Casa Vostra - Handcrafted Italian Pizza and Pasta @ Jem Shopping Mall (next to Jurong East MRT Station) in Singapore

When there were so much hype about a pizza place, I got curious and despite attempts to visit, the queue at the original Raffles Place branch was just too long for me to wait. 

Hence, when a branch of Casa Vostra opened at JEM (do you know it stands for Jurong East Mall); we arranged to meet up with the Greatest Kon for a meal at about 3pm on a Saturday! Heng no long line of humans outside the restaurant! 

Located on the ground floor of JEM, you really can't miss the full fledge orange color theme of Casa Vostra! Unlike some eateries, the seating arrangement was optimal, leaving sufficient spacing between tables.

Ordering via the QR code; sometimes, I really prefer a physical menu, especially when the words and pictures on the phone were too small for my presbyopic eyes. So, let's start with the full review on the dishes the three of us had! 

Healthy living? Want to save money? 

Help yourself to the water dispenser! 

Calamari Fritti - a classic favorite for any reputable pizza parlours; breaded batter sprinkled with paprika, with slices of calamari that weren't rubbery, this was okay tasting in my opinion.

Polpette -  literally beef meatballs with tomato puree and shavings of parmesan cheese, this small serving cost S$15.00! 

Soft and tender for the palate, each meatball had a full body of tasty flavour that was nice in the beginning, until the taste got heavy and cloying towards the tail-end. Best to have this with pasta I feel, to balance out. 

Baked Scamorza - priced at S$8.00, I was wondering why this thin layer of what appeared to be cheese could have cost so much. Now, I am absolutely no cheese connoisseur and happy to let my taste buds do the talking. 

Turned out to be the best dish I had at Casa Vostra; though plain and labelled as vegetarian, there were hints of ham mixed in with baked cheese and herbs! There's also a honey sweetness that totally upped the flavor! I would gladly pay S$8 for another serving!

Peposo - braised beef cheeks,rosemary roasted potato and black pepper, this was beautifully plated in an almost elegant way. I don't really eat potatoes so I shall only target the beef cheeks.

Bloody tender they were, using the language I am more accustomed too, but like most beef cheeks I had so far in my life, there was a gamey taste that I personally find off-putting.

Funghi, Tagliolini - "mushroom duxelle, parmigiano reggiano, pecorino romano, sauteed mushrooms"; I only recognized three rooms from the above description. Oh well, at least I know it is mushroom pasta! 

Tagliolini is actually a ribbon paste that's mee-pok alike, and I love both the taste and texture! Not to mention as well that the mushrooms had the rich, wholesome, earthy flavour that I absolutely digged, with pepper that tantalized the taste buds! Yummy. 

Prosciutto e Rucola - how to visit a pizza place without ordering a pizza? Anyway, description as follows "Parma Ham, Rocket, San Marzano Tomatoes DOP, Fiordilatte di Agerola, Parmigiano Reggiano". 

Again, I had to declare first that I am not sold on authenticity and happy with cheap pizzas! Having said that, I did enjoy the light fluffiness of this pizza. Taste was alright as a whole; parma ham looked like thin slices of raw pork (well, they were cured), and expectedly salty. 

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Should the line be manageable, I am sure I will be back to Casa Vostra and the next time; I am going to check out their signature pizzas like gamberi, carnivora! And of course, reorder the baked scamorza! 

Address

50 Jurong Gateway Rd, 

#01-03, Jem Shopping Mall,

Singapore 608549

Map

As above.

Website

https://www.casavostra.sg/

Pricing

Calamari Fritti - S$12.00

Polpette - S$15.00

Baked Scamorza - S$8.00

Peposo - S$30.00

Funghi, Tagliolini - S$18.00

Prosciutto e Rucola - S$25.00

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)

Relaxing by The Beach @ Da Nang City in Vietnam

I first encountered the beautiful beaches at Da Nang back in 2024 and I told myself I will definitely be back, and shall make it a point to stay at the beachside so that I can be closer to pure bliss and relaxation! 

While I did eventually stay at Minh Toan SAFI Ocean Hotel, our premier deluxe triple room didn't face the beach. Good thing is that we were just a short throw away from the beach, where the tiny specks of sand didn't fail to run through my wriggly toes. 

Look at the spectacular side on my right; the long, expansive beach that stretched for miles and miles; almost as if there's no end to the beach. FYI, Vietnam has a coastline that's over 3,260 kilometers long! 

Those looking forward to spacing out can consider using the beach chairs. Renting wasn't required but it's a necessity to purchase something from the operator. Rest assured that the pricing wasn't exorbitant; you can get a dasani bottled water for 10,000 dong (about S$0.60).

Looking for adventures? Take your pick from the above! Jetski (650,000 dong for 15 minutes), parasailing (650,000 dong per person), banana boat for a million dong. At my age, I am happy staying put, by the beach. 

Chùa Linh Ứng Buddhist Temple, with the 67-meter tall lady buddha in front of us! Is it walkable? According to Google Maps, distance would be about 6.4 kilometers, and walking will take 90 minutes. Honestly, I should have attempted a jog in the morning. 

Opening hours for the swimmers, and don't be surprised; the water was indeed filled with people early in the morning! It's so ridiculous I wonder if people in Danang City can survive with so little sleep!

Timing was about 10.00 am and the sun was glaring at us.

So, we decided to seek refuge, under the brollies.

Ahhhh..... relaxing.... 

Stupid me should have gotten a beer.

But, who would drink cold beer in the morning!? 

Watching the world go by as I lazed on the beach chair. 

Sadly, I am hyperactive. 

After a while, my sharp butt faced me to stand up and walk around. The sound of waves hitting the shore was just too therapeutic! Pity the sun was too hot, there's hardly a breeze, and I didn't have a bed. 

A picture of Alex's sexy back! Haha! 

Not forgetting photographs of my mom relaxing as well. For a person who dislikes the sun, she seemed totally at ease that day. Maybe because she was also anticipating a great massage at Golden Lotus Oriental Organic Spa scheduled an hour later. 

Menu for your reference! 

Oh, you can rent the beach chair for 40,000 dong too! 

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Location

Along the Coastline 

of Da Nang City,

Vietnam 

Mercure Danang French Village Bana Hills - Family Deluxe Room at Hotel De Strasbourg in Vietnam

Many visitors to Bana Hills would just pop by for a day trip, take pictures with the iconic golden bridge, and then return to Danang City that's less than an hour away! That's absolutely not preferred! 

For me, it's a minimum of two-night stay and just in case you are wondering if there is any hotel at Bana Hills; there's only one and it's under the Mercure brand under Accor group! Today, I shall start by stepping into Hotel De Paris; for our check-in process! 

Despite its mercure name, there were a total of seven buildings in the collection, and they came with seven different hotel names! Day visitors would be surprised to know that the facade for the European buildings actually served a practical purpose.

Let's have some self-serviced infused water, while waiting for our key. Honestly, the lobby was crowded with people and pretty small for a hotel with a total of 461 rooms spread out. 

Thank god it wasn't raining; although we had the help from the hotel porter who was tasked to bring us to the building assigned to us, and diligently pulled our two pieces of 28-inch luggage along the uneven stone flooring. Of course, a small tip was necessary.

Arrival at Hotel De Strasbourg; which was located at the base of the Spiritual Zone of Sun World Bana Hills, and within the French Village although not exactly "village centre".

Corridor seemed alright.

Not creepy like some hotels.

Room 7104

Located on basement one of the building, it's actually the first out of four levels of Hotel De Strasbourg and given there were three of us; we had to go with the slightly pricier family deluxe room.

Photographs of the hotel room for your reference; with a queen sized and single bed, a small television, and a ceiling fan with no carpet flooring. Oh well, just a place to sleep. 

Do you like paintings in your hotel room? I am actually okay if they show sceneries or even abstract art; and less alright when it comes to portraits and facial expressions would be something.

Other amenities; bottled mineral water was provided but hardly sufficient to make the recommended liquid intake for a hotel. If you need more, I would recommend D-Mart - The Convenience Mart, located next to Hotel De Toulouse.

Our "windows" were actually doors leading to an external passage that's creepy as hell at night! Imagine hearing knocks on the door when you sleep, even though that absolutely didn't happy throughout our two-night stay. 

p.s. not much view also.

Washroom might seem alright at first with two sinks. Problem was that this would be the only place with mirrors when it should be common to have at least an extra vanity mirror in the living section. 

Another issue was that the doors were only reserved for the shower area and the toilet, and the latter didn't even have a shelf to put my bottles of anti-dandruff shampoo and sensitive facial foam! Space for the two enclosed areas was also small; even I found it hard to change clothes in the shower cubicle! 

Swimming Pool

Housed at La Piscine (not exactly easy to find but always ask the staff for directions, this would likely be one of the most beautiful indoor pools I have been, although the design was a bit tacky. Nevertheless, kids would likely have a great time here. 

Fitness Centre

Our room at Hotel De Strasbourg was pretty close to the fitness centre, and this meant a daily visit for my routine jog! p.s. location was incorrectly indicated as within La Piscine even though it's closer to the breakfast buffet restaurant at Hotel De Nice.

You can choose to sign in.

Opening from 6.00am till 9.00pm, equipment was basic but sufficient for my needs. I am bit puzzled as to why I didn't choose to jog outdoors since Sun World Bana Hills were not crowded in the early morning when the sun rays were still comfortable for the skin.

Note to fill your empty bottle water using the water dispenser in the gym! 

Buffet Breakfast

Provided complimentary as part of our booking, the breakfast was at La Cote D'Azur on the ground floor of Hotel De Nice. I am not going to say too much here as there's a separate posting specifically talking about the buffet breakfast; click here! 

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Useful information as above.

Transport service provided by the hotel; prices were actually not unreasonable and we eventually opted for a one way trip from Bana Hills to Minh Toan SAFI Ocean Hotel at Da Nang City.

One big advantage of staying over at Sun World Bana Hills is the above; the golden hour at golden bridge, where you can beat the massive crowd before they arrive past 8-9am! Earliest timing is at 6.00am and you can say goodbyes to the usually many heads, bodies and photobombs! 

Address

Sun World Bana Hills,

Thôn An Sơn, Hòa Vang, 

Da Nang, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Website

https://all.accor.com/hotel/8488/index.en.shtml

Pricing

Family Deluxe Room (for two nights)

7,893,905 Vietnamese Dong