27 August 2011.
This Hanoi trip was to celebrate TBH’s *erm* 4X birthday. Prior to the trip, I did some research and decided on having his birthday dinner at La Badiane, a modern European restaurant located in an alleyway in the city.
We ordered the 3-course dinner. The food was pretty good, prices were reasonable and service effusive. The only complaint that I had was that service was a tad too slow. They took ages to serve each course. The problem when food takes too long to turn up is that it gives my stomach time to chat with my brain about how stuffed it is, resulting in me losing my appetite. Like right after the appetiser.
Photos are a bit orange-y ‘cos of the lighting and ‘cos I didn’t pay much attention to the camera’s white balance.
For no really good reason, I shall start with dessert, a course which I never fully enjoy because I am usually too stuffed by the time it is served.
Desserts:
^Chocolate-Cointreau mousse on shortbread cookie & raspberry delicacies; “Crème brulée” delicacies (peach-thyme, banana-cumin & mint-Baileys)
Mains:
^Grilled Australian beef tenderloin, roasted cherry tomatoes, green beans & onions, pepper sauce
^Fried scallops, mashed potatoes with garlic & Persil butter, beans & carrots, lemon leave emulsion
Appetisers:
^Crab remoulade on dill mimosa, kumquat dressing & sesame biscuit
^Red tuna tartar with fresh coriander & herbs, passion fruit juice, fresh coconut & spices
We literally rolled out of the restaurant holding our bellies looking for a ‘Taxi Group’ cab to take us back to the hotel. Then we stayed up till 1am in the morning watching CNA for updates on the Presidential Election. Yes, there is CNA in the Intercontinental!
