Albee's Kitchen, Cabramatta NSW

Fresh from its success in Campsie, Albee's in south-west Sydney is packing them in at their new outlet in Cabramatta - at 2/44 Park Street.  Again, the dining place is not that large, but the menu is varied. although perhaps not as extensive as that in Campsie. The Cabramatta outlet competes with food from Vietnam and other parts of south-east Asia, even if the target market is the same. On my recent visit with four of us in a group on a Sunday, what stood out was the yong tau foo in soup and the Hainan chicken rice.  Yong tau  foo is simply goodies like pork and fish mousse stuffed in deep fried tofu pockets  with all swirling in a rich stock soup, replete with cut chilis and okra. My own favourites from Albee's remain the satay skewers, the South Indian mee rebus, the Fujian lobak rolls, nasi lemak, Marmite-flavoured pork ribs and the piping hot Kuching-styled but Cantonese-inspired clay pot noodles.

The tamarind-flavoured Thai-styled assam laksa (photo above) is an integral part and parcel of Penang Island street food.  The version we had at Albee's I reckon must have been modified to suit Sarawak cooking styles on the island of Borneo.  The white fat noodles used were larger than what we expected.  The garnishing of cut pineapple, mint and Spanish onions were there as tradition requires. Somehow the taste of the stock soup was different, perhaps they had used another type of fish other than the preferred mullet.  It did not have the rich intensity that can be found in the Penang and Thai versions.  We also figured out about the choice of black shrimp paste (har ko)  utilised that is quintessential to making the assam laksa that is craved by expectant mothers, immigrant adults and others who grew up with this niche dish.  Galangal, shallots, ginger  flower stalks, fermented shrimp paste (the belacan) and lemon grass are the key ingredients when making the required paste fresh.

Cabramatta remains an eating,  commercial and shopping hub for Sydney, with a variety and liveliness that is fascinating fro any visitor. We spotted pandanus plants on sale in the mall; had durian milkshakes; and pased by several fabric shops. Fruits eyes included the mangosteens and mangoes grown in Australia.

Jonga Jip Korean, Eastwood NSW - Revisited

Jonga Jip Restaurant in the north-western Sydney suburb of Eastwood has opened another outlet, this time in front of the rail station along Railway Parade and next door to the Eastwood Hotel.  This is in addition to their original restaurant at 87 Rowe Street. The second place has a homely feel, although with the same press ring bells on dining tables, which are spread out across two shop fronts, with two levels for guests. Above, a potato ball takes pride of place to whet your appetite before the arrival of your mains.

With my first bite, I was agreeable to the sea bream roe mixed with rice and other concoctions (picture above).  This was, all at the same time, crunchy, refreshing and tasty, reminding me of cous cous, but not quite.  The dish turned out to be more veg than anything else, with fresh, pickled and sliced versions all served in a heady and yet subtle sensation.  My friend had a tofu soup.

The collection of entree dishes are what always impresses me at Jonga Jip.  They range from salads
(photo above) to spiced up  potato-based creations (picture below) and are served in smaller flat but round utensils that always have a dash of gravy, spice and garnishing.  Such entrees include tofu, seaweed, jelly pieces (final picture below),  pickled radish, bean sprouts, cucumber slices and more.

The seafood shallot pancakes or Pajeon are still in super size and should serve a hungry family of four right.
Marbled short ribs and Bibimbap could be seen served at other tables when we were there.  What caught my eye was a dish that combined kimchi with mashed potatoes in a heady mix called Ban chan, symbolic of East meeting West.  After Saturday lunch, I was introduced to a nearby cafe, called the Cafe Bom, where I had a filtered drip Dutch coffee and an intensely tasty Italian green tea flavoured gelato served in a Korean contemporary setting of wall papered surroundings with Euro styled tables and chairs.  It had been a most interesting Korean-themed Saturday afternoon.

Tan Dinh Cathedral - Saigon, Vietnam

With a strong Gothic, Roman and Baroque style plus obvious French roots, the 136 year old Tan Dinh Cathedral along Hai Ba Trung in District 3 in Saigon glows  - from the distance and close up - with a distinctive and elegant presence and stature. I was fascinated with the gabled roofs, its tower standing at 52.6 meters, a bronze cross, sizable gardens, fish scaled roof tiles, strong porticoes and its obvious pink outer walls.  There is a school on its grounds and also a statue of Christ with out stretched arms.

Inside the Cathedral, there are shrines to Saint Therese of Lisieux, Saint Martin de Porres and also to Catholic martyrs of Vietnamese background.  The layout of pews, richly stained windows, arched columns and some austere non-trappings are all evocative of Catholicism and yet evoke another time, another place.

Tan Dinh is near by the Pasteur Institute, the Tan Dinh Markets and the Women's Museum.  The nearby markets offer a variety of fascinating produce, live, dried and fresh.  Binh Tay and Ben Tanh are examples of other popular markets in Saigon, referred to as cho.  The picture below shows a view of Hai Ba Trung in Saigon, standing from the front of the Cathedral.

Nha Trang, Vietnam - Long San Pagoda

At the foot of Trai Thy Mountain, in Nha Trang, lies the Long San Pagoda. This is recommended for any visitor to Nha Trang who wants a break from the beach and scuba diving scene and understand better the grassroots life of the locals. It has a unique address of 22 October 23 Street.  There is a bell pavilion, a Sleeping Buddha, a giant pink coloured container and a strong sense of tradition and heritage.

Mosaic murals and motifs are scattered around the main shrine hall, from which you can see two illustrative examples - a legendary animal above and the Chinese script for "fa" or prosperity in Mandarin, below.

Standing at 14 meters tall, the representation of the Gautama Buddha occupies the highest point in the complex, sitting on a lotus blossom with a circumference of 7 meters.  The long dragons protecting them are 7.2 meters long each.  This Buddha overlooks the city and the ocean, in a classic and traditional repose of 'sitting on  mountain and looking at the sea".  One walks up a couple of squat outdoor staircases from the main shrine hall and is rewarded by views from a vantage point.

There are visibly three levels to walk up when you approach the Long San from a busy street side in an inland part of the city. You can walk back from this temple complex back to the Nha Trang tourist and ocean waterfront in under 30 minutes, after ducking hordes of motor cycles and walking past various forms of commerce.  here in Long San, you can savour  the tranquility and timelessness of patience, compassion and architecture.  For the latter, it is evident there are strong influences from not just China, but from Kampuchea, Thailand and India.

Nha Trang, Vietnam - Transitions

National Geographic has condemned Nha Trang beaches in 2010 as suffering "over development without a watchful eye".  I could sense some of this as my fellow travellers and I walked along the main beach area (the Tran Phu coast), noticing continuing construction of major hotels along an otherwise clean and soft sand stretch with outer isles visible on the horizon.  The Tutukaka Coast of Northland in New Zealand, the northern coast of Mozambique, Broome in Western Australia and the southern coast of Sri Lanka were rated highly by Nat Geo in that survey (99 Top Coastal Destinations on  http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/coastal-destinations-rated/
Above picture shows a view from the KFC joint in the tourist hub in Nha Trang, especially favoured by Russian visitors of all ages as the city has direct flight connections with Russia.  Not far from this corner is the Sailing Club.

A bird's eye view of Nha Trang city from a look out point (picture above) contrasts with the main city beach in the early morning mid-week (photo below).   The city has lively markets in the evenings, a growing population drawing immigration from other parts of Vietnam and is foreseen to have significant changes in the coming years - I am reminded of Phuket and Pattaya in Thailand in their hectic tourist affected  years in the seventies and eighties.  How this late comer to the competitive beach scene navigates through the economic, commercial and political temptations, opportunities and dangers of being an international beach destination,  is worth watching.  There is an interesting local life away from the tourist areas and how the benefits and risks of tourism affect them is in the end the most important thing, apart form the tourist dollars.  Nha Trang was the site of the Miss Universe competition in 2008.

A placid moment with only few vehicles in front of the official government building of culture (above). The municipal area continues to expand with housing and commercial development across what was once naturally kept plains towards the mountains (below).   Both the French colonists and American marines loved this place fortunate enough to have an impressive bay - which Travel & Leisure magazine included as part of the top 29 beautiful bays in the world. Its site harks back to the Champa Kingdom more than a thousand years ago - you can view the rather intact Po Nagar Towers north of Nha Trang central.  It is now a significant scuba diving, kite boarding, birds nest collection and lobster farming centre for Vietnam, although do avoid the monsoon season from mid-October to December.

Art deco (above) can be encountered along the main strip at Nha Trang's city beach.  Below, a view from the top floor of our hotel looking out at a main tourist street replete with scuba diving shops, local food and fruit outlets, tourist orientated cafes and restaurants, retail shops offering day excursions and visitor accommodation.  There is a heightened risk of security and creepiness late at night in Nha Trang, although when we were there it approached Halloween night, with many street and restaurant parties  not just involving visitors but the locals.

My group had the chance to spend a day at a beach an hour by van out of Nha Trang and we already noticed more beach hotels being built or planned as we went along the highways away from the city itself.
We had a local themed lunch like a picnic, with tasty grilled meats on skewers, lots of cut fruits and salads plus cold beer and drinks.  Life looks more pleasurable and simpler lying on a deck chair on a remote beach in Vietnam.