Last night the owner of Nhà Hàng Hương Quê Restaurant in Hanoi invited us to join him and his family for a Vietnamese dining experience. His driver collected us from our apartment in a luxury minivan with fully reclinable seats and large screen TV, all the bells and whistle one would need on the open road.  This car would have come in handy for our last trip to Mai Chau Hideaway.

The beautiful garden restaurant has many private wooden dining houses spaced out along a swan lake which allows for intimate dining with family and friends.  They offered us an unlimited selection of food, including some delicacies placed on a rotating table.  Each private dining house has its very own waiting staff tending to the dinners every need.  There is no waiting to catch the staffs attention because your glass is always topped up before you can finish, and you never have a dirty plate in front of you.

We sampled spicy catfish, prawns, roast chicken, speciality rice, pork belly, selection of vegetables, followed by a rare fish Hot Pot, abalone porridge and finished off with pomelo fruit and tea. 

On leaving, we were gifted with two bottles of Italian wine to end a memorable evening, and the chauffer shuttled us safely home. 

As many of you know, I am not an adventurous eater, and this experience was way out of my comfort zone, but I did sample everything.  I am not converted but happy that I tried and enjoyed the occasion with a very welcoming family.