Hanoi in Photos

This weekend we took a quick trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. The city is filled with an amazing, palpable, energy. Or could that be the buzz of motorbikes speeding by? The smell of street food that lingers on every corner, the constant beep of honking horns, the women carrying baskets selling fruit ...it all adds up to make this crazy, chaotic and congested city such a unique and vibrant one. Everyone always seemed to be smiling here -  big toothy smiles -  and we were no exception!

Here's a tour of the city through some pics I snapped. Enjoy!

Believe it or not, this isn't even a busy street. Traffic goes in all directions - it's lawless and chaotic and makes crossing the street an adventure. 

Street stalls serve food on sidewalks, in alleys, in apartments. Pull up a small stool and dig in.

 Bún Cá is a noodle soup with fried and steamed fish. Breakfast of champions, eaten right on the sidewalk.

One of my favorite photos from the trip. Street vendors sell everything from books and dvd's to breads and fruit.

Another street food: Banh cuon is a steamed rice pancake stuffed with minced pork and mushrooms. Everything was made fresh right in front of us.  Left and below the woman makes fresh pancakes while the woman to her left stuffs and wraps them. 

Gorgeous produce at a local street market. 

Cleaning clams in a makeshift kitchen space in an alley under some stairs. 

 

This woman is cleaning, killing and prepping frogs for sale. That green mesh bag is full of live frogs!

This seems like a good place for a nap....

As does this...why not?

Pleasure cruisin'

Most women are covered from head to toe. They hate to get any sun. Notice how the jacket even covers her fingers! And by the way, it's sweltering in Hanoi in the summer!

This smoked meat was being mixed with a ton of garlic and some spice for coloring. It then went into the below soup.

Bun Cha, one of Hanoi's signature dishes, is a soup with white rice noodles,  barbecue pork, pork meatballs and the above meat!

Children here are always running around - and at all hours. We saw kids out well past midnight just playing.

Hard day's work.

Pat and I stumbled upon these teens having a dance competition. I guess that's what kids do these days!

From Hanoi, with love   xxP + G

Read More Hanoi Tips Here!

When Life Gives You Lemons….

Tangy and sweet, I love these lemon bars for their amazing blend of flavors. The crust is the perfect bite of a sugary, buttery base, while the inside oozes with the taste of pure lemon perfection. 

Leave it to Ina to always have the best recipe! I paired these lemon bars with Alton Brown’s brownies and served them side-by-side on a platter. They are the perfect summer dessert and your guests will be nothing short of impressed.

Recipe adapted from The Food Network

What You’ll Need:

Crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 C granulated sugar
2 C flour
1/8 tsp salt


Filling:
6 eggs at room temp
3 C granulated sugar
2 Tbs lemon zest
1 C fresh lemon juice
1 C flour
Confectioner's sugar for dusting

What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 Celsius). Make the crust: In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light. Combine the flour and salt and slowly add to the butter until just mixed. Gather the dough onto a floured surface and make into a ball. With your hands (flour them first!) flatten the dough and press into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Leave the oven on. Let crust cool.

Make the filling: whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 35-45 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles or squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Hanoi – Here We Come!

One of the many amazing things about living in HK is the access to Southeast Asia. HK is absolutely the gateway to a million wonderful adventures.

So while I’m excited to finally be settling into our new lives here – it’s time to pack the bags and start exploring!

Next weekend we’ll head to Hanoi, Vietnam for a quick trip. The under-2-hour-flight means that we’re able to go from Friday to Sunday for a weekend getaway.

So what should we do while we’re there? Who has been and what do you recommend?  As always, looking for any great cultural must-sees and let’s not forget about the ever important…food!

Leave me a comment or drop me a line with your suggestions! xx

Chi Lin Nunnery + Nan Lian Gardens

Nan Lian Gardens with apartment buildings all around.  Check out that amazing orange!

One of my favorite things about Hong Kong is that, while you’re in the middle of a giant city, you can always find an escape. In these oases it’s easy to forget that you’re in the epicenter of a bustling metropolis. And then you look up and all around you are cement buildings and skyscrapers and malls. But for just a moment, you could have been a million miles away.

Chi Lin Nunnery

Amazing architecture and greenery

Recently I took an afternoon trip to the Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden in Kowloon. The Nunnery and Garden boast beautiful grounds, maintained to a T. The Nunnery was founded in 1934 and rebuilt in the 90's in traditional Tang Dynasty (618AD to 907AD) architectural style. That means that they are built without any iron nails and there are special interlocking systems cut into the wood to hold the buildings together! Pretty amazing. The Nunnery buildings are the only buildings in Hong Kong built using Tang Dynasty techniques.  Inside are massive gold statues of Buddhas and goddesses. They are awe-inspiring.

The Garden, built in 2006, was built in the classical style of the Tang Dynasty.  The position of each structure, rock, plant and tree in the garden was perfectly crafted to accommodate the rules of the Tang style.  It’s a gorgeous area to stroll through or to relax in the shade and escape big city living.

Beautiful gardens and ponds

Hard at work maintaining the feng shui of the tree!

Visitors at The Nunnery