Cafe with the best view - Cafe Pho Co (Hanoi, Vietnam)

Cafe Pho Co in Hanoi serves egg white coffee. My friends and I were very sceptical at first but turned out it was just a thick layer of custard on top. It was actually good. 

It took us a while to find the cafe because it was tucked inside an alley. We only saw the sign of the cafe but couldn't see the entrance. There was a very narrow opening like a gap in the wall which suddenly spilled out a motorcycle. It was then we realised there might be something inside and we ventured in. After walking through a dark, mysterious, and winding alley, an old charming four-storey house appeared in front of us. It feels a little bit like Alice stumbling into wonderland. The waitress greeted us and took our orders immediately. 

We had to climb up a steep spiral staircase to reach to the top of the cafe and we were stunned by the beautiful night view of the city and the lake at night. Since we were there in the evening, the quality of the pictures is not that great. But the view is really gorgeous and since it was very breezy on the rooftop, it's a wonderful spot to hang out till late.

This is one of the coolest cafes I've ever been

The egg white coffee

Address: 11 P Hang Gai

Phone: 04 3928 8153 

China's best breakfast - Hu Bu Xiang (Wuhan)

Happy Chinese New Year - best wishes for a prosperous year of snake ahead! 

I, somewhat baised and somewhat not, think that one of the best breakfast places in China is located in the renowned breakfast street Hu Bu Xiang 戶部巷 in Wuhan. It is simply a breakfast heaven, where one can find all the signature breakfast delights in Wuhan. This narrow street was an ancient street that dates back to about 400 years ago. There are over 30 kinds of breakfast snacks that the local Wuhan people like to have for breakfast. In Wuhan, people say "guo zao" to mean having breakfast. Guo Zao is indispensable part for Wuhaners and is taken very seriously. 

The must tries are Madame Xu's fish noodle soup 徐嫂魚糊粉, small lobsters, fried green bean shreds (dou si 豆絲), Tofu skin with sticky rice and mushrooms (dou pi 豆皮), Wuhan style fried donut (mian wo 面窩), bbq skewers, fried tofu, and my favorite of all, the dry hot noodle (熱乾面). 

The breakfast street - Hu Bu Xiang

Fried Tofu

Madame Xu's fish noodel soup

The fried donut (mian wo) is a popular breakfast choice for the Wuhaners. 

BBQ skewers of various kinds

Fried green bean shreds (dou si)

Pan fried sticky rice and mushrooms wrapped in tofu skin. 

small lobsters

Cai Ling Ji's dry hot noodle is legendary

Dry hot noodle - a dish Wuhaners grow up with

Address: Zhonghua Lu Street, Wuchang

Best burger I - Byron (London)

When it comes to best burger places in London, BYRON will have to be on the list. I like how they keep their menu simple and neat.  Aside from the highly acclaimed classic hamburger, the cheese burger and the chicken burger are also worth noting. My friend tried the cheese burger with Emmenthal cheese. The soft Emmenthal goes wonderfully well with the doughy well-glazed bun. The bun might not be the entirely traditional type as it is a little sweeter and softer than an average bun.  I had a chicken burger. The chicken breast was surprisingly tender and juicy! I always find chicken breast hard to handle as it can easily turn out to be dry and hard to chew. 

There are 26 branches of Bryon all over London. I find the atmosphere at Covent Garden quite ideal for a burger meal. 


Address: 33-35 Wellington Street, London WC2E 7BN

Phone: 020 7420 9850

Hours:
Mon-Thu 12:00-22:30
Fri-Sat 12:00-23:30
Sun 12:00-23:00

http://www.byronhamburgers.com/locations/