I should have trusted my instinct utterly when judging a restaurant without tasting its food. However, against this almost-perfect ability, I decided to try Mango Rooms anyway, which then put me into a disappointedly confusing state.

In terms of location, decoration and ambiance, Mango Rooms doesn't have any competitive advantages unique or better than nearby restaurants, such as Cargo Club, Tamtam or Morning Glory...

On the food, I regard it as a fusion restaurant serving Westernized variants of Vietnamese dishes, an unique selling point which I will certainly give a praise for. However, Fusion Failed is what I only could say about Mango Rooms. Though the foods possessed irresistible aromas but the taste was surprisingly just above average. Also, the combinations were so odd that they failed to win my taste buds. Beefsteaks with rice vermicelli! Sorry? Anyone?

Another problem is staffs. Since the menu is full of fusion dishes with mystifying names (La Cubana, Bananarama, and so on... I felt relief to know that there wasn't Abracadabra on the menu), the staffs should have been more attentive to guests, briefed them on food choices, and recommended daily specialties, but they just left us sitting there bewildered by the strange terms in their sort of Fusion Bible instead. And yes, we did ask but felt foggy with the answers, so we opted for our own choices. During the meal, staffs were lukewarm to us, Viet guests, while eager to please other foreign ones, which really pissed me off.

Still, the funniest thing is the prices. Look at what and how much they charged us here:

- $6 for each cocktail, $2.5 for each bottle of 'Danh Thanh' sparkling water - as expensive as a 5-star hotel restaurant.

- $4 for three deep fried spring-rolls - bland taste.

- $18 for a La Cubana with few dice of beefsteaks and rice vermicelli - I'd rather spend the same for a generous portion at Senses or Cargo Club than burn bills in that stingy serving at Mango Rooms again.

- $5 for a Bananarama, in fact 'Che Chuoi' in Vietnamese, which is being sold ubiquitously at street-food stalls with only few thousand dongs per serving.

Ludicrous pricing! Mediocre fusion food, lukewarm attitude! Fine-dining service? Don't even think about it!

Frankly, from the very first day I visited Hoi An and saw Mango Rooms from the outside, my instinct told me this eatery had been not alright. By the way, as a food enthusiast, I gave Mango Rooms a chance of defeating my intuition but this restaurant falled below my expectations, expectedly.

Location: 

Mango Room
111 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An 001011, Vietnam

- Serving best-known Cantonese foods: wonton, roasted duck, roasted pig, little pan rice with chicken or beef, and crispy fried chicken noodles... I posted a photo of menu for you to check out.

- Cheap! just about $2 per dish.

Directions: 187 Ong Ich Khiem st., Da Nang (across from the church) or see it on Google Maps http://g.co/maps/fk35r

Disclaimer:

- Visited Senses about 11 times according to my Foursquare account, mostly at weekend.

- Paid in full, be objective, and haven't yet received any of their incentives, even Twitter/Foursquare deals promoted publicly to its customers.

- I am no stranger to Ritz, Mandarin Oriental. So, my taste buds would be strict when it comes to dining at a luxury hotel.

- I am flexible with staff's experience. They don't need to be professional but the attitude must be hospitable.

Pros:

- Very good, and tranquil ambiance

- Friendly staff and not behave arrogantly towards outside Vietnamese customers like other resorts.

- Extremely extensive menu, maybe the most extensive menu I've ever seen in a hotel restaurant in Da Nang and the surrounding towns.

- Food is worth a top-notch rating for its value. Best hotel restaurant in town, and fairly cheaper than eating at Mandarin Oriental or Centara Grand in BKK.

- Generous portions

Cons:

- In-restaurant lighting has two problems: first, it's slightly dim, and inclined to be quite orange at night. second, in the day, the restaurant is overexposed to natural light. These will make the food less visually attractive.

- Two-person dining table looks a bit narrow but still acceptable.

- Pricey to locals but it's still a good value choice in comparison with other nearby five-star restaurants.

- The view of the section overlooking beach is not really attractive.

- A bit remote from city centre (about 8km)

My favorite picks:

- Liquid nitrogen ice-cream and cocktail - amazing experience ($6-12)

- Pho pizza, Thai curry pizza - flavorful ($11-12)

- Carbonara pasta - excessively creamy ($9)

- Smoked salmon with fried sushi and creamy mushroom sauce ($24)

- Chicken breast with mashed potatoes and pepper sauce ($15)

- Thai green curry ($13) - this has even more Isan influence than the Bangkok variant does.

Location directions: http://www.lifestyle-resort-danang.com/location-en.html

Ấn tượng đầu tiên khá là dè dặt khi nhà hàng này nằm trong khu ăn chơi khá tấp nập ở Phromphong, định kiến của mình là những nhà hàng quanh khu ăn chơi thì đồ ăn thường không ấn tượng mấy.

Thực ra:

- Đồ ăn khá là ngon

- Phần ăn khá nhiều. Mỗi món phải từ 3-4 người ăn.

- Đồ ăn giá từ 150-250 baht / món; nếu đi nhiều người thì mức giá này khá rẻ. Vào quán thấy khách ăn toàn đi theo nhóm 5-6 người, chỉ mỗi mình là đi 1 người. 

- Quán hơi nhỏ, khoảng 3 bàn lớn và 2 bàn nhỏ.

- Phục vụ thân thiện, đồ ăn nhanh.

Địa điểm:

- Từ trạm Phromphong, đi theo Exit 6 ra công viên Benchasiri, đi về hướng Asoke cho đến khi gặp đường Sukhumvit 22.

- Rẽ vào Sukhumvit 22, và đi tiếp cho đến khi nhìn thấy biển Queen's Park Plaza, nhà hàng Thai Room nằm ngay đối diện bên tay trái.

- Thích mê mẩn dàn đèn treo vàng vàng ấm cúng.

- Đồ ăn Thái + Âu: đã chấm thử món Thái chứ chưa gọi món Âu. Không ấn tượng.

- Kem và bánh: khá ngon, sản phẩm chính của iberry bởi vì đây là chuỗi nhà hàng về kem & bánh ngọt có nhiều chi nhánh khác nhau ở Bangkok.

- Giá: hơi cao so với mức trung bình.

Từ trạm BTS Thonglo, theo Exit 3 đi bộ về hướng ngã ba đại lộ Sukhumvit giao với đường Sukhumvit 55. Ở ngã ba, bạn nên chờ đèn đỏ để băng qua vỉa hè bên phải của Sukhumvit 55 (bởi vì đi bộ từ đây đến Thonglo Town Center sẽ không có đèn đỏ cho bạn băng qua đường, tự ý băng qua đường rất nguy hiểm); rồi cứ đi bộ khoảng vài trăm met là đến Thonglo Town Center. Cứ thấy quán coffee Starbucks đầu tiên; nhìn phía trước thấy toàn xe sang thì chỗ đó là Thonglo Town Center, iberry & Wine Loft nằm ngay tầng trệt.