Hanoi - Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant Review

A warm welcome from a warm ambience and from a smiling stewardess at Hanoi-Vietnamese Cuisine at Phoenix Marketcity, Bangalore, made our Sunday lunch a happy one.  The black and the red walls with the warm lights strike a chord as soon as you enter. We couldn't miss noticing the low-back chairs in the restaurant.

We, hungry as always, decided to order salads and appetizers. While we were working our way through the menu, a basket of white and crunchy tapioca krispies appeared on our table, which obviously, were gone the moment the basket was placed before us. It had a soy dip on the side.

We ordered the signature 'Nem cuon' or Vietnamese rice paper rolls, which were delicious with two varieties of sauces on the side, a peanut sauce and a sesame sauce. The sauces were absolutely creamy with the right amount of nuttiness and crunch, and the rice paper rolls neatly and delicately nestled the crunchy carrots, cucumbers, noodles, and chicken. The combination of the rolls and the sauces presented an eclectic mix of tastes. The mild rolls immediately burst into flavor when dipped in the sauces.

The 'Nom ngu sac' or the Five Colored Salad from the menu was a careful blend of tastes and colors. There were veggies, bean sprouts, and egg mixed with our choice of chicken that blended well in a soy based Vietnamese dressing. The crunch of the veggies balanced well with the nuttiness of the sesame seeds and the peanuts.

We were in the mood of trying out fish, and so, we asked for the Five Spice Basa preparation. The dish is called 'Ca basa ap chao' in Vietnamese.  I must say that the fish was excellent because its silky texture just melted away in the mouth.  It had the right amount of spices that accentuated the natural taste of the fish.

If you are stopping to think of a drink here while you are reading this, let me tell you that currently, the restaurant serves only wine. However, you can choose to sip on any of the delicious mocktails on their menu.

The main course for us was a combination of fragrant Jasmine rice served in a bamboo tube with a long handled serving spoon, and 'Hon hop rau xao,' a Vietnamese curry of veggies and chicken in an oyster mushroom gravy. The bamboo tube further enriched the fragrance of the already fragrant rice. The chicken curry in oyster mushroom sauce was sweet to taste and perfectly complemented the Jasmine rice.

We also savored a plate of stir-fried 'Banh Pho Xao,' or flat Pho noodles that had a lot of vegetables.

Any meal at a new restaurant is always incomplete without desserts. 'Chuoi chien' or banana fritters and 'Kem' or Vietnamese home-made icecreams added to our happiness quotient. The banana fritters were crunchy on the top with naturally sweet soft bananas in the core, the taste of which lingered for long. The 'coconut with rose petals' icecream was the winner between itself and the 'betel leaf icecream.'

If you are in the mood for fresh Vietnamese food which typically uses less oil and banks on a lot of fresh herbs, Hanoi-Vietnamese Cuisine is the place to go to. What makes it more authentic is that the place is run and managed by a beautiful lady from Vietnam, and her husband.

The Irony of the lost GPS Tracker

The techie husband (Sandeep) has been experimenting a lot with GPS trackers. The kid (Ryan) also seems interested in what papa dabbles in. As part of his experimentation, Sandeep put the GPS tracker in Ryan's bag today without the little one's knowledge. Ryan was also going for a field trip from school today, so the idea of sending the GPS in the bag made more sense.

Mid morning, Sandeep tracked if the tracker was working fine. Yes, of course it was. Afternoon, yes, of course it was. When the kiddo came back, viola!  The tracker was not in the bag, and not anywhere on Ryan.

A lot of tracking activities and voracious experimentation happened, in all of which, I also took part because it was important. Obviously it was! What was I thinking? We tried calling up the school, the bus drivers, the attendants in the bus, but to no positive outcome.

The GPS tracker is still showing where it is, around 6 kms away from here. The motive of the experimentation was definitely successful. Sadly there's an irony in there.

The purpose of the GPS tracker is to track, not to get lost.  Maybe, we need another tracker for the GPS tracker!

More reason to be sad: I dont have a pic of it to put up!

Soda Bottle Openerwala Bangalore (Restaurant Review)

It was our anniversary, and we decided to visit the famed Soda Bottle Openerwala at Lavelle Road. Needless to say, we had heard a lot of good things about this place, and we didnt want to miss getting a first hand experience of it. Here's a quick review.

We reached the restaurant at around 2 pm. It was a weekday, but the place was almost full and buzzing with activity. We entered into a fascinating Parsi charm land, with old world wooden doors, wood and wrought iron railings, and antique furniture complete with loud music, and a ceiling decor of hanging lights and lamps. What was most eye-catching for my little kid was an overhead train that was chugging along dedicatedly all across the restaurant on its suspended tracks very close to the ceiling. The little one could just not lose his focus from the train, not to mention it was playfully interesting for us too. Here are a few decor pics.

We were already hungry, and I wanted to taste the Bombay style sandwich. Therefore, we ordered the famous Bombay Rasta Sandwich which was delectably mouthwatering. We were suggested the Masala Pepsi along with it, and I must say, the combination was piquantly appetizing. Since we were only two adults, we didnt order a whole lot of goodies to dig into, though their menu has a wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options to choose from.

For the main course, we ordered a mild Sali Chicken (hoping that the kid would eat too), plain parathas, and a Chicken Berry Pulao from their menu. The Sali Chicken was perfect with just the right hint of spices topped with fried crunchy potato juliennes. The boneless chicken was succulent, and the paratha was soft but crispy enough to give that slight crunch when popped into the mouth.

The Chicken Berry Pulao was a very unique mix of slightly spiced chicken blended with nuts and fragrant rice topped with caramelized onions and berries. Every bite was a burst of sweetness and spices combined, and we almost cleared off the pan to the last grain.  We paired it with the Sali Chicken and to say the least, we loved what we ate.

The portions are good enough for two adults to share. While the kiddo still kept munching on the last  piece of crispy paratha, we decided to try the Mawa Cake. It is the famous Parsi cake that unarguably melts in the mouth. Warm and delicately buttery, it was the perfect finish to the meal.

The stewards and the waiters at the restaurant were warm and hospitable. They described to us our shortlisted dishes while ordering so we could make the best choice for ourselves.

What also deserves a mention is that they have a huge collection of candies that were available when we were kids. I was surprised to get 'Poppins,' a colorful set of hard candies rolled together that used to be quite a favorite with kids.

Overall, Im going to visit this place again soon. 

This restaurant should definitely be on your must-visit list too!

How did I treat 2014?

Warning: Sarcastic start!

Its fascinating how we all try to nudge the existing year to move out faster and usher in the new year with resolutions, booze, and highfalutin images of ourselves trekking in the Swiss Alps without winter wear.

 Well, due respect to all of you, but I don't make resolutions. Most of the resolutions I know we all make are related to our body. We all make fancy promises to ourselves for the upcoming year, and the one promise that tops the chart of promises is weight loss. Some of us go to extremes and resolve only to eat salads and sprouts for the whole year to trim down some fat, and what kickstarts the new year are bottles of beer and loads of meat. (I dont have anything against non-vegetarians; I was born a non-vegetarian and I will die one).


Knowing me, I cant make fancy promises to myself (of losing body fat and weight),

Well, to start off with, 2014 has been a good year for me. I loved watching Ryan grow up, talk more and more, gain a strong foothold on his vocabulary, go through emotional upheavals, grow more fond of his dad, and also challenge me in many ways.

I am so happy he is growing up so well!

I did a few great things for myself this year.

First, I learnt swimming. Call it a thrust on my leonine ego, but I did learn swimming after being laughed at a couple of times for not knowing how to tame water. Nevertheless, I am happy that I learnt a new sport. Otherwise, the only sport that I have in me is a spoil sport.

Second, I had given up driving. However, just a few days back, I rekindled the fire in me for driving, and more so, to fancy taking Ryan out for a ride.