Southeast Asia - First stop Hanoi

I always wanted to wander in Southeast Asia and on the beginning of the year I finally decided that it's time to stop making up more excuses and go- just simply travel around with a backpack (never done that before) and see places which I was dreaming about since couple of years.
I already knew Asia must be beautiful- all those backpackers coming back from that part of world with beautiful memories, tan and thousands of stories to tell.
I planned my trip for couple of weeks - I am bit of a nerd and I like to know where, how and where to go to make sure I'm not missing out on any beautiful spots. 
It all started in Vietnam - I landed in Hanoi where I spent couple of days.
The city is just wonderful- laud, full of scents, colours and of course people. 
It was exactly how I imagined it - overwhelming and busy, just the way I always wanted to see Vietnam.
There are a lot of places to visit and see in Hanoi, but what I liked the most it was just walking around Old Quarter, taking pictures and enjoying street food which you can find absolutely everywhere. 
It's a place to let yourself go - apply new rules which you wouldn't think about back home: 

RULE NUMBER ONE. 

In Hanoi, you will cross the street in the middle, having your eyes half- closed hoping you won't get hit by the crazy tuk-tuk driver, (let's be honest streets are quite wide and cars are quite fast). Just need to run across the street as fast as you can and probably nothing will happen to you. 

RULE NUMBER TWO.

Street food in Southeast Asia is the best I ever had. It's also (as the name suggests) entirely made on the street. 
People are chopping, preparing, storing and cooking food on the streets with no fridges, or anything what would protect food from the bacterias. I think it's awesome. While in western world we are getting absolutely mad about food hygiene it's cool to see people who treats food in more unconcerned way. 
I was eating from the street vendors all the time (I rarely ate in the restaurants) and I never had any problems or health issues. So the only rule to follow about food it's to stop following any rules. Eat from the streets vendors but ask them first about the price. They going to tell you a inflated price, so bargain or just simply go next door. 

Hanoi has that really popular, small breakfast restaurant where best Pho is served. 
You need to go there in the morning ( 7 am let's say) and order best soup you probably ever had. Yes that's the address: 

Bun Rieu Cua -40 Hàng Tre, Lý Thái Tổ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, which it's open only for 2 hours from 7 to 9 am. Spicy crab soup with meat will keep you going for the whole morning. Plus it's a great opportunity to see how and where locals eat.

The very next thing you need to try when in Hanoi it's a local beer - bia hoi.
It costs nothing (around 20 cents vs £5 in London haha ) and it's absolutely delicious. Refreshing, light in pale gold colour served in the local bars which are easy to spot. Look for plastic little stools and really old-school interiors. Those places are always full of locals (especially in the evening) and I believe I was the only one girl in there. But don't feel intimidated. People are super nice and we ended up having free rounds from the locals so atmosphere is great.

I love to live the city where I travel so not the biggest fan of museums or galleries but there are couple of places which are necessary to see:

Vietnamese Women's Museum
Beautiful place which fill you up with a huge amount of informations about the culture, traditions, history of Vietnam. Great source of knowledge about the role of the women in the past but also in modern Vietnam.

Hoan Kiem Lake
A big lake in the middle of the city, which holds a great legend about the sword and the turtle. 
Worth to visit super early, as it's a popular spot where the locals exercise and atmosphere is just great. 

Thang Long Water Puppet Theater ( click here)
Oh, ok... I'd say the show it's really special.Water puppetry it's a traditional, Vietnamese show with a strong reference to folklor, everyday life, tales and legend. 
It's one of the biggest attraction in Hanoi and it should be seen but the best it's to have no expectation.I personally didn't like as much on the spot, but when I think about it now I appreciate it and see a its beauty. Anyway hate it or love it , it's thing worth to see.

Nha Tho Cathedral
Inspired by Parisian Notre Dame it's a tall, beautiful cathedral in the middle of the big square. 

To sum up - I loved Hanoi for the chaos and really busy atmosphere, for authenticity and warm welcoming. 
Hanoi will  be probably your first stop when traveling to Vietnam (easy access to Sa Pa and Halong Bay) and even if you won't have time to visit all the recommended places, just sit down, watch people, walk around the city, taste local street food and absorb the atmosphere. 

Next stop Sa Pa! 

Whatever's left in the fridge pasta

I made a pasta because last days are a bit miserable. Weather is shit, boyfriend is being dramatic about long distance relationship and I'm being confused about my life like never before. Because how about if everyone is expecting you to be "an adult" and all you want to do it's to travel around a world with backpack and having new adventures. When people are having children, settling down and buying flats I can't stop the feeling that I couldn't care less about those things. Is that a fear ? Or maybe I am not ready? 
And how can I stay truly myself when surrounded by people who think that kids, flats and material goods and a key to happiness. I always knew I want to be free. I moved out from the mama's house in age of 21 and even if coming to London was super hard on the beginning, I was happy like never before. It was such a great feeling to be able to do whatever I want in any time I want with whoever I want. Now I feel like everyone wants to tell me how to live and what to feel and what would be the best for me. Please forgive me, but I won't follow job/flat/marriage/kids/holiday package from Thomas Cook every June until I die path. 
That's not me. I know that finding a very own way and being happy it's not easy but living a life to other's people's expectations is definitely the most tragic option. Even if growing older sucks and day by day we become more miserable and less brave, I need to remember I still have a sparkle and I'm a girl who believed in Peter Pan and wanted to achieve something big. I'm a girl who believes in magic and sparkles and I will not give up. 

Whatever's left in the fridge pasta 

(makes 3 portions)

250 g tagliatelle 

200 g sugar snap peas

1 salmon fillet 

2 garlic cloves

200 g fresh spinach

100 g pesto

Olive Oil

Parmesan 

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add pasta and cook it for around 6 minutes then add sugar snap peas and cook it for 2 minutes more. Drain and transfer pasta and peas back into the pot and leave it on the side.
Remove the skin from the salmon fillet and drizzle a medium size pan with the olive oil. Heat the pan over the medium heat. Chop garlic cloves and add to the pan. When garlic is slightly brown add salmon and fry it on both sides for around 3 minutes. When ready, take fork and cut the fish into small pieces. Toss in the fresh spinach and keep stirring until spinach becomes cooked and soft. Transfer spinach and salmon mixture to pot with pasta and add 100 g of pesto. Mix everything together, making sure all ingredients are fully covered in pesto. Add some more if needed. Serve with some good bread and sprinkled with a lot of parmesan. 

La Dolce Vita

It actually took me 1 year to write a post about Cinque Terre. I didn't feel inspired at first but now, when looking at old pictures I really would like to share it with you guys. I went to Cinque Terre last year in September and I need to say, I was pretty impressed about beauty of the Italian coast. Cinque Terre is a part of Liguria region situated in north-west part of Italy, not far from the city of La Spezia and comprised 5 little villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
All of them are really close to each other, but the only way to visit is by train or by foot (hiking anyone?). Region of Cinque Terre is really well known and without a doubt I can say it's the most photogenic place I've ever been to. I'm pretty sure you've seen pictures from this region before. Combination of colorful buildings, built on the cliffs, hills covered in vineyards, small charming beaches, striped beach umbrellas and fishing boats, made Cinque one of the most visited places in Italy. 

All villages are pretty, but my personal favorite was Monterosso al Mare- the biggest of them all, with long sandy beach, space to stroll and a lot of restaurants. When visiting Cinque you definitely should eat as much as you can. Full of fresh seafood, antipasti, fruits and vegetables it's a heaven for foodies. For the first time in Italy I had Pecorino cheese with truffles. If you pass by one of the cheese shops, you have to buy a big chunk of this amazing cheese and eat it with focaccia - next speciality of Liguria region, fluffy,flat bread, made with olive oil with different topping to choose from.

Where to stay?

The most difficult is to choose in which village you would love to wake up every morning (Click here for detailed Cinque Terre guide) There are a lot of options: from cheap B&B to luxury hotels and Airbnb rooms. You need to know that Cinque Terre is quite small, so make sure you book your accommodation in advance. We personally choose to stay in Riccò del Golfo di Spezia, which was around 30 minutes drive from the city of La Spezia, where we've been taking train to first city of Cinque Terre -Riomaggiore. Next time I'll definitely choose something closer.

Where to eat?

You'll find a lot little restaurants and cheap bakeries, my favorite was definitely Focacceeria Antonio in Monterosso. They have dozen of different types of focaccias and amazing antipasto. Click here for more info about restaurants. 

For a view 

You can miss bar/restaurant called A Pie' de Ma'. The view is just breathtaking and really romantic. You can just simply sip your apesol and admire whole beauty of the coast. 

If have any more suggestions and places to visit, please let me know in comment below?  

Maybe you've been in Cinque already and want to share your experience?

Bay Scallops with Chorizo on Parmesan Polenta

I need to admit, I wanted to try this recipe for ages, but I was never brave enough to cook the scallops by myself. I mean they always look quite scary, a bit too delicate and demanding in the same time. Today I decided it's a day because I really wanted to eat something delicious, plus I was super curious about the results. I didn't have a serious home-made meal since couple of days and I still feel super guilty of having Burger King for lunch yesterday (It was delicious tho).

This lunch looks quite fancy even if it takes only couple of minutes to prepare. It's also gluten free and polenta makes a perfect match with spicy chorizo and sweet taste of scallops.

Bay Scallops with Chorizo on Parmesan Cheese Polenta 

(makes 2 portions)

50 g chorizo 

10 small scallops

2 tomatoes 

1 garlic clove, crushed 

100 g polenta 

3 tbsp Parmesan 

Coriander 

Slice the chorizo into thin rounds (or smaller) Heat the medium size pan over a medium heat. When ready, fry the chorizo on the each side, until brown and crispy. Place the sausage into small bowl and transfer the scallops into pan. Fry the scallops in the chorizo-oil for one minute on each side. In the same time, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan, add chopped tomatoes and garlic. Cook for few minutes, until tomatoes become soft. When scallops are ready, return the chorizo to the pan and add tomatoes. Leave it on the side. Bring 400 ml of water to a boil in a kettle. Pour the hot water into a medium size pot and leave it over a medium heat. Add 100 g of polenta and turn the heat down. Keep stirring for around 2 minutes, until polenta begins to come away from the sides of the pot. Stir in 2 tbsp of the parmesan cheese (or any other hard Italian cheese) and transfer to a 2 serving plates. Top with scallops mixture, the rest of the parmesan cheese and sprinkle with a lot of coriander. 

Caramelized Bananas Breakfast Muffins

I wish I'd have more time in the morning to drink cup of tea and enjoy my healthy,whole grain, hipster breakfasts (avocado is a must) but I live in one the busiest city in the world and all I can get it's a coffee in a takeaway cup and egg and cress sandwich on my way to work. As I spent too much money for eating out (especially in the morning) I decided to bake a batch of muffins which only confirmed my addiction to bananas and salted caramel. It takes only couple of minutes of preparation and reasults are blissfuly delicious. 

Dark Chocolate and Caramelized Bananas Breakfast Muffins 
(makes 10)

150 g white flour 

1 tbs baking powder 

60 g white sugar 

60 g dark chocolate, finely chopped 

1 egg 

140 g greek yogurt

70 g melted butter 

1 banana 

20 g salted butter 

50 g sugar 

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line the muffin trays with paper muffin cases. 

In a large pan, melt the butter and add the sugar. Mix continuously until you'll  have golden brown caramel. Add sliced banana and leave it couple of minutes. During this time banana will soften. 

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder,sugar and dark chocolate. Whisk it briefly and add rest of the ingredients. Mix it all precisely with a wooden spoon and fill the muffins cups, around 2 tbsp in each cup. Top with a slice of previously prepared bananas and bit of caramel. Bake for 15 minutes until slightly golden on the top. 

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potatoes fries are a healthier options for your side dish. They are creamy, full of flavour, nutritious and definitely less boring than your regular chips or rice. You can enjoy them as a quick snack also or just like me, have them for a lunch as a main course. I love to have my hot Cajun fries with a mild cucumber salad.

If you don't like spicy food much, you can skip the Cajun spice and season the fries with cinnamon or/and salt. Enjoy;)

Sweet Potatoes Fries 

(makes 2 portions)

1 large sweet potato

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tsp Cajun spice mix

Olive oil

1 cucumber 

2 tbsp creme fraiche 

1 tbsp chopped spring onions 

Salt, Pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash and peel the sweet potato. You can leave a skin if you fancy, but if you do so, make sure your potato is organic- skin can be waxed otherwise. Cut sweet potatoes into long, thin sticks. Place them into large bowl, add ginger, cinnamon and Cajun spice mix. Drizzle with the olive oil and mix together until all sticks and covered with spices and olive oil. Place the fries on a baking tray and bake them for around 20 minutes until brown and crispy. They will be definitely ready when the edges are dark. 

To prepare a salad, simply slice cucumber and mix it with spring onions and crème fraîche. Season with salt and pepper.