Sunday, June 8, 2025

[Travel] Exploring Chiang Mai - Stay at Novotel Nimman Journeyhub and Dinner at Lalarb Laloung

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Took a flight via Scoot from SG to CNX but unfortunately our flight got delayed and we arrived at Chiang Mai pretty late after 2 hours delay. 

Took a van taxi from Chiangmai International Airport for 300 baht to downtown Ninman. Went to one of those counters at the airport, enquired the price from the staff and once agreed, she passed us a piece of paper with the details of our taxi van. Waited for about 10 minutes or so, and the driver came to get us. We were only 4 pax but we have about 5 medium and 3 cabin sized luggages to transport.

hotel lobby

Chiangmai beer

We realized the proximity of the airport and the hotel once we arrived at Nimman. The check-in was smooth and staff informed that our rooms were upgraded as it was booked using Accorplus Gold. Yay!


Deluxe Room



minibar

complimentary snacks


shower


housebrand coffee

The room was spacious and clean. However, it is probably not suitable for platonic friends as the toilet area can be seen from the bedroom as there's a gap between those two areas. The door of the shower room is open out and I suppose one might be exposed when trying to reach the towel? Hmmm. Maybe I'm just too conservative, haha!


We have decided to have dinner at nearby place since our flight got delayed and we were rather hungry. Ivan turned on the Google Maps and led us to our dinner location. It was a case of so near yet so far, as we probably spent 5 minutes trying to align our direction with Google map and then walked for another 12 minutes to reach our dinner location.

The restaurant is not at the main road, so it is probably easier to find during daytime than at night.

There were only 1 table occupied when we arrived and we noticed that the table was also almost done for the night.

There are indoor or alfresco seats, and the staff indicated that we could sit right infront of the drinks fridge.


our view for the night

Staff brought out English menu for us and the order chit was written in Thai. So, we would point to the English menu and informed the staff whom would try her best to match it with the order chit.


English menu

One could also show the staff photos of the dishes that you would like to order and she will try to mark it into the order chit. We did a combo of all sorts and finally, the orders were placed successfully (we hope!)

I got the staff recommendation for beer, and it turned out to be a good choice. Rose beer from Tawandang brewery. Refreshing and slightly sweet.


cheers

I think best not to take the drinks from the fridge ourselves but to inform the staff on what we want and she'll help to take, pour it out into glasses with ice. Keep the bottles/cans nearby as staff will need to count those for the final bill.

cheers to friendship!


Food arrived soon there after and we got confused before realizing what it was and had a few laughs.

stir fried egg with vegetable

spicy soup

fried chicken tendon

Northern Spicy Noodles

grilled intestine, pork neck

We thought we ordered curry but it turned out to be spicy soup. Then somehow our table ended up with french fries (unintentionally).

french fries


sour sour pork with egg


Then, we realized what it was. Some of the items in the order chit were not what we wanted as it was probably a miscommunication on our part with the staff. Staff was apologetic though it was a fault of ours for not translating the order chit to verify. They sent us a coconut dessert for us to try. So sweet of them!

The food portion here was more of izakaya style, except for the Northern noodles. The noodles were interesting as it tasted like mee siam! Hehe, that was one of the surprise discovery. Stir fried eggs with vegetables, sour sour pork with egg and the deep fried chicken tendon / cartilage were good. Spicy soup was tasty and appetizing but kind of hard to share.

Then I decided to try placing order for the foods that we wanted but didn't manage to order successfully in round 1. Ordered beef larb for Ivan, crab fat for Tracy and for myself, got the fried omelette and deep fried pork belly. It was a success as seen from the photos. Haha!

crab fat

fried omelette

beef larb

deep fried pork belly

Sam chan tod (deep fried pork belly) was good. Flavourful on its own.

It was a fun and interesting experience for our first night in Chiang Mai. Thank you to the 2 staff who attended to us that night.


resident cat


Novotel Chiangmai Nimman Journeyhub

Address: 7, 77 หมู่ที่ 2 Huay Kaew Rd, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand

Websitehttps://all.accor.com/lien_externe.svlt?goto=fiche_hotel&code_hotel=B4F8&merchantid=seo-maps-TH-B4F8&sourceid=aw-cen&utm_medium=seo%20maps&utm_source=google%20Maps&utm_campaign=seo%20maps




ละลาบละล้วง Lalarb-Laloung

Address: ร้านละลาบละล้วง, 44 Thetsaban Tambon Change Phueak Soi 1, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand

Business Hours: 

Daily: Wednesday, 11:30 am–10:30 pm


Sunday, May 18, 2025

[Tasting] Drinks&Co. Grill & Cocktails @ Chijmes

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Was invited for a tasting at Drinks&Co Grill & Cocktails at Chijmes and it was such a long time since I last visited that place.

Was a tad worried if the restaurant would be difficult to locate as I've gotten lost in Chijmes years ago (hehe JC would attest to that!). Found out that such worry is unfounded as it was pretty easy to spot Drinks&Co. Grill & Cocktails restaurant.


Drinks&Co Grill & Cocktails



menu

let's try some new items!

HH, yes pls!

alfresco dining


One could enjoy an ice cold beer sitting at the alfresco area and people watch, but with such a humid weather, we enquired if there is indoor dining. 

The staff that we met, Deepa, was lovely and walked with us towards the indoor area. Personally, I think it might be challenging for first-time guest to this location to spot the entrance to the indoor section.

indoor dining


can you feel the vibe

watch the Chefs at the open kitchen

If you would like to dine in private, they do have a beautiful private dining room that one can reserve. Take note of the minimum spending requirements and best to enquire from the staff prior to visit.

private dining room

drinks menu

may I have a slice of lemon in my water?


Cocktails


Singapore Sling

Head on to the bar, if you would like to watch Mike perform his mix for the Singapore Sling~

Mike at the bar







D&C Singapore Sling Premium Set @$29/$26




gems biscuit with the drink

pretty in pink


It has been many years since I last tasted a Singapore Sling. Once upon a time, the choice for cocktails were Singapore Sling, Long Island Iced Tea, Kir Royale...those were the days.

Likewise, plenty of choices available at Drinks&Co. The frozen margarita melted a tad too quickly, probably due to the recent rise in temperature.

Classic Mojito @$24/$20

Pina Colada @$23/$20


Margarita Frozen (passionfruit) @$26/$22



Tapas


D&C Signature Salt & Pepper Squid


D&C Signature Salt & Pepper Squid @$22/$20 (Reg/Mem)




Miso Iberico Pork 250g


Miso Iberico Pork 250g @$34/$32 (Reg/Mem)

closer view of miso iberico pork


Authentic Char Grilled Satay


Authentic Char Grilled Satay (mixed) @$36/32


Fillet Mignon Steaklet


Fillet Mignon Steaklet @$35/$30


Grilled Tacos (2 pcs)


Grilled Tacos (2 pcs - pork) @$20/$18


My favourite dish from the Tapas menu, was the Miso Iberico Pork. Loved the bird eye chili and the pink pickled onions. Yummy combination with well grilled tender pork. Seasoning was on point for this plate.

The salt and pepper squid was sort of a go-to dish for drinks, and loved that it has a bed of greens underneath all the tender squid.

Steaklet of New Zealand tenderloin looked good and was served with garlic butter and garlic confit. The garlic butter tasted a tad too strong for me. There was an interesting 'bulb/sphere' like ingredient on the dish, and it turned out to be aji peppers in red and orangy-amber colour. Not spicy.


Asian Delights


Chilli Crab Dip with Mantou


Chilli Crab Dip with Mantou @$25/$22


The 6 mantous (fried buns) were not enough as the Chili Crab Dip came aplenty. Maybe double the bun size or double the buns? Someone from the group shared that the dip tasted good with the ketupat from the satay dish!


Mains


28 Days Aged Australian Wagyu Ribeye


28 Days Aged Australian Wagyu Ribeye @$99/$94

MB 4/5 ribeye


The meat was of a good ratio of lean and fats, and the flavours were good and not too intense. The roasted potatoes were so good. I didn't get to try the purple salt though.


Pan Seared North Atlantic Halibut



Pan Seared North Atlantic Halibut @$38/$35


Enjoyed the pan-seared halibut for its smooth, buttery texture. 



Sharing Platters (for 3 to 4 pax)


Seafood Platter


Seafood Platter @$155/$145

The seafood platter has grilled king prawns, seared scallops, halibut fish and padron peppers. By now, I noticed that confit garlic has made its appearance in quite a number of dishes served.

It was interesting to see large pieces of padron peppers on the platter. Taste-wise, pretty much like capsicum. King prawns were meaty.


Pizza & Pasta


Truffle Forest Mushroom Pizza


Truffle Forest Mushroom Pizza @$30/$27




Pizza served hot, and yes, the cheese pull game was strong for this one. The sour cream was a surprise contrast to the taste buds. Loved the juicy mushrooms.


Japanese Scallops Aglio Olio Picante 


Japanese Scallops Aglio Olio Picante @$40/$36


Pasta cooked al-dente with generous portions of well-grilled scallops. Adequate seasoning and yes to chili in the pasta.


Dessert

Strawberry Tiramisu @$22/$20

Passionfruit Panna Cotta @$20/$18

Burnt Cheesecake @$22/$20

There is a Dessert Platter (any 2) for $35. The Strawberry Tiramisu (no coffee, no alcohol) was interesting. Soft, fluffy and sweet milky. Strawberry had a tinge of tangy.

I had a bite of Burnt Cheesecake after the Panna Cotta and boy, that brought the savoury-ness of the cheesecake to the fore. I liked cheesecake and wished it could be a larger piece.

cheesecake, buttercrumbs, berry compote


Thank you Kris for the invite and Amanda, Drinks&Co. for hosting the dinner. Special thanks to Chef, and staff whom attended to our table that night.



Drinks&Co. Grill & Cocktails

Address: 30 Victoria St, #01-21/22 CHIJMES, Singapore 187996

Websitehttps://drinksandco.asia/

Contact: 9619 4568

Business Hours: 

Mon-Thu: 12–11 pm

Fri-Sun: 12 pm–12 am


 
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