First stop, is always the must have "perfect duo" - Beef Pho and Fresh Coconut Juice. This combo alone is more than enough to satisfy my wandering palate.

One of the great things that I appreciate about Vietnamese Cuisine is the abundance of soup dishes and hefty servings of vegetables and herbs. Truly healthy meal at its best!

Although Vietnamese food is not really known for very spicy stuffs, they do have their own concoction of hot sauces and condiments. These three are the most popular and widely acceptable.

My foodie find on this trip - an ice cream in a butter format. I don't know if its common, but it was my first time to have tried it and I was just amused with its shape yet delighted with its creamy taste.

Although local Vietnamese coffee is touted as one of the best in Asia and perhaps in the world, I was still ecstatic that finally Starbucks have opened two stores in the city. Must I dare say that at least in South East Asia, Vietnam has the best Starbucks coffee version. The coffee is smooth, has a distinct strong, likeable kick and very soothing mouth-feel. It's just totally different and better compared to other Asian countries' offering.

I  won't mind having this busy view, so long as it's complemented with a perfect, warm cup of coffee.

This is the entire feast, our Media Noche in Filipino language. For the New Year, we opted for a Seafood theme since Christmas was more on meat.

Rocky Road Brownies Cake - it's my first time to make this goodie and I am extremely happy of how it turned out. Isn't it lovely? This can easily be a scene stealer from your table.

A very simple Potato Salad with Creamy Sesame Dressing makes a good starter.

Seafood Boil Southern Style - inspired by the increasingly getting popular Seafood in a bag. Finally, I found the perfect time to do it at home and it was indeed a star of the feast.

Aglio Olio Spaghetti with Shrimps and Mushrooms - it's a very light and simple pasta to prepare so it perfectly complemented the rest of the dishes in the menu.  

Baked Sea bass with Fennel - succulent and tender, infused nicely with a wonderful aroma and taste of fennel; this is a very healthy and light dish. It's believed that serving whole fish in new year will bring in prosperity and that all your wishes for the year will come true. In Chinese, the word for fish is "yu" which sounds like the word for abundance hence, it has a symbolic meaning to wealth.

 BBQ Ribs - the only meat in our repertoire to completely stuff the tummy.

 

The new year has really started. Wonderful feasts have been prepared and shared with loved ones and friends. Now, it's time to gather all the luck and kick-start the fulfillment of your 2014 goals!