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Ogu Ogu, sake & fusion – Bangkok, Thailand

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Ogu Ogu, Japanese relaxed cafe, restaurant, clubbie bar? Well I know for sure the Sake was sprinkled with food. Definite a good choice for a chill Saturday evening, try the set of Sake tasters, mix the food, everything is good and finish with the oh so yummy chocolate mousse and a flute of the jelly sake (yes) champagne cocktail. Good vibe, nice service, lots of locals and English well spoken. Will come back. Oh yes, great place to bring a small crowd, music swells the later it gets…
Ogu Ogu, G/F, Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Witthayu (Wireless) Rd., Bangkok, Thailand, phone: 02-108-2255, BTS Phloen Chit

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Restaurants & café – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

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For a bit of western fare, great salads and breakfast “Au Parc” is a good option. Open for bf/lu/di and popular with the expat crowd. After too much Pho soup you might be longing for this menu. Nice little outside terrace as well, obviously overlooking: the Park. 23 Han Thuyen Street, D1. Other places from this same owner: “Khot Thom” with Vietnamese cuisine, close to the Park Hyatt and good for lunch with large terrace outside. 29 Ngo Thoi Nhiem. Other restaurant options recommended to me (but have not tried) are: Lemon Grass and The Nam House.

Cuc Gach Quan is a Vietnamese restaurant I have been twice. Ask for a table upstairs and climb the ‘ladder’. Service is very nice and if you request them to recommend their best dishes, your table will be filled with tasteful food in no time. The juices are great as well. Take a taxi and call ahead. 10 Dang Tat, Tan Dinh, Quan 1, Phone: 01657 101010

 

L’Usine Café is just the best to hang out for a coffee and checking up on your email with strong WiFi, a strong coffee and some very good breakfast and salads on the menu. Order at the bar or grab a seat and someone will take your order. I love the setting in a former wharehouse/loft type space and a fashion store is also integrated on the same level. Bit of a discovery tour to find it from the street level: walk through the painting art alley, take a right and walk up the stone stairs. 151/1 Dong Khoi St. 1st floor – D1

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Pho, vespa, coffee, birds & more – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

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Be cool like the locals and rent a Vespa or jump on the back of one and do a tour around the city: www.vietnamvespaadventures.com. Since the sixties, Vespa’s are very popular in this city and they add a little Italian flavor to the traffic madness.  My guide Chau took me to many ‘in the know’ places, like the parks early morning to have one of those stiff Vietnam type espresso’s together with the local elder men sipping their coffees, chatting and listening to their birds which they bring along in cases and hang in the trees.

 

Don’t forget to have a true Saigon “Pho” soup (pronounced “Fhaa”) as your breakfast in the morning. The best I could find is Pho Hoa in 260C Pasteur street.

I stayed at a small ‘boutique’ hotel The Cinnamon, which was ok and close to the coffee and bird park. However the Park Hyatt (behind Opera House) is probably the best upscale lodging in the city. Have a cocktail in the lounge bar or the spunky small bar next to the open lobby bar. It’s behind large sliding doors.

 

Go for some jazzy, rocky live music to the Acoustic Bar, pretty busy with the music loving local fun crowd. Find yourself a stool, order a Heineken and have a good time guaranteed. Ranked #2 of 305 things to do in Ho Chi Minh City by Lonely Planet travellers! Just take a taxi (they a cheap cheap in Saigon).

 

For the best footmassage go to “Glow”. A little spa, order a 90 minute footmassage including head/neck. Walk through the wide alley and entry steps on the right. 129A Nguyen Hue, D1, +848 3823 8368

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How a luxury hotel should be, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel – Hanoi, Vietnam

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Having stayed here only 24 hours, it was well worth it every minute. And every cent! This is one of those hotels with the look, feel, comfort, services and facilities I love. In touch with what hospitality is all about, anticipating what guests needs are and delivering it. I enjoyed sipping a beer in the afternoon on their street café, a great professional spa & gym, great service at the pool and several options to enjoy breakfast. When in Hanoi, please promise me to stay here or at least visit.

 

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My kind of café – Cafe des Amis, Hoi An, Vietnam

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Almost every day I made a cycle trip to the village of Hoi An (from the beach about 30min) and had a great filter coffee at this café, restaurant at the riverside. Filled with French chanson tunes from Jacque Brel and friends, the French educated and owner-chef Mr Kim (quite a character) runs this small place for over 20 years. With great energy and passion he will tell you how he cooked for the great names in France (like Brel and Bresson). Every day Mr. Kim cooks a daily menu of amazing fresh Vietname fare against very affordable prices. Proudly he will show you his over 40 (!) guest comment books and soon you’ll be expressing your compliments as well.

52 Rue Bach Dang, Hoi An (downtown, close to the market, waterside)

 

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My kind of beach – Hoi An, Vietnam

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Avoid the mass concrete hotels and resorts in Da Nang and after flying in at the convenient modern airport, go as fast as possible to Hoi An and stay at the Victoria Beach Resort and book a room at the beach front. That is if you like a stretch of over 40km of uninterrupted beach..otherwise stay in one of the Hoi An village resorts/hotels. I am a sucker for great beaches. Watch the sunrise and walk, medidate, hang with the locals who come out at 5am in big numbers and gone at 8am to avoid the sun. That’s when the white..soon red faced people come out to play. Resort is of good 4 star quality, great service at desk, very good breakfast and pool is wonderful at sun sets. The spa is so so.

 

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Qurious travel bits on – Siem Reap, Cambodia

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SIEM REAP

Call this Tuk Tuk guy, speaks reasonable English and knows Angkor and city well. His mobile number is: 092501691. He can also take you around to your places to eat, markets, etc. I forgot his name..

Make sure to step in Blue Pumpkin: great ice cream and espresso lounge upstairs with good WiFi. Restaurant Abacus: great dining.

My favourite hotel is: Hotel de la Paix: have dinner or cocktails. Make sure to walk around the hotel and courtyard with swinging dining beds. Hotel is changing into Park Hyatt at the moment, fingers crossed it will maintain its charm.
For lunch go to Sala Bai: NGO Hotelschool which runs a teaching lunch restaurant.

Bodia Spa: great foot and body massages.

Hotel FCC/Angkor: some great shops/galleries if you want to take home a quality souvenir.

Market: walk into (not around) the market next to ‘Le Grand Cafe’ street 9. Not so touristy and inside its just very colorful. Ladies sitting on top of their food stalls.

 

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Qurious travel bits on – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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PHNOM PENH
Call for reliable Tuk Tuk service: +855 92566695 Mr. Deth, he is very reliable and speaks English. However arriving at airport I recommend to take a taxi for USD 10-14, much more covenient than eating dust in tuk tuk for 45 minutes. Within city just use a tuk-tuk, pay for a whole day (USD 10-15) or per trip.

I love these smaller boutique style hotels: Blue Lime, with a small pool and rooms in type of townhouse are very nice (50USD) or Hotel 240, no pool, but great location in street 240 and they operate an organic cafe, and you can use pool from other sister hotels like Blue Lime or Plantation. The Mango madness is just great in that organic cafe. Also visit The Mansion Hotel just for an espresso. Wonderfully restored townhouse.

Cafe’s: Java Cafe, great breakfasts and sit outside on first floor overlooking Monument square, any Browns Cafe for good service and free WiFi, Le Shop Cafe in street 240 has the best croissants.

Restaurants: K’Nay – must go here for cocktails and great honest food. It’s gay owned and really low key and wonderful service. Bit difficult to find and have added a little map. It’s a little alley next to Street 19 entry from Monument Sq. Walk from Street 240 is 10 minutes.

Other restaurants: go to “Friends” (just of street 178) or Romdeng (also from Friends organisation). These are non-profit restaurants and service as vocational training centres for former street kids.

 

Spa: Bodia (178 street) or Bliss (street 240).

City:  visit S21 (the prison in which Khmer Rouge tortured 20,000 people) and Killing Fields (half day trip, do not go in Tuk Tuk (crazy dusty road), but take a car and do take the guided recorded guide thing, take 2 hours to really let it sink in) Make sure to have a stiff couple of drinks after all of this, cause you’ll need it.
Nice to watch (but no prob if you miss it): Royal Palace, Wat Phnom, National Museum, Russian Market, central Market.

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