Somehow, I don't even know why, I was always reluctant to try Vietnamese food. I would have this mindset that Vietnamese food will not suit my tastebud. Hell, I was so wrong and so thankful that I tried to eat Vietnamese food for the first time here in monViet. I actually passed by this restaurant for quite a lot of time during my stay in Jakarta and only until recently that I decided to eat here.

monViet, of which I visited in Pondok Indah Mall, is a restaurant franchise developed by a Vietnamese guy called Hai with his mother's family recipe in his hand. His intention to introduce this delicacy to people outside Vietnam finally gave birth to this authentic Vietnamese restaurant. I would say I am very happy if this is the real taste of Vietnam cuisine since I haven't been to Vietnam to taste the real deal.


Entering the restaurant, it was as if I was transported to Hoi An, Vietnam. Well, I haven't been there, but I have seen quite a lot of pictures on the web that I am obnoxiously sure that they are trying to represent that image (lol). Well, you could see why they are representing Hoi An from the bright yellow colored walls that are meant to replicate the houses' facade from the ancient town. Moreover, the lanterns hanging around the restaurants surely give away the vibe of Hoi An. They also know how to make the details, like the furniture and dinnerware, to enhance the feels of being in of the most visited towns in Vietnam.

Pho Dac Biet (IDR 87K)

The dish was served with a plate of Thai basil leaves and a big slice of lime. Before putting the whole side dish into the bowl of noodle, I tried the dish as it was. My experience of the first spoonful of the rice noodle, a sliced beef, and broth, turned out to be love at the first mouthful of it. Rich, flavorful, savory, and somehow fresh! I was astonished and at the same time regretted why I never tried this delicacy earlier. Pho could be one of my favorite food and my unreasonable negative thought of Vietnamese food directly vanished by tasting this well-made noodle dish.

Next, I tried to put the side dish of Thai basil leaves and squeeze the lime juice to see what will happen, only to find that it gave a better, greater rich taste to the dish! It would not be for everyone though, especially for the Thai basil leaves. For me, I really loved how the herbs added an extra texture and a small kick of spiciness to the dish. And for the lime, it added the freshness that I liked from pho. I couldn't help myself to leave the broth unfinished. So this pho was ended as an empty bowl! That was how delicious it was to me and moreover, the aftertaste didn't irritate my throat like some other soup noodle dishes.


I didn't have the chance to tried the restaurant's specialty: Bun Bo Hue, which is said to be quite spicy. But I am glad that I tried their Banh Mi, the well-known Vietnamese sandwich. It is surely influenced by the French people since the base bread they usually use is baguette. I ordered Banh Mi Thit Cha, a baguette overfilled with shredded spiced chicken, ham, chicken liver pate, as well as herbs and vegetable garnishes. For this dish, we could opt to have the banh mi to be sliced into max four pieces for a more effortless experience eating it.

Banh Mi Thit Cha (IDR 66K)

Again, this was totally an unexpected experience. Another love at first bite. The banh mi has many levels and textures of amazing taste. Starting from the very crunchy baguette crust yet very soft and fluffy inside. The fillings blended as a whole extremely tasty experience! The garnishes and spices really gave the whole dish a punch of freshness to the dish and complemented the meats inside. If you take a good look at the picture, you could also find some small slices of spicy chilli. It is surely very spicy when you got to have a direct bite, but all I could say that the chili slices were also an unexpectedly good experience. I could really eat this kind of food every day! It really makes sense why this dish is very popular among the travelers in Vietnam.


My first experience of tasting Vietnamese delicacy surely is a good one. Thankfully, I could experience it here at monViet. This could be my regular spot whenever I am craving for some freshness and tanginess of Banh Mi and Pho! For those wanting to experience what they said at authentic Vietnamese food, this is the place to go.

Once in a while, I love to try random eateries and since the presence of Zomato, it became so easy to foresee whether a restaurant or cafe is worth to be visited. As I am right now staying near Pondok Indah Mall, it is not impossible that there would be a time when I have had visited each one of the eateries there (lol). So long story short, Blacklisted, was on my list.

Blacklisted is a cafe that serves coffee as their specialty along with all-day breakfast foods. Aside from that, you could find quite a variety of menus to choose from, similar to what a usual cafe could offer. In Pondok Indah Mall, this cafe is located on the Street Gallery complex, side by side with a plethora of restaurants and cafes. From the outside, the cafe seems to be crampy and have a very limited seating. Turns out, they provide a greater space at the back reserved for smoking area. Thankfully, I arrived pretty early that there is no single person inside and could enjoy the better-designed space without any smokers.


I had a great first impression when I entered this better-looking dining area. The interior design is very contemporary and somewhat classy. The black wall finish somehow complements the brown leather banquette, wooden chair, and white marble tabletop. The classy-feel, thanks to the leather sofa, become pretty prominent as it contrasts with the wall and floor color. I really love how they combine the color scheme of black, white, and brown. Not forget to mention the beautiful pendant lamps that shape like upside-down classic lanterns.

On one side of the interior, we could see yellow jars, teapot, and cups adorn the whole interior. Quite bold, and turns out that the yellow color is the trademark color of their brand.

After looking around, I found a spot, or we could say a corner that was very interesting in terms of design. Looks like a study area or reading area in a library, with aesthetic decorations adorns the shelves above the table.


I somehow did not choose from the coffee menu nor the breakfast menu. Well, I could be planning to go back here for that as how enjoyable the ambiance is. At that opportunity, I tried their Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil. Tasted quite good and really love the garlic bread that came with it. The soup was thick and have a nice earthy taste to it. And hey, the portion was big and suited to my liking. A great start to my meal.


The main dish that I ordered that noon was Norwegian Salmon with Lemon Beurre Blanc. To be honest, I was risking myself to order this as this was my first time eating salmon that was pan-seared. As I always loved my salmon to be smoked or sauteed in order to keep the moisture, pan-seared salmon, in my thought would be dry and overcooked. Thankfully I was wrong! The dried part was only on the outside and moreover added an extra crispy texture to the usual moist and succulent salmon. The mashed potato and the lemon butter sauce also went pretty well with the salmon. I love this dish!


I may not have tried their specialty and could not judge the cafe quite yet. But through my short experience here, I love the interior so much that I would come back just to enjoy that. For the food, it was great and it might be a representation of how the whole menu in this cafe taste. Since this cafe is not new, it would also reflect how they could keep up with their food quality.


BLACKLISTED

One of the best things staying at this hotel is how the hotel is located just across an MRT station. For the sake of convenience travelling around the city, this hotel is surely on the top list. It is also located close to numbers of cafes and restaurants as well as a shopping centre which is all within walking distance. Better yet, the hotel acts as an oasis especially for the hotel guests since there are numbers of gardens inside the building.


A tip from me, when you are going to stay here, don't hesitate to book the club room. The rate difference between standard and club room is insignificant as you get so many perks compared to the standard room. The best perk staying in club room is that the room is way more spacious than the standard rooms and it provides a bathtub for those longing to pamper themselves after a city exploration.

One of the advantages of staying in Club Room is the separate check-in area on the Club Floor which is exclusive only to club guests. The club floor also is where the Club Lounge and Infinity Pool located. After a hassle-free check-in, we used a different elevator to reach our room.


As we could all see, the hotel heavily incorporated a certain geometrical shape that resembles the hotel logo almost in every part of the building interior. One of the beautiful examples of the shape usage is visible on the room number sign that I like so much! The shape is also visible in each room in a different way as a wooden decor. The room design is quite simple yet feels sophisticated. There are nicely positioned alcove lighting above the headboard as well as on the ceiling that elevates the sophisticated feels to the room. Moreover, the hanging bronze side lamps also add to the whole contemporary-ish interior design. The bed itself is very plush and I remembered having a great sleep on it. Staying in this hotel also grant the guests free use of a Handy mobile phone which can be used for unlimited phone call to certain countries and unlimited internet during your stay.

The bathroom is separated by a one-way sliding mirror partition that provides a view to the room from the inside. One note, the one-way mirror is quite ineffective when the bathroom is brightly lit while the room itself is not. So it could be quite awkward if you stay in this room with your friends. But nevertheless, the bathroom is very enjoyable especially with a bathtub in it.


Since we were counted as club guests, we were able to enjoy canapes at the Club Lounge. The Club Lounge also provides free flow alcoholic beverages. The food quality, even though limited in variety, was great. One of the most memorable foods served were the smoked salmon topped with caviar. I shamelessly took it way more than a normal people would in a seating!



The club lounge was more enjoyable than most of other hotel's club lounge I had ever visited because it comprised of the infinity pool and lounge area outside the Club Lounge room. Since the whole floor is a club floor, we could freely choose where to sit and enjoy the meticulously made canapes. Surely, this floor is easily my favourite spot on this hotel.

Usually, club exclusive pool would be narrow and small while the main swimming pool would be large and spacious. In Oasia Hotel Downtown, it is the opposite! The club swimming pool is not only spacious but also surrounded by garden-like surroundings. Moreover, the swimming pool is covered from direct sunlight which makes this pool a perfect place to chill around. Not forgetting to mention that the view from the pool is also mesmerizing as it directly faces Chinatown with its rows of heritage townhouses.


Located on the top floor of the building, the common swimming pool area is also worth to be explored. Even though there is no infinity feature and beautiful view, the surrounding lounge area is even better than what the club floor provides! Especially in this floor, we could see the beautiful and colourful Tropicalia chairs by Patricia Urquiola. The lounge area is also surrounded by detailed brick walls that go so well with the perforated shades of green ceilings.


The only thing that was quite disappointing was the breakfast. It was surely not the great service I was complaining about, but the breakfast spread itself. For this beautifully designed restaurant, the food quality and the very limited variety of foods available for the breakfast just didn't hit the right score. Breakfast spread was very basic, some continental, Asian, and American delicacies were all enough to be displayed on a row of a buffet table. Moreover, on the next day, most of the menu was repeated.  It was also such a let down as the taste of the foods for the breakfast did not have similar quality with the one they served in Club Lounge. I don't know whether this issue is still present, but hopefully, they managed to make it better!


Staying in a new hotel surely will bring some kind of hit-and-miss guests' experience. But in Oasia Hotel Downtown, I would easily forget those shortfalls just because of how enjoyable the Club Lounge area was. This hotel is still a good recommendation especially for those looking for a short escape from the bustle of Singapore as the hotel could at least keep up what the name Oasia meant to be, an oasis.


OASIA HOTEL DOWNTOWN SINGAPORE