Fishing And Lunch

Many Hanoians went to other cities or to the beach for their Independence Day and May Day Holidays. I not keen on that as wherever you choose to go on these national holidays is generally very crowded and really expensive. So instead,my ex-colleages and I went to Thang Long retreat in Gia Lam for a day. This retreat is such a peaceful place with small bungalows located around a lake from where you can fish. When we arrived, we had the place to ourselves but 2 hours later, the crowds we were trying to avoid showed up. Some were turned away because the place was full. I really appreciated the fact that my friends had booked and ordered from the menu a few days in advance.

I've tried fishing before but I wasn't patient enough to catch any fish. My friends didn't seem to be very interested either so we played cards and drank a few beers, and had a wander about to see if anyone else was having any luck with the fishing. It really didn't seem as if anyone was concerned about it.

Soon after noon our lunch arrived, many different dishes that my friends had pre-ordered, including grilled squid, chicken baked in mud and beef in vinegar.But the highlight of the meal was the 1.5kg deep fried snake head fish to roll with fresh vegetables. I felt bad as we couldn't finish this super fish dish even though we gave it our best shot.

Anyway, the important thing was the relaxing atmosphere on the national holiday. For 8 of us, we only paid 900,000Vnd which means $47 including beers and soft drinks. I am sure I will come back to this place for a future party. Thanks to my friends for a great day.

Thai Restaurant ( Vincom Tower)

My friends invited me to have dinner at a Thai restaurant in Vincom Tower a few weeks ago. It was the weekend and it was really crowded, full of smoke and noisy. We could hardly hear our conversation unless we spoke very loud, almost shouting.

We ordered chicken soup, prawn soup, mango salad, stir fried mixed vegetables, french fries, stir fried corn and finished with a hot pot. We always order too much and we couldn't finish all of the food. I really like the mango salad as the mango was very fresh and a bit spicy and the rest of our food wasn't too bad but they use a bit too much coconut milk in the soups.

Like many Vietnamese, my friends didn't enjoy that much as they thought it was too spicy, sweet and fatty. They were right about some of that but I tried to explain to them about Thai food always being spicy. We didn't have a good time and I don't think I would recommend this restaurant to anyone as there are plenty of nice Thai restaurants in town which are not that expensive. We spent over 1.7 million dong on our meal for 5 of us which is about $95.

Frog Dishes

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned my tennis club before but I play tennis with 5 mates who are all slightly older than me and have really good taste in food and drink. Maybe I can say that they are a bit fussy about the kinds of alcohol they drink but they try all kinds of food and we rely on Mr Son, our food leader, to recommend places for us to eat. A few weeks ago, Mr Thang, another member of our club found a new place at 15 Long Bien street in Gia Lam where great frog dishes are sold. To be honest, I am not keen on frog and wild animals at all but he talked about it heaps and I think I need to give it a go and see.

We went there on a cold day and as usual, our group always orders far too much , enough for 10 people rather than just the 5 of us. Anyway, we ordered deep fried frog skin, deep fried Chau Chuoc (stir fried frog with bamboo shoot), a deep fried rice(com chay), a frog hot pot, and a whole boiled chicken and some veggies. I was very impressed with Chau Chuoc, and quite surprised that frogs are a meatier animal than I thought. These dishes were really yummy and those frog legs had lots of meat. Of course, we couldn't finish all these dishes. Surprisingly the bill was very cheap. I would recommend this place not because it's cheap, because they serve really nice food and have friendly staff. I am sure I will go back sometime soon.

123 Run

My ex-colleagues invited me to join them for dinner at 123 restaurant, which is one of the most popular homemade fast food restaurants in Hanoi. According to my friends, this restaurant located on Pho Hue Street is always busy for both lunch and dinner. In Vietnam, wherever the crowds are generally means the place is good but I did have my doubts about this place.

When we arrived the other night, each of the three storeys at this restaurant was full. The service was pretty efficient I have to say, with each order including a small bowl of broth, some veggies and pickles. I ordered fried boneless lemon chicken but funnily enough I swallowed a small piece of bone which was a worry. People say that chicken bones can be quite dangerous when they get stuck in the throat. I had to eat several full mouthfuls of rice to finally get the small bone down. Oh my gosh, it makes me feel uncomfortable thinking about it now. My friends were laughing at me and I did feel like an idiot but I was so scared. This is a good excuse to refuse an invitation to 123 next time.

Thai Food Express in Viet Nam

Thai Express is a new fast food chain in Viet Nam. It's new for us but it's been popular for a long time in a few different countries. It can be called fast food but I think it's more gourmet as it is very tasty and not really expensive.

I tried Thai Express the first time with my friend in Saigon and last week in Hanoi. I was impressed by how busy they were already, by the good food they served and by the helpful staff. The only thing I wouldn't recommend is the coffee which was not the best but the other drinks were fine. They made very nice salads, stick noodles with seafood in Tom Yum soup, Thailand's pineapple rice fried with seafood and quite a few other Thai specialties.

This is a great place for a quick lunch if you don't have lots of time. For those who are vegetarian it's also a good place to pick. It's an air-conditioned restaurant which is vital for the hot summer weather Hanoi has at the moment. If you are in Hanoi, Thai Express is located right at the top end of Hoan Kiem Lake with a view over the lake. In Ho Chi Minh City, they are pretty centrally located in District 3 but have no view. You'll just have to make do with a great smile from the staff.

Nhà hàng ThaiExpress
Địa chỉ: Số 7 Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Hà Nội
Số điện thoại: 04 62 822 822
Website: http://www.thaiexpress.vn/

Mangosteen Restaurant

The mangosteen is an exotic tropical fruit with luscious segments of white flesh inside. The Movenpick Hotel has taken inspiration from this fruit in the naming of its restaurant, which is located on the second floor with views across some of Hanoi’s fine French Colonial buildings. The space is artfully decked out with walls the colour of mangosteens, splashes of purple in the furniture upholstery and the modern paintings on the walls. The table setting includes a glass cube vase containing a single white gerbera and a green fern frond. The décor promises much.

And the menu offers a range of choices that would satisfy most diner’s palates.

For our starters, we opted for the seared scallops served atop a delicate fresh garden salad of lettuce, herbs and avocado and a swiss chicken salad, rich and sweet with cheese, apple and a mayonnaise dressing. The portions, on teardrop shaped white plates, were perfectly sized which we appreciated later when our main courses arrived. A generous selection of breads, including some great salty pretzels, was served on the side. We probably ate too many of those.

From the grill we selected our main courses, which were served with potatoes and vegetables done to the customer’s liking. Accompanying the salmon was a neat stack of crumbed roasted vegetables and crispy potato rosti along with a ramekin of creamy lemon sauce. The stack of lamb cutlets got delivered on a flat raft of spring beans and came circled with halved new potatoes served face down. A herby mint sauce with a hint of chili finished the dish nicely. The kitchen staff should be commended for the timing, temperature and presentation of these meals, all of which were spot on.

Suitably impressed by this stage, there was little need nor room in the stomach for dessert. So we rested for a while to make room.

Room for big desserts with a distinctively European feel. A king size serve of apple strudel came with homemade vanilla ice-cream and cream while the vanilla soufflé contrasted with the raspberry coulis alongside it. Every single mouthful was savoured even though we were both full to bursting.

The Swiss do hospitality well, with the local staff representing them professionally with service that was warm, efficient and hardly noticeable. Movenpick’s venture in Hanoi appears on the way to success if our meal at their classy Mangosteen restaurant is any indication.

Brasserie Westlake Restaurant

Recently, I was invited to the Sofitel Plaza Hanoi for a birthday dinner at the Brasserie Westlake Restaurant. Luckily for me it was a Friday evening, when the restaurant hosts lobster at the most popular seafood buffet in town. Originally from the south central coast of Vietnam, where seafood is a daily part of the diet, I have to say that I have rarely looked forward to a meal this much. I see buffets as a great chance to really have large serves of the foods that I love or don’t get to eat that often. I really feel like a child in a candy shop.

Brasserie Westlake is located right next to the lobby of the hotel with sweeping views of the chaotic traffic on the streets below. A table by the window offers a more intimate dining experience but the space can also cater for large parties. Actually getting to the table can be problematic though, as diners have to walk through the actual buffet area to be seated. I defy anyone who can negotiate their way through such a feast without stopping to consider what they will start with!

And the options are immense, not just limited to seafood. Japanese features in the form of sushi and sashimi. Smoked salmon and fresh oysters are located alongside. Salads comprise a large section of the buffet, both those designed by the chefs and ingredients to custom make one’s own, including a nice range of dressings. Hot dishes under shining silver chafing lids vary from night to night and might include Asian inspired curries and stir-fries or dishes from the Mediterranean and other regions of Europe. Carbohydrates in the form of rice, bread and potatoes are available, too. I ignore them as I want to fill up on the fare from the grill.

Here, my seafood cravings are satisfied. Arranged across a big refrigerated display case are a range of creatures from the seas, including red snapper, sardines, flower snails, prawns, squid, mussels…the list goes on. Of course, the star of the show on Fridays is lobster. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven, as I went back again and again to select and watch my seafood being cooked. For those who are allergic to seafood – and I feel sorry for them – there is a good range of lamb, pork, beef and chicken to be grilled up too.

My only problem was that I could not do justice to the dessert buffet. The centerpiece is a fountain, under which pieces of fruit can be drenched in liquid chocolate. Dozens of bite size cakes and little flans in shot glasses lined the dessert trays. A chocolate bread pudding looked delectable and rich. Next time I’m going to leave room.

Executive chef Mike Drew and his very capable team at the Brasserie Westlake can be assured by the crowds present on my visit and on most nights that they know how to put on a good buffet spread.

I’ll be back.

Three Nagas' Birthday

My good friends Eric, Mark and I were born under the same status of dragon year but in different years. As we are all going for our holiday next week, we decided to catch up with a group of good friends at Hoa Vien restaurant. Hoa Vien is huge restaurant with outdoor seating and 3 storeys inside, located at 1 Tang Bac Ho street. The great thing inside is that you can pour your own fresh Czech beer at the table. This is a fun thing to do and they also have a very good atmosphere with great staff.

When everyone arrived, we ordered some really good prawn spring rolls, grilled prawns with bacon, Thai salad, susu vegetable, a seafood hotpot and some other dishes which I can't remember and of course the tall 4 litre glass cylinders of black beer, which are also tapped at the table. It was a great combination for talking and eating over a few hours.

We had a fabulous evening with good friends and interesting conversations. Congratulations to my dearest friends Mark and Eric, also myself:) A great year is coming with many good things Also thanks to all of our friends for coming.

Hoa Vien is a great place for a special celebration with a big group of people.
1 Tang Bac Ho
Ha Noi

Le Tonkin Restaurant

We were all invited to join Lora's farewell party at Le Tonkin restaurant two months ago. This is one of the beautiful restaurants in Hanoi which is located in a gorgeous French building surrounded by nice gardens in Ngo Van So street. We were so excited to be there in such a nice place with friends and to eat nice Vietnamese food, at least that's what we expected.

After experiencing quite a few restaurants in Hanoi, I know a bit about Vietnamese food and this place was disappointing. They seem to use a bit too much seasoning, salt and MSG because even the salads were salty. For the prices we pay in these kinds of restaurants, I expect better.

We ordered some beautiful Allan Scott white wine from New Zealand and they didn't have any bottles in the fridge. The waitress gave me a really warm bottle which she said was cold. I asked them politely to put it back in the ice basket and that we would wait, and also asked them to put few more in the freezer because we were a big group of 25 people. After awhile, they brought another bottle and put it on the table without an ice bucket. We were willing to pay over $30++ for a good and chilled bottle of white wine, not for hot white wine. Then, in the middle of the dinner, the waitress came over and told me that they had sold out of Allan Scott wine and could we choose a different brand but they once again came with warm bottles. What kind of service is that? In this kind of quality restaurant they should train their staff well as this is a really basic rule about wine but it seemed they don't really care about this.

It seems as though it's the kind of restaurant that's only interested in serving tour groups - people who might complain but they are unlikely to see again. They are unlikely to see me again, either.

Is Fast Food Good For U?

In the past two years, Hanoi city authorities have approved so many fast food shops and they are all pretty successful. Maybe I am silly for not eating this kind of food. Most of my friends love it and kids do, too. These restaurants are always busy for lunch and dinner, especially at weekends.

In two months time, two more outlets are supposed to be opening in the best location in Hanoi, right next to Hoan Kiem Lake. They are Starbucks coffee and Pizza Hut. Sometimes, I wonder why people keep going to these places? The food is bad, full of oil and fat but I've realized from people I've talked to that they love eating fast food because they want to try new things and for young Vietnamese people, it's a trend. They think that's what young peole do in western countries. Is that a good idea? Not for me! I prefer eating at the local eateries or home cooked meals which are healthier and cheaper.

My friends think I'm being difficult when I refuse their invitations to go to KFC for a feed. What do you think about fast food? Does it have anything positive about it? I wonder what will happen to future generations of Vietnamese?

Cook And Cook

Cook and cook is such a joy and entertainment restaurant which is called “teppan-yaki” style. This restaurant was the first introduced to the excellent traditional “teppan-yaki” food from Korea in Viet Nam.

The restaurant developed the idea of entertainment where the exciting showmanship of cook and cook chefs dazzled restaurant goes with deft cutlery skill while preparing nothing less than exquisite food. People who come here can choose up stairs for hot pot and down stairs for teppan-yaki seafood. Each table up to 8 people would place their orders with the skillful chef and watch an amazement as these items were sliced, diced and slipped into the air.

There is variety of food to choose for both a la cart and set menus but my highly recommendation is go for set menus which is included more than 10 kinds of different food.

A la cart and side dishes from $2 to $5
Set menus from $10 to $45 for evening, for lunch from $8 to $12.
Korean style seafood hot pot from $7

Cook and Cook Restaurant
3 Ba trieu lane
Ha Noi
Tel:(84-4) 974 6279
Opening hours: 10.30 - 14.00
17.00 - 22.00

Highway 4 Restaurant

Highway 4 Restaurant is one of the popular mid- class restaurants for expats in Hanoi. I've been there several times with my friends and I was impressed the first two times. The third time I wasn't happy because the food and the service was missing something at the Highway 4 in Hang Tre street.

I went there a few weeks ago with some friends and we had trouble getting menus. The staff gave us 2 menus, and I asked her for one more so that we could choose our food quicker and easier than having to pass the menu around many times. The waitress told me that they had three floors here and couldn't waste so many menus at our table. After 5 minutes, she came back and wanted to take our menus even though we hadn't ordered. She was incredibly rude to me and I wondered if she would ever be so rude to a foreigner. I also wondered why a successful restaurant wouldn't just print a few more menus. It is not expensive in Hanoi to get printing done.

Finally, we ordered our dinner and, after the menu problem, I wasn't surprised when our main courses - mixed vegetable, squid and chicken dishes - came first. As we finished our main courses, the spring roll and salad starters arrived. It wasn't my night. But then the beers we ordered weren't cold and it all became a bit much to put up with. This is normally a fun restaurant where the food and service is great.

I'm not sure what's going on there but I think my last visit will stay in my memory for a while and I would think a long time before recommending Highway Four again.

May - Cloud Restaurant

My friend, Hoang invited me out for lunch at his favorite restaurant which is out of town. I have been past here quite a few times but have never noticed this cafe. It's a beautiful old wooden traditional Vietnamese-style house, with a small garden with lots of bamboo and other imitation trees but it does look good.

This restaurant is located on a busy street but it's really quiet because the restaurant is behind a big wooden door and you can sit in the garden below or on the second floor inside the entrance. My recommendation is choose a table in the garden, right next to the fountain. It's great on a really hot day.

We chose fried rice and stir fried noodle for a quick lunch. The food is quite tasty with very nice presentation which I always notice. The best thing about this place is that it's a small and simple menu with reasonable price and friendly family service and quiet so that we can chat without the screaming like in some other places.

May Restaurant
1073 De La Thanh Street
04. 2662198

My Good Friend's Birthday

Khai is one of my good friends in Hanoi who I've known for over 4 years. His birthday was last Saturday and he invited me and some other friends for a hot pot night. It was a really good night which ended with karaoke at 12 am. Look at his photo, does he look happy turning 31 years old?

The hot pot was really delicious with lots of different ingredients. We chose a mixed hot pot which included prawns, squid, scallops, beef, lots of vegetables, three different kinds of noodles and a very popular ingredient for Hanoians, pig brains.

The meat and seafood was really tender and fresh except the pig brains. Pig brains are a bit too much for me even though I used to eat them when I was in Nha Trang. There, they are well-cooked with porridge. We couldn't even eat the noodles because there was still too much meat and vegetables left on the table. If you want to have a nice hot pot, try out Lau Hao Hao at 6 Phung Hung Street .

Congratulations Khai, another year and many more to come with lots of luck, happiness and full of money in the pocket :)