs/8tZZYx

Great BBQ selection, marinated well and DIY using a cute charcoal grill! Be there early before 7pm because people literally queue for a table. But everything there was spicy, including their fried noodles.

Lý Club Saigon

143 Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, phường 6, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh
028 3930 5588

https://g.co/kgs/KyrL4f

Where we enjoyed the evening during Victor and Shin Yi's wedding dinner. Fine dining concept with fresh ingredients. Great atmosphere and children friendly too.

Ốc Oanh
534 Vĩnh Khánh, Phường 8, Quận 4, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
+84 98 399 49 39

https://goo.gl/maps/rLkNi8gjeZR2

Very local seafood eatery. Will advise to come in slightly big groups because it's a fairly chaotic area. Cheap though. Eat seafood only and don't order anything else.

This is how local it gets. Everyone sits on low chairs.

Bep Me In

136/9 Lê Thánh Tôn, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
+84 28 3824 4666

https://g.co/kgs/Wj5y7V

Authentic Vietnamese dishes. Serving is not huge and their fish soup really gave a big kick of flavors. Very different from Chinese cooking. And siew mai at Saigon is not a type of dimsum! It's a flour/meat ball cooked in tomato based gravy and taken with steamed French baguette.

Saigon has such a great variety of cuisine to suit every traveler's taste buds. Hope my posts have given you some guide as to what to try out during your trip. Bon appetit!

Should one invest in maternity panties? Featuring Mamaway

Baby bumps come in all sizes and shapes. By the third or fourth month of pregnancy, the precious bump would have outgrown your usual jeans. It's always good to wear loose clothes and leave plenty of room for the growing belly and bub.

But that doesn't mean boring shapeless look! It spells shopping for more clothes that show off the awesome baby bump! Not only do you need to look good outside but it's even more than important to make your lingerie as comfortable as possible.

I have recently talked about maternity bra. 

Of course good things must come in pairs. Here you go, reasons why maternity panties are essential. Afterall, the bump starts growing from down below.

I have started wearing Mamaway Antibacterial Maternity Panties at my fourth month of pregnancy. These are the reasons why I love them.


Maternity panties are more stretchy. As the bump is growing, the first pair of panty to go will be the non elastic ones. Maternity panties can often stretch to more than double their original size so you don't have to keep buying new panties as your pregnancy progresses. The stretchability also makes it more comfortable.

As with your normal panties, it can come in medium rise or high rise varieties.

The medium rise ones sit just below the bump. And is suitable for those who still like their low rise pants. But from experience I can easily let you know that you can probably keep your low rise aside for 4-6 months.

 But the medium waist variety is also good for those who has itchy bumps and need a scratch or two on and off. This is very common and is due to stretching of the skin as the belly grows, as well as the hormonal changes. This is harmless unless if you also have yellowish skin and eyes. Then it's time to seek advice from healthcare professionals.

After delivery, one can choose the high rise variety so that it covers the caeserean scar without exposing it to irritation from the outer clothing.

Mamaway panties are made of antibacterial material called Heiq pure. It's a technique originated from Switzerland by blending pure silver into the fabric which has antibacterial properties. This prevents odour causing bacteria from colouring the panties. Exactly what I need!

Sweating a lot is also a part of pregnancy and post partum period that I really hates. Mamaway panties absorb these excessive moisture well and make me feel fresh after a whole day at work. The material is also cooling.

So mothers and mother-to-bes, take this chance to pamper yourself and get a few pairs of good maternity panties :)

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) food trail- lunch/teatime

Here comes the second part of our non ending eating trip at Saigon.

Bếp Thuần Chay - Vegan Kitchen

23B Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh, Phường 22, Bình Thạnh, Hồ Chí Minh
028 3510 6698

https://g.co/kgs/fJPb94

I'm not a vegetarian and don't think I can ever manage without meat.lol. But this place is worth going. I didn't even feel like I was having all vegetables! It didn't feel like all gluten. Instead we really enjoyed the fresh produce used and the refreshing pho broth. 

Món Huế
10 Ba Tháng Hai, Phường 12, Quận 10, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
+84 28 7106 6633

https://goo.gl/maps/PXLNWJqfxrC2

A fairly popular franchised eatery in Vietnam, it has everything that you absolutely must try in Vietnamese cuisine. The taste is more internationally acceptable. But I must say the lotus leaf wrapped rice was kind of undercooked and a letdown. But the entree platter was up to their usual standard . 

Most of the dishes we ordered were on this lunch menu list. Just for your reference :)

MÂM

193 Hai Ba Trung Street, Phường 6, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh
028 3939 3888
 https://g.co/kgs/8vVnw1

This is a more high-end restaurant. Expect the waiter to peel prawns and crack crabs for you. So the bill was automatically double at around RM50 per pax. We had stir fry pumpkin flower, bamboo beef, coconut prawn, beef stir fry noodles, seafood stir fry noodles, steamed banana cakes, smoked duck salad and chilli tofu.

Chi Hoa Vietnamese Cuisine

31A Lê Thánh Tôn, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
028 3827 3155
https://g.co/kgs/jexjiM

A splendid spread of stir fry pork, tofu, spring rolls and seafood fried rice (we tend to order this because baby Bing can be quite choosy). Interesting seafood hotpot with a broth that probably had bean paste added. Besides slices of fish, prawns and squid. The selection of vegetables were amazing. We still don't know how to name many of them. But we just experimented one by one and found them palatable. 

Royal Saigon Restaurant Bui Vien

201 Bùi Viện, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

+84 96 292 17 73 

https://g.co/kgs/r8NMcT

A very homey setup. Cheap lunch set- rice, stir fry, salad and soup. Great for the office workers. Must try their kebab set-juicy meat kebab, grilled vegetable kebab, spring rolls and also a cute meat kebab fried with noodle strands wrapped on the outside. Rice lovers should also try their broken rice set. And of course, the super creamy avocado smoothie. 

Tokyo Deli Restaurant

Ward 5, District 3, 425 Võ Văn Tần, Phường 5, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh
028 3818 1177
https://g.co/kgs/gatP4x

Surprisingly, Saigon has fairly authentic Japanese food. From sushi, sahimi, okonomiyaki to karatge. It's slightly heavier in flavors than what's found in Japan though.

My Banh Mi

57 Nguyễn Du, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 70000
028 3827 2145
https://g.co/kgs/7gik7f

These banh mi were more Western in flavour. No wonder their client profile is also more international than local. Nevertheless, equally charming and delicious.

Pizza 4P's Ben Thanh

8 Thủ Khoa Huân, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
028 3622 0500

https://g.co/kgs/BPJ2pP

These were perhaps the best pizzas we have ever had out of Italy. Despite being thin crust, the base was soft and made perfect by the fresh and generous amount of toppings. One surprise ingredient was seaweed strips with Hawaiian chicken pizza.

Coffee

Trung Nguyen Café Legend

87A Bùi Thị Xuân, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000
091 528 99 35
https://g.co/kgs/6RykgT

Drip coffee priced at 170k VND (about RM30+), it better be good. Luckily it didn't disappoint. The thickness of a single cup of coffee could easily feed a few. The aroma was so strong and irresistible.

Highlands Coffee

187 Phạm Ngũ Lão, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
028 3838 9523
https://g.co/kgs/dDL8WB

Ubiquitous branches scattered around the city, it provides a quick caffeine fix Vietnamese and Western fusion style at affordable price tags.

Phuc Long Coffee & Tea Express

325 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
028 3822 0166

https://g.co/kgs/omzDTB

To be honest, not so much of a fan because the coffee could be thicker.

Maison Marou Saigon
169 Calmette, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
+84 28 7300 5010
https://goo.gl/maps/V8KJHUB6YxC2

Last but not least, chocolates! The dark chocolate drink was the thickest I gave ever tried and the place is always roasting cocoa beans. Tiramisu and rum cake were things that I could only appreciate the sight because it's a 0 alcohol policy for me the pregnant Mama. 

Hopefully that's a list long enough to fill up your whole lunch week in Saigon!

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) food trail- breakfast

Vietnam is a Haven for food lovers, even more so for Saigon. From the diverse street food culture to high end restaurants, it has something to offer to everyone. This is a list of places where we enjoyed dining so much during our one week stay.

Breakfast

Street food here is not for the faint hearted. For one, the stalls can be located in pretty eerie looking back alleys. Or try having coffee at a busy crossroad with non ending traffic and beeping of motorcycle horns. Literally risking our lives for a good cuppa.

Nevertheless they smell amazingly good and is worth trying. The common ones include

Banh Mi- motorcyclers can literally drive through and get a quick bite on the bike. A cripsy French loaf sandwiching various preserved and fresh meat as well as fresh salad.

Xoi ga man- fried chicken with glutinous rice ( the rice can come in a great variety of rainbow colors)

Assorted roast pork kebab

Hu Tieu Mi- clear soup noodles with pork. Vietnamese simply loves pork slices and pork internals ( liver, heart, intestines and sometimes curdled blood in cubes)

Bun Rieu- rice vermicelli in tomato and crab based broth with shrimp paste aka belacan, crab cakes, congealed pig's blood

This roadside stall has been cooking for the past 40 years! And it's just at the beginning of the street that our Airbnb was. 

Address
327 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Bun Thit Nuong Chi Tuyen

175 Cô Giang, Phường Cô Giang, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
090 853 80 79
https://g.co/kgs/GNHLAH

This is a popular spot to get cheap breakfast. Dry vermicelli that goes very well with fried spring rolls and roasted pork, sprinkled with peanuts and herbs as well as salad. The special fish sauce just brings all the flavors together.


Banh Mi Hoa Ma
53 Cao Thắng, Phường 3, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam.
https://goo.gl/maps/cxdKGMSoUTT2

People literally queue up at this extremely small stall and sit by the road. Because the toasted French baguette is that good. We had sunny side up egg with luncheon meat and various deli meat slices, as well as preserved radish and carrot. One has to assemble your own banh mi here. 

Vietcetera Cafe

290 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Phường 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Hồ Chí Minh
0126 411 4084
https://g.co/kgs/13owUr

A lovely Western/Asian fusion cafe located in the suburb. Great affogato that's so rich in flavour and the ice cream is smooth. Perfectly done scrambled egg that Bing devoured with a slice of crispy toast. The teriyaki chicken with spaghetti is sweet to taste and made fragrant by the roasted sesame seeds. 

Bánh cuốn Hải Nam

11A Cao Thắng, Phường 2, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh
028 3839 3394
https://g.co/kgs/F2kPhW

Absolutely in love with the cheong fun aka rice noodle rolls that's smooth and just thick enough to contain the generous portion of minced pork and dried shrimps inside. A similar variety to the Chinese chwee kueh is also available here with the same pork and dried shrimp toppings. Not to forget the stir fry noodles that's so similar to what we can get in malaysia. The crab rolls came a bit late but were nevertheless bursting in flavours and went so well with the fresh salad and vermicelli. 

That's for our breakfast experience in Saigon. Stay tuned for our list of great lunch and dinner in Saigon! 

Maternity & Nursing Bra Advice featuring Mamaway

Hands up if you have really sore breasts? And if you don't fit into your normal bra anymore? Welcome to this perhaps annoying sign of pregnancy or does it mean more shopping? :P p.s. It is normal for the breasts to grow as early from 8-10 weeks of pregnancy.

I can't stress enough how important it is to get comfortable and supportive bras. Especially when you are still nursing your older child like me. Save me some sore breasts and back pain.

These are great shopping tips for good maternity/nursing bra from Babycenter


How to size your bra?

Don't be shy to get the professionals to measure them. These are the guides

-the cups fit snugly, cover most of your breasts, and have no overflow at the top
-the centre seam lies comfortably against your breastbone
-your bra fastens on to the first set of hooks, leaving plenty of room for growth

The important features in a good maternity/nursing bra:

Support
Adjustability
Comfort
Coverage

I'll explain to you why I love Mamaway Maternity &Nursing Seamless Bra based on the features above.

Support- Mamaway supports the growing breasts well. It has wide straps, side and underbust bands, as well as a deep center.

Adjustability- it has 4 sets of hooks and can stretch up to 2 to 3 cup size. There's also detachable feeding clips that's easy to undo and redo.

Comfort- the material is thin, doesn't stick to the skin (very important in the tropical climate especially after sweating!) and it's seamless. I prefer no underwires because it is not as comfortable and baby Bing hates it during nursing.

Coverage- full cup bras are the best options for these blossoming bosoms. There's an added padding slot so that the paddings don't move. If they do, you can easily adjust it back.

Antibacterial- Made of Merylr, it contains silver ions that have antibacterial properties. This also makes the bra breathable, easy to absorb moisture and odour resistant. I do use extra paddings to absorb the occasional leaky boobs but sometimes it stills overflow. And I have had a few mouldy looking bras previously (yucks) even though I change and wash twice a day. So I'm really positive about these bras.

There are 2 designs for Mamaway bras
- seamless maternity & nursing bra (with padding) great for daily wear outside

- crossover sleeping & nursing bra perfect for lounging and sleeping as the material is even thinner and silkier with no padding

Get your own Mamaway Antibacterial Maternity &Nursing Seamless Bra from Mamaway website.

Alor Setar day trip | itinerary

Feeling lazy to write because I lost my half done draft :( so just going to list down where we went :)

Accommodation

Hotel Grand Crystal

40, Jalan Kampung Perak, Bandar Alor Setar, 05100 Alor Setar, Kedah
04-731 3333
https://g.co/kgs/8tmE7F

Old but clean. Has a bathtub and swimming pool. Spacious room. Only at RM85/night. Walking distance to nearby Chinese food places and Aman Central.

Breakfast

SK Kim
168e, Jalan Kampung Perak, Bandar Alor Setar, 05100 Alor Setar, Kedah
https://g.co/kgs/vKWVfq

Hokkien noodles

Delicious but prefer to have prawns :p

Thai noodles

Spicy chilli flakes with dry noodles in caramel sauce.

Favorite order for breakfast/lunch. Fried dried turnip, chilli and garlic with steamed fish. Must try.

KEDAI KOPI KIM TAO

168e, Jalan Kampung Perak, Bandar Alor Setar, 05100 Alor Setar, Kedah https://g.co/kgs/gnX3JY

Dry shredded chicken with homemade noodles. Fragrant fried garlic and shallots. At only RM3 per plate!

The soup variety

Double half boiled egg with double happiness

Old schooled coffee

Lunch

Nasi Lemak Ong

Jalan Putra, Kampung Lubok Peringgi, 05100 Alor Setar, Kedah
012-498 3660
 https://g.co/kgs/f6CHyd

Pork free Chinese restaurant with so many different curries! (Chicken, fish, squid, petai, prawn). Not your usual nasi lemak.

Dinner

China Town Food Court 唐人街饮食中心

Jalan Putra, Bandar Alor Setar, 05150 Alor Setar, Kedah
 https://g.co/kgs/D3Jgde

Otak-otak. Soft, fish well mashed with some vegetables. Unlike the Johor/Pahang variety which is more densed.

Grilled sting ray marinated in tumeric. Just nice and still very juicy.

Interesting places

Masjid Zahir

Jalan Kampung Perak, Bandar Alor Setar, 05150 Alor Setar, Kedah
04-733 3288

https://g.co/kgs/Rmz3DG

One of the oldest mosque is Malaysia basking in the evening light.

Masjid Al-bukhary, Bandar Alor Setar, 05100 Alor Setar, Kedah

Part of the Al-burkhary international school. Huge compound with stately architecture.

Muzium Padi

06570 Alor Setar, Kedah
04-735 1315
https://g.co/kgs/oXMgL5
RM5 per adult
Opens daily 9am-5pm

A 3 storey high museum with winding staircase leading to a perfectly done mural.

One can enjoy the view sitting as the platform rotates slowly.

Ground floor showcased rice varieties worldwide.

Lower ground floor exhibited the various tools used to harvest and process paddy. Spent an hour there.

Aman Central

Aman Central, Darul Aman Highway, Kampung Lubok Peringgi, 05100 Alor Setar, Kedah
04-735 2626

https://g.co/kgs/3pcXrp

A 7 floor high departmental store.

Love their kids indoor playground Kidzoona. At only RM19 per child, one can easily spend the whole morning there. Remember to bring your own socks or else buy a pair there at RM7 each.

Transport

Can easily grab in between places. Not worth renting a car.

Tada, a complete fruitful family day trip at Alor Setar.