Today I complete another 365-day trip around the sun. So says the adorable card attached to the small cake that the staff at the Hanoi Elegance Hotel surprised me with today. Have I mentioned how much I love Asian-style cakes? If I have not, Hanoi presents a quite respectable Paris-by-way-of-Mekong combo of sponge cake and whipped cream.
Until today, I had not been lavish in my praise of food here in Vietnam. Granted I am opening up a bit to the new palate. Just last night, I had some streetside mixed-fruit, a sundae-like concoction of papaya, coconut, mango, dragonfruit, lychee, pineapple, and whatever else is available, mixed with ice and condensed milk. Nevermind that there may have been a bug or two in the ice; it was refreshing.
But today I was officially blown away by the food in Hanoi. Eddie took me to KOTO (Know One, Teach One) a restaurant in Hanoi that offers vocational training for street kids to enter the hospitality trade. According to the promo materials, the organization has trained over 300 street kids and has had a 100% success rate in placing program graduates in the hospitality industry. With a monthly fee of $100, sponsors can support a kid's full-time training in English and trade and provide all the needed vaccinations. Past guests at this restaurant include the Queen of Denmark and several celebrities. It was highly recommended by our Lonely Planet guidebook and the various tourist maps provided by local hotels.
The decor is modern bistro (like Nando's but with nicer paintings) with an open kitchen full of be-toqued chefs stirring and sauteeing away. The service is very genial. I was impressed by our waiter's fortitude as he read aloud all the specials and their descriptions to us in English, pointing to the words on the small chalkboard menu as he spoke slowly but very deliberately. I cannot imagine trying the same in Vietnamese.
As for the food, it was magnificent.
An order of rice noodles with herbed beef patties, accompanied by a salad of fresh greens (mint, cilantro, basil, pea shoots, bean sprouts) reminded me of my grandmother's cooking. As Eddie put it, it was like the moment in the movie Ratatouille where the food critic is thrown back to his childhood.
Anyway, I rarely come close to finishing the typical fish-tank of pho or soup put before me; I like to try some of this and that and then get bored wih whatever's in front of me generally. Not so with these noodles. I held up my bowl and threw it back. No meatball was safe. If that soup came in a gallon-size bowl, I would be in major trubs.
Even if this place did not already support a worthy cause, I would certainly go back just for the food. The drinks were also inventive and snappy. Ah I sigh just thinking about that meal. Truly one to remember.
The best way to digest is to go to the spa with adorable boyfriend and get tenderized by some very nice ladies with strong hands. Seriously these ladies were strong. I got the "toxic waste massage" at Hanoi's SpaHT, which is another way of saying I got a deep-tissue massage that might help remove toxins or something. There was no toxic waste involved, I promise. There was a guestbook with comments from people all over the world; I think the variety stems from the fact that they're located near several small hotels.
Best meal EVER. Check. Massage. Check. Getting older is getting to be quite fun.
Until today, I had not been lavish in my praise of food here in Vietnam. Granted I am opening up a bit to the new palate. Just last night, I had some streetside mixed-fruit, a sundae-like concoction of papaya, coconut, mango, dragonfruit, lychee, pineapple, and whatever else is available, mixed with ice and condensed milk. Nevermind that there may have been a bug or two in the ice; it was refreshing.
But today I was officially blown away by the food in Hanoi. Eddie took me to KOTO (Know One, Teach One) a restaurant in Hanoi that offers vocational training for street kids to enter the hospitality trade. According to the promo materials, the organization has trained over 300 street kids and has had a 100% success rate in placing program graduates in the hospitality industry. With a monthly fee of $100, sponsors can support a kid's full-time training in English and trade and provide all the needed vaccinations. Past guests at this restaurant include the Queen of Denmark and several celebrities. It was highly recommended by our Lonely Planet guidebook and the various tourist maps provided by local hotels.
The decor is modern bistro (like Nando's but with nicer paintings) with an open kitchen full of be-toqued chefs stirring and sauteeing away. The service is very genial. I was impressed by our waiter's fortitude as he read aloud all the specials and their descriptions to us in English, pointing to the words on the small chalkboard menu as he spoke slowly but very deliberately. I cannot imagine trying the same in Vietnamese.
As for the food, it was magnificent.
An order of rice noodles with herbed beef patties, accompanied by a salad of fresh greens (mint, cilantro, basil, pea shoots, bean sprouts) reminded me of my grandmother's cooking. As Eddie put it, it was like the moment in the movie Ratatouille where the food critic is thrown back to his childhood.
Anyway, I rarely come close to finishing the typical fish-tank of pho or soup put before me; I like to try some of this and that and then get bored wih whatever's in front of me generally. Not so with these noodles. I held up my bowl and threw it back. No meatball was safe. If that soup came in a gallon-size bowl, I would be in major trubs.
Even if this place did not already support a worthy cause, I would certainly go back just for the food. The drinks were also inventive and snappy. Ah I sigh just thinking about that meal. Truly one to remember.
The best way to digest is to go to the spa with adorable boyfriend and get tenderized by some very nice ladies with strong hands. Seriously these ladies were strong. I got the "toxic waste massage" at Hanoi's SpaHT, which is another way of saying I got a deep-tissue massage that might help remove toxins or something. There was no toxic waste involved, I promise. There was a guestbook with comments from people all over the world; I think the variety stems from the fact that they're located near several small hotels.
Best meal EVER. Check. Massage. Check. Getting older is getting to be quite fun.
I get a million billion friend demerits for forgetting to call you. I wasn't sure when you'd be back! Expect loud singing later on, my love.
ReplyDeleteWe have a no-penalty system. Nothing a hug would no solve. I don't have a phone here but I look forward to the singing voicemail :D.
ReplyDelete