The places introduced today are all located around the Jing’an Temple and Reel Mall area~~~~ The annex of Reel Mall is home to various restaurants in its basement food court, including Busan, Douxiangyuan, Xiao Yang Fry Dumpling, Macau Restaurant, Wagas, Honeymoon Dessert, Brioche Dorée, Starbucks, Yu Gui Ren, Xishu, McDonald’s, etc… But since they are all chain stores, there’s nothing particularly special, and due to the heavy foot traffic in the surrounding area, it gets very crowded during meal times…

So, it’s worth exploring some more niche spots~~~~ Let’s start with Le Sushi, located on the first floor of Reel Mall. It’s actually a branch of the Anfu Road location, and also part of the Wagas group~~~ The Wagas group owns brands such as Wagas, Mr. Willis, Mi Thai, La Strada, Baker&Spice, CIRKA, and many others… Wagas has also recently opened a new Italian restaurant branch called Henkes next door, which shares space with Reel’s own bar, Rat Tar Art Bar~~~

The ambiance is excellent—minimalist, elegant, and very comfortable. On nice days, the outdoor seating is a great option. It wasn’t too crowded during our weekday lunch visit, and the service was good. Only set menus are available at lunch; three of us ordered three different sets:

Four Happiness Pot, served with side dishes, chawanmushi, miso soup, and steamed rice~~~ Sweet and delicious~~~

Salmon fillet, served with side dishes, chawanmushi, miso soup, and steamed rice—I forgot to try this one…

Now for the highlight: this 148 RMB set menu, which includes sashimi, grilled fish, tonkatsu, onion beef, octopus, chawanmushi, miso soup, sashimi rice bowl, and tempura…
It was so satisfying…

Here are two photos of the ambiance:

Next, let’s talk about Jinniu Yuan on the second floor of Reel Mall, serving Vietnamese cuisine. Aside from Da Hui Xiang, I haven’t really had much Vietnamese food before. This restaurant is quite spacious. We visited on a weekend, and they’re offering a 20% discount on weekends this month. It wasn’t too crowded inside, so the atmosphere was pleasant, and the service was attentive—they refilled our water frequently~~~

Duck Breast on Shrimp Chips: a layer of shrimp chips topped with pineapple and a slice of duck breast, finished with Thai sweet chili sauce. One bite and you’ll be satisfied with both the flavor and texture.

Soft Shell Crab Rice Paper Rolls, served with a modified fish sauce—the taste is pretty good~~~~

Their signature Grilled Fish has very few bones, large chunks of meat, crispy skin, and tender flesh—delicious~~~

Beef Meng, a cold salad dish, makes for a perfect summer main course and tastes great too~~~ Sweet and tangy~~~~

Finally, let’s discuss The Long Bar at The Puli. Every time I visit The Puli, I’m impressed by the thoughtful design—from the use of water features and minimalist style to the various artworks and antique furnishings, not to mention the stunning outdoor setting and the 30-meter-long indoor bar counter~~~~ The service is also exceptional, with every staff member proactively greeting guests.

The outdoor seating area is fantastic, featuring sofas large enough to lie on and a huge pool right in front~~~ There’s a row of candles in the back. Aside from a few mosquitoes, everything else was perfect—you can even ask for a blanket to cover up~~~ Of course, as the weather gets hotter, there won’t be many more days left to enjoy the outdoors~~~

The long indoor bar counter has partitions separating every two seats, with projected light effects displayed on the dividers…

Lastly, here’s a photo of Bali in Jing’an Park:

Photos in this post taken with SONY NEX-5R + 35mm f1.8, post-processed in Lightroom.

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Japanese Cuisine, Vietnamese Cuisine