Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Une oasis d'amour loin de la grisaille: a post from Hubs

There have been times recently during the Hanoi’s grey winter that one can begin to think that the glow of love and life have been put into hibernation. So we (my beautiful wife and I) have had to find ways to re-ignite that zest and energy into our daily lives.  What better way to do that, than a brilliant date night after a long, exhausting week of work.

We decided to head to a highly regarded French restaurant here in Hanoi named La Badiane. The wifey had been there once for dinner with a couple of her girlfriends, but we decided to head over for dinner and romance.

Before we get to the amazing flavors, I just wanted to mention something that inspired both of us last week. Sometimes when you meet a new person you know that they are a force of positive change in the world, and it inspires you to be a better person.  We have always tried to live by the motto of “Make the place better than you found it.” 

It’s especially inspiring to meet like-minded people so far away from the U.S. We had the pleasure of meeting a woman who is newly arrived to Hanoi.  She had just come from Japan and lived there during and after the tsunami.  In the year following the disaster, she and her family would go out every weekend to a new small town outside of the city limits and deliver food, medical supplies, and whatever help they could offer to citizens.  Many times, they were the only people that had come to the village with help. She told us amazing stories of how one village that was primarily inhabited by senior citizens “adopted” their family. They would light up every time they came to town not because they were delivering the essentials in order to help them get by until the next shipment. They would light up because they were generally happy to see them. Imagine a world where your smiling is not dictated by the things you have, but by relishing in the happiness of having someone there to share a smile and a laugh…no matter the language. It made both of our hearts smile and made us think about what we can do to make Hanoi brighter.  We promise that ideas are in the works and we will let you know when they happen.

So now onto another form of happiness: food.

La Badiane, for those that have not been, is a quaint little French restaurant that has a couple of floors. Coincidentally, it is located right across the street from Quan An Ngon, (a bustling Times Square-like restaurant that is huge and sprawling with tourists). We walked in and were greeted by a very smiley hostess who showed us to our table.
We ordered a bottle of Cab/Zin blend from South Africa and took a peek at the menu.  They have a set menu with either three or six course options.  We opted for the three course option. Both of us are trying to watch our girlish figures before we head off to the tropics for holiday soon.
WARNING THE FOLLOW ENTRIES MAY REQUIRE BIBS FOR DROOL CONTROL
First Course



He Had: Beef Carpaccio with pistachio oil, with gorgonzola and fig samosas


She had: King Prawn Bisque 

For the main plates-


She had: Salmon escalope, with a parmesan cracker, saffron risotto in red wine sauce and a white wine emulsion. It tasted as good as it sounds.



He had: Lamb Shank with “harissa” seasoning in a bowl of couscous with fresh jus. The lamb shank literally just fell off the bone and was amazing.

And finally for the piece de resistance- a.k.a heaven a.k.a sugarland a.k.a. dessert


She had: Hot molten chocolate with Grand Marnier, tangerine sorbet and coffee demiglace


He had: Strawberries “mille-feulles” with pistachio ice cream

Darn that bikini body to heck, I’d rather enjoy La Badiane again and again then worry about how I look in a swimsuit.
<please note that Hubs wrote this, I guess he is planning to wear a mankini in Bali next weekend!>

Thursday, January 24, 2013

For my Broski, with Love

Three months ago, I got an email with a picture attached:

"This... is food. I have yet to see any food I would eat on your blog. Hope all is well. Love, j"


These are delicious pizza bagels, made by my brother aka #1blogfan J

I have heard these same words from many people in my friends and family circles. 
However, there is a lot of American food available in Hanoi. 
Last night, I went to a steakhouse that J would approve of: Jackson's Steakhouse
They serve Australian beef and it's pretty delicious.


Delish calamari, J would not like this, sorry, but I loved it


Sesame crusted tuna, sorry again J, I promise I am getting to food you like!


BAM! 
Grilled tenderloin with hashbrowns! 
J, have you booked your flight yet??


Pepper steak with bacon wrapped green beans and mashed potatoes
This was my dinner, it was ah-mazing, and I took half of it home for Hubs, which he appreciated


Atlantic salmon, not brother approved, 
but another delicious western option for the other skeptics out there


Since it was my first time at Jackson's, and I went with some friends who are regulars there, they made us Crepes Suzette, on the house!


Crepes suzette, the perfect balance of fresh fruit and sugary goodness

So, there you have it friends and family;
a deliciously western meal in the middle of SE Asia.
Does it make any of you out there more inclined to visit?

On a sidenote:
my brother is a very handsome eligible bachelor, 
with excellent humor and taste,
who is looking for a special lady: 
All interested parties can email nicole.lea.schirm@gmail.com


I LOVE YOU BROSKI!





Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Our getaway from the gray: Phu Quoc Island

I think the best advice we have received since we moved here is "Hanoi can get really gray, don't let it get to you, get out of the city and travel."

So last weekend, we did. We went to Phu Quoc island, a Vietnamese island just south of Cambodia. We stayed at the Eden Resort, which was not our first choice, but it was pretty nice.


We were greeted with watermelon juice.


The view from our balcony


Another view from our balcony


The pool

After we checked in, we did exactly what everyone should do when they arrive on an island: we went to the beach...


Not too shabby...


The boys enjoying the sun


Fishermen reeling in the daily catch: MANUALLY, there were two sets of them


Hubs joined in the fun...


Hubs helping reel in the daily catch

After a few hours on the beach, we decided to walk up the beach to see what we could see..


American priced jet skis, no thanks!



The Aroma Spa, surrounded by trash...not so aromatic...


We stopped for a happy hour at a nearby resort and enjoyed the sunset...


There are fishing boats everywhere


Hubs enjoying coconut juice


A view of our resort at sunset


Can you believe we left?!


Even the ocean is peaceful: it was so quiet and lovely


I drank several fresh mango daquiris over the course of the weekend

That evening, we went to the night market for food and shopping...



There were several restaurants with FRESH seafood


Oysters anyone?
(No I did not eat any)


Grilled garlic bread: YUM


Lemongrass clams


Mi Xao Hai San: Seafood noodle stir-fry...mmmmmm!


One of the island specialties: blackened fish


Banh Xeo and Spinach and the remnants of grilled vegetables which we devoured


For dessert we had fried bananas: 50 cents each, Hubs and I shared one


We also tried some sugarcane juice, which is what this machine makes


Our fried bananas.....mmmmm....so sinful, I am glad we shared!


What's a night market without Facebook flip flops?! 
The only thing we purchased in Phu Quoc at the night market was some Phu Quoc pepper, which is amazing!

We went back to our resort for a nightcap and we all got to bed early. It was perfect. 


My first Vietnamese coffee in Vietnam, I had one every day, they are amazing.


Good Morning Vietnam!
(I like to say that as much as possible, it has not gotten old yet)

Our group decided to rent mopeds and ride around the island, they were a whopping $10/day for 7 hours!


Hubs and I and our awesome helmets


We stopped on our ride to enjoy a quiet beach


We saw many crabs at the beach, and thought they possibly mating, so we googled it. The rest of the weekend, the boys imitated the crab mating dance....


Sassy moped riders


We stopped at a Pearl Farm and met a new friend there


I could not take enough photos of the water, so peaceful


Large oysters from the Farm


A live demo pearl harvest, it was pretty neat!


We went in search of the coconut prison and found this monument, but no prison...



The only surfing done in Phu Quoc


We stopped at a quaint little corner store at port on the south of the island after riding motorbikes for two hours. This was some of the best Nem I have ever had. So delish!

On our way back, we discovered the prison! Coconut tree prison was a US backed prison for Viet Cong fighters in the Vietnam war. It's now more of a museum with statues and more....


The boys climbed the tower to observe


The translation was "American Puppet Government"...interesting....



Some scenes were pretty brutal..


Javi made a friend....


The conditions of these prisoners were terrible, 4,000 prisoners died here


More statues are being made for exhibits


In the kitchen


Role call

After we found the prison, we headed north to find a waterfall. However, the waterfall is without water from Nov-April, so we missed it. Luckily we made it back in time for the sunset.





We enjoyed some sunset cocktails....


We love a good prom picture!

We went back to the night market, to the same restaurant. There was a cute kid that worked there who told us he was 15, however he looked 11. His name was Thinh. I thought it was cute that he worked with his family, until I found out he wasn't working for his parents, but someone else. He was having a great time....and so were we....


Pineapple chicken stir fry

After dinner, we stopped at a "Resto Lounge" called Itaca, it looked nice from the road, but even nicer inside.....


It was so peaceful


We asked for the classiest table, and we sure got it!


The menu looked incredible, so we ordered dessert. This is their brownie with dragonfruit coulis.

The sangria was delicious, made with clove and cinnamon sticks



Did I mention I fell off my motorbike on Saturday? Well, I did, and as you can see, I scratched my leg just a bit. Luckily I was slowing to a stop on gravel and just tipped over.

 

Hubs and I woke up early the next day and took a walk on the beach before breakfast. We found all kinds of cool shells....


I am so lucky to have such a romantic hubs


The breakfast bread was crab shaped and delicious!


We spent the entire day laying by the beach reading our kindles and magazines, it was bliss

After a day on the beach, we all got $5 massages(most of our party got them all three days, I got them one day), we got ready for dinner and....


The boys matched without planning it. They are so cute.


It was another gorgeous sunset


This is a photo of two fishing boats, reeling in one giant net


Wonderful sunset and company


Banana and Mango daquiris AND great friends!


We decided to go back to Itaca and try out the tapas for dinner, we were a bit sad to miss the night market, but we all think that this place is one of the BEST restaurants in Vietnam.
 

Cheers to great company!


Spinach au gratin and risotto balls


Baked goat cheese: so amazing, we ordered another plate of it!


Potatas bravas


Seabass green curry: my fave


Croquettes



Dessert: chocolate coulant(which was so good we ordered another, Javi and I considered ordering a third but we got vetoed) and banana tart 


This bar is so hott it has a pool to cool off in


Pool party!

Such a fun night! I think the best part about this vacation is that we were in bed by midnight every night and woke up early to enjoy the sunshine every day!


Our last day on the beach


A beautiful view


We will be back...


The boys and the crab mating dance, no, they are not mating with one another

We found this guy washed up and threw him back in the sea before we left

We were feeling pretty melancholy for leaving the sun to come back to gray Hanoi, until we saw....



Burger king! Wahooo!!! Yes, we have one in Hanoi, but it's not that close. 



Soft serve ice cream=a blissful ending to a wonderful vacation

It was exactly what we needed, an escape from the gray and a big dose of Vitamin D and rest. I am looking forward to going back to Phu Quoc as soon as we can!