It's been a very festive week. Lots of dinners, lunches and holiday shopping. The weather is getting colder (50-65 degrees), scarves are coming out and several shops have decorated for Christmas. It's definitely helping me get into the holiday spirit....
This week I had dinner with some girls at La Badiane. It's a fancy little place with US prices, but it's a work of art. I tried the three course gastronomic menu:
Crab “remoulade” in ginger essential oil, beetroot Carpaccio & Dalat asparagus
Prawns & sesame, leek in coconut & curry, mashed sweet potatoes, lemon grass emulsion
Hot mellow chocolate with Grand Marnier, tangerine sorbet & coffee deglaze
Not only was this the same week as the holiday party, but it's also my assistant M's last week in the office, we are really going to miss her! Yet, this is the life of the Foreign Service, we are all constantly saying hello and goodbye. One perk of goodbyes are the parties/celebrations.
M, V and I went to Quan Nem for a farewell lunch.
Cutesy stir straws make everything better
There is never enough Nem
We three couldn't finish it!
The full spread: nem, noodles, herbs and fish sauce
I don't think I'll ever be sick of it!
After the lunch, V and I went shopping for the Mission holiday Party..
Hang Ma street is full of holiday cheer!
Santas, anyone?
Stockings and nicknacks galore!
Who needs snow when you have styrofoam?
Even the birdcages are getting festive
Metro wholesale, the Costco of Ha Noi
The HIWC Christmas lunch was this week. We celebrated the HIWC Bazaar's success(it raised over $115,000 USD for local charities!), ate great food and danced a bit. I never thought I would be dancing in the middle of the afternoon at the Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel....or living in Hanoi for that matter!
Even Casual Santa showed up!
Timbale of Eggplant and Chickpeas
Roasted turkey and herbed mashed potatoes and cranberry gravy
Christmas holiday log
The tree in the Hilton lobby, so cute!
Hubs and I have been social butterflies, so we decided it was time for a date night. We chose to try Quan An Ngon. It was filled with Westerners and Vietnamese. Hubs was felt up by a wasted British man who told him that he looked like Robbie Williams and rubbed his abs. It was HUGE. I was told 150 people are employed there, mostly students.
Quan An Ngon
Personalized wet naps--a VN restaurant staple
Banh Xeo, it was almost as good as the one in Da Nang
More nem--are you sick of looking at it?
Would you like a side of MSG with your grilled shrimp?
Lemongrass clams, different style. Not as good as street food.
The power went out after dinner, never a dull moment in Ha Noi!
As we can never have enough celebratory lunches, V and I took M out for dim sum on her last day.
Shark fin soup and Jasmine tea
Assorted dumplings and chinese cabbage
BBQ pork dumplings
Seafood dumplings
Taro and pan fried beef dumplings
Some kind of shrimp concoction, yes, it was as appetizing as it looks:(
Mango pudding
Sesame and peanut dessert
I was so surprised that we were able to find so many things that we needed for the holiday party; stockings for the Marines, festive holiday sprinkles, ornaments, holiday frosting, stocking stuffers, etc. Vietnam is definitely IN the holiday spirit! At the last store that we went to, one of the ladies who works there asked me to translate something for her. Afterwards, V asked her what I get in return. She fussed about it, and then hesitantly shoved me a package.....
Marshmellow rats! Who doesn't love those? I cannot bring myself to eat them....
I hope everyone is having a Happy Holiday season!
Have you ever seen the video for Rock Deejay by Robbie Williams? Hubs should check it out! haha
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