Kim Ngân Communal House @ Hanoi [Vietnam]

For a city that's more than a thousand years ago, temples dotted the cityscape and it's impossible for us to step into one every single time! But, this one with a tree outside that had numerous hanging yellow lanterns piqued our interest.

Known as Đình Kim Ngân / Kim Ngân Communal House, its original purpose is like a community center where residents come together for festivals, worship of the guardian deity and is the de-facto head office. 

Kim Ngân was built in the 15th century by "silversmiths from Chau Khe village" who had settled in the capital to "silver casting" for the court. Aside from the purposes as mentioned above for communal houses, it was also a "place to exchange and trade in compressed silver".

Frankly, I couldn't find much information in English on site about the place although stepping into the house seemed like an entirely different environment from the scene right outside; it was peaceful with an air of calmness. 

The above artifacts also beautified the place, dotting an otherwise pretty normal looking premises with splashes of colors and uniqueness (the above are not commonly found in temples).

Main joss sticks holder. It was said that the main dragon king has nine sons and each of them has a personality /feature that result in their images being used on religious / royal items. The one for incense sticks was Suanni, who was said to love smoking and sitting down. 

Inside the main chamber which was pretty spacious with ancient looking wooden beams supporting the structures. Maybe because it was almost closing time, the place was quite empty except for the curious tourists like me, who were drawn to the place.

One thing I noticed from Vietnamese temples is that they often had a pair of gigantic cranes flanking the main altar. If you need closely, the cranes were standing on top of tortoises! There was supposedly a legend which can read here and it was said that their partnership symbolizes "long-lasting friendship and loyalty".

There was also a pair of life sized wooden horses in Đình Kim Ngân! Sometimes, you do see horses being worshipped alongside this general known as the white horse general.

I was more curious about the above; dressed like a god with a headdress and attire, you can see that it wasn't a statue. According to online info, this communal house worships "Mr. Hien Vien, ancestor of all traditional crafts" and also, Mr. Luu Xuan Tin, who was instrumental in moving and settling in the silversmiths from Chau Khe village.

My peers were bored and I guess it's time to go!

We were the last group as the caretaker came out within a minute to lock up the communal house. Very nice of him not to chase us though as insensitive me didn't realize it was closing time!

Last look at the mesmerizing yellow lanterns.

Noticed this information plaque that's likely showing the entry guidelines and rules. Might be helpful to have it in English or other languages for the benefit of foreigners. 

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Address

44 P. Hàng Bạc, Hàng Buồm, 

Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

8.00 am till 5.00 pm

(Till 9.00 pm on 1st and 15th day of lunar month)

(Closed for lunch from 12.00 - 1.00 pm)

More Information

Scan QR code as above.

Click here for the Week-Long Itinerary to Hanoi - City of Lakes @ Vietnam

Home-Delivered Creamy Basque Burnt Cheesecake from Cakesomarvellous for Alex's Birthday 2023

We had the opportunity to try the Creamy Basque Burnt Cheesecake from Cakesomarvellous for a family gathering cum birthday celebration a few weeks ago and it was so unforgettable; I decided to order one for Alex's birthday last week! 

As a local home-based bakery with an online presence, you can't just grab any cakes on the go! The easiest mode is to order online and have it delivered to your house. p.s. note that delivery is usually between 10 am till 3 pm (I think). 

I am fortunate to be living in Yishun, where Cakesomarvellous is based and they kindly agreed to deliver at 8pm! Anyway, since it was just Alex and myself, I ordered the smallest (4-inch, 225-gram) cake which didn't come cheap at S$19.00! 

But I knew for a fact that Alex would love it! Aside from this Cakesomarvellous' one, two other cakes would make him happy; the black forest cake from Han's and the pandan kaya cake from Bengawan Solo. As usual, I 'surprised' him at midnight but it's been such a routine for him every year; it wasn't much of a surprise.

Key thing, however, was that he enjoyed it very much! To the extent he slowly indulged over the next few days; taking small bites every single time to savor the delicious richness of this cheesecake with an aromatic sweetness that didn't overwhelm the taste buds!

And it was such a visual pleasure to see the middle oozing with creamy cheesiness that was almost like half-melted ice cream! I would definitely be ordering from Cakesomarvellous again; p.s. if original burnt cheesecake is not your cup of tea, there are options like matcha, pandan, strawberry, rum & raisin, durian and wasabi, and other selection like tiramisu. 

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Website

https://www.cakesomarvellous.com/

Quince Saigon - A Fine Dining Restaurant @ Ho Chi Minh City [Vietnam]

It's always preferable to have something good for our last dinner in a foreign country, and we decided to end our Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) trip with a bang at Quince; a fine dining restaurant in district one! 

Main highlight was supposedly to be these wood-fired ovens which I didn't even notice when I was in the the restaurant, and only saw them when I exited. That crackling fire was so hypnotizing...

As an atas restaurant, there would be two guarantees here; top-notch service with a maître d' who speaks better English than I do and a wood-classy interior design. Lighting was a bit too dim and orangey for photo-taking though.

Decision making time. Always in a dilemma when faced with too many choices, and some items were priced at at more than S$100 each. As with most menus in Vietnam, please do remember to add three zeros to the pricing. 

After much deliberation from the four of us, let's start the review! 

Black Truffle Manchego Cheese - three years ago, you wouldn't see me having cheese as starter before a main, but things changed after a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas!

Can't say I know much about the different types of cheese to give a detailed review; I can only say this cheese was strongly flavored, not to the extent of being truffle intense. As usual, figs chutney is a perfect for any cheese! Bread was warm and nice too! 

Spicy Salmon Nori Taco - despite its over-the-top plating, where the edible part took up only about 20%, this started with the crunch of seaweed and then came the creamy spiciness that popped with seafood goodness. Not bad although I could make do without the nori taco. 

Hummus & Merguez - my first taste of hummus was at IstanBlue Meze & Grill and I remember they were usually served plain with just bread. The hummus here had, in the middle, some meat with herbs and spices that were cooked till edges had turned crisp. 

Unbeatable when eaten with the puffy, wood fired naan! 

p.s. only one piece. 

Not So Mashed Potatoes - the name made us curious and what surprised us more was the way it was served. The waitress started using a spoon to vigorously blend the mixture; like a human, stand mixer! 

For someone who doesn't like mashed potatoes, this had a texture more like potage and you do find min cubes of potatoes; not smooth, and definitely not well mashed. However, I enjoyed this more than typical mashed potatoes. Buttery, rich and it's so enticing to have whiffs of truffle in every spoonful.

Israeli Spiced Lamb Rump - medium done, the taste was gamey and despite being Israeli spiced, it reminded me more of Turkish spices. Served with a roasted red pepper dip known as muhammara sumac. 

Bavette D'Aloyau - essentially a 500-day grain fed Australian wagyu beef steak at medium-well doneness, this was well grilled on the edges with a pinkish middle that I thought was more medium doneness. Nevertheless, this didn't disappoint.

BBQ Kerguelen Toothfish - another gimmicky show to justify the price of almost S$60! And if you think the fish was the main star, you are so wrong.

The soup that was poured over the toothfish was unimaginably delicious; a Marseille style fish soup, it was richly packed with flavor like lobster bisque and I am more than happy to exchange the toothfish for more of the soup! p.s. toothfish was good too although it didn't blow our mind away, unlike the soup. 

Aged Barbary Duck Magret - dry aged for a week and in pretty thick cuts, this overwhelmed us by how good it was! It was meaty with a crispy skin that reminded me of Peking duck! By itself, the meat was amazing yet not exceptional enough. 

The accompanying mostarda di frutta was the deciding moment; like a fruity, sour-plum compote 101% perfect with the duck meat! There was also this weird vegetable called endive that had the crunch of cabbage and was delicious with the duck jus (some viscous red wine sauce). Without a doubt, this was the best dish of the might! 

Complimentary Dessert - I think sweets might be a better description since each of us was gifted three miniscule gummy bears! Not for kids though as they contained alcohol; white was margarita, brown was espresso martini and green was gin basil. I loved the green one! 

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Unquestionably the best meal we had in HCMC and the most expensive too since it cost about S$321 for the four of us. Even after we exited, we were talking about returning in our next trip and the dishes that warranted a reorder would be the Not So Mashed Potatoes, BBQ Kerguelen Toothfish and Aged Barbary Duck Magret! 

Address

37bis Ky Con, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, 

District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Map

As above.

Website

http://quincesaigon.com/

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Black Truffle Manchego Cheese - 250,000 Dong

Spicy Salmon Nori Taco - 200,000 Dong

Hummus & Merguez - 290,000 Dong

Not So Mashed Potatoes - 210,000 Dong

Israeli Spiced Lamb Rump - 780,000 Dong

BBQ Kerguelen Toothfish - 990, 000 Dong

Aged Barbary Duck Magret - 770,000 Dong                             

(Subject to Service Charge and Taxes)

Additional Information

Need a drink to further relax? 

Check out Madam Kew cocktail bar on the second floor! 

Click here for my 6 Days Itinerary in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) - Pearl of the Far East @ Vietnam