A Birthday Celebration @ Baguette & Chocolat Cafe in Sapa, Vietnam
March 9, 2009 | 4,131 views
The town square amidst Sapa town …. I’m seeing Stars ….
The old church in Sapa town
Sights around the town …. as usual, I’m snapping while not giving in to temptations
Classic carving ya? It’s embedded onto a monument in the middle of the town
Seriously, walking around town for miles net you NOT even a bead of sweat ….
Felt as though it’s spring, though it was just past winter …..
Roasting suckling pig by the roadside …. Looks tempting, yet the hygiene factor put us off …. To imagine vehicles zooming by every few seconds, adding extra zest to the meat!
A tranquil scene at the lake in Sapa ….. we spent a good half hour or more camwhoring here!
Business must be booming. Wondering whether the economic turmoil affects the people here? Or maybe there’s the ‘stimulus package’ in the forms of tourism from all over?
A cheery lady selling yummy stuff by the sidewalk
I swear it was smoky when consuming! Lovely snack to have amidst the cool weather …..
The grilled sweet potato was priced at 5000 Dong/RM1/USD0.30 if I’m not mistaken. It was smoking hot when served fresh from the grill, so be careful. Though the temperature quickly dropped due to the overall cooling weather.
You’ve gotta choose your preferred stall. As the whole sidewalk was lined by similar stalls, selling EXACTLY the same food. Talk about united.
Rolled beef with herbs/vege … Pre-grilled
Baguette & Chocolat @ Sapa …. a quaint little cafe-cum-bakery in a French style bungalow setting.
A tantalizing variety of cakes/muffins/puddings are available for your viewing and choosing pleasure at the glass display counter … POINT AWAY!
Carrot Cake (20,000 Dong/RM4/USD1.20)
The carrot cake was nothing spectacular, but a slice at only RM4, it was reasonably divine. Hahahaha ….. It was not too sweet either, and rather fluffy.
Crepe Suzette Flambees (30,000 Dong/RM6/USD1.70)
The crepe suzette was far from flaming, and not served/flamed on site, or on a pan. Ahem …. tasted like normal pancake drizzled with orange sauce, without liquor. Redemption point? The homemade pancake batter was passable, soft and not bland.
Eclat Orange (24,000 Dong/RM4.80/USD1.40)
Vietnamese Drip Coffee (22,000 Dong/RM4.40/USD1.30)
Hmmm.. The price for the desserts were not much different compared to some of those served over here. Well, I don’t mind patronizing that place for charity.
http://crizfood.com/
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From what I see, it is definitely a good cuppa of coffee…it does remind me of the Vietnamese drip coffee I last had at Coffee Island but yours is much stronger
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Hey, thanks again for the celebration
It’s indeed a memorable one for me to spent the big day at two different countries. Anyway, till now, I can still remember how strong the Vietnamese coffee was, it’s too potent for me I think, although I’m a coffee addictor…hehe.
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yeah… Happy Birthday to Min(again, again and again)!!!! haha…
the lake scene is superb~~ we reli spent quite a long time there..
Baguette & Chocolat is indeed a cozy and nice place for dessert lovers.. but i think tat night the whole cafe was polluted by our laughters.. haha.. reli paiseh.. haiz.. miss the game la.. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7… nxt time we play again in Bali la, ok?? hehe…
yeah.. Motormouth is the champion of caffeine addiction!! terrible, man.. so strong still can sleep like a PIG~~ hmmm… cant help any more.. =P Min, u reli cant beat him.. hehe..
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should try the suckling pig by the roadside leh… maybe the ‘extra’ elements make it tastes better! :p
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The carrot cake looks yummy enough…
But, the roast suckling pig looked so so pitiful.
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Seriously the desserts look yummy to me, from the photos. Every piece of them!
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so no master bakers there in Hanoi churning out really good bakes?
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Criz Lai : yup, for charity and something to warm the stomach on a cold night.
ck lam : it came to about half a cup, but the potency … hahaha .. even with milk, also we jolted up and paid attention!
Min : yeahlah … who can boast of bday celebrated many times and in 2 countries leh?!
KCA : pig ur head lah .. hahaha… the caffeine ain’t strong enough to keep me awake longer than desired. maybe i should try chewing on the beans. hahahah …
ling239 : it looks crackling-ly crispy, but the ashes and the dust from the traffic … ahem. i’ll pass. plus the shop also sells roasted DOGS lah … imagine the skewer been recycled. yucks.
ahlock : yeahlah.. the morale of the story is; Never peek into the Kitchen preparing ur Food.
cariso : the place and the comfort came 1st, in our opinions. the desserts and coffee were mere fillers. and we were LOUD!
thenomadGourmand : i’m sure there is, but leave that for another day … or another trip.
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While we were in Saigon some years back , we found the place rough & raw. Food is not extraordinary but the roadside noodle stalls ( eat on low planky) chairs quite tasty as the thousand of girls zoomed by in their vespas and scooters ! and inviting us to follow them ( how nice ) .But we found their beer 333 cheap and good and so we had no sore throat at all ! You shud try that next time
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haven’t tried Vietnamese coffee b4…so, how was it? compare to Ipoh coffee?which is better?!
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The view of the roasting suckling pig is definitly eye catching. But what? They sell roasted Dog? You got to be kidding me…
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Luv the Vietnamese drip coffee. The scenery in Vietnam is so beautiful and breathtaking! Excellent shots!
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Wow, I have heard of the legendary Vietnamese drip coffee. Did you manage to sleep well that night? 😛 I am not a coffee person and the slightest bit of caffeine will make me stay awake for hours! I’d rather stay away from coffee than to suffer from insomnia. 😛
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The roast pig similar to babi guling at Bali?
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backstreetgluttons : hahahah sore throat countered by the cooling effect of beer? wooookay!
Simple Girl :its diff. Ipoh white coffee more milky and creamy. Viet version stronger, with smoky flavour, and a lingering taste. both also nice, as i’m a junkie.
Allie : yes, Allie. they eat dog’s meat over in Viet. so dont simply point n order!
FOod for Tots : thanks for the compliment.
iamthewitch :i slept like a log an hour or two after. i’m probably immune to the effect of caffeine, or i was too tired for the effect to kick in.
mimid3vils : i’ve never tried babi guling, nor visited Bali before, but should be the same. i din try this in Vietnam though, so no idea on how they serve them.
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Ahhh one cup of Vietnamnese potent liquid would be PERFECT now… post-lunch slump, loooong afternoon ahead… all that’s available is Nescafe, ewwww
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Common man’s food aka roast sweet potato vs elite francophile pastry. What a contrast. And both rated highly.
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550ml jar of faith : nescafe would have to make do.
in the absence of something more potent ….
worldwindows : i love my sweet potatoes,thank you! even given the myth that they give you … erm, ‘wind’. hahaha …
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looks like a nice holiday destination ! or is it bcoz of ur deceiving gorgeous pictures?
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Haha, I agree with the statement..”looks like a nice holiday or isit just b’cz of the deceiving pictures?”…Well, i guess that statement will be an anomaly that will be difficult to be answered lor..
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kampungboycitygal & mboy : it's far from deceiving though. anywhere's better than trapped within four walls, esp the perimeters of one's office.
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wow! babi guling!!! i bet u were really tempted to check it out, right? haha! and dog meat? hmmmm, wonder it would taste like….
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Nic : wei cannot lah like that …. you got rear dogs? sinful if eat their meat. LOL
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Pity the pig. Turning a round in circles even after death.
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that’s their purpose in life?
kinda sad right?
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[…] The H’Mong people must be a really emotional bunch ….. “COME BACK ?!!” Not meant for swimming though …… the water’s freezing cold I supposed The trek back to our hotel ….. steep and torturing … to the mind, body and soul …. We were drained and famished. Not to mention the trek back will take us another hour!!!! Then Duong came to the rescue, and suggested that we take the motorbike taxis back to our hotel. At only 20,000 Dong/RM4/USD1 per person. We were split, wondering is it worth the money paid? Given the fact that once on the bike, we will be transported straight back to our hotel, and ends our day’s itinerary. But of course, given the fact that we were already wobbly and fatigued from the trek, we made the right decision and rode back to our hotel. But not for the faint-hearted, as each bike carries 2 passengers, and going up the slope with that much weight requires much skills and tenacity. But we survived. Though the man decided to milk the cow dry and requested for tips. We gave another 5000 Dong/RM1/USD0.30 each, for the extra acceleration required when fetching the gigantic Motormouth. =P The dinner spread was not lavish, yet delicious and satisfying …. very much like homecooked Chinese cuisine We did not regret our decision, as within 10 minutes we were back in our rooms, bathed and managed to take a nap. Imagine going on vacation and still left with enough time for an afternoon nap?!!! Hahahaha ….. Relaxing eh? Dinner was served rather early, at about 5pm (6pm M’sian time). And when we were waiting for our food, we observed that some of the tourists that were in front of us earlier, were only on their way back to the hotel!!!! LOL. The dishes were delicious, either it’s the weather, or we were really craving for food. Very home-cooked style, with heavy Chinese influence. Noteworthy dishes? The deep-fried aubergine (brinjal) with sesame seeds. More like a snack than a dish, the juicy aubergine was coated with a crispy layer of flour and sprinkled with sesame seeds then deep-fried. Pity we only had one each. And for desserts? Mandarin oranges. It’s still Chinese New Year, after all ….. This …. is LIFE. To be continued ……. Continue to Part Three – A Walk around Sapa town & Baguette & Chocolat Cafe […]
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