Source: Reddit user wolfman86
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Hotel Review: Hansar (Bangkok, Thailand)
Hansar Bangkok is a unique 5 stars boutique hotel in the heart of Bangkok. Hansar’s objective is to provide for an “authentic and unpretentious luxury experiences in an intimate environment where your privacy is achieved through our boutique size.” The hotel offers 94 rooms which are very spacious, and the rooms are the epitome of modern luxury. We had two opportunities to stay at the Hansar while in Thailand. We will be reviewing our experience staying at the urban room and the studio.
Positives:
- Central location and step away from most activities.
- The rooms are spacious, luxurious and homey at the same time.
- The service is excellent and the staff really tries their best to get you everything you would need.
- Unlimited free snacks and minibar in the room.
- Fresh fruit plate every day.
- The bathroom is gorgeous and I would love to have a bathroom like that one day.
- Breakfast is mostly made to order and is locally sourced.
- Free Wifi everywhere in the hotel.
- Intimate feel in an international style hotel.
Negatives:
- There wasn’t a negative aspect that I could think of for this hotel.
Final Hotel Assessment:
For our hotel’s reviews, we will provide ratings based on the following criteria:
1 (Terrible) to 5 (Excellent)
Overall Rating: 5
- Cleanliness: 5 – The room and the public spaces were spotless.
- Reviews of hotels from various sources (i.e. Trip Advisors, Bookings.com, and Expedia.com) are accurately reflecting the current condition of the accommodation: 5 – The reviews are spot on to the quality of the hotel experience. Hansar is ranked 15 out of 815 hotels out of Bangkok on Tripadvisor.
- Hotel room descriptions are the same as the booking information: 5 – The rooms actually look better in person than in the photos. We were impressed by the size of the rooms which were larger than majority of the ones we’ve been in around the world.
- We had the opportunity to stay in both the Studio and Urban Suite while we were in Thailand. Both exceeded our expectations. For longer stay, I would recommend the studio suite as it comes with a washing machine. The other suites do not and hotel laundry can add up very quickly. Additionally, studio suite has a balcony which is a nice touch.
- The urban suite has a separate bedroom, bathroom and living room. The studio suite has a kitchenette/office, bedroom/sitting area and bathroom.
- Each suite has a pillow menu where you can indicate what type of pillow you would like (i.e. soft, hard, breathable, etc).
The official photos:
Some of the public spaces:
La Vie Partagee photos:
Entrance into the Urban Suite with a green wall
Urban Suite bedroom
Urban Bathroom (I’m obsessed with this bathroom)
Urban Suite- Soaking tub
Urban Suite – Rain Shower
Studio Suite
Studio Suite Bathroom (different layout and slightly smaller than the Urban Suite)
- Check in Process: 5 – Check in was relaxing. Since the hotel only has 94 rooms, the check in process was very personal. Guests are escorted to the second floor and served refreshments while checking in. The second floor also houses a comfortable business center and meeting area.
- Staff’s ability to speak English: 4 – Most of the staff speak fluent English. We had no issue with the language barrier.
- Food/Beverage Service: 5 – The hotel goes out of its way to make the stay as hospitable as possible. The room is stock with a variety of snacks and drinks in the mini bar. A fresh fruit and desert plate is left in the sitting room every day. Breakfast was also great as guests have an option of a limited buffet stock with smoke salmon, congee, fruits, etc. The main dishes are served a la carte and are locally sourced. We had a fun time sampling everything and most were delicious. They attempted to serve bagel with salmon and cheese and that was a miss.
- I was very impressed that the hotel packed us to go breakfast since our flight was early in the morning and breakfast would not be available at time.
To go breakfast bag and coffee for a very early flight
- Issue resolution from management: N/A – We had no issue when we stayed at the resort.
- Customer Service: 5 – I was very impressed with the staff at Hansar. The hotel manager would come and greet all the guest individually at breakfast and ask how we were doing. Once they found out that we had an early flight and would miss breakfast, the staff put together a goodie bag for us to take to the airport. We generally enjoy the personal service that is still discrete. No one bothers you unless you want to be bothered.
- Spa: N/A – We did not use the spa during our stay.
- Amenities: 4 – We spent at least an hour in the late afternoon everyday cooling off by the pool. The reflecting sun hits all the colorful building surrounding the pool and cast a wonderful glow over the entire pool. The gym appears to be sufficient though we didn’t actually exercise while we were there.
Helpful Hints
- The hotel is located right by the Ratchadamri BTS station which is very convenient to get around Bangkok.
- The hotel is right by Erawan Shrine and Bangkok’s famous shopping malls.
For more travel articles, visit TRAVEL page
Author: Chau Hoang
Feature photo: Hansar Bangkok
No-Cook Steamed Eggplant with Scallion Oil and Fried Shallots
When I went off to college with a microwave in hand, my mother taught me a few dishes that you can make in a microwave for a quick and delicious meal. One of those dishes was a ridiculously simple steamed eggplant topped with scallion oil and fried shallots and served with a salty and sweet chili sauce. Now that I am a busy working professional, this dish is even more useful for weeknight dinners. I usually eat this dish with rice and a side of salad. Next time you think that you are too tired to cook a healthy meal, try this no-cook version of steamed eggplant with scallion oil and fried shallots.
This recipe is rated easy and takes 15 minutes to make.
Ingredients:
2 Chinese eggplants
3 Scallions
1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
a few Thai chili peppers
fish sauce
2 tablespoons of oil (olive or canola)
Handful of fried shallots or peanuts for a crunch
Salt
Sugar
Directions:
Diced the scallions and place into a microwavable bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil and mix. Microwave for 40 seconds so that the scallion cook in the oil. Set aside.
Lightly cut into the eggplant (just pass the skin) lengthwise. Do a few of these incisions into the eggplant (approximately 6). Cut off the end of the eggplant and discard.
Soak the eggplant in water for a minute.
In a small bowl, mix 1/4 teaspoon of sugar with 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Rub all off the eggplant. Place in a microwavable plate.
Add 2 tablespoons of water to the plate.
Wrap the plate with plastic wrap and microwave for 4 minutes. The eggplant should be softened at this point.
Carefully remove the wrap and peel off some of the skin. You can skip this step if you like to eat all the skin.
Top the eggplant with the scallion oil and a handful of fried shallots.
In a small mixing bowl, incorporate the following ingredients to make a dipping sauce:
2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of water, 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of chopped Thai chili and 1/4 teaspoon of lime juice.
Enjoy this simple and healthy dish with rice.
For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.
Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang
Words for Thought
Source: theberry.com
Must Do’s – Local Favorite Eateries in Hue, Vietnam
Every year and a half, I will travel to Hue, Vietnam to visit orphanages as part of Orphans’ Futures Alliance due diligence trip. I am always excited to visit the kids and also to sample my family’s favorite restaurants in the city. Hue is known to have the best authentic traditional cuisine stemming from its imperial history. My family is originally from Hue so I grew up eating many of the local specialties. Locals take great pride in the food culture and I am excited to share with you some of my family’s must eats when we are in Hue.
Huyen Anh (52 Kim Long Street, Hue, Vietnam)
This place specializes in fresh rice rolls (bánh ướt thịt nướng) and bbq pork (thịt nướng). This is a local favorite and the people there do not speak English. Don’t be intimidated as there are only 3 items that you can order. You can always just show them a picture. I would advise bringing your own wet naps as the place can be a little grungy like all local gems.
Classic banh uot with a dipping sauce
Bun thit nuong
Ba Do (7 Nguyen Binh Khiem St Hue, Hue, Vietnam)
This is the place for traditional Hue’s rice flour based cuisines and other traditional dishes. I never miss a chance to eat here when I am in town.
Banh Ram It – super crunchy rice paste stuffed with steamed sticky rice paste dumpling filled with shrimp and pork.
Banh Nam – steamed rice cake topped with minced shrimp
Banh Bot Loc – steam tapioca dumpling filled with pork and shrimp
My favorite: Banh Beo – steamed rice cakes topped with shredded shrimp and pork rind
Banh Khoai – crunchy rice flour crepe filled with sausage, shrimp and bean sprouts
Nem Lui – Grilled ground pork and beef sausages grilled on lemongrass stalk and served with rice paper, vegetables and a pungent dipping sauce.
The feast continues
The ultimate roast pork stall (on the corner of 8/209 Huynh Thuc Khang)
The owner has been roasting pork for tens of years and have perfected the roasting technique where the meat is tender while the skin is super crunchy. I highly recommend bringing the bread to this stall like we did and have him toast it for you. There is nothing better than eating hot roasted meat with baguette sprinkled with soy sauce.
The meat is sold by weight (kilo)
Bun Bo Hue restaurant (19 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hue, Vietnam)
This is the place to go get Hue’s specialty noodle soup, bun bo hue. You do have to go in the morning otherwise the soup may be sold out. Noodles soup are usually eaten for breakfast in Vietnam. The broth here is sweet and hearty. People have a misconception that bun bo hue is super spicy like the version that they serve in the US. The spiciness comes from the chili that you can add after to your preference. As a bonus, the restaurant also makes it own soy milk.
Chua Duc Son’s Thanh Tinh (Tel 054.3865901)
This is a vegetarian restaurant run by Duc Son Temple as a way to train the orphans in the restaurant trade as well as to generate additional funding for the orphanage. The food here is cooked by the nun and the orphans. You need to call and make a reservation before you come.
Vegetarian bean soup
Mixed noodles with vegetables
Rice rolls with mushrooms and vegetarian “ham”
Mushrooms served with crackers
Vegetables fried rice
Vy Da Sua Cafe (131 Nguyen Sinh Cung, Hue, Vietnam)
This is an old Hue style cafe by the river. It is a great spot to grab a coffee and feel the breeze of river. They serve a limited breakfast menu depending on the day.
These are my favorite places to in Hue and I hope you get a chance to try it out for yourself. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.
For related articles, visit the TRAVEL page.
Author: Chau Hoang
Featured Photo: Flickr /Blobber
Bánh Bột Lọc / Hue’s Tapioca Dumplings
Bánh bột lọc is a transparent chewy dumpling made from tapioca flour and filled with minced pork and shrimp. The dumplings are then topped with fried shallots and served with sweet chili fish sauce. This is a specialty of Hue, the old imperial city in central Vietnam. My family originated from Hue so I grew up eating a lot of bánh bột lọc. This recipe is relatively easy but forming the dumpling does take some practice. The boiled dumplings are worth the effort, and making the dumplings is a fun activity to do as a group.
This recipe is rated medium in difficulty and takes 45 minutes to 1 hour to make.
Ingredients
1 lb of pork belly
8 large Tiger shrimp with heads
1 package of banh bot loc mix
1 package of tapioca starch
1 onion diced (enough for 4 tablespoons of diced onion)
1-2 red chili diced thinly
1 cup of chopped scallions
Fish sauce
Chicken bouillon powder (“CBP”)
Salt
Sugar
Pepper
Fried shallots
1 Lime
Directions
Make the filling:
Remove bones and skin from the pork belly. Slice the pork belly lengthwise into ⅛ inch thickness and cut again into smaller pieces.
Marinate the pork with the following: ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon of CBP, ⅛ teaspoon of ground pepper and 1 teaspoon of diced onion.
Prepare the shrimp by removing the shell head without removing the roe (the red stuff).
Remove the intestine that runs along the side of the shrimp.
Cut the shrimp into smaller pieces.
Marinate the shrimp with the following: ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of sugar, ⅛ teaspoon of ground pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of CBP and 1 teaspoon of diced onion.
In a pan on high heat, brown 1 tablespoon of diced onions with 3 tablespoons of oil. When the onions are browned, sauté the shrimp until the shrimp starts to turn white. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a second pan on high heat, brown 1 tablespoon of diced onions with 3 tablespoons of oil. When the onions are browned, sauté the pork for approx. 10 minutes or until it is cooked.
Turn the heat to medium and add the shrimps. Mix to incorporate.
Tip: You can make the color more vibrant by adding a mixture of 1 teaspoon of water, 1 drop of red food color and 2 drops of yellow food color to the mixture.
Season the meat with 1 tablespoon of sugar and ½ teaspoon of fish sauce. Turn the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes to absorb the seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside.
Make the dough:
Boil 2 cups of water with ½ teaspoon of salt for 1 to 2 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, add 1 ½ cup of banh bot loc mix and 1 ½ cup of tapioca starch. Leave ½ cup of starch in another bowl to add later. Add the boiling water one ladle at a time while stirring the dough.
Knead the flour to form into a malleable dough. Sprinkle additional tapioca starch to the dough if the dough is too wet while you continue to knead the dough.
Keep adding starch and knead the dough until the dough is pliable and has a pizza dough consistency.
Form the dough into a ball and cover in plastic wrap so it does not dry out.
Make the dumpling:
Taking a small section of the dough, roll out the dough until you get to a thickness that you can still stretch the dough without breaking the skin.
Use a round cutter and cut out a circle. Pull the dough out lightly to make it thinner.
Press your thumb in the middle of the circle to make a “well”. Add a few pieces of pork and shrimp to the “well”. Be careful not to over stuff the dumpling.
Fold the skin in half and using your thumb and 2nd finger, press together to close the skin along the edges. Push the filling toward the center as you do this.
Sprinkle the dumpling with some tapioca starch so the dumpling don’t stick to each other.
Make the scallion oil (you can do this while you wait for the water to boil):
Diced 1 cup of scallions and add some red chili.
In a pan, heat ¼ cup of oil with a white piece of the scallion. Once the scallion turns golden brown, remove from the heat.
Add the 1 cup of chopped scallion and red chili to the oil. Set aside.
Cook the dumpling:
Boil the water in a large pot and have a bowl of ice cold water next the pot.
Once the water comes to a boil, add the dumplings.
The dumpling will be cooked when they float to the top and cooked for another 30 seconds. The dumpling should be translucent.
Drop 1 dumpling into the water bath to test. If it is completely translucent, it is fully cooked. Remove the rest of the dumplings and place into the ice bath.
Drain the dumplings and place into a large bowl.
Add enough scallion oil so that the dumplings do not stick to each other. Add the fried shallots to the mixture for a crunch.
Make the sauce:
Combine 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 ½ tablespoon of water and ¼ teaspoon of lime juice.
Add some chopped red chili for color and a little kick.
Enjoy this wonderful meal with your love ones.
For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.
Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang
Words for Thoughts
Keep searching for the right thing for you.
Source: Huffington Post
Airline Review: Bangkok Airways
Bangkok Airways is a regional boutique airline that services the local southeast Asian cities. I had a pleasure of taking a flight with Bangkok Airways from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand and the flight was much better than I expected. In this review, I will give you my assessment of my experience flying on this regional airline.
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Value: Above Average
The price for a one way flight from Siem Reap to Bangkok varies approximately $50 to $100 for a one way ticket depending on the time and date. It is slightly higher than other regional airlines but the service and quality are much better as well.
Seat: Average
The seat in coach was average in comfort and seat space. I am 5 feet tall and you can see that there was still a decent amount of space left after I sat down.
Boarding: Average
Boarding was orderly and efficient. This is actually a plus as I’ve been on many regional flights and boarding can vary from chaos to semi-orderly.
Food: Above Average
I was very surprised that Bangkok Airways had “lounge” access for all passengers including coach. When I was in Siem Reap, the company was renovating the lounge so they set up a snack stall with a good amount of treats for passengers to munch on while waiting for the flight.
Coffee and snacks before boarding the flight
the renovated lounge per the website
Once on the short flight, coach class was serve a small meal which comprises of a sandwich, potato salad and cake. I am pleasantly surprise that they even serve food for such a short flight.
Cleanliness: Average
The cabin was clean and was in good shape.
Cabin Service: Above Average
As with most Asian airlines, the service is above average. The flight crew was courteous and attentive.
Overall Rating: Above Average
I would choose Bangkok Airways over other regional airlines if the route and schedule permit. It was a great experience for my first time and I would highly recommend other to try this boutique airlines on your next trip around Southeast Asia.
Insider’s Tip
The baggage allowance for Bangkok Airways is only 20 kilo (~44 lbs) for coach class. If you sign up for the FlyerBonus (frequent flyer account), you can get an additional 10 kilo per passenger for free.
For more information, visit Bangkok Airways website (https://www.bangkokair.com/eng)
For related articles, visit the Travel page.
Author: Chau Hoang
Featured Photo: Bangkok Airways
Sautéed Shiitaki Mushrooms, Beansprouts and Chives
Dinner at my parent’s house always includes one vegetable dish. This can be as simple as steamed broccoli or sautéed vegetable mix. For this week, we will make a simple dish of sautéed shiitake mushrooms, beansprouts and chives that is served at my family’s dinner. It is an easy and healthy way to add vegetables to your diet.
This recipe takes 20 minutes to make and is rated easy.
Ingredients
1 bunch of chives
1 lb. of beansprouts
6 dried shiitake mushrooms or fresh if available
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of diced onion
1 teaspoon of minced ginger
¼ teaspoon of sesame oil
4 teaspoons of soy sauce
2 teaspoons of vegetarian soup base
Salt
Sugar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
This is vegetarian soup base that you can get at any Asian mart. It adds more depth to any vegetarian dishes.
Directions
Rehydrate the mushrooms by soaking the dried shiitake mushrooms in a bowl of water for 15 minutes or until they plump up.
Cut the mushrooms into small slices.
Cut the chives into 2 inch segments.
Dice a few cloves of garlic to get approximately 2 tablespoons of garlic.
Heat enough EVOO to lightly cover the pan. Brown 1 tablespoon of garlic and 1 tablespoon of diced onion.
When the garlic starts to brown, add the shiitake mushrooms and season with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of ground pepper. Stir to incorporate the ingredients.
Add 1 teaspoon of minced ginger, 1 teaspoon of sugar, ¼ teaspoon of sea salt, 2 tablespoons of water, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of vegetarian soup base (optional). Stir to incorporate the seasoning. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Wipe the pan down with a wet paper towel. Add enough EVOO to lightly coat the pan. Brown 1 tablespoon of garlic.
When the garlic turns golden brown, add the beansprouts and chives.
Season with 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vegetarian soup base (optional). Mix well.
Once the bean sprouts have wilted, add the mushrooms back to the pan.
Season with ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil and mix well. Remove from heat and serve with rice.
For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.
Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang
Words for Thought
Source: mydomaine.com
La Vie Partagée 