Once in a while, some spicy food is good. Day in and day out, we eat the same thing – it can be mundane and predictable. Even when I don’t cook and eat out, we go to the same restaurant and order the same thing! Life is such when you are a creature of habit.
Over the weekend, we decided to be more adventurous and try something new. A different location from our usual spots to a new restaurant with rave reviews. Why not? Let’s be a bit more adventurous, right?
The Indian curry house turned out to be a gem of a discovery! But goodness me, the fiery spicy flavors had us sweating profusely and our mouths burning! Everything on the table was oh-so spicy.
So many bowls, quite a spread, isn’t it?
Luckily, the four types of curry were served in individual bowls instead of the typical method of dousing the rice on the banana leaf. I think we wouldn’t be able to take the heat! Despite it all, the best discoveries were the crab curry and fried lamb, not grilled. Both were very flavorful and, of course, spicy!
It was good to be adventurous with the pleasant discovery, and we look forward to returning.
Food in Hanoi was glorious! Bursting with flavors and almost similar to the tastes in Thailand, one can easily forget the waistline! Food aside, coffee is a big thing too. Our hotel was very central in its location for food and shopping.
During the day, nothing was out, but by nightfall, tiny chairs and small tables lined up along the sidewalks in front of all the buildings, ready for customers to dine in these pop-up street restaurants. It must be the French influence that has all the chairs facing the street for people-watching. Correct me if I am wrong on this.
So vibrant!
The narrow streets became more narrow when the dining furniture was all placed outside. Yet, vehicles of all sizes still come into the streets from both directions! Yikes. Even the big canopies were insufficient to deter the traffic from the area. It was quite a sight to behold.
The ushers of the pop-up eateries were rather aggressive, fighting for customers to patronize their places. The trick not to succumb to their pushiness is to avoid eye contact and walk as fast as possible on the crowded street. Don’t even peek at the menu shoved in front of your face.
The few streets near our hotel had all sorts of offerings. Besides food at a proper restaurant, by the sidewalk, or from the street stall vendors, drinks or dessert in a café, tourists were spoilt for choice for shopping, massages, pubs, and even pharmacies. The only thing stopping one is the lack of money from going all out at everything!
Food, salt coffee and coconut ice cream that I triedFried chicken wing and chicken feet(!) with beer
For us, we tried some here and there. We ate, drank beer, and sat on short chairs. We also shopped, had ice cream, and drank coffee but skipped the pubs and foot massages. All these were achieved in just the two streets near the hotel after golf, unlike in Bangkok recently, where we walked so much and everywhere to do the same things.
Street performance on the first night, plus the places of interest we visited
Hanoi was fun. We also managed to take in some sights, visiting the One Pillar Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the Vietnam Military History Museum.
Would I return? Most definitely, but plans have to factor in which time of the year for the nice cooling weather. Then, only the experience of Hanoi for its flavors, sights, sounds, and golf would be the best!
Today is the eve of the Lunar New Year, and the Chinese community will gather with their loved ones for the ever-important Reunion Dinner. This year, we are not traveling North to hubby’s hometown. So, no long six hours or more drive to endure along the Plus Highway. Phew.
Instead, we are staying in town to celebrate the occasion with my brother’s family and Mom with a home-cooked sumptuous spread. Sometimes, families eat at a restaurant if they don’t want to cook up a storm. We tried this before but did not like the time restriction imposed.
As restaurants find this a lucrative business opportunity, Reunion Dinners with set menus are often allotted a two-hour session. Typically, there are two slots – an early session at 5.30 pm or a later session at 7.30 pm. And diners have to rush through the meal in a noisy atmosphere. You can’t eat at a leisurely pace with the clock ticking!
So eating at home is best. The family will gather this evening for our Reunion Dinner 2024. Here’s a toast to usher in the Year of the Dragon to bring peace and bless us with prosperity, good health, and much happiness.
With no more lockdowns or strict SOPs enforced these days, the economy has opened up, and we are eating out a little more than ever. And sometimes, when there are choices, cooking takes a backseat.
However, when faced with so many choices, we are at a loss to decide what to eat. So at times, in this situation, we would opt for the occasional fast food, McDonald’s.
Our recent McDonald’s meal does not live up to be fast food. On the contrary, it was pretty slow with a long queue regardless of the time. And we had to wait further before the meals were ready to be picked up.
The bottom line, fast food these days is not fast at all. Also, fast food is not cheap either! So if you think having this is a quick and affordable choice, you ought to think again; it is neither.
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