Back at the Sofitel Hanoi- Feb 22-23

After another long 3 hour drive- 4 with our driver, he is so slow, we finally reached Hanoi. We were back again to my favourite place to stay the Sofitel Hanoi(sadly only for 1 more night). The family would rank this hotel as part of our personal top 10 best hotels we have stayed including notable ones like the Burj, Lake Palace, Londolozi, Chateau Lake Louise, Banff Springs Hotel.

This time we were upgraded to the old part and given a balcony. I almost felt like Evita on it. However, the room was tiny and tired compared to the new modern room we had before. The best parts of the room were the history, near the better lobby and awesome bathtub.

The cyclo tour that afternoon involved each of us having our own pedicabs around hanoi's old district. There is no such thing as manners on the road, you just have to go slowly but surely in the destination you want and people will avoid you- even as pedestrians(scary). Most of the tour left my mother and myself itching to buy some of the street food. It finally ended at the Water Puppet Show. The only word I can use was interesting- imagine Pacific Mall on Crack this was worse. I did enjoy the part where the carp became a golden dragon.

For dinner we tried a fodorite recommendation: La Badiane. Looks can be deceiving with the faded walls and crumbling ceiling this is one of Hanoi's top restaurants.

The moment I saw a Tasting Menu, I knew I had to have it. The of the family ordered a la carte.

I decided to try this Cocktail- TI Punch- a cinnamon lime rum punch that was suprisingly delicious.

My Appetizers consisted of Hot Pumpkin soup, Beet and goat cheese Spring Rolls and raw salmon with sesame cracker on top. I loved the Spring Rolls and want to try making them. The Salmon portion was okay but the soup was quite nice.

My Mother had this crab concoction- Her verdict was the dish was okay.

My Father had a Chorizo ravioli with a foam on top- He wasn't too in love with the dish due to the foam(something he is not in love with)

My father's main made up for the foam. It was australian beef with pea puree.

My Mother main was a crab and asparagus risotto. We were both in love with her dish, not bland at all. I would say the best dish of the night.

My dish was lamb chop coated with coffee. The coffee made the dish but otherwise just okay.

Mine came with a cheese course- eggplant and goat cheese crumble- an unique idea but it was alright not great.

My Mother for dessert had the raspberry puffs- which was presented beautifully but were nothing special. The best part was the sugar basket.

My father had the creme brulee tasting- traditional, coffee and green tea. He liked his dish and said they were executed perfectly.

My dessert was the tasting- one raspberry puff, a mint chocolate brulee and marinated strawberries with cream on top. I loved the brulee and strawberries and like my mother had a similar opinion about the raspberry dish.

Overall a wonderful meal. The service was quick as we had requested. The only thing to consider in this part of Asia is that water is never free even in the nicest restaurants.

Our Hotel and Old wing:

Our final tour of city: We were supposed to visit ho chi minh's mausoleum, however we only saw it from the outside. Our guide instead of leaving early to avoid the line like the other guides took us at the peak time (1 hour wait) and since it was just a mausoleum we decided to not wait in line.We then modified our visit to include a temple and walk around the old district of Hanoi.

Our Walking tour of Hanoi during the rain:

 This man was blow torching the pork- interesting technique.


Our final meal in Hanoi: Green Tangerine. Then we are off to the airport to Ho Chi Minh City (AKA Saigon). This restaurant looks like a dive on the outside and inside has a beautiful courtyard.

For the first course my father had the raw beef tropical salad- which was to die for and beautifully presented in the coconut piece.

My Mother and myself had the prawn fritters and spring rolls. The prawn fritters were very ordinary but the springs rolls were delicious and different from previous ones.

My Father's main course was the saffron fish- something he enjoyed even though he is not fond of fish. The only issue with the dish is the dried basket of noodles- that were inedible(sadly).

Our main course was the stir fried beef and tamarid fish with rice. We loved the tamarid fish- sweet and different from the Indian tamarid. The beef was a dissapointment and very touristy. It reminded me of something I got at Manchu Wok.

Our dessert was flambed bananas and coconut ice cream. Overall- wonderful finish to the meal.

I liked this restaurant but felt La Badiane was better value for money and better food choice. The major problem with this restaurant was it was touristy and the food reflected that. However being the start of our trip did not want to take any chances with my health.

Now we are off the Ho Chi Minh City via Vietnam airlines. This airline is strange that business class passengers do not have a separate boarding call, actually everyone runs and pushes to get onto the flight. The bathrooms also lacked soap and coming off the flight all the people knew not to use the bathrooms on board.