Faifoo Central Restaurant @ Hoi An in Vietnam

As I scrolled through Google Maps, my eyes almost popped out when I chanced upon an eatery with an almost perfect rating of 4.9 from more than 600 reviewers; Faifoo Central Restaurant! How did I even miss it in the first place?! 

Anyway, we decided to have dinner at the restaurant before taking the cruise to Hoi An Memories Land. Just keep in mind the picture above as the signage for the dining establishment wasn't very pronounced.

You can choose to sit outdoor where you would bask in the sun while watching boats cruising up and down Thu Bon River, or you can consider the air-conditioned indoor. As a true blue Singapore, no prize for guessing which one we opted for eventually.

Such a sophisticated table setting. By the way, Google Maps are generally used by foreigners so one of the things I noticed was that there didn't seem to have many locals, and maybe because of the timing, it there were plenty of empty tables.

Nevertheless, I am famished, so let's quickly order! I actually wanted the sampling set that was mentioned by a few reviewers but it was already discontinued; hence, we decided to take on some of the recommendations by the friendly waitress.

Tra Da - traditional Vietnamese tea without sugar. Too bitter for my liking but the key attraction was the vase behind, which had a bundle of real flowers! 

White Rose Dumplings - after trying my first white rose dumpling at Morning Glory Original, I knew it would be hard for me to resist ordering this when I saw it on the menu! 

Texture of the dumpling skin was tough and honestly not as good as the ones from Morning Glory Original. Lifesaver was the sheer amount of fried onions, that have the ability of miraculously enhance the flavor of any food.

Crab Meat and Asparagus Soup - while it didn't look appetising, the taste was alright even though it was more like plain egg soup with crab meat and vegetables.

Seafood Pancake - when this was placed on my table, I mistakenly thought this was banh xeo and I had to check back to ensure this was actually what I ordered.

You even have rice paper to go with the seafood pancake!

According to the menu, it was literally banh xeo but with more seafood ingredients like squid and shrimps. After wrapping the pancake with the rice paper and dipping it into the sauce, I took a bite and it was delicious, especially the sauce which was peanut based with pineapple, like the satay gravy! p.s. pancake was oily. 

Crispy Duck with Local King Pepper - even though I am super selective when it comes to duck, this came strongly recommended and I was all prepared to be stunned with the duck that shall swim down my throat.

I was stunned alright; by how terribly lousy it was. Meat was chewy and I wonder where the word crispy comes in as there wasn't a single tinge of crispness. The star was actually the fried bun, which would go very well, even perfectly, with our chilli crab gravy! Even the bok choy vegetables, sprinkled with fried garlic, were better than the duck meat.

To be fair, this was an accompanying sauce of sauce and I must at least attempt to eat a slice of duck meat that was dipped into it. I did and it was like a salty, oily sauce that I will declare as an ultimate punch signifying the absolute failure of the duck meat. 

Pork Ribs with Special Sauce - sauce was said to be the chef's special sauce and since it was more a western dish, I thought it would be a nice departure from the Vietnamese cuisine we had for the past few days. 

Taste wise, much better than the not-crispy duck but as a rib served in Western style, this was more like eating char siew on a rib, and it's at most an average tasting char siew. More credit was given to the claypot rice; lightly aromatic and fluffy! 

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If you ask me, the mains were a letdown and when I was asked how was the food; I decided to be frank. The manager appeared to be sincerely apologetic about the bad review from us, and insisted on waiving charges for the two mains and giving an extra 10% discount. This put me on a spot as I told her this wouldn't stop me from being honest in my blog review for the restaurant.

That didn't stop her from sending a platter of cut fruits to our table and a cup of lime tea with honey. Well, the lime tea with honey was nice!   

Address

57 Hoàng Diệu, Cẩm Châu, Hội An, 

Quảng Nam 51000, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

White Rose Dumplings - 70,000 dong

Crab Meat and Asparagus Soup -70,000 dong

Seafood Pancake - 90,000 dong

Crispy Duck with Local King Pepper - 200,000 dong

Pork Ribs with Special Sauce - 185,000 dong

(Subject to Tax)

Cruise Down Thu Bon River & Water Lantern Release - Part of Visit to Hoi An Memories Land in Vietnam

Hoi An Memories Land is accessible via land bridges but no, we opted for a unique experience by signing up for a package that included a river cruise and lantern release, in addition to entry to the theme park and a VIP seat for the highly mesmerizing Hoi An Memories Show! 

After congregating at the meet-up point, Hoi An Lantern Park, at 5.45 pm, we were brought to the promenade along Thu Bon River where there were quite a few docked boats. 

This was ours; fronted with a dragon head that looked more like it was decapitated! Honestly, quite a funny sight and the boat appeared a bit too rundown and plain compared to the rest of its competitors.

Wooden seating that raised safety concerns! A few large waves and I bet a few passengers would be thrown overboard. Thankfully, the cruise would be conducted along the calmer, Thu Bon River, instead of the open sea.

A boat operating as a restaurant! I remember we used to have something similar in Singapore and while it was a unique experience; it's terrible for customers with motion sickness! I went in and was literally out after a mere ten minutes! 

Wait, that's Hoi An Memories Land right in front?! Given the supposedly short distance, I wondered if it's easier for me to just walk for about 800-meters, instead of signing up for this slightly pricier package, given my love for walking.

Thankfully, the dragon-headed boat reversed and went towards the opposite direction! This made me felt slightly better since it's more worth my time and effort, instead covering the last leg journey that I could easily achieve with a GRAB ride, or using my pair of legs. 

Boats we saw along the way; many appeared to be private charter although I wonder why they were along this stretch of the river, which was wider and not as vibrant as the area near An Hoi Bridge.

View of Thu Bon River, towards An Hoi Bridge.

Boat guide giving some information which I didn't catch as she was wearing a mask, and I was hard of hearing! Maybe I should get the new Apple airpods that I heard could double up as a hearing aid! 

One sight that remained etched in my memory on Hoi An was the excessive yet dazzling display of lanterns in front of many shops. They truly mesmerized the eyes.

Wait, the boat turned back towards Hoi An Memories Land!?

That's hardly a 10-minute ride before turning back! 

Despite my disappointment, my journey continued with inaudible curses and swears. The bridge on the right would be the other land bridge connecting the island-based Hoi An Memories Land.

The more popular bridge would be the crescent-moon-shaped Impressions Bridge; better connected to the UNESCO World Heritage Site and an easy walk of about a kilometer from Hoi An Lantern Park. 

With its ever changing LED lights, it's a beautiful sight to behold from far. If the water were calm, I bet we could even catch sights of a full moon or full crescent, given the reflection.

Time to disembark; ride took only about 15 minutes. After disembarkation, we were asked to step up to Impressions Bridge, where we shall cross over to Hoi An Memories Land. Click here for more photographs!

Night view of Impressions Bridge!

Taken after the Hoi An Impression Show.

We would be taking the boat back to Hoi An Lantern Park! Frankly, I wasn't very willing as I would very much prefer to walk all 2.4 kilometers back to La Charm Hoi An Hotel & Spa. 

Main reason why we decided to take the boat ride, again; we could partake in the release of lanterns, without paying a single cent! Now, I may not really like the activity but the stingy scrooge in me couldn't resist when it's already covered in the overall fee. 

Engine for the boat was turned off to enable all the guests to take turns lighting up their lanterns and depositing them into the water. 

By lanterns, I am not referring to those lanterns more commonly seen in Singapore, which would be held up by a rod. The ones used here float on water and the lights come from a lighted tea light candle. 

Bamboo device used to "gently" place the lantern on the water. 

Alex and I with our water lanterns! 

p.s. donning life jacket is a must on the boat.

Let our worries float away! And hope good luck would come our way. Well, I still haven't won my TOTO first prize. Truth be told, it's an activity that didn't appeal to me. Maybe it's a different story if 0

Manage to make out a full moon?

Looks more oblong than round. 

Night view along the river. To put it bluntly, the pictures I took hardly do justice to what I saw using my naked eyes. You have to be there to soak in the atmosphere! 

Saying our goodbyes to the dragon-headed boat. 

If I am visiting Hoi An Memories Land, I am going to walk. 

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

V & You Vegetarian Restaurant near KSL Mall in Johor Bahru in Malaysia

You wouldn't usually catch me seeking vegetarian cuisine when I am overseas but it was different on 18 August 2024, as it was the 15th day of the lunar month, my mom was with us in Johor Bahru and she was insistent on having vegetarian food. 

So I found one near KSL Mall; V & You Restaurant. Just a note in case you are unaware of the culture among Chinese Buddhists in Singapore; most tend to go vegetarian on the 1st and 15th day of every lunar month. I am the rare few who don't.

Anyway, the main reason captivating me to check out this restaurant was the availability of the Hakka thunder tea rice which I totally enjoyed for its taste, its varied ingredients and its texture!

Oyster Sauce Mushroom Bun - since there were five of us, I must take the opportunity to buy a carbo-rich bun so that we all can share the fats, together! 

Sadly, the dough sticks to my teeth  which was irritating but I honestly loved the earthly flavor from the mushroom filling. If only they could improve the dough and if they do, my mom will seriously consider buying frozen ones so that she can steam for breakfast whenever it is vegetarian day.

Petai Fried Rice - the wok hey was there and although a tad spicy, it was palatable and much better than many other fried rice that I tried before. 

Char Kway Teow - visually, this looked so pleasing and I couldn't wait to take a bite! Took a bite and it was much sweeter than expected. Beyond the sweetness, the taste was just bland. 

Thunder Tea Rice -  here come the star! 

Let's mix everything up so that joy will envelop me in every single bite as my teeth and taste buds grind and soak in the flavor from the vegetables, the nuts and the tofu! 

But before I throw a scoopful into my mouth, it's essential to soak the mixture with the accompanying 'tea'! Yummy it sure was, with the fresh mint tea complementing with the crunch and nice flavors from all the ingredients! Psychologically, this also felt healthier given that it's vegetarian! Okay, maybe I should have gone for brown, instead of white rice. 

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Should it be vegetarian day when I visit JB again and my mom were with me, I would likely return given the restaurant's proximity to KSL Mall, where mom usually has her massages! 

Address

19, Jalan Serigala, Taman Abad, 

80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

(near KSL Mall)

Map

As above. 

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Total - RM 49.00