Brasserie Restaurant - Pizza & Pasta @ Ba Na Hills near Da Nang in Vietnam

It's not true that I would 100% rely on Google review score when I dine; there were times where a sudden craving hit and we literally just went with any limited option we had. 

This was what happened when both Alex and I were seeking for a place to have lunch on top of Ba Na Hills! Well, it's a touristy place alright but we can't help getting tempted by the picture of pizzas from a life-sized place board! 

And so, we sought out Brasserie Restaurant, located within the French Village of Sunworld Ba Na Hills. Indoor seating was available but given the cool climate; it's definitely more relaxing to take the alfresco seating, where you can people-watch as life goes by. 

Woah, pizzas were freshly hand made! 

That made me super looked forward to my meal. 

Hot Cocoa Milk - a hot beverage is always nice on cold weather but what cut the deal for me would be a cup of hot chocolate! Sadly, this was more milk than chocolate and I was praying hard my lactose intolerant guy wouldn't give me the runs later. It didn't.

Signature Lobster Spaghetti - knowing I am high up on the mountain where seafood would not be naturally found actually enticed me to order this! At 300,000 dong, I thought it was quite a steal too.

Flavour was like squid ink spaghetti in lobster bisque; two words; flavorful, delicious! The lobster meat tasted quite bland though although provided texture as I dunked it into the sauce. Oh, the spaghetti didn't stain my teeth! 

Signature Seafood Pizza - the star of the show and I had to go with the seafood one even though there were seven other options like margherita, vegetable, salami, ham & mushroom, four cheese, BBQ chicken and Singaporeans' favorite hawaii. 

Befitting the image we saw earlier outside Brasserie Restaurant; how to deny the smile on our faces as we pulled out a hot slice to have the long strings of cheese appearing in front of us! 

I love it! Love the crusty dough which was fluffy and of the perfect thickness that gives each bite substantial satisfaction! And the they didn't stinge on the seafood too; you can find pieces of lobster, squid etc. I was very happy! 

 

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Despite the not so great reviews on Google Maps, I would actually be back in May 2025! I did notice that many bad reviews focused on the high pricing, paltry portions and terrible service; latter of which was actually acceptable to me, just not fantastic. On pricing, I expected as much for a theme park whereas portion wise; well, it didn't starve me although I wouldn't mind having more.

Address

Within French Village, Sunworld Ba Na Hills,

An Son Village, Hoa Ninh Commune, 

Hoa Vang District, Da Nang City, Vietnam

Map

b

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Hot Cocoa Milk - 70,000 dong

Signature Lobster Spaghetti - 300,000 dong

Signature Seafood Pizza - 280,000 dong

(Subject to Tax)

Click here for my 8 Days' Itinerary to Danang (The City of Bridges) & Hoi An (The City of Lanterns) in Vietnam

Famous Cheesecake from The Tokyo Restaurant @ LOT 10 Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia]

The Greatest Kon mentioned that there was supposedly to be a famous cheesecake at LOT 10 Shopping Centre at Kuala Lumpur and since we were in the vicinity; we sought out the place, which turned out to be The Tokyo Restaurant.

Looked like quite a high class dining establishment with an extensive menu focusing on Japanese cuisine (duh) which we were underdressed for. Nevertheless, we were fixated on just ordering a slice of cheesecake and off we do. p.s. appreciate the plain, complimentary water.

Bask Cheesecake - without further ado, let's start with this slice of basque Japanese specialty cheesecake that many were raving about. That ball of white next to it was just whipped cream deceived to appear like ice cream! 

Served cold, the texture was creamy although it lacked the melting visual featured on some basque cheesecake. However, the taste was on point and I would say you should consider this cheesecake if the craving for cheesecake strikes when you are in KL. 

Spicy Double Salmon Sushi Roll - couldn't resist ordering this too! Truth was, we thought it wasn't "nice" to just order one slice of cheesecake to be shared by two. 

When it comes to sushi roll / makis, the fish is never the main star and it's really the (hopefully perfect) matching of tastes across the varied ingredients. To me, this was a bit too much fish and it's a necessity to have each piece with wasabi. 

 

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Address

50, Jln Sultan Ismail, 

LOT 10 Shopping Centre, Level 4

Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, 

Malaysia

Menu

As above. 

Queic by Olivia - Said to Serve the Best Cheesecake in Singapore

What do you do when you heard of a place that supposedly sells the best cheesecake in Singapore?! I tried my very best to resist but the brain kept reminding me that it's convenient to drop by after accompanying my mom for her temple praying at Fook Tet Soo Hakka Temple.

And so I did, standing in front of Queic by Olivia, half suspecting that there's going to be a long line even though it was about noon time on a Sunday. p.s. I guess most sane persons would have desserts after lunch.

Unfounded worries since there was no one in front of me! 

To be frank, the place was still packed with customers and my mom and I were just blessed to secure a side table immediately after entering, just when another customer was leaving! 

I was only looking out for cheesecake but was literally blown away by the range in front of me at the counter! Just on cheesecakes, there were five types, with even a cheesecake board option with five types! 

Damn, I was more into basque burnt but since signature olivia was the one mentioned by almost all reviewers; I shall go for that first. In future, I will come back for the basque burnt and cheesecake board, maybe the stilton cheesecake; made with blue cheese. *exciting*

Signature Olivia - the star of the show and what's unmistakable would be the melty centre, which looked like it was fast losing its mass! I quickly snapped a few photographs with my camera phone before digging in!

Initial impression - texture was like ice cream cake but a tad too liquified. A semi-solidified texture would have been a lot more satisfying. Taste wise, it was more salty than cheesy, a bit like having salted caramel ice cream that was less sweet with that mild touch of cheesiness.

I would think Cakesomarvellous did a better in both taste and texture, although what I had at Cakesomarvellous was Basque Burnt Cheesecake, and fans of Queic by Olivia might argue it's not an apple to apple comparison. Oh well, seems like another visit is required. 

One thing from Signature Olivia that I dislike was the cheesecake's surrounding thick crust which would have sat heavily at the bottom of my tummy should I decide to clean up everything! To be fair, I am not a fan of crust, unlike my younger sister who would have happily snatched it away from us. 

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Address

41 Kreta Ayer Rd,

Singapore 089003

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Signature Olivia Cheesecake - S$16.40 a slice

Day Seven of The 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

<<< Day Six

Detailed Postings for the Day

• Climb Up Elephant Hill 
• Taipei 101 
• The 101st floor of Taipei 101
• Mister Donut 
• Taipei Zoo
• Dinner @ 夯・魯肉飯
• Raohe Night Market
• Ningxia Night Market

Filling up the tummy with the free buffet breakfast at Grand Sheraton Hotel. It shall be a free and easy day with the free one-day metro card provided by Chan Brothers as part of our Taiwan tour package! 

Good thing about staying at Grand Sheraton Hotel was its super close proximity to the MRT station; specifically Shandao Temple MRT station, which was just a mere station away from Taipei Main station.

Awaiting for our connecting train at Taipei Main station. I remember my first visit to Taiwan, where our choice of accommodation was CityInn Hotel Taipei Station Branch I. A great hotel and although near to Taipei Main station, it's still quite a walk via the long underpass! 

Don't you just love the arrival music at the train station?!

So much better than the ones used at Singapore. 

Weird seating arrangement on the trains.

Sorry, just not very used. 

Showcasing our short hike up Elephant Hill, where I took the wrong route and ended at a temple with a dirt path that eventually ended at the correct route! p.s.Elephant Hill is said to give visitors the best view of Taipei 101! 

The prominent Taipei 101 after our hike.

This large rock reminded me of a decapitated snake head! As Elephant Hill is part of the four-beast mountain (including the lion, leopard and tiger, all felines by the way), I am guessing there should be some legends on wars between the animals, with the snake apparently being one of the victims.

Oranges for sale by the truck; literally truck-load! Such activities are common outside of Singapore where it's a direct farm to consumer concept, and prices were said to be cheaper. 

Map of Xiangshan Park.

Xiangshan is Chinese for Elephant Hill.

A few more photographs as we walked past the park and got to Xiangshan MRT station, where we shall continue to our next place of attraction. Want to guess where?

Obviously Taipei 101! 

Please click Taipei 101 and The 101st floor of Taipei 101 for the separate postings! I had been to Taiwan's tallest skyscraper before but never to the topmost 101 floor, which was quite a great experience! 

Mouth was itchy and instead of having a proper meal, I ordered from Mister Donut instead! Turned out we got so fully; we didn't even attempt lunch! Most disappointing was the fact that I didn't even the donuts and didn't understand why there were long queues for the Mister Donut in Singapore then.

Last look at Taipei 101.

Notice by YouBike on the closure of roads, due to the New Year's countdown. Maybe I should download the app so that I can bike instead of walk for my upcoming trip to Taiwan.

Taking the LRT this time.

Train seemed narrower than the ones from MRT. Whatever the case, I just saw the name of the next station on the display panel; Xinhai. Interestingly, I just watched a YouTube video (in Chinese) on the hauntings of a tunnel at Xinhai. 

What goes into the naming of a station? Muzha to me was the name of the brother of Nezha, a Taoist deity. To the Taiwanese, it was named due to "the wooden fences built in the region to defend against attacks by Taiwanese Indigenous peoples".

Arriving soon at our destination. Hint: cable cars! Yes, I wanted to bring my dad to Maokong, a place Alex and I enjoyed immensely when we went in 2014.

An interesting sight; a mid-sized dog perched on the shoulder of a man! On one hand, I wondered if the man felt tired and on the other hand, the dog didn't seem comfortable... It did a great job balancing though.

Time: almost 3pm and there was a massive line outside Maokong station! A check with a staff member revealed that it would take about two hours to clear! No way am I going to waste my precious time....

So, we took the next best alternative; Taipei Zoo! 

p.s. only two hours to go before its closing! 

Finally a proper meal; braised pork rice at 夯・魯肉飯! Totally enjoyed the Southern Taiwanese version; do keep in mind that the basic braised pork rice (without set) would be good enough and I would recommend adding Signature Fried Spareribs Soup! 

Wufenpu Wholesale Market was right outside 夯・魯肉飯 but I decided to give it a miss for two reasons; my dad doesn't like shopping and I guess the attire sold would be based on season, and it's winter season which means I wouldn't be able to get much summer clothing for Singapore's climate.

Strolling back to Songshan station.

Songshan Ciyou Temple - one just couldn't deny its utter beauty, especially at night when it glittered like jewels on a crown! As you can see, photobombs would be a definite.

Raohe Night Market! As it was New Year's eve, the market was so, so crowded! It didn't help that I had to purchase some food souvenirs and they weighed so heavy! 

Dad was tired at the end of the day but I am not going to waste my last night in Taiwan! I decided to meet a friend and visit another night market! 

Couldn't resist taking photographs of these handmade lanterns. 

Part of a temporary exhibition, it seemed. 

Supper at the food-filled Ningxia Night Market; the stinky beancurd this time was much better than the other stall I had at the same market. Taiwanese sausage was a disappointment though. 

Small fireworks before 2024! 

Last picture before ending the night.

Taipei main station! 

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Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers