posted about 2 weeks ago by MissPride
about the venue: Jaspas

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Chatter and drinks over a few friendly games of billiards at Jaspers is a lovely way to pass time. Chris, the brand manager at Jaspers, is a great billiards player and is more than happy to stand in if one is a player short for a game. Chris is a wonderful person - cordial, respectful, easy-going. It's easy to feel relaxed around him.

The Chocolate Milkshake (63,000 VND?) was decent - the balance of bitter and sweet is better than other Hanoian chocolate milkshakes tried thus far, but it's still not quite there yet. Also, the milkshake feels more like a milk ice - it's got a bit too much iciness and could really use a boost in creaminess instead.

The chopped tomato on the tomato bruschetta arrived well-seasoned - but undrained, so the bruschetta toast was soggy at parts where juices had soaked through. The flatbread triangles with dip was amazing - the flatbread was, not the dip. While the wasabi(?) dip was not necessarily bad, its mustard-y flavor did not compliment the soft, warm, chewy flatbread, which was actually quite lovely on its own.

posted about 2 weeks ago by MissPride
about the venue: Zig-Zag Cafe

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A rather quiet spot that is tucked away on a little side road, this cafe easily eludes most passers-by - hidden by the side road upon which it sits and the obscure staircase that leads to the final destination: a plant-lined outdoor walkway beyond which lies a quaint little cafe patio fringed by an array of more lush, green plants.

The service was attentive without being intrusive. Drinks and entrees were all served in a timely manner.

The Vegetable Fried Rice (35,000/45,000 VND) was a textural delight. The rice arrived speckled with a healthy portion of tender carrots and peas – the “vegetable” part of Vegetable Fried Rice. Eggs had been thoroughly mixed into the rice, giving it a kick in moistness and flavor. The elements were all in balance and complemented each other well.

As Snellopy previously stated, the entrée portions might be a bit on the small side. A dining mate - who is known to almost never finish his meal - actually polished off his plate save for his greens. (The greens were actually quite good and authentic in flavor - he just was not in the mood for them.)

Pressed juices at Zig-Zag Café are freshly pressed and not diluted. A glass of Apple Juice (25,000 VND) came topped with the froth that always results from pressing apples and pears. Unfortunately, the juice did taste a bit bland, because the apple itself wasn’t very sweet (a thought that the apple slice that adorned the glass later confirmed).

posted about 3 weeks ago by MissPride
about the venue: Festa (Ly Quoc Su)

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The roof terrace at Festa provides a lovely atmosphere for relaxed conversation, both for large, rowdy welcoming parties and for small groups of friends looking to relax over Italian and a few drinks. Kudos to the waiter who solely handled five tables' worth of teachers at the welcome party during the first visit. He managed to keep every single person's bill separate and accounted for without a hitch - or pen and paper while taking orders. Quite a feat. The orange juice that was ordered was unspectacular, but the atmosphere was lovely.

The second visit was greeted, and served, by the same waiter, who amazingly remembered the previous order and asked if an orange juice would be desired - impressive. As impressive as the service was, the set dinner of Tomato Bruschetta and Meat Ravioli in Tomato Sauce was, like the orange juice, unspectacular. The bruschetta, four slices of toasted bread covered in chopped fresh tomato, olive oil, and a sparse sprinkling of basil, lacked depth in flavor. The Meat Ravioli in Tomato Sauce arrived warm - no curls of inviting steam wafting up to greet an eager diner to be found. While the ravioli itself was decently portioned, the meat filling, which looked rather unappealingly generic, was most certainly not. The tomato sauce in which the ravioli was bathed was equally generic, both in appearance and in flavor. Overall, the best word to describe the dish was, unfortunately, "unimpressive."

On the brighter side, the hot chocolate, although served in a rather small coffee cup, was a great balance of bitter and sweet goodness - the best thus far. It was so good, in fact, that a second cup was requested towards the end of the otherwise mediocre Italian meal.