Travelogue around Asia Pacific Part II

Hanoi - It was still pouring and when we reach the restaurant it took us 1hr in the grab taxi.    Dinner with DTAsia team Cha Ga is usually made with snakehead, a freshwater fish found across Vietnam, cha ca is considered one of Hanoi's signature dishes. The marinade -- a mix of turmeric, garlic, shallots, galangal (similar to ginger root), salt, sugar and fish sauce.   Cha Ga Mixed the marinated slices of fish with spring onions and Dill herbs.   Once cooked eat this dish with rice noodle and dipping sauce. fermented prawn dipping sauce The DTAsia team was surprise I like this dish - I like a lot of fermented food from Kimchi, tempe , etc.  This is like Singapore's Belachan - this Hanoi fermented shrimp paste is called Mam Tom.  Mam Tom is not for the faint of heart. It has a strong and pungent smell. It’s made from a mixture of fermented shrimp paste, fresh crushed garlic, water and lemon juice. 

Hanoi - A short walk from Sheraton Hanoi is this Italian restaurant Al Fresco's that has been in Hanoi since 1996 and now a chain of restaurants under the AFG group. me and Willy  Pygmy ribs platter 6 pieces of pork ribs and only one rib is tender.  Cannot match the tenderness of Tony Roma's baby back ribs.  But they are still very delicious with good marinating of the pork.  The potato wedges is hot and crispy with the dipping sauce makes a perfect match.

 Hanoi - Today the skies opened and it was a heavy downpour.  From my hotel room you are able to see dark skies and flood streets. Streets in Hanoi flooded Dark skies  Sheraton Hanoi courtyard

Hanoi - Willy and I went to this Hanoi fine dinning restaurant recommended by our Hotel, Sheraton Hanoi.   The ambiance was classy with traditional musicians playing at the floor below us. traditional musical instruments Willy and I  Fresh spring rolls Chayote leaves Chayote leaves are small to medium in size and thin, broad, and heart-shaped, approximately 10-25 centimeters wide. The vibrant green leaves have a sandpaper-like texture and have 3-5 pointed lobes with small thin tendrils attached near or at the base of the stem. Chayote leaves grow on a perennial climbing plant that has stems that can reach up to ten meters in length. Chayote leaves are crisp and juicy with a mild, sweet, and grassy flavor with mellow undertones of cucumber. Chayote fruit belongs to the gourd family. Pork ribs garnished with garlic Fried rice with crab meat A pleasant environment but the food looks simple with a high price tag.   Not worth coming here again.

 Hanoi - Today was a tight schedule of meetings, so we had our lunch within the vicinity of Sheraton Hotel Hanoi.   Surprise to me that there isn't many Vietnamese restaurants around the hotel as there are many expatriates living in this area - known to many in Hanoi as rich township.    Tuna sashimi platter  Seafood ramen Sushi Unagi with avacado A reasonably priced Japanese food with quality taste - 3 dishes was enough for the two of us

 Hanoi - Mike from DTAsia invited us to this fancy seafood restaurant - we had a private room to enjoy and ambiance and company. Extracting lobster blood A lobster's blood is usually greyish/clear in colour. It is circulated by a heart located just behind the stomach, through a few large blood vessels.   Lobster's blood is colourless and when exposed to oxygen it turns to a tint of blue. The blue hue is due to the iron the lobster's body used to transport oxygen. The restaurant will use the blood to cook the dishes for us. Willy, Mike, Edmund and me deep fried fish skin topped with prawns farmed snails These farmed snails were baked and dipped in sauce tasted delicious. Fresh spring rolls salmon with sea grapes Salmon sashimi stewed beef on hot plate Lobster with cheese It was one lobster divided into 4 pieces and baked in cheese.    Pumpkin porridge with lobster Tanks of lobsters

 Hanoi - The food is always good at Quan An Ngon - since 2005 the novelty of preparing in a street setting style open pavilion serving authentic Vietnamese regional cuisines.  The menu offers a wide variety of popular dishes from Vietnam’s three main regions – South, Central Highlands, and North – the specialist chefs at each stall within Quan An Ngon use only the best quality locally sourced fresh produce for their preparations.  With casual communal seating at large wooden bench tables arrayed across the courtyard, guests at Quan An Ngon are immersed in the preparation of the dishes. Quan An Ngon is always packed and sometimes a short wait is required for a table.   Entrance of Quan An Ngon Fish dish Escargot with lemon grass This is always my favourite dish cooked in lemon grass when I was in HCMC. Fresh spring roll Vietnamese pancake We had to wait a long time for this pancake as it is a very popular dish amongst patrons - the server had to help cut the panc...

 Hanoi - Willy did a search and found this restaurant on google as a popular choice.   Most of their patrons are foreigners probably read the same google reviews.   Stewed local fish in claypot This dish had pieces of pork and fish but tasted not tender even though it mentioned stewed.    Green papaya salad with chicken This was a good dish with sliced green papaya tossed with chicken and peanuts. Beef rolled in wild betel leaves Betel leaves are a powerhouse of antioxidants that clear radicals from the body. It restores normal PH levels in the body and helps an upset stomach.   Betel leaves is not to be confused with Betel nut - the Betel nut is cancerous. The betel nut is the seed of the areca, or betel, palm (Areca catechu), family Arecaceae, and the betel leaf is from the betel pepper, or pan plant (Piper betle), family Piperaceae. This was a delicious dish and we ordered another similar but with Pork.

Hanoi - The French Quarter and its famed colonial charm is what sets Hanoi apart from Ho Chi Minh.  This place was built by the French when Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina (1887 - 1954).   This walking trial around French Quarter brings up many old colonial building and one of them is the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel.    Outside Metropole Hotel This iconic hotel blends a heritage colonial style with neo-classical luxury and a dash of modernity, you'll find an elegance during your stay you're unlikely to experience anywhere else.  Edmund celery drink Chocolates  Tea time @ Metropole

 Hanoi - After our Pho Cuon lunch, we took a grab taxi to Hanoi most dangerous street - Hanoi’s Train Street is Vietnam’s surprisingly most famous street.  It’s a tiny narrow street hidden in one of the back streets of Hanoi and surrounded by high narrow houses packed closely together. These families’ backyards are the railways where the train passes a few times per day.  the railway tracks A photo on the infamous train track The reason I wanted to come and see how close the train was when it passes us and it was literally a meter away from the houses. The safety line (marked with yellow color) is only about 20 centimeters away from the homes, and that’s the line you shouldn’t cross when the train is coming. Before the train arrives, tourist was walking up and down the tracks - taking photos. But all of sudden, a loud airhorn sounded and a man shouting in Vietnamese to get all tourists off the tracks.   The tourist went scrambling back to their chairs to get a g...

Hanoi - In Vietnam, nibbling on mooncakes and sipping tea with loved ones is an essential part of the Mid-autumn Festival, called Tết Trung Thu.  As long as we can remember, it’s tradition to serve golden baked mooncakes and soft sticky rice mooncakes — on the night of the harvest moon.  I was fortunate to be in Vietnam during this festival, and experienced the fun of this mooncake celebration.