Having Banh Da at Little Hanoi Restaurant

It started to rain while I was waiting for someone for dinner.

It got worse...



and I knew the dinner appointment may not happen...

Sipping traditional coffee at Nang Cafe, Hanoi

A common sight in Hanoi is seeing the Vietnamese people enjoying their coffee or other drinks along the streets.  During the day, they just go with a drink.  In the evenings, they will have it with peanuts or tid pits.

Based on recommendation of my hotel staff, I went to this Vietnamese traditional coffee shop located at Hang Bac Street of the Old Quarters.  If you like your coffee with condense milk, or just black coffee, this is the place.

You order from the lady at the counter or from the wait staff.  A coffee costs 15,000 (around US$0.75).  There is an upper floor where you could watch Hanoi life goes by through the balcony...

You can choose to sit on the small plastic stools outside the cafe, or have better seats inside the cafe, where you have wooden stools and small tables.  It is a good way to experience the Vietnamese way of life.  Hopefully, I could find more such cafes when I next visit.

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Breakfast in Hanoi

A good way to start the day is to have a bowl of good pho bo (beef noodles).

At a side lane off Dinh Liet Street called Trung Yen, (1 or 2 streets parallel to Hang Bac), the stall serves delicious pho bo and it is not salty!  A bowl of noodles costs 30,000 to 35,000d (about US$1.50 - 1.70).

It is a busy place but the wait for food is short.  When I went on a week day, 2 young men were in charge. On a Saturday, 2 senior persons were at the stove (see picture).  This stall was recommended by my hotel staff and I was told it has been around for many years.

On another morning, I walked past Ta Hien and saw this stall full of customers. People were either eating on the spot or had take-away.

Having eel at Luon Nghe An

Slightly out of Hanoi old quarters, along the route to the airport, lies a restaurant serving eel-inspired dishes.   Luon Nghe An is located at 246 Nghi Tam Street.

The restaurant is on your right when you head from Hanoi old quarters.  If you are taking a cab, you need to get off the vehicle quickly as you are on the highway.  I would recommend coming in the afternoon as it was a hussle getting taxi late in the evening.















This restaurant serves eel cooked in a various ways. 



Grilled and wrapped in herbs

Stir-fry, crispy like

Salt-based

Cooked in bamboo



Stewed

 I liked all dishes.  If pressed for the least favourite, it would be the stewed eel.

You could also order some side dishes like the salads.

This is definitely a restaurant worth recommending.  It is good to go in a big group so that you could order more dishes.
 


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Tennis Centre opened by Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovis is trying to achieve his glam slam dream by winning the French Open 2012 tomorrow.  It reminds me of my trip to Belgrade 2 years back.  I chanced upon a tennis training centre and the staff told me that it was opened by Novak Djokovic (though he does not run it).  He wasn't No 1 then.  

That day, a lot of youngsters were practicing at the tennis courts.  Maybe one of them would be a big star in a few years time.

Singapore Arts Festival 2012: Lear Dreaming and Vertical Road

Well, the Singapore Arts Festival will take a hiatus for a year.  So this year's Festival would be the last of the old format.  I am taking this opportunity to remember my last 2 performances for this edition.

Lear Dreaming by TheatreWorks (Singapore).  My favourite of the 3 productions seen this year.   I prefer this strip down version of the 1997 production, although I don't think it managed to "entering one man's mind".  The lone actor was supported by the wonderful traditional Korean court music vocalist Kang Kwon Soon, Minang music specialist Piterman, Gamelan music composer Rahayu Supanggah and his ensemble (their piece on stage was great), and pipa player Wu Man (what's that with the costume?).

Interesting work from TheatreWorks.

Akran Khan Company, a frequent visitor to Singapore, performed Vertical Road on the last 2 nights of the Festival.  

This piece, as the programme note says, "a meditation on the journey from gravity to grace".   The show started powerfully and with intensity.  It however lost steam during the second half.

Nonetheless, it was a good attempt by the company.












We won't have a Festival next year, but maybe it is a good thing......

A language of their own

This is the Chinese version of the play written by Chay Yew.  The theme of this play may seem a bit dated, though the cast generally held it together.  The director chose not to have any actions in certain scenes, choosing instead to enact them via words on the projection screen.  It thus placed the pressure on the actors to deliver the production. 

The director may have wanted the character of Oscar to be distant and cold initially, but it resulted in actor Nelson Chia giving the impression that he was just reciting the lines.  The chemistry between him and Loo Zihan seemed to be missing, in particular in the exchange of conversations. Chia however had good rapport with Robin Goh's Daniel, and Loo Zihan with Timothy Nga.

Overall it was a ok performance for me, though the audience in general seemed to enjoy it.

A Chorus Line, Marina Bay Sands, 4 - 27 May 2012

A bare stage.  17 actors vying for 8 slots in a chorus.  And they had to share their live stories at the audition.  This in short is the storyline of A Chorus Line, one of the longest running Broadway production.

This would be my third time watching the musical, the first was when the musical came to Singapore in the 80s.  While certain references made in the production may be unfamiliar with the audience, due to locality and changing landscapes, the theme of this musical (or drama) would still resonate with most.  While everyone has a story to tell, at the end of the day, they have to show that they have the ability to come as ONE to be in the chorus line. 

Patterns of Trade, Asian Civilisations Museum

Patterns of Trade: Indian Textiles for Export, 1400 - 1900 is a temporary exhibition held at the ACM.   As the name suggests, it showed the art of Indian textile through the period.

Melodies from the Temple Courtyard

The concert by the Nanyin Ensemble of Stone City from Fujian Province, China took place on 29 Apr 2012 at the Esplanade Music Studio.  It was part of the Tapestry of Sacred Music Festival.  To most unfamiliar with Nanyin,  this concert was a good introduciton to the ancient music dated back to the Han Dynasty.  While it had its origin from court music, it later emerged from the Fujian province as a more "community" music.