Vietnamese BBQ

The culture here is that the majority of people don't cook at home, but go out for their meals.  It's still strange for me to accept that going to a restaurant is a necessity rather than a social event (as it would have been back in the UK).  My other ex-pat friends feel the same but, when we get together, we generally consider it a social occasion even if we end up just sharing the meal then going our separate ways!

Sometimes the best times are had when impromptu 'plans' are made.  Hence, a great little gathering of  us (farang and Thai friends) enjoyed a mouthwatering meal at the Vietnamese Barbecue tonight.  It is a highly popular venue, on the west side of the city, and is very reasonably priced so we were forced to wait for our table at the next door bar, Mixology.  Fortunately, it was 3 for 2 Happy Hour there and it has a very interesting drinks menu!!

I can only imagine that Paul's stomach has an indestructible lining as he downed the Iron Chef: a whiskey-based cocktail consisting of several liqueurs which are poured into a pan, set alight and then added to a tumbler of ice!  Personally, I settled for 'Lost in the Garden' which has a mixture of strawberry, raspberry and blackberry with lemonade and vodka.

After the aperitifs, we selected our meat and vegetables to cook on the barbecue which was a cross between a steam boat and a grill plate.  Verdict: great company, great conversation, great food and great value.