Acquavino (Hiroo | Tokyo)

Located around the corner, near the beginning of the one-way street "Hiroo shotengai," a small area with stores ranging from a Pop & Mom to a garrish neon-lit Pachinko parlor, is an Italian restaurant called Acquavino. The restaurant, located on the ground floor of a building called East West, where its sister restaurant Acquapazza occupies the second floor.

Bloompy & Co. went to have a try at dinner. Food was delicious, but the service was way below par, at least for that evening. We ordered Caesar Salad, Bagna Cauda for the appetizers, and then fish for my companion, and pasta for me. I specifically said that the pasta would be for me, and the fish would be for my companion.

The food, although good, was not extraordinary. We started with the Caesar

Melt at the Mandarin Oriental (Singapore)

The (Mandarin) Oriental at the Marina recently reopened after a few months of renovation. I squeezed in a last day visit to the hotel and ate at the coffee shop, called Melt. The place offered practically every popular food from different ethnicities: Nasi Goreng (Indonesia); Tom Yum Khoong (Thailand); Hainanese Chicken Rice (Singapore); Hamburger (America) and Sushi/Sashimi (Japan). A group of friends from different cultures need not worry about not finding what they like in the menu. The place tries to please everyone.

I just ordered the Tom Yum Khoong (the mildest sort was still very spicy) and the Hainanese Chicken Rice, both having big servings. The Tom Yum Khoong was

Straits Kitchen at the Grand Hyatt (Singapore)

By the time I checked into the Grand Hyatt Singapore, the hotel's coffee shop had gone through a renovation and re-opened as the current Straits Kitchen. Not having been to Singapore and/or stayed at this hotel for more than a decade, I had no recollection of how the coffee shop used to be, but the renovated version sure looked alive.

There are many stations for both western fare and different ethnic food, but most of the taste was mediocre at best. The exception goes for the South Asian

Mu Hung (Minami-Azabu | Tokyo)

[CLOSED as of February 28, 2007; Review kept here for nostalgic reasons; there is another branch at Nishi-Ogikubo, but I have not yet tried that location.]

When the "Achar" (pickled vegetables) we ordered as appetizer tasted very much like how Singaporean/Malayisan/Indonesian achar (or "acar") should be, I knew that either the owner and/or the cook must have come from that region. And with that, I found a new eatery that served delicious and authentic Singapore and Malaysian food. On this first visit,

Bun Ta (Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon)

A lot of good Bun and Pho dishes could be found in Saigon in hole-in-the-wall places. The oft mentioned Pho-24, for example, is a chain restaurant serving the ubiquitous Vietnamese noodle dish. It was therefore a surprise that when a friend recommended Bun Ta, we arrived at a place beyond our expectation. It certainly was not a hole-in-the-wall eatery; instead, it looked like a house that had been converted to a restaurant. At the dark of the night, the place looked light because of its white interior paint. My partner and I were seated at the front patio, directly facing the busy traffic. At first I objected to it, thinking that the fume from the cars and bikes would be horrible a companion for dinner, but surprisingly, despite its proximity to the busy road, I could not smell anything except for the food served in the restaurant.

I asked what the specialty was, and a wait staff recommended a dish with the restaurant's namesake "Bun Ta," which was explained to be a tri-colored cool

Penang Bistro (Jakarta, Indonesia)

This is the third time I have gone and eaten at the Penang Bistro in Jakarta, and every single time I left the establishments with a satisfied palate and a happy stomach. I said "establishments" because I have been to two of their branches: one in Kebon Sirih, and another in Central Jakarta. This is one place where both the interior design is a feast to the eyes and the food is pleasing to the palate.


Penang Bistro
Jl. Kebon Sirih Raya No. 59
Tel: +21 (021) 3190-6000

Pondok Indah Plaza II Blk. B4/33.
Tel: +21 (021) 750-0548

Plaza de Espana
Crowne Plaza, 2nd Fl.,
Jl. Gatot Subroto
Tel: +21 (021) 526-8833

West Park Café (Akasaka-mitsuke | Tokyo)

West Park Cafe (Akasaka-mitsuke, Tokyo, Japan)
Originally uploaded by bloompy.

In our early days in Tokyo, in our quest to find non-smoking restaurants and cafés, we found this West Park Café in the Akasaka-mitsuke district. Our first visit to this place aroused our suspicion that this place was foreign (non-Japanese) owned as we found out that:
1. The place was entirely non-smoking
2. The portions were big
3. Bottomless iced tea service

Although we did not move to Japan so that we could eat non-Japanese food, we did come here every now and then when we missed home. The Cafés had three locations: Shibuya (the original one within a tranquil residential neighborhood), Akasaka-mitsuke, and inside the Marunouchi-building in front of the Tokyo station.

The Chinese Chicken Salad half-order was so humongous that it was enough to feed two people (well, two health-conscious Californians). Such big serving applies to just about every item in the menu, including an order of French Fries. The pasta and pizza were good, and on hot days, the bottomless iced tea service was a heaven-sent. Sunday brunch offers rottiserie chicken set menu, very generous in its portion, too.

We have not gone to this place since the end of 2004, so when we returned in the summer of 2005, certain things had changed. The boring straight counter that stood in the bar area was now changed into a sexy curved counter that opened up space in the foyer.

The menu has changed slightly, and unfortunately, at least the pizza we ordered (Prosciutto and Rucola) was not as good as it used to be. Non of the toppings stuck to the pizza pie, and the pie itself was not well made. It wavered between a full-bodied pie and a thin crust, ending up with what looked like a thick-crusted pizza but turned airy and thin when we ate it.

One disappointing new feature we found was that the restaurant no longer was an entirely non-smoking place. Smokers will be delighted, indeed; as will the owner, perhaps, in welcoming more business from people who had been shunned in the past because of the regulation (the Marunouchi location has always been embracing both clientele).

Smoking section occupies the first half of the room that is closest to the French windows, which remains open during mild-weathered days. Unfortunately when the wind blows inward, non-smokers will be trapped in the back half of the restaurants with cigarette smoke...

Breakfast fare used to be good, as were most of the entrées, but we have not had much since they implemented the changes in menu and in the restaurant. We will again review the food as time passes on.

West Park Café Akasaka
Nagatacho 2-14-3
Akasaka Tokyu Plaza 2nd Fl.
Tokyo
Open 11:30am-10pm (LO) Daily
Tel: (03) 3580-9090.