PART ONE: PROMISED LUXURY IN VIETNAM

To my 15,000 readers - from Ho Chi Minh City Airport

AN OASIS IN HO CHI MINH CITY - COMING SOON!

In an area just outside Ho Chi Minh City, An Phu, an oasis for expatriate professionals and international schools, there is a new spa and dining experience coming to market....it's called Dragon's Nest.

Owned by Philipp Hardegger and managed by Michael Kloster, Geoffrey Deetz, their F&B consultant and the same owner of Black Cat (see below) who gave me a ring to come by for a visit on their soft-opening day.

Feeling somewhat confident about spa cuisine and facilities since I had reviewed previously for TRAVEL & LEISURE Thailand's famous Chiva Som over a 3 day stay.....I quickly accepted the invitation and found my way there within hours.

Taking over an entire villa of about 6000 square feet, Dragon's Nest is nicely appointed with great design touches like Vietnamese made chandeliers and light shades. I've seen a lot of Vietnamese interior design in my time, but this was really beautiful stuff!

On soft-opening day, it was our luck to have the power cut off to those beautiful chandeliers, so most of Dragon's Nest offerings were on "hold."

Due to the power issue, I passed on the full spa treatment and luncheon. However, I did manage a freshly squeezed orange juice (only fresh fruit available that day) from an over zealous staff and a great massage by a well-trained professional named Hung.

Dragon's Nest promises to be the sanctuary which well-heeled residents and visitors will one day adore....a spa, restaurant, massage, chill out terrace, pool, bar (great reds from California which Michael helped me sample!), a gym and beauty, nail & yogo studios.

With Michael and Geoffrey involved, I had no qualms about giving away my discount vouchers to some of Ho Chi Minh City's most attractive working professionals.

Now, I'll wait for the grand opening and for the kinks to be worked out.....where I'll update you on the cuisine and the rest of the facilities and I'll review Vietnam's version of the Orient Express.....stay tuned to this blog in January!

PART TWO: THE BIG CHEESE COMES TO VIETNAM

Move over Big Mac......Whopper....here comes The Big Cheese!

I was searching for a friend of mine, Geoffrey Deetz, from the Bay Area who was consulting for a restaurant in Vietnam. I managed finally to track him down in Ho Chi Minh City.

Geoffrey, a very talented chef and brewmaster, now has his very own place called "Black Cat" (named by Geoffrey supposedly to offset all of the bad luck other restaurants have had in that very location at #13 Phan Van Dat in the city's famous District One.)

Besides being known for some delicious Vietnamese - American sandwiches (called Banh Mi in Vietnamese) and spring rolls, Black Cat has the distinction of serving, perhaps, the world's biggest - always on available - hamburger.

Measuring a kilo and a half in size, this burger called "The Big Cheese" is the biggest I've ever seen or tried. Costing about US$13 (again that lucky number!), it's made with lean Argentine beef and smothered with 4 slices of cheese, six slices of bacon, 3 tomatoes, one whole onion, a head of butter lettuce and one sliced pickle. All of this sits nicely on a custom-made sesame seed bun.

I liked it and I liked it even more when I was told the pickle and the ketchup was homemade!

(My only disappointments were the service staff and the french fries which could not have been homemade!)

The back walls of Black Cat are adorned with those who came, ate and survived The Big Cheese.

According to Geoffrey, "The Big Cheese was created for the expatriate businessmen in the region who were hungry for a good burger"......after this burger, Geoffrey is sure they wouldn't want to see another burger for a month!

If The Big Cheese is not quite what you want, Black Cat offers a number of Vietnamese style curries and a unusual Mexican Fried Rice as well as some soups and salads.

Be sure to call (08-829-2055) Black Cat to get directions and before the world descends on them since they were listed by CNN.com to be amongst the ten top restaurants to eat in the world!

So, what are you waiting for?