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Finnmaccool's Posts
105 reviews or comments posted; 2 questions asked; 17 answers given.
Reviews / Comments (105) see all
Looking at the other reviews makes me think, did I really visit the same place???? Well I did and I had a few different things. The pasta was al dente, the milkshakes were bloody great, the pizza was small, but edible and the coffee was spot on! Yes, I agree with the soulless shopping centre comment (let's face it, we are in Vietnam) but the food was fine. So maybe somebody has had a look at these reviews and given them a kick up the arse and they have managed to get their act together. The only negative thing I would say however, is the fact that they don't have wifi. You have to go into Highland's for that I am afraid.
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Apparently, this place dates back to the good old days when there were very few restaurants or Bun Cha in Hanoi. One the first and best places to try Bun Cha for all the tourists. This by no means implies that the food will be any better than any of the other places you might want to try but it does have the privilege of being around much longer than the others. It has the same character that belongs to many of these "plastic stool" establishments, i.e. smoky, dirty and noisy. If you want clean and crisp with candles and music, then go find another place to eat - there are many fine restaurants in Hanoi. Don't whine about it being grimy or over-crowded. This is the nature of the beast but at the same time, the very place where you can discover the essence of Hanoi. If you have some Vietnamese then life is easier here, if not, then just struggle along like the rest of us.
| Was this review ... |
At last I managed to eat here outside of the party we all enjoyed. The food was as good as I remembered it to be. Here is one of the greatest things about the place - not a secret, mind you but certainly worth knowing - it stays open late! And I mean LATE! No closing at 10pm, pushing you out the door at 9.59.... No, these guys understand the concept of hospitality and making you feel at home. You can stay and eat for as long as you like! Yes, the hummous is a tad expensive but you will get some included with some of the mains so not to fret about expenses - after all where the hell else can you get Lebanese food? So stop your whining, for Christ's sake and enjoy the food! Great place, great food, great service! What more do you want? Perfection????
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Maybe it had to do with the fact that I turned up here at 9.15 and felt under pressure to eat fast. They close at 10 but the staff started leaving about 9.30. The menu variety was not there for me either as I am guessing, nobody wanted to have a go at preparing tempanyaki at this late hour! Oh well, such is life. The food was adequate and the large group that were finishing were nice and noisy just to top off the whole experience. Perhaps under different circumstances it might have been better, but at the current moment, I will just have to say, maybe next time.
| Was this review ... |
There are several Japanese restaurants on Mai Hac De to choose from but as far as I am aware, this is the only Ramen place and it is quite good (if Ramen is your thing.) The service is obviously very good, as you would expect from most Japanese places and the food on both occasions has been very tasty. Granted, the decor is somewhat spartan but hey, you can simply take a stroll up the street to one of the more plush establishments if that is what takes your fancy. Well worth the trip and certainly will not break the bank,
| Was this review ... |
Questions (2)
Hi there,
I am having a house warming party with quite a few individuals. Do you have any idea how I would go about getting beer kegs from somewhere so we can supply our own at the party?
Many thanks,
Dermot
Well this one has been a long time coming and I am trying to find out what the actual legal angle is on how businesses charge in USD. We have all seen the recent fluctuations in the VND to USD rate that wreaked havoc on our rent payments over the summer. Now that things have settled down a bit it has come to my attention that a few establishments are happy to list their prices in dollars (not a problem) but then charge an arbitrary black market exchange rate (my bugbear) well above the central bank rate. These "establishments" also tend to be among the more expensive eateries in town so not only are they charging "top dollar" if you'll pardon the pun, but they are also capitalising on the inflated exchange rate to make extra margin.
I have spent some time looking for information about what is "permitted" and what is not. Apparently, this practice is illegal although how in goodness name does one enforce it? When I queried it, all I got was a shrug of the shoulders and some lame line about the owner setting the rate. Of course I have tried to contact the owners for clarification but never get any replies. I wonder why? I have got several receipts with blatant incorrect exchange rates and cannot help but wonder how they can get away with it. Does anyone know how we can do something. I have no problem with businesses charging more money for their goods as inflation increases but please do not use stealth tactics to do so. We are not as dumb as the tourists who pass through this country.
Answers (17)
Posted Monday June 2nd, 2008.
Not sure if this helps but you might simply want to dump the routers and buy an all in one ADSL wireless router instead of using 2. In theory there is no reason why they will not work together but as you are experiencing these problems, you might want to save time. Normally on a Linksys router you can see what machines are connected and verify that DHCP is giving out the IP address (which I am guessing is happening as you say that the Mac is connecting the network but not getting online). Check that this is happening and if not assign a static IP address to the Mac. Might also be worth having a look in the Apple Forums online for your problem. I know that mine works fine with the all in one Linksys modem we have.
Cheers,
Dermot
In response to the question: Need help in setting up my wireless network at home. I'm using a linksys wireless-g router and my internet provider (EVN) is using a d-link adsl2 + ro...
Posted Thursday June 5th, 2008.
I had heard so much about this thread that I had to come read it in its entirety and after a lengthy catch up, well it has been highly entertaining. Ladies, good luck in your mechanical search but I have to tell you that there is still hope. Nice guys are out there, just not in Mao's getting hammered every evening. As with anything worthwhile in life, you have to go find it yourself. Alas it's not going to just fall in your lap. In the immortal words of the philosopher Jagger, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you might just get what you need!"
In response to the question: Okay...so I believe the ladies of Hanoi will not disagree with me that the ratio of men to women in this city does not work in their favour, and what ...
Posted Monday June 9th, 2008.
Go to Mediamarkt on Hai Ba Trung. It is much closer. They have them but they are twice the price of regular DVD players.
In response to the question: I'm looking to buy a DVD player with a USB jack. Any ideas where I might find one? I saw the recent post and responses re. Big C and Metro, but I'm a ...
Posted Saturday August 16th, 2008.
Our school always uses Mai Linh taxis as most of the others will scam you with dodgy metres that go faster the more they toot their horn or change CD volume. Too many scams. When I first arrived I remember the driver fiddling with a button on the metre once I got in the cab. So bloody blatant I just got back out! Mai Linh are all white with green writing.
In response to the question: Newbie in Hanoi - Any 2 cents on things to watch out for? Appreciate the tips. Thks. ...
Posted Saturday August 16th, 2008.
If I can add my 2 pennies' worth I would say that Cafe des Arts has some of the finest food in Hanoi - French cuisine after all and I am sure he would have a couple of Michelin stars if he were in Europe. It is quiet and cosy and you'll be well looked after. The menu is broad and you pay for what you get. Check out the link for a better idea:
http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/venue/show/503/Cafe-Des-Arts
In response to the question: Hi all, Me and my husband are celebrating wedding anniversary in a few days. Can anyone recommend a fine dining restaurant for this occasion? Would...
Posted Saturday August 16th, 2008.
I would not recommend shipping a laptop from the USA. If needs be, I would go with the suggestion above - get someone to bring it in their luggage. Incidentally, what laptop spec are you looking for. They can generally get you anything here if you know the right PC shop to go to?
In response to the question: Hi there. I'm looking at getting a new laptop shipped in from America. Dooes anybody know what the latest is on the taxes if I do this? I know a simi...
Posted Saturday August 16th, 2008.
Just checked last month's bill and the rate is 1560 per unit - our landlord is a great guy and we pay the standard domestic rate. Not sure what you can do about getting ripped for "business" rate. We are private individuals after all!!!!
In response to the question: I know similar questions have been asked about this, but... After living for 6 months in my flat, I've discovered that we're paying 3-5 times what ...
Posted Thursday August 21st, 2008.
Now Kathleen all you had to do was Skype me or email and I could have filled you in.
In response to the question: Hi there- Am finally serious about buying a motorbike, but trying now to determine what the best bike is for us. Does anyone know of a good site w...
Posted Tuesday August 26th, 2008.
Yes indeed, just chose a random jeweller on Hang Bac about 2 months ago to get my gold chain repaired. It is an 18ct gold rope chain. They did their best and it cost a whopping 30,000VND. Fixed and ready to go. I then managed to break the actual catch and had that swapped out for 80,000VND. Cheap as chips. It did help that I had someone Vietnamese do the bargaining so could be an interesting experience on your own.
In response to the question: Hi all, I broke some of my favorite pieces of jewelry earlier this year and am wondering if there are any places here that do jewelry repair. Tha...
Posted Tuesday August 26th, 2008.
I will second Atomic's response and advise you to steer clear of Vietcombank at the peril of losing your sanity. Try HSBC or ANZ or any bank that will treat you like a real person. Sadly, Vietcombank have not figured that one out yet.
In response to the question: Can anyone recommend a hassle-free bank where I can start a bank account (either dong or dollars) and make deposits and withdrawals without showing do...
Posted Wednesday September 10th, 2008.
Does anyone know where this elusive indoor "bouldering wall" is located in Hanoi? No sign of it on the website that is posted above.
In response to the question: Hi all, I was wondering if there is anywhere to go climbing around Hanoi. Mostly intersted in indoor but if there was some nice (well-bolted) sports ...
Posted Monday September 15th, 2008.
You could always become a monk. I hear there are many monasteries looking for candidates. That's what I had to do. Let's face it, we are cultures apart and how will you ever know if the socio-economic divide can be breached? As far as my experiences go, it is a case of the better educated or more cultured a Vietnamese girl is, the higher her financial expectations are. Quite frankly, is it really that different to Western society? Maybe the Vietnamese girls just put their expectations out there more openly. I think western women are capable of being more covert, devious and secretive in their motivations. For the lucky few in Vietnam they have managed to sustain an Anglo-Viet relationship, but they are the exceptions rather than the rule. So if you are looking for a Vietnamese partner, don't hold your breath. There are always expat ladies you can chat up......
In response to the question: Okay people...don't bash me too hard here (he-he): Since I have been in Hanoi, I have only met the WRONG types of women. Either they don't speak Engli...
Posted Wednesday September 24th, 2008.
There are loads of sports shops on Nguyen Thai Hoc that sell this sort of equipment but you will find the more professional versions in a shop called Sports 1 on the left hand side about halfway down.(it's a one way street) Sorry I don't have the exact number but it has a huge vertical sign on the outside and they sell just about everything to do with sports and fitness.
In response to the question: does anyone know where i can buy a cross trainer/elliptical trainer in Hanoi? doesn't need to be as good as the ones you get in the gym but still ...
Posted Monday September 29th, 2008.
Steady on Jimbo, no need to fire insults. I also think this is a girl, so your comments are somewhat This person was only asking for advice! With a Mac everything is a lot more straightforward than a PC so sadly, if you are unable to connect then it is highly likely that the network that you are trying to access is locked. If this is not the case then you should open the network preferences option where you find the Airport symbol. Within this you will find an option called Advanced. Click on this and you will see multiple options along the top starting with Airport, TCP/IP etc.
Click on TCP/IP and make sure that the Configure IPv4 is using DHCP. Your friend may have set it to manual but it really needs to be "Using DHCP". If this is not changed, the IP addresses below will not be displayed e.g. Ipv4 Address, Subnet Mask and Router - they should all have numbers after them. Hopefully once you have done this you will be able to get back to the way things were. If not drop me a line.
In response to the question: Hi all I am a mac user having a difficult time acessing FTP WIFI connections around the city. It used to be that I would go to a cafe, select the FTP ...
Posted Tuesday September 30th, 2008.
Try Bat Trang, the ceramic village about 12 km outside of Hanoi on the other side of the river. I have seen piggy banks there in multiple colours.
In response to the question: can anybody help me find a red big piggy bank? I looked around old quarter Hang Ma str, Luong van Can str but not bigger, almost tiny pig and ugly. ...
Posted Monday October 27th, 2008.
Another CELTA course here in Hanoi is offered by Apollo. Same cost and maybe discounts offered for early enrolment but I do know that it is significantly cheaper to do it here than any other country. Good luck. :-)
In response to the question: I'm looking to move to Hanoi - either to Hoan Kiem or Hai Ba Trung - in February of 2009 with my girlfriend. We are wondering what the best way to pla...
Posted Monday October 27th, 2008.
Sorry the link is: http://www.apolloedutrain.com/news/182/13
In response to the question: I'm looking to move to Hanoi - either to Hoan Kiem or Hai Ba Trung - in February of 2009 with my girlfriend. We are wondering what the best way to pla...
Even a small star shines in the darkness
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Dermot Hegarty
My Blog or Websitehttp://www.myspace.com/finnandoisin
Email New Hanoian Member SinceWednesday January 16th, 2008
