Good Eating

Olafhenny · 03-24-2012, 10:30 PM

Who would not like to have dinner in places like these?

Lousaine Brew House in Nha Trang. Just past the last row of tables is a sandy beach and then
starts the South China Sea.

Tummy full, most dishes cleared, money in the pay wallet, - time for a parting photo.

While waiting to be served, might as well take a couple of pictures of this place in Mui Ne

Same restaurant, just a shot taken from our table in the other direction.

Olafhenny · 03-30-2012, 10:02 PM

Some of the finest pastries I have encountered outside of central Europe are to be found in
the Cargo Club in Hoi An, Vietnam and the Tam Tam Café right across the road from it.

Just seeing this display case is a delight (for me anyway).

Some of the “detail”

More detail. - I particularly liked the details.

The Tam Tam Café viewed from the Cargo Club

Olafhenny · 04-03-2012, 09:16 PM

In Vietnam Food Is Always Pleasantly Presented

A great breakfast to wake up to.
I believe, we all know, what bananas look like, so from there clockwise: pineapple, orange,
watermelon, mango, dragon fruit, pineapple, water melon, orange, dragon fruit and in the
centre yogurt over top of strawberries.

Lunch $2.75; a lunch to stop almost everything, other than breathing, for

If you are looking for something a bit “meatier” for lunch, these beef rolls are also quite delicious.

For a real hefty dinner these pieces of pork, sautéed with a fine sauce in a cast iron pan will be
served to you with steamed rice.

None of these dishes exceeded $5.-.

barnetmill · 04-03-2012, 09:38 PM

I wonder if the French colonial past has anything to do with the excellent cuisine that is now found in top restaurants of Vietnam. There use to be an old French saying if you are going to be conquered by someone it would better if they can cook, making fun their English competitors.

Olafhenny · 04-03-2012, 10:30 PM

Although I believe, that in Vietnam you get the better out of both cultures, I found the French
influence less prevalent, than I had expected, before I visited Vietnam the first time.

One of the mainstays of their cuisine is the incredibly delicious sauces, of which you find
variations throughout East Asia.

The other important ingredient is the incredible artistry, which seems to be a talent present in all
Vietnamese.

Examples can be seen in the threads I have started so far:

Seeds for Quất, possibly the most attractive and hardy citrus… - Bananas.org

The Opulence of Flowers in Vietnam is breathtaking.

Beautiful Landscaping

Seeds for Quất, possibly the most attractive and hardy citrus…

But more threads are still to come, specifically one covering Arts and Culture and the crowning of
this, the Good Eating thread: ‘Ancient Hue’

Best,
Olaf

Darkman · 04-04-2012, 09:00 PM

Man I'm ready to pack a bag. Most of thse dishes were mostly healthy too!

Olafhenny · 04-16-2012, 11:53 PM

The following pictures show the most swanky place we have eaten in during our Vietnam visit.
We had been there during our last year’s visit and knew, it would be elegant. Accordingly
we dressed up: I wore socks in my sandals.

Because of the quality of the place and the tropical fauna as well as the landscaping most of
us are interested in, it deserves two parts. this first part will be dedicated to introduce you to
the park-like complex, which consists of a number of restaurants in separate buildings. Because I
was stumbling about with my camera in the semi dark, I have never quite figured out how many
separate restaurants there were. Also due to the darkness the photos, shot with a hand held
camera are not as sharp as they might have been under better light conditions.

This is the main building with the large dining hall on the second floor. We had dinner there last year.

The walk-up to one of the smaller establishments. Sorry about my thumb, I should have cropped that out.

One of the ornamental ponds on the grounds

Another illustration of the ambience of the setting with two separate restaurants in the background.

Yug · 04-17-2012, 12:10 AM

The places look really nice, but it is the food, and cleanliness of preparation, that makes it or breaks it. Amoebic dysentery could dampen a really nice vacation.

Just sayin'...

Olafhenny · 04-17-2012, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yug

The places look really nice, but it is the food, and cleanliness of preparation, that makes it or breaks it. Amoebic dysentery could dampen a really nice vacation.

Just sayin'...

In 3 trips, altogether about 6 months in Vietnam, I have not had one bout of dysentery, even
though we have eaten out regularly 3 meals a day in hundreds of different restaurants, lots of
them fairly cheap ones.

Oh, I had my run-ins with the 'runs', but never in Vietnam. In this age of bottled water it is
your own fault if you have those problems.

I travelled in the Middle East during the fifties and sixties, before 'bottled water'.

Now that is a different story.

Olafhenny · 05-04-2012, 12:37 AM

A PM I just received reminded me, that I had posted about the park like setting of the best
eatery we encountered in Vietnam, but had not followed it up with our actual eating experience.

As I had indicated in my previous posting, this is a complex of several restaurants in a park.
Last year we dined here.

This year the ambiance was more intimate in this little two table room, where we were later
joined by a German couple

The food was of course delicious, after all, this was Vietnam. But if you think that it was artfully
presented in my previous photos in this thread, look at this one.

Now isn’t that a splendid bird? (Peacock?)

After the meal we were given right on our table a demonstration on how the decorations are carved.
I did not take any pictures this time, because I had done that last year, but if anybody is interested
I can post a short series of pics. on that too.

Ah yes, before anybody gets the idea, that this dinner broke the bank.... While it was quite expensive
by Vietnamese standards, it was no more expensive than what you would spend here in one of the
medium priced chain restaurants, such as a steak house.

Since we had been here before, we knew, that it would be "up-scale". so we dressed accordingly.
I wore socks in my sandals.

Darkman · 05-04-2012, 09:40 AM

I'd love to see the carving instructional pictures either here or in a link.

Olafhenny · 05-14-2012, 11:11 PM

The following is part of a pictorial presentation I prepared of our first visit there last year. The explanations
are inside the images. This is the first and so far the last attempt I have made at such a presentation, so
please bear with me.

We did get a similar presentation by the same artist this year. That appears to be the advantage of
being there early. They cannot possibly do that, when the restaurants are packed. Actually I wanted
to go there early, to catch the last of the daylight for some of the pictures shown in this thread below.

03-24-2012, 10:30 PM	#1 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,450 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Good Eating Who would not like to have dinner in places like these? Lousaine Brew House in Nha Trang. Just past the last row of tables is a sandy beach and then starts the South China Sea. Tummy full, most dishes cleared, money in the pay wallet, - time for a parting photo. While waiting to be served, might as well take a couple of pictures of this place in Mui Ne Same restaurant, just a shot taken from our table in the other direction. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

03-30-2012, 10:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,450 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Fine pastries Some of the finest pastries I have encountered outside of central Europe are to be found in the Cargo Club in Hoi An, Vietnam and the Tam Tam Café right across the road from it. Just seeing this display case is a delight (for me anyway). Some of the “detail” More detail. - I particularly liked the details. The Tam Tam Café viewed from the Cargo Club __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

04-03-2012, 09:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,450 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	In Vietnam Food Is Always Pleasantly Presented In Vietnam Food Is Always Pleasantly Presented A great breakfast to wake up to. I believe, we all know, what bananas look like, so from there clockwise: pineapple, orange, watermelon, mango, dragon fruit, pineapple, water melon, orange, dragon fruit and in the centre yogurt over top of strawberries. Lunch $2.75; a lunch to stop almost everything, other than breathing, for If you are looking for something a bit “meatier” for lunch, these beef rolls are also quite delicious. For a real hefty dinner these pieces of pork, sautéed with a fine sauce in a cast iron pan will be served to you with steamed rice. None of these dishes exceeded $5.-. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

04-03-2012, 09:38 PM	#4 (permalink)
barnetmill barnetmill Location: 8b in Northwest Florida near Alabama Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 296 BananaBucks : 69,272 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 110 Times Was Thanked 319 Times in 202 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 37 Times	Re: Good Eating I wonder if the French colonial past has anything to do with the excellent cuisine that is now found in top restaurants of Vietnam. There use to be an old French saying if you are going to be conquered by someone it would better if they can cook, making fun their English competitors. Last edited by barnetmill : 04-03-2012 at 09:41 PM.

04-03-2012, 10:30 PM	#5 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,450 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Good Eating Although I believe, that in Vietnam you get the better out of both cultures, I found the French influence less prevalent, than I had expected, before I visited Vietnam the first time. One of the mainstays of their cuisine is the incredibly delicious sauces, of which you find variations throughout East Asia. The other important ingredient is the incredible artistry, which seems to be a talent present in all Vietnamese. Examples can be seen in the threads I have started so far: Seeds for Quất, possibly the most attractive and hardy citrus… - Bananas.org The Opulence of Flowers in Vietnam is breathtaking. Beautiful Landscaping Seeds for Quất, possibly the most attractive and hardy citrus… But more threads are still to come, specifically one covering Arts and Culture and the crowning of this, the Good Eating thread: ‘Ancient Hue’ Best, Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

Members currently in the chatroom: 0
	The most chatters online in one day was 17, 09-06-2009. No one is currently using the chat.

04-04-2012, 09:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
Darkman Dirt Master Darkman's Photo Gallery Location: Pensacola, FL South of I-10 Find me on the map! Zone: 8b/9a Name: Darkman Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 1,249 BananaBucks : 204,882 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 9,263 Times Was Thanked 1,582 Times in 702 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 243 Times	Re: Good Eating Man I'm ready to pack a bag. Most of thse dishes were mostly healthy too! __________________ Darkman in Pensacola AS ALWAYS IMHO AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY DIFFER!!!!!!!! Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong! Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable! Statistics - Data that analyst twist to support the insane opinions of those that pay them.

04-16-2012, 11:53 PM	#7 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,450 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Time to post some more about dining in Vietnam The following pictures show the most swanky place we have eaten in during our Vietnam visit. We had been there during our last year’s visit and knew, it would be elegant. Accordingly we dressed up: I wore socks in my sandals. Because of the quality of the place and the tropical fauna as well as the landscaping most of us are interested in, it deserves two parts. this first part will be dedicated to introduce you to the park-like complex, which consists of a number of restaurants in separate buildings. Because I was stumbling about with my camera in the semi dark, I have never quite figured out how many separate restaurants there were. Also due to the darkness the photos, shot with a hand held camera are not as sharp as they might have been under better light conditions. This is the main building with the large dining hall on the second floor. We had dinner there last year. The walk-up to one of the smaller establishments. Sorry about my thumb, I should have cropped that out. One of the ornamental ponds on the grounds Another illustration of the ambience of the setting with two separate restaurants in the background. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

04-17-2012, 12:10 AM	#8 (permalink)
Yug Yug's Photo Gallery Location: Hawaii Find me on the map! Zone: 10-11 Name: Knobby D. Holme Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,465 BananaBucks : 57,948 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 4,009 Times Was Thanked 1,742 Times in 812 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 463 Times	Re: Good Eating The places look really nice, but it is the food, and cleanliness of preparation, that makes it or breaks it. Amoebic dysentery could dampen a really nice vacation. Just sayin'...

05-04-2012, 12:37 AM	#10 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,450 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Good Eating A PM I just received reminded me, that I had posted about the park like setting of the best eatery we encountered in Vietnam, but had not followed it up with our actual eating experience. As I had indicated in my previous posting, this is a complex of several restaurants in a park. Last year we dined here. This year the ambiance was more intimate in this little two table room, where we were later joined by a German couple The food was of course delicious, after all, this was Vietnam. But if you think that it was artfully presented in my previous photos in this thread, look at this one. Now isn’t that a splendid bird? (Peacock?) After the meal we were given right on our table a demonstration on how the decorations are carved. I did not take any pictures this time, because I had done that last year, but if anybody is interested I can post a short series of pics. on that too. Ah yes, before anybody gets the idea, that this dinner broke the bank.... While it was quite expensive by Vietnamese standards, it was no more expensive than what you would spend here in one of the medium priced chain restaurants, such as a steak house. Since we had been here before, we knew, that it would be "up-scale". so we dressed accordingly. I wore socks in my sandals. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

05-04-2012, 09:40 AM	#11 (permalink)
Darkman Dirt Master Darkman's Photo Gallery Location: Pensacola, FL South of I-10 Find me on the map! Zone: 8b/9a Name: Darkman Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 1,249 BananaBucks : 204,882 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 9,263 Times Was Thanked 1,582 Times in 702 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 243 Times	Re: Good Eating I'd love to see the carving instructional pictures either here or in a link. __________________ Darkman in Pensacola AS ALWAYS IMHO AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY DIFFER!!!!!!!! Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong! Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable! Statistics - Data that analyst twist to support the insane opinions of those that pay them.

05-14-2012, 11:11 PM	#12 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 246,450 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Good Eating The following is part of a pictorial presentation I prepared of our first visit there last year. The explanations are inside the images. This is the first and so far the last attempt I have made at such a presentation, so please bear with me. We did get a similar presentation by the same artist this year. That appears to be the advantage of being there early. They cannot possibly do that, when the restaurants are packed. Actually I wanted to go there early, to catch the last of the daylight for some of the pictures shown in this thread below. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Bananas are not just for eating	Olafhenny	Main Banana Discussion	2	12-19-2010 01:27 AM
Is this a good price / good vendor?	Darkman	Main Banana Discussion	17	11-04-2010 07:43 PM
Poo eating plant	cherokee_greg	Tiki Hut	1	04-03-2010 06:00 PM
What the heck am I eating?	lorax	Main Banana Discussion	20	05-14-2009 08:25 PM
I just like eating them.	dotancohen	Member Introductions	13	04-26-2007 10:43 AM