Places to Dine Near Holland Village

 Another area with rows and streets filled with restaurants and cafes is Holland Village, I knew of this place when I was in poly as it was nearer to my school. It has been such a long time since I last ventured here, hence I decided to revisit the area. I have compiled a list of dining places that I have tried near Holland Village for your reference.

1. Tai Cheong Bakery Cafe

Visit Tai Cheong Bakery at Holland Village for their only Cha Chaan Teng (Cafe) outlet. They offer dishes have been inspired by old Hong Kong classics and a fresh, modern twist. It was full house when we arrived, so we were settled at the outside.

Started off with their Coconut Tart ($2.80) and Pandan Tart. Their tart was one of the most delicious tarts in my opinion as I love their firm buttery crust. I had the coconut tart which gave a strong coconut taste in it.

The Hong Kong Ice Milk Tea was the best drink to have on a hot afternoon. It was flavourful with sweet flavour incorporated and no hint of dilution.

I had Scrambled Egg with Toast and Chicken Chop ($11.90) which comes with mushroom sauce as base, followed by crispy chicken cutlet topped with a slice of light crisp toast and finished off with a creamy scrambled egg on the top.

31 Lor Liput, Singapore 277742

Operating hours: 10am to 8pm daily

Aura Blender Review: Aura Portable Blender and Aura Insulated Sleeve

 We all know that having a blender at home is a great help, simplifying the process of preparing delicious smoothies, juices, sauces, and more. But having a portable blender offers an added dimension of convenience, allowing us to blend our favourite ingredients on the go, whether at the office, the gym, or while traveling. It is definitely a preferred option in our fast-paced lifestyles, ensuring a nutritious boost whenever we need it.

I recently had the opportunity to review the Aura Portable Blender, paired with the Aura Insulated Sleeve.

Aura Portable Blender

Regular price: $150.00 

The Aura Portable Blender boasts a sleek and compact design with AuraXtreme Borosilicate glass, the travel-sized wonder packs a punch for power, style, and convenience all in one.

The power button has a built-in light indicator that displays the current battery level. Press the power button to check the battery level. When the Aura Blender is running low on battery during use, the red light indicator will start blinking, serving us a reminder that it's time to recharge.

Red Light: 0-20%
Blue Light: 21-80% 

White Light: 80-100%

Cleaning the Aura Blender is an easy chore, simply add water and a drop of dish soap, then click on start button to blend and clean the blender.

I was amazed by the magic of a simple blend comprising only water and a single drop of dishwashing soap. The mixture transformed into a milky solution, and within seconds, my blender was completely  clean.

 I rinsed the blender with plain water to kickstart my blended creation.

I am going to try making dragon fruit drink where I will be blending together some fresh dragon fruit cubes with water for the antioxidant intake. I'm quite lazy in consuming the fruits so blending it into a drink in a perfect solution for me.

The cutting-edge blending technology allows the dragon fruit slices to be blend into smooth and velvety texture. The Aura Nutri Extractor blades extract & preserve up to 99% of vitamins and minerals, ensuring each sip of our blends are packed nutritional goodness.

The blender is equipped with AuraVortex blend technology, capable of pulverizing ingredients at an astonished rate of 25,000 RPM, equivalent to a dizzying 417 times per second! It can even crush ice in under 10 seconds.

I loaded the blender with dried shrimps, all set to create a batch of Hae Bee Hiam. This was the end result of the blended dried shrimps, which shows in a finely shredded form. The powerful blending capabilities surprised me, effortlessly breakdown the solid ingredients into smooth texture. 

I also had mango juices where I blend mango slices with milk to create a refreshing treat.

The Aura Blender has a built-in safety feature which ensure the blades do not function unless the jar is firmly secured to the motor base. This feature not only prevents accidental mishaps but also provides a sense of security during use.

Aura portable blender also features a convenient bottle cap, which offers the flexibility of transforming the blender into a portable bottle by swapping the base for the cap. This allows us to take our blended creations with us on the go without the need to transfer them to a separate bottle. 

Aura Insulated Sleeve

Regular price: $30.00

The addition of the Aura Insulated Sleeve was a thoughtful touch, ensuring that my freshly blended beverages stayed at the perfect temperature on the go. It can fit any standard 500ml bottles.

Crafted in premium neoprene, the Aura Insulated Sleeve provides waterproof and padded protection for the Aura Portable Blender. With the AuraGrid insulating technology, it works like a personal climate control system within the sleeve, ensuring our drinks maintain their intended temperature, whether refreshing cold or soothingly warm.

Check out Aura Blender Website to find out more about Aura Portable Blender and Aura Insulated Sleeve. Delivery is free for those residing in Singapore. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity if you have intention of getting a blender.

This post is a collaboration with Aura Blender and expressed in my own opinion.

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) Day 4: Checking Out Of The Hammock Hotel + Airport

It was yet another sleepless night. Despite the weariness, I still can't sleep. Not sure if it was due to change in hotel, the sound of the window blinds tapping against the wall, or other factors. It resulted in me waking up early.

It was 8am and after refreshing ourselves, we made our way to the level 9 to indulge in our complimentary breakfast. We were still in our sleepwear.

We headed out to the alfresco seating after we placed our order, wanting to soak in the last few moments in the city.

There were two sets available and I opt for Scrambled Egg with Butter Toast and Homemade Yoghurt. I took a strawberry milk from the fridge. The scrambled egg was skillfully prepared, boasted a creamy texture and lightly seasoned with spice. The yoghurt watery and smooth.

After the breakfast, we headed back to our room to prepare ourselves out for last shopping at 9am.

We went back to Ben Thanh Market as I still need to buy some souvenirs back for my friends and colleagues. The market was full of shops from food stall to clothing, bags and tourist souvenirs, I got 3 packets of pouches at 300,000VND (or S$17.14) and a bracelet for my mother at 100,000VND (or S$5.71).

As it was only 9.50am by the time we left Ben Thanh Market, Linda wanted to go back to the Watson store at Bitexco Financial Tower to see if they have replenished the stock for hair serum which turned out to be fruitless. We embarked on a 20 minutes walk to the destination.

I stopped by at this bakery shop to get a bread for my lunch as Linda wanted to have cup noodle in our hotel room for lunch. I preferred to try their local food rather than opt for the familiar convenience of cup noodles. It will be her third cup noodles during this trip while I only had once.

We returned back to hotel at 10.30am. I had a short rest before packing up my bag to leave Ho Chi Minh City. While I love travelling, I already missed home especially my comfortable bed. I need a good sleep for speedy recovery, not a good feeling to feel sick during travel.

I got a coconut slice bread at 15,000VND (or S$0.86), the coconut flakes within the bread gave a delicate sweetness to the overall flavour.

My baggage was a backpack and hand carry cooler bag for a 4d3n trip. Four days are sufficient to experience the city without straining the budget, given most of the things are quite affordable here except for tourist trap. Despite visible poverty, Ho Chi Minh City is still a safe city to visit.

We took a Grab ride back to Tan Son Nhat International Airport which cost 195,000VND (or S$11.14) for 35 minutes drive. The security guard stationed at the roadside outside our hotel added a warm touch to our stay. He will wave at us when we came back and helped us open the door when we boarded the car.

On our way to the airport, I noticed that as we moved further down, the area seemed to be more well developed than District 1. The presence of more office buildings, lesser roadside stalls and more upscale housing gave a contrast to the scene in District 1.

We reached Tan Son Nhat International Airport at about 12.30pm for our flight at 2.55pm. After checking in, we walked around the airport browsing through last minute buy. I bought two small pack of snacks for my grandmother at 148,000VND (or S$8.46). The things at airport were very expensive.

I got a bottle of mineral water from one of the shops at the waiting area at 40,000VND (or S$2.29).

Our plane got delayed by 50 minutes, so we decided to open up our snack to munch on. I had Nabati Raspberry Waffle that I gotten from 7-Eleven the other day at only 9,000VND (or S$0.51).

Excitement coursed through me when the airplane ascended at about 3.45pm, revealing the cityscape through the window seat. The pilot informed us that the flying time back would take about 1 hour 40 minutes. Goodbye, Ho Chi Minh City.

When there was no entertainment on plane, the thing I like to do was gazing out of the airplane window, looking at the passing clouds gliding below us. Flying in late afternoon also means there were ample amount of sunlight filtering in.

The familiar view of Singapore came into sight, we touched down at 6.25pm local time, one hour ahead of Vietnam.

Travel memories are more memorable than other memories. When I did not travel for a long time, I lost the desire to travel. However, once the momentum started, my travel buds are being reignited. You will see me starting to travel more for now onwards.

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) Day 3: Café Amazon + Nam Giao Restaurant

 After a short rest in our hotel, we set off to Ben Thanh Market which was about 10 minutes walk away from our hotel. We had to use our umbrella as it was still drizzling. 

I bought myself a t-shirt and a couple more t-shirts for my family at 850,000VND (or S$48.57). While the items were not exactly cheap or legit, I wanted to get something back as souvenir. With age, my taste has changed, I felt myself less fancy towards items from the market.

The rain became heavy by the time we finished shopping, we hurried our way to search for the pastry shop that we used to get our traditional snacks from during our last trip which was 5 minutes walk away from the market. 

We were so happy that the shop was still around and I gotten 256,000VND (or S$14.63) worth of cookies, crackers and sweets from here to distribute back.

The best part of shopping overseas lies in the satisfaction we got from buying something cheap and burning off calories through the constant walking.

Bảo Hiên Rồng Vàng 

167, Ly Tu Trong, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh Operating hours: 7am to 12pm daily, 1.30pm to 8pm from Mon to Sat and 1.30pm to 5pm on Sun

It was already 4.15pm by the time we finished shopping, we decided to find a cafe to seek shelter from the persistent rain. Wet weather made us want to get indoor, so spending time sipping a drink and enjoying some dessert seemed to be a good idea. We chanced upon Café Amazon which was 8 minutes walk from the pastry shop.

The floor-to-ceiling window showed the view of the opposite row of shops. The rain made us slow down our pace and enjoyed the sound of the raindrops pattered against the window in a serene ambience.

Here's what we had for our tea break: 2 Pomegranate Mango Tea, Cream Corn Cake and Rainbow Crepe at 188,000VND (or S$10.74). We initially only intend to order one cake for sharing since it was close to dinner time, however, for spending above 180,000VND will entitle a free tumblr. We added one more cake to hit the qualifying amount as Linda wanted the tumbler.

The cake was priced at 39,000VND (or S$2.23) each. While the rainbow crepe was hard in texture and fell short of expectation, its contrast in colours made it nice for photo. On the other hand, the cream corn cake was delectable with velvet cream and sponge layers that alternated, keeping the cake moist.

The Pomegranate Mango Tea was a refreshing choice with a hint of pomegranate fragrance. The addition of mango cubes provided a burst of flavour and fun to bite.

We spent 45 minutes in the cafe enjoying the company and slowly savouring on the delicious treat.

Café Amazon

30 Đ. Phan Bội Châu, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Operating hours: 7am to 10pm daily

It was only 5.15pm and we set off for an early dinner. Linda craved for the lotus fried rice from the restaurant we had from our previous trip, so we made a revisit back. After 10 minutes of walking, we found Nam Giao Restaurant tucked in a back alley, you will be surprised to see a stretch of restaurants lining up.

The restaurant remained unchanged from our visit 5 years ago, the familiar charm from the minimal interior, decked with wooden furnishing and tall ceiling.

We ordered Banh Beo at 52,000VND (or S$2.97) for sharing. It was a traditional Vietnamese appetizer, steamed rice cakes topped with dried shrimps, crispy pork skin, scallion oil, and came with dipping sauce. The harmonious blend of textures and tastes made this a delight flavour.

We overestimated our appetites by each ordering a serving of lotus fried rice (no photo since the fried rice was a repeated dish). Both of us found ourselves unable to finish half of the portion. We should have ordered one plate to share, we were not hungry since we came straight from Cafe Amazon. The total bill was 202,000VND (or S$11.54).

Nam Giao Restaurant

136/15 Đ. Lê Thánh Tôn, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Operating hours:8am to 9pm daily

The sky was slowly turned dark when it was just 6.10pm. The journey back from Ben Thanh Market to our hotel posed a challenge when we were at the complex crossroads with multiple roads involved. We went back to hotel early as I was deprived of rest and needed some Panadol to relieve my cough and slight fever.

Returning to the hotel after a day filled with sightseeing and shopping felt so welcoming. 

 While we were in the room, we took a moment to look at the canvas art on the wall, we cleared almost all the attractions in the bubble speech except for Cu Chi Tunnel and Mekong River which was both two hours away from the city. A return to Ho Chi Minh City might not be on my travel list for the next few years.

Day 3 had came to an end and I am ready to go back home tomorrow.

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts

 Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts is just 2 minutes walk away from our hotel, making it our first stop after we left our hotel since it is just a stone throw away. Many attractions in District 1 are conveniently situated within walking distance of each other, making the district easy to explore by foot.

We reached the museum at about 1.25pm and I was instantly captivated by the charm of the colonial building. The architecture has a harmonious blend of Asian and European styles, with vintage structure, transporting me to an era of cultural influences.

The museum covers three buildings, each with three-floors, which house a collection showcasing an array of Vietnamese art works in sculpture, oil, silk and lacquer painting. Through these artworks, we caught a glimpse into the rich history of Vietnam.

Gazing at the artwork is not just about seeing pretty pictures, each piece of art has a message behind it, unfold through the artists' expression in their creation.

Each room housed a collection of art as we moved through the museum, wandering through the visual tour. The masterpieces came in all form, ranging from portraits hanging on the wall to sculptures. 

The artwork was illuminated by the bright light used. The atmosphere was warm and humid due to the absence of aircon (only selection room has aircon), I started to feel my energy being drained as I  browsed through the room. I was feeling unwell during the trip, so it also contributed to the low energy level.

Breathing in the fresh air at the open area to ease away the lethargic and checking out the interconnect buildings.

I loved the stained glass window in colonial building, the patterns created a picturesque backdrop for photo taking.

It was raining by the time we finished exploring the museum in 45 minutes, we sat down at the bench while waiting for the rain to subside as we left our umbrella in hotel. After 15 minutes, the rain become smaller and we returned to hotel at 2.40pm for a rest in aircon room.

Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts

97A P. Đức Chính, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bình, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam 

Operating hours: 8am to 5pm daily 

Entrance fee: 30,000VND (or S$1.71)