Saigon Kitchen, Hotel Des Arts, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

After my last trip to HCM City two years ago, I completely missed to find my good excuse to come back here, but this city has been kept changing a lot here and there, to have this new boutique hotel under Accor hotel franchise.  I was lucky to be one of the first guests during their 90 days of soft opening period so that all the hotel staff really and literally took care of me well as if an old friend, but to check their operations work as on their plan.

Their breakfast at 2nd floor, Saigon Kitchen, appears same format found around the world, as breakfast buffet, however, you may be stunned for the lineup of cuisine, from typical western / continental breakfast stuff to local pho, with two hot grills.  One is for sweet crapes, to top with caramel, chocolate or berry sources, and the other is, no wonder, our favourite omelettes.

As you see above, the cook carefully prepared and brought to my table for me, a seamless rugby-football-shaped omelette nicely and softly.  If, as Japanese I am can say one more, it might be nicer to cook as half-cooked so that we could have enjoyed egg juice leaking out when you put your fork into it.

Now I got a new home in HCM City, with reasonable nightly rate, so all I have to do next is to work hard to find another good excuse to bring myself back here.

Executive Lounge, Royal Park Hotel, Tokyo, Japan

Simply, it was a sort of “City Break” for me to stay overnight at Royal Park Hotel, where is 10-15 minutes distance by car from my apartment in Asakusa, Tokyo.  But, unusual experience always gives me a break:  calm and silent night, with no computer, no smartphone ringing, but laying on the softly cushioning bed and reading some books which I bought and left for a month or two unopened.
And, another joy for me after overnight at a hotel is… no wonder.  Omelette.

Thanks to hotel arrangement, I had an access to their executive lounge in 20th floor for breakfast (and, no exception for lounge service, your favourite cocktail for evening if your check-in was early enough) and I enjoyed their buffet style breakfast.  And… they assigned one chief for hot grill for… omelette.

As always in Japan, omelette is seamlessly yellow rugby-ball shaped as if all the chief learned from one-and-only master but reality is not;  even at home, we would expect that shape and seamlessness.  And, once I saw that, I feel comfortable 🙂

Executive lounge was, more or less anywhere from hotels and airports, a bit crowded, but it was Sunday 8 a.m., so people including me was a slight late / slight early starters for sunny late summer Sunday.

Live Kitchen “Cooka”, Osaka Marriotte Miyako Hotel, Osaka, Japan

Our common understanding about Osaka is “a city for cuisine”.  Traditionally, various technique and presentation of dishes to the rest of this countries, while, of course, local fresh vegetables, fish and meats drives directions of local cuisine, but influence of “a city of cuisine” as trend is unavoidable.

But, as for omelette, a cooking technique is quite back to basis, to cook a simple rugby football shaped, seamless omelette appears to my table.  One interesting innovation by this hotel is that you have to pick one stick, with labelled your table number, to bring to chief’s grill area, to put your stick into a cup together with your favourite ingredients like ham, bacon, vegetables, etc.  Then, two smily female chiefs will cook for you and floor staff will serve you, by finding you with that stick.  Shame you cannot give any grace to chief cooking, but just laid back to chair to wait for your omelette.  Smart enough, efficient enough for busy morning hours…

Vivre – L’experience des saveurs, Sofitel London Heathrow, London

From Jersey back to Tokyo is not an easy travel.  From Jersey to London, most likely you may fly with BA, as the long-haul flight is BA for more reasonable priced ticket, then you should be firstly touching down at Gatwick.  Then 70 minutes of journey to Heathrow by coach follows.  As typical flight schedule from Heathrow to Tokyo is around noon, considering this extra 70 minutes journey, you may have to catch the first flight back to London, but early morning flight has a risk of cancel or delay due to fog thanks to geographic isolation of isle of Jersey by relatively warm sea.  So you had better leave there in the prior day and have a sleep somewhere in London.
All we know, central of London is more expensive for nightly rate, and less quality with typical airport hotels; except Sofitel London Heathrow.  It stands at the prime location, just 3 minutes away from Terminal 5 (no need to walk through a long tubular for “just SIX” minutes form Terminal 4:-), and very sophisticated appearance and services, facilities, and restaurants and bars which are uncomparable with typical airport hotel.
Among them, my favourite is wider range of buffet at Vivre.  While I recommend you to try their “Miso soup”, which is nice to try before back to Japan, their omelette is as above.  Not that bad as similar in London, many folded one, with your a pick of salt and pepper needed, yes, you are yet in London 🙂

The Waterfront Restaurant & Terrace, Radisson Blu Waterfront Jersey, Jersey

And I was also back to Jersey, after almost two years of missing reasons for visit.  Thanks to local financial service industry, relatively wealthy but small and calm island has been stayed as it has been, while I recognised some bit small changes here and there in the town of St. Helier.  But, a big surprise is with my favourite hotel in Jersey, for its renewed restaurant as appearance.
But, they keep serving their pride of “Super Breakfast”, and free range eggs for my omelette.  And they also keep serving the same omelette, no seamless rugby football one, yet.  Of Jersey, nothing has changed in principal 🙂
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