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Bánh patê sô (Vietnamese Meat Pastry)

Another snack I really enjoyed as a child was bánh patê sô. Bánh patê sô is a Vietnamese savory puff pastry that is likely derived from the French colonization. Many of the Vietnamese cuisines have flavors and techniques from the French culinary tradition. How else would we have the ubiquitous bánh mì which is our version of a baguette sandwich? This pastry is made with traditional puff pastry or pâte feuilletée and filled with ground pork, bean thread noodles and mushrooms. The beauty of this pastry is that you can fill it with whatever you fancy. For this version, we allowed for the ground pork to shine in its simplicity. As summer is in full swing, this is a perfect treat to take with you on a picnic or a roadtrip.

This recipe makes about 9 pastry squares.

Ingredients

1 package of puff pastry

1 lb of ground pork (*Optional: add 2 pieces of chicken liver grounded to mix with the pork. This is the traditional way of making the meat mixture hence the name patê in patê sô. This also gives a richer flavor to the filling. You can also mix in 1/2 cup of chicken liver pate for a decadent treat.)

1-2 stalk of thinly chopped green onions

3 cloves of minced garlic

½ cup of diced onion

1 tablespoon of melted butter

1 teaspoon of sugar melted

⅛ teaspoon of baking powder

½ teaspoon of sea salt

1 tablespoon of ground pepper

1 teaspoon of fish sauce

1 egg

Source: laviepartagee.com

Direction

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, add the pork, butter, sugar, salt, fish sauce, black pepper, baking powder, garlic and onion. Incorporate the ingredients together using your hands. This ensures the ingredients are incorporated thoroughly without over mixing the filling.

Source: laviepartagee.com

On a baking sheet, line with a silicon baking mat or wax paper with a dusting of flour so the patê sô will not stick to the baking sheet.

Lay out the frozen pastry sheets and cut into 9 even squares (3 x 3). Traditionally, pate chaud is round. Since we are making with pre-made pastry dough, it’s best not to waste any of the dough.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Place on the baking sheet with 9 squares evenly spaced out.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Using a tablespoon, scoop the filling and form a small ball. Make sure you pack the filling into the spoon. If not, you will have enough left over filling for another 9 patê sô.

Place the filling onto the middle of the pastry square.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Using a small water sprayer or a pastry brush, lightly spray or brush a light layer of water onto the dough to help the dough stick to the top layer.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Gently line up the top layer onto each of the pate squares. Do not press them down yet.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Use a big round spoon or an ice cream scoop to lightly indent the filling into the squares. The object is to form a shape so the filling will not spill out and not to cut through the dough.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Using your fingers and lightly press around the edges to seal them.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Beat 1 egg and lightly brush the egg wash over the top of the pastry.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Bake for approximately 45 minutes at 350F or until golden and puffy.

Take out the baking sheet and let cool before serving.

Source: laviepartagee.com

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Author: Chau Hoang and Henry Nguyen

Must Do’s: Đà Nẵng , Vietnam (Part 1)

Published by La Vie Partagée

Đà Nẵng is one of the major port cities in Vietnam and the biggest city on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. The city is situated on the coast of the Eastern Sea, at the opening end of the Hàn River. The city is also a famous beach resort town with major high end resorts that were developed over the last decade. Yet, the town still maintains a charm of a small coastal town as compared to Nha Trang. Đà Nẵng is also centrally located and within 100 km of several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Imperial City of Huế, the Old Town of Hội An, and the Mỹ Sơn ruins. Recently, the New York Times ranked Đà Nẵng 43rd on its list of 52 places to go in its 2015 list. Needless to say, Đà Nẵng is becoming a global destination with its famous white sandy beaches and fresh seafood cuisine.

I know Đà Nẵng more intimately as I spent a few years there as a child and still have a majority of my relatives living in the city. When I wanted to write up a Must Do’s list for this site, I contacted my cousin, Amy Dao of Designed by Amy Dao clothing brand in Vietnam. She is a Đà Nẵng’s native with a successful young adult clothing line in Vietnam. She graciously put a list of her favorite places in Đà Nẵng for our readers.

Source: Amy Dao

I will concentrate on the cuisine in Part 1. Most of the restaurants specialize on one dish so they make it to perfection. You will also notice that many of these type of shops will have an equivalent of Ms. [insert name] as the name of the store. Just a friendly warning that this post will make you very hungry.

Must Eat:

MỸ HẠNH Seafood Restaurant

(18 Hoàng Sa str., Phước Mỹ, Sơn Trà District, Đà Nẵng)

This is one of my favorite seafood restaurant in Đà Nẵng and it is very popular with the locals. You come in and pick the fresh seafood that you want to eat from a tank and the kitchen will cook it to how you specify. The restaurant also has a large beach side veranda in the back as well.

These are some of the delectable dishes available at this restaurant.

Crab with a tamarind sauce

Grilled cuttle fish

Grilled prawns

Sweet snails

Grilled fish with a side of vegetables and rice noodles

Beef salad

Many more dishes

TRẦN

(4 Lê Duẩn Str., Đà Nẵng)

This place is known for their pork spring rolls.

the famous dish of pork spring rolls that you assemble yourself

Mrs. THUYÊN

(K424/03 Lê Duẩn str., Danang)

This small restaurant is known for their rice noodles with roasted pork and pork sausages served with a special kind of fish sauce.

Mrs. MUA

(19 Trần Bình Trọng str., Danang)

This is a place where you go to get mỳ quảng, a chewy noodle dish with pork, shrimp and quail eggs that is a specialty of the region. They have a few different variety at this restaurant.

with chicken

This is also a specialty of nearby Hoi An.

We also have a recipe for mỳ quảng that was featured on our Eat Monday. Click here for recipe.

109 Nguyễn Chí Thanh str., Danang

As with many little restaurants in the city, there is no name. You just know the address and you show up. This little shop specialized in bún chả cá or rice vermicelli soup with grilled fish cake.

BÍCH NHƯ

(112 Kỳ Đồng Str., Danang)

This shop specializes in bánh canh cua which is a thick rice noodle (similar to udon) soup that has a crab based broth.

Mrs. DIỆU

(17 Trần Tống Str., Danang)

This shop makes bún bò or beef noodle soup.

Mrs. Hồng

(84 Lê Độ Str., Danang)

This shop serves rice noodles with grilled pork and is a perfect place for lunch.

TIẾN HƯNG

(190 Trần Phú Str., Danang)

This shop is known for a rice flour based stuffed pancake or bánh cuốn.

Mrs. DƯỠNG

(K280/23 Hoàng Diệu Str., Danang)

This is where you can go to get your savory rice crepes fix or otherwise known as bánh xèo.

TÂM

(291 Nguyễn Chí Thanh Str., Danang)

This is the place to go for bánh bèo or steamed rice cake topped with dried shrimp or shrimp paste. This is one of my favorite afternoon snack. You will order this dish by the number of plates. This shop has many other Hue specialty as seen below.

the dried shrimp version

the shrimp paste version

Bánh Bột Lọc or tapioca dumpling with pork and shrimp

Banh nam or flat rice cake with minced shrimp

Banh it or naked” small stuffed glutinous rice flour balls with shrimp inside that is stuck to deep-fried glutinous rice balls

Mrs. LIÊN

(175 Hải Phòng Str., Danang)

This shop is Amy’s favorite since it has a refreshing coconut jelly and other desserts. Agar is added to fresh coconut juice to create this simple and refreshing desert.

coconut jelly

coconut and coffee jelly with coconut milk

caramel flan with coconut milk

TÚ QUỲNH

(7 Hải Phòng Str., Danang)

This shop specialize in a noodle dish called cao lầu hội an which is a dish made up of thick noodles with pork and deep fried pork skin. They also make a delicious chicken and rice dish as well.

cao lầu hội an

chicken and rice

A. Hải

(96 Phan Chu Trinh Str., Danang)

Another of Amy’s favorite for their simple and tasty roasted chicken with rice.

Mrs.Lan

(62 Trưng Nữ Vương, Danang)

This cart is where you go for the bánh mì or crusty french bread filled with mayonnaise, various meats and pickled veggetables. The best part is that it only cost $1!

Dì Hoa

(62/2A Núi Thành Str., Danang)

This place is frequented by students for its street food that only costs $1 a dish. Their famous dish is grilled rice paper with egg, dried beef and pate. They have a few different version of this dish.

HÙNG MY

(316 Nguyễn Hữu Thọ str., Danang)

This shop makes xôi gà or sticky rice with shredded chicken.

LAN HƯƠNG

(110 Nguyễn Chí Thanh str., Danang)

This is a breakfast place that makes Vietnam’s version of steak and eggs called bò né. If you can’t make it to Vietnam, we also have a recipe by clicking on this link: Bò né.

NHÀ ĐỎ

(176 Nguyễn Tri Phương str., Danang)

This place serves rice and traditional dishes of Vietnam. This place is ideal if you have family or friends as everything is served family style.

Mrs. PHÚC

(K464/11 Trưng Nữ Vương str., Danang)

This small shop makes shrimp cakes that you eat with vegetables. It is ideal for snacking.

Now that we have explored the various dishes that Đà Nẵng has to offer, come back next week for Part 2 where we will highlight the places to see and hang out in this vibrant city.

For more articles, visit out TRAVEL page.

Author: Amy Dao and Chau Hoang

Featured photo: Wendy Hill from Flick

Where do professional designers draw their inspiration? Insight from Bullard & Xenides Interiors

Published by La Vie Partagée

One of my favorite parts about the La Vie Partagée lifestyle page is the insight to home design it provides to its readers. Recent posts from designers and design enthusiasts offer up the latest trends and design tips to inspire readers to create great spaces of their own. With such great inspiration so readily at hand for readers, you may have wondered … where do professional designers draw their inspiration as they create new spaces for clients?

While it’s true that a creative mind never really rests (I often have dreams/nightmares about client projects), there are times when an extra boost of inspiration from an outside source is just the remedy to reignite the creative process.

One such boost can be counted on every spring for people in the design world. High Point Market Week is a mecca for designers, architects and retailers. It is essentially a chance for vendors of furniture, design accessories, artwork, lighting, fabrics, wallpapers and many other crafts to put their best foot forward in hopes of driving popular trends in the design industry over the next year or two to come.

And boy, does it ever deliver. Prints used in fresh, gasp-inducing ways, furniture pieces repurposed, and a convergence of the softest textiles and the coolest metals all combine to produce a feast for the senses.

As a designer, this year’s visit left me feeling truly energized and ready to attack my work with some new creative tricks up my sleeve. While these are best used as part of a larger design strategy, there are some simple strategies anyone can use to impact a space. Here are this year’s takeaways from High Point Market Week:

1. Color: The right combination of colors can be a great refresher for any space. Just as in fashion, there are new go-to colors in design each year and really, each season. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to change the color of your walls every 4 months. You can always choose a timeless, neutral and versatile base color and liven up your space with pops of the season’s hottest accent tones. A couple of my all-time favorite neutral paint colors are Benjamin Moore’s “Abalone” and “Smoke Embers.” Then, show a flare for current trends by switching up the covers on your throw pillows and changing out throw blankets each season. Red tones such as Marsala, and Red Dahlia from Pantone are forecasted to be big in the interior design industry in the coming year. Pantone has a great website (http://www.pantone.com) to check out the upcoming color trends for fashion and interior design. Pick colors that suit your tastes and day-to-day lifestyle to make your space your own.

Source: http://www.thecreativityexchange.com/

Source: Benjamin Moore’s Abalone

Source: Fashiontalk

2. Create Symmetry: Being a resident of one of New York’s many tiny, oddly laid out homes has taught me how important symmetry can be. A room that isn’t a perfect square or rectangle with too many doorways seems like a huge headache for furniture plans, but oddly shaped rooms create a perfect opportunity to flex your creative muscle and make intimate, functional seating groups. Pull the furniture off the walls. Let your sofa and a pair of armchairs float in a square formation in the center of the room. Anchor this with a large rug that all the furniture will fit on comfortably. Pick a focal wall in your space (usually the biggest wall that is furthest from the entrance), and hang artwork or a mirror above a beautiful console table. Place a pair of matching lamps on the console at either end of the hanging piece. This creates a symmetry that will give a big presence and draw the eye all the way across the room. You don’t have to have these exact pieces to make these ideas work. The point is to trick the eye into thinking a space is large by creating the illusion of symmetry.

Source: Bullard & Xenides Interiors

3. Room Remix. Maybe you are working on a budget, but you are completely uninspired by your old stuff. Even if you don’t want to spend the weekend spraying your furniture down with a new paint color, repurposing old pieces can make them appealing once again. Take those old low black filing cabinets, and pair them with a top to make an industrial-looking console for your living room. Use that old bistro table as a grand side table for your sofa. Place a large tray on the leather ottoman that was once paired with that over-stuffed chair, and use it as your new coffee table. In today’s world, we usually design a space with function in mind. Let that be the driving force to let you see the full potential and versatility of the furniture you already have.

library-metal-wood-flat-file-coffee-table1

Source: http://www.reclamationadministration.com

Of course if you want help pulling together a completely custom look, you can always hire a designer. We work hard to not only stay up on current trends but to be trendsetters. Designers love to maximize the functionality and, foremost, the beauty of the spaces they create.

Inspiration is everywhere. Find yours.

For more related articles, visit our DESIGN page.

Author: Paul Bullard

Bullard & Xenides Interiors

Mì Quảng / Quảng Nam Style Noodles for the summer

Published by La Vie Partagée

Vietnam is famous for its noodles soups: pho, bun and many others. When it is hot, it is hard to work up an appetite to eat a steaming bowl of noodle soup. Lucky for us, Vietnam also has “dry” noodle dishes which are basically noodles topped with fresh vegetables and various protein and covered in a broth to wet the noodles. One of this dishes is called Mì Quảng noodles. It is very popular in central Vietnamese cities like Da Nang. I spent a few years living with my grandmother in Da Nang. My extended family still resides in the city. This is my mother’s recipe for quick and easy Mì Quảng. It is an easy dish to prepare for the summer.

This recipe serves 4 people and is rated medium in difficulty. This recipe takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes depending on how fast you prepare the ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 lb of pork belly

1.5 lb of shrimp with head

1 bunch of scallions

1 red romaine lettuce

1-2 cup of Mint

1-2 cup of Purple Basil

1 Banana Blossom (Optional) – julienne

2-3 sesame spring roll wrap

¼ teaspoon of sesame oil

2 ⅓ tablespoon of fish sauce

2 tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder

1 can of quail eggs

2-3 limes

4 cloves of garlic

1 yellow onion (approximately 3 tablespoon of diced onions)

roasted peanuts for topping

1 package of Quan Nam Style Noodles (if you do not have this, you can substitute with a wide flat rice or egg noodles). This type of noodles is known for its chewy texture which complements the “dry” style.

1 ¾ tablespoon of sugar

1 ½ teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of ground pepper

Source: laviepartagee.com

Directions:

Prepare the ingredients.

Prepare the shrimp. Cut off the head and tail of the shrimp but do not remove the shell. You want to make sure that the “red” shrimp row is still with the shrimp. This will give a lot of flavor and color to the noodles.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Once the shrimp is cleaned, add 1 teaspoon of salt to the shrimp and mix. Set aside.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Slice the pork belly in ½ inch wide pieces.

Source: laviepartagee.com

To the bowl containing the pork pieces, add the following:

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of ground pepper

2 teaspoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of diced onion

¼ teaspoon sesame oil

½ tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder

Mix well and set aside.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Thinly slice your lettuce, banana blossom (if available) and roughly chop the purple basil and mint. Set aside.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Cut your limes into wedges for seasoning.

Microwave 1 piece of rice wrapper at a time for 1- 1.5 minutes. The rice wrapper should puff up and become a rice cracker. This will be used as garnish for the noodles. It adds a bit of crunch as well.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Boil the noodles.

Boil the water with a few teaspoon of oil to keep the noodles from sticking together.

Once the water boils, add the noodles.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Cook until the noodles are al dente (similar to pasta).

Strain and rinse with cold water.

Cook.

In a pan on high heat, add 2 teaspoon of oil.

Add 1 tablespoon of onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Brown the mixture.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Add the shrimp, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and 2 tablespoon of water to the pan. Stir the ingredients. Watch the shrimp as it will turn pink and cook very quickly (approximately 5 minutes of cooking time). Once the shrimp is cooked, remove from heat and set aside.

Source: laviepartagee.com

In a second pan, add 2 teaspoon of oil, 1 tablespoon of onion and 2 cloves of garlic minced. Brown the garlic and onion.

Add the pork to the pan and saute. Add 1 cup of water and another ½ tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder. Cook for approximately 5 minutes.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Remove the pork but leave the liquid in the pan.

Source: laviepartagee.com

In a larger pot, add the liquid from sauteing the pork. Add 4 cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of water. Add 1 large tomato cut into 8ths.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Season the broth as follows:

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoon of sugar

½ teaspoon of ground black pepper

2 tablespoon of fish sauce

1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder

Boil the broth for 10 minutes and add the pork to the broth. Continue to boil for a few more minutes until the tomato falls apart.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Turn the heat to a simmer/warm and add the quail eggs (strained from the liquid).

Source: laviepartagee.com

Assemble.

In a bowl, add a handful of lettuce, shredded banana blossoms (if available), purple basil and mint.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Add ½ cup of noodles or roughly a small handful of noodles.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Add 3-4 pieces of shrimp to the bowl.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Add a ladle of pork, quail eggs and tomatoes to the bowl.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Add ½ cup of broth to the bowl. The broth should only hit about ⅓ of the bowl. This is not a noodle soup but rather a dry noodle dish with a subtle helping of sauce.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Top with a handful of peanuts, pieces of rice crackers and some diced scallions.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Enjoy your delicious and refreshing noodle dish in the mist of the summer heat.

Source: laviepartagee.com

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Author: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang

Words for Thought

Published by La Vie Partagée

Hotel Review: Mercure Phu Quoc Resort Hotel (Phu Quoc, Vietnam)

Published by La Vie Partagée

Mercure Phu Quoc Resort Hotel

Editor’s Revision on 7/9/2015: Mercure Phu Quoc Resort Hotel is part of the Accor Hotels Group. We originally listed it as part of the Novotel Brand.

Address: To 1 Ap Duong To Xa Duong To, Huyen Phu Quoc, 95000 TINH KIEN GIANG, Vietnam

For our weekend trip to Phu Quoc, we decided to stay at the newest resort with a private beach, away from the crowds. The Mercure Hotel on Phu Quoc Island was the perfect choice. It just opened in November 2014. The boutique resort is located 10 minutes from the airport and about 20 minutes away from town. It offers the exclusivity of a boutique luxury resort but goes easier on your wallet. The resort is even expanding with further construction that will continue through next year.

PROS:

The breakfast buffet is a great deal! The breakfast buffet offer an incredible array of food (Phu Quoc’s specialties and the standard Western hot and cold buffets). Breakfast is served until 10:30am. We got there at 10am to secure a table in one of their outside sitting areas overlooking the ocean. It’s a great way to start the morning and we ended up skipping lunch in favor of a light snack in the afternoon. The breakfast is a good choice to include in the room rate as the hotel is far from any alternative breakfast options.
Source: http://www.accorhotels.com
Free shuttle to/from the airport! We highly recommend arranging the free shuttle service from/to the airport with the front desk a few days before your arrival.
The reception when you arrive at check-in! At check in, we were greeted with a refreshing drink and completed check-in relatively fast. The porter drove us to our bungalow after we received our room keys.
Source: http://www.accorhotels.com/

Source: http://www.Andy-le.com
Modern, clean rooms because the resort is brand new! Phu Quoc Island’s hotels are usually much older and in need of repair. For our stay in February, this resort was the only new one on the island.
Source: http://www.accorhotels.com/
Moped rentals on-site! They have a selection of mopeds, filled with gas and helmets to choose from. The price is approximately 200,000VND/per day. There was an option to rent for half day as well. We chose to rent the moped for the entire day.
Live Band every night! We enjoyed the complimentary live band every night and it’s a good way to unwind with a cocktail in hand.
Source: http://www.Andy-le.com
The pool is open late and there is a water bar to order drinks.
Source: http://www.Andy-le.com
Free kayaks are available for you to use. We used the free kayaks to explore the ocean near the beaches. Life jackets are provided.
Source: http://www.Andy-le.com
Beautiful spa with reasonable service charge. The spa is nicely decorated and the services met our expectations.
Source: http://www.accorhotels.com/
Private beach!
Source: http://www.accorhotels.com/

CONS:

Misleading room descriptions and Customer Service to resolve an issue can ruin your experience before it begins. We originally booked a “Deluxe 2 Single Beds” for our stay. The hotel description stated “Each 538 sq. ft. (50 m²) Vietnamese-inspired room features 2 single beds, personal Jacuzzi and private balcony with stunning views of our beautiful garden.” Our room was situated about 4 rows of buildings away from the beach with no ocean view. The “stunning views of the garden” were nonexistent! The garden had not been completed, and we were facing construction sites on both sides. It was rather depressing. The walk to the beach was also long. When we voiced our concerns with management, we found their response to be lacking. They offered to make different arrangements for us if we paid for a “better room”. We were visibly annoyed at this suggestion. We were also locked into a non-refundable rate so we could not move our hotel without paying for the hotel.
After an hour, the resort agreed to provide a villa with partial ocean view but we did have to pay for the difference between the rooms. We decided to bite the bullet and went ahead with the change. With a limited number of guests staying at the resort during off-season, we were surprised that management was not more accommodating. We finally stayed in Villa 1 King Bed with Sea View. According to the hotel, “Villa 1 King Bed, Sea view – Each 560 sq. ft. (52 m²) Vietnamese-inspired villa features a king-size bed, personal Jacuzzi, private balcony with stunning sea views and direct access to the pool.” We stayed in Villa #5. We also noticed that only Villa #5 or 6, directly behind the pool, offer ocean views. If you can’t get these rooms, it might be best to find another accommodation on the island if “ocean view” is a must on your list! There “garden-view rooms” are cramped and currently overlook construction areas. Their only direct “ocean view” accommodations are their suites which are overpriced.

Original Accommodation when we arrived

Source: La Vie Partagee

Bad Wi-Fi reception and no business center with landline to use.
The resort needs to have more lighting at night. It was completely pitch black after 10pm, and we had to use our iphone’s flashlights to find our way back to our room.
The resort is situated far from restaurants and major attractions. Taxi rides to/from town can end up costing $20 per day. We chose to rent the moped instead.
Expensive food options with no outside alternatives. We found the food and drinks to be comparable to American 4/5 star hotel prices. Due to the location, it took us 10-20 minutes to travel for a better priced meal. We ended up stocking up on drinks, water, and snacks while we were in town and left them in our hotel room.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay after the initial issues with our room. As the resort was newly opened, not all of the resort’s services were executed smoothly, especially its customer service related to reservations and bookings. If it is to live up to its 4 star rating, these aspects of the hotel need to improve. We plan to return later this year to see if there have been any changes.

FINAL HOTEL ASSESSMENT:

For our hotel’s reviews, we will provide ratings based on the following criteria:

1 (Terrible) to 5 (Excellence)

Cleanliness: 5 – The Mercure Phu Quoc Resort Hotel is brand new.
Reviews of hotel from various sources (i.e. Trip Advisor) are accurately reflecting the current condition of its accommodation: 4 – The Hotel gets rave reviews on Trip Advisor. It is indeed the newest and considered the best in Phu Quoc, but when compared to the other hotels in Vietnam, the hotel did not meet our expectations. The room and its location will determine your review of this hotel.
Hotel room description is the same as the booking information: 2 – Based on my experience, the rooms were accurate but the location descriptions were misleading. A “garden view” provided a view of a construction zone and the location was also very far from the beach. We recommend that you follow up with the hotel to ensure that the view from your room is what you expect.
Check In Process: 4 – Customer Service is friendly. A welcoming staff treated us to a glass of fresh juice while we waited to check in. The porter took us to our room in a golf cart. Overall, the process is quick and smooth.
Staff ability to speak English: 3 – We find that the reception staff is fluent in English but the rest of the hotel staff struggle beyond common English requests. This could be frustrating for non-Vietnamese speaking tourists. We ended up speaking Vietnamese to most of the staff.
Food/Beverage Service: 4 – Food is beautifully prepared and tastes great. The downside is that food prices are expensive, and there are no cheaper alternatives in the area.
Issue resolution from management: 2 – We gave the hotel a rating below our expectation for issue resolution. The room that we received was far from the beach and had views of construction zones all around us. We communicated that the hotel description on the website was misleading. We asked for a different room but were requested to pay more. With minimal guests at the hotel, there were definitely rooms available for management to resolve this issue by moving us to a better location. Management was difficult to deal with, and we were frustrated to the point that we wanted to cancel our hotel reservation and move to another hotel. However, we booked a non-refundable rate through hotel.com, so we were stuck here. We finally relented and paid extra for the room with the pool view. This incident was not a great start to our girl’s getaway.
Customer Service: 3 – Nothing extraordinary about the hotel service. The staff is friendly and will provide you with good service. However, they struggle if there is an issue or a complicated request from a guest (i.e. LAN line instead of wifi).

OVERALL RATING: 3.5 out of 5

For more articles on Phu Quoc, visit our TRAVEL page.

Author: Thai-Anh Hoang

Big Box Scout: Summer Patio Basics

Published by La Vie Partagée

We decided to do some scouting to show you what is actually available in some of the most popular big box stores.

In all honesty, I was surprised to find items exhibiting similarly bright colors and designs. So, for furniture, I would say, let price drive your decision aside from the additional expense of some accent tables. For pillows, here are a few options for you to try along with some other great finds at the following stores:

1) Cost Plus World Market

With solid, bigger pieces of furniture, just add some pillows.

How about this fun print for this fabric? It goes great with natural wood colors and bright ones too.

There are more fun patterns, full of color.

We found full color metal stools and/or side tables.

Here is this classic design in red, blue and brown.

We even found a picnic table!

My favorite find in this store was this wooden cooler; it definitely makes those ugly plastic cases a thing of the past.

2) Marshalls

You need luck and the patience to dig through merchandise at a place like Marshalls. I found limited outdoor pieces of furniture.

Here, I really liked this white bamboo chair.

3) Pier 1 Imports

Pier 1 would be a place I strongly recommend if you are looking to furnish your outdoor patio or deck. But, do not expect the latest trends on fabrics for cushions and pillows.

4) T.J. Maxx

We had no luck finding anything apart from this piece that would look great in a small space. I would recommend finishing it with marine varnish so it resists the wear of outdoor weather conditions.

5) Target

In my opinion, Target understands what most people want: Style, quality, and good prices.

Prices are good; don’t overlook the clearance items.

We spotted a firebowl for $99.99.

6) Home Goods

Home Goods’ selection of planters is really good. You might get lucky and find some other interesting outdoor accessories like we did.

Finally, my strong suggestion is to look for pillows online. There, it will be easier to find truly contemporary items with more interesting fabrics. Also try smaller stores or interior design boutiques, which certainly have access to a larger variety of fabrics.

Other than that, you will find almost all you need in the big boxes.

Let us know how do in your outdoor design projects!

For more articles, visit our DESIGN page.

Author: Daniela Olmedo

Bò Né (Vietnamese Steak and Eggs Breakfast)

Published by La Vie Partagée

Every culture has its own spin on steak and eggs. I remember running off to school with some pocket money for breakfast which would include banh mi, steamed sticky rice, soy milk and many other wonderful dishes. Bò né is one of my favorite breakfast dishes. Who can resist a skillet of marinated beef flank with butter and sunny side up eggs served with a crusty french baguette?

Bò né literally translates into dodge beef. I think this has to do with having to “dodge” the splatter of oil on a hot skillet when you add beef to it. The trick to tasty bò né is to marinate the beef the night before. This is ideal for Sunday brunch.

Ingredients:

1 lb of flank steak

1 teaspoon of fish sauce

1-2 stalks of scallions diced

Onion

garlic

butter

4 eggs (2 per person)

½ teaspoon of sesame oil

1 teaspoon of oyster sauce

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of pepper

a pinch of 5 spice seasoning

Source: laviepartagee.com

Directions

Marinate:

Trim fat off of the flank steak and tenderize with a meat mallet. This will make the steak tender.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Cut the steak into ½ inch cubes.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Marinate with fish sauce, oyster sauce, sesame sauce, 1 teaspoon of pepper, garlic, and 5 spice seasoning

Source: laviepartagee.com

Add the beef and massage the marinade with the beef thoroughly. Let it marinate for at least ½ an hour. You can prepare this in advance the night before or a week before and freeze the meat.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Cooking (for 1 person. You will need 2 skillets for 2 people)

Heat the skillet on high and add a few teaspoons of extra olive oil to coat the pan.

Add the meat and cook until tender.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Add 2 eggs to the same skillet sunny side up and cook thoroughly.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Once the eggs are almost done, add a small slice of butter and dice green onions to the meat.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Serve in the skillet with french bread. Traditionally, you would coat the bread with some regular pate. Then add the beef to the bread and dip it in with the eggs for gooey deliciousness.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Author: Chau Hoang and Henry Nguyen

Words for Thought

Published by La Vie Partagée

Weekend Unexplored: Backpacking through Yosemite

Published by La Vie Partagée

Wanting to explore Yosemite National Park without the crowds, some friends and I decided to do a 3-day hike with The Wildland Trekking Company along the less traversed trails of the Valley. None of us were experienced backpackers and owned little to none of the camping gear necessary for the trip. Booking a backpacking trip with Wildland provided us with an experienced, thoughtful guide, and all of the gear necessary to make for a stress-free journey through arguably California’s most beautiful state park.

The most important factor of enjoying the trip was the physical stamina to carry all of the necessary weight. Each of our packs would have to fit a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, rain gear, toiletries, and bear canisters storing food. Knowing that I would have to carry a 30Ib. pack over the course of three days, I trained a month before–climbing up and down stairs with weights and doing day hikes with a 15-20 Ib. pack. I quickly learned that my backpack and trekking poles were the best assets I had on the hike. A good backpack, strapped correctly, targets most of the weight on the hips, releasing strain on the back and shoulders. Using trekking poles absolutely saves one’s knees from the beating of rocks and jagged terrain, especially when coming downhill.

The evening before the hike, Myriam our guide, met us at the Wawona hotel to give us an orientation. With first time backpackers, she eased our concerns by going through our individual belongings that we had brought, commenting on any extra items we could leave behind to lessen our load. Anything that we were missing as essentials, including all meals and snacks over the three days, she provided. During the trip, she proved herself to be a diligent and thoughtful resource. Myriam guided us through setting up our tents, filtering our water, safely storing our food, and disposing our waste. She showed us how to respect the park; we were never permitted to leave any trash or trace behind. It seemed she could name any tree or plant that we passed, stopping us in our tracks whenever she saw something that might pique our interest. Upon setting up camp, she would cook hot, delicious meals for us while we searched for dry wood to kindle a fire. But what I appreciated most about Myriam was her consistent gauge of the group energy level and enthusiasm, which she used to determine the frequency of our breaks and the tailoring of our daily itineraries.

North Dome Hike Specs:

Distance – approx. 20 miles
Elevation – 3,000-foot ascent to 7,540 feet above sea level (North Dome)
Difficulty – Strenuous

Overview Map: We parked our cars in Curry Village and took the free shuttle buses within the park to get to the Mirror Lake trailhead, the start of our hike.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Day 1: Mirror Lake and the steep trek up Snow-Creek trail. We covered approximately 6 miles, 4.5 of which were switchbacks uphill after passing the beautiful lake. We kept a slow and steady pace in order to tackle the steep gain in elevation. Every step provided us with a better view of Tenaya Canyon.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Source: laviepartagee.com

Day 2: Detour to Indian Rock and North Dome. The second day included my favorite parts of the trip. Although the longest in terms of mileage, approximately 10 miles, we were rewarded with some spectacular views of Yosemite. At dusk, we finally set up camp by Indian Canyon Creek.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Indian Rock is the only natural arch in Yosemite. The views from there are breathtaking on a clear day.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Source: laviepartagee.com

As we hiked further south to North Dome, we caught glimpses of Half Dome and Clouds Rest across the way.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Day 3: Descent along Yosemite Falls. Trekking poles came in handy as the duration of our final day was 5 miles, almost entirely downhill. The trail follows the full length of the upper falls. Picture after picture, we couldn’t get enough of its magnificence.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Source: laviepartagee.com

Source: laviepartagee.com

Reflections:

Trees — sequoias, pine, and cedar– amazed us with their height, breadth, and color during the hike. We could see the new sprouting of fresh leaves along the tips of their branches that had a lighter green color compared to their mature neighbors. Florescent green lichen spread out along the orange brown bark of their tree trunks. Interspersed among these greens were the splashes of red and white from snow plants and paint brushes on the ground.

Source: laviepartagee.com

Snow Plant source: http://www.ocregister.com/

Paint brush source: http://www.cabrillo.edu/

What was striking about the route we took was that it was almost completely void of other hikers. Our group saw maybe five other people during the whole trip until we reached nearly the bottom of Yosemite Falls. Although challenging on certain stretches, it was all worth it in exchange for the euphoria we felt upon seeing the breathtaking views of Half Dome, Clouds Rest, and the sweeping Valley.

For more travel stories, visit our TRAVEL page.

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Author: Chau Hoang and Henry Nguyen

Must Eat:

MỸ HẠNH Seafood Restaurant

TRẦN

Mrs. THUYÊN

Mrs. MUA

109 Nguyễn Chí Thanh str., Danang

BÍCH NHƯ

Mrs. DIỆU

Mrs. Hồng

TIẾN HƯNG

Mrs. DƯỠNG

TÂM

Mrs. LIÊN

TÚ QUỲNH

A. Hải

Mrs.Lan

Dì Hoa

HÙNG MY

LAN HƯƠNG

NHÀ ĐỎ

Mrs. PHÚC

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Directions:

Prepare the ingredients.

Boil the noodles.

Cook.

Assemble.

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1) Cost Plus World Market

2) Marshalls

3) Pier 1 Imports

4) T.J. Maxx

5) Target

6) Home Goods

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Directions

Marinate:

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