The drive from Noi Bai airport into the Old Quarter of Hanoi city was smooth, taking under 30 minutes. We were instantly delighted by the friendliness and the million watt smiles of the airport staff, the moneychangers, our driver (who very kindly offered us free wifi on the car) and the hotel staff.
As we checked in, the lobby manager suggested that we head for dinner right away since the restaurant would close down in 30 minutes. Then she called the chef informing him that two guests were on their way up and they should be prepared. (You can imagine how this situation would have played out in Europe. Even in Korea, we would have elicited a gesticulation of armed crossed in an X-sign and response - 아니요 (aniyo) for no followed by a sorreee!).
But this is Vietnam. Man, it wouldn't be an understatement to say that we had already fallen in love with Vietnam!
We wanted something very light and the beaming staff in the restaurant served us some complimentary mushroom dumplings, which were indeed delicious...
We asked for a steaming hot pumpkin soup, which was kind of relaxing...
And then delicious vegetarian Vietnamese spring rolls - fresh crunchy vegetables and vermicelli rolled in near-transparent rice paper (bánh tráng)...
And then a night cap - orange-lemon vodka cocktail...
And the waiter exposed the lemon rind to a flame to release its flavourful oils, which dripped into the glass below...
Squeezing out the oils...
And it was, well, delicious...
While I would usually say "I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always!", today however, I did say "Mot, Hai, Ba, Yo, (Vo) Hanoi!" which literally means "one, two, three, yo!" and is the loud and hearty equivalent for clinking glasses and saying cheers...
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