Vanity and the New Year

I decided to be vain and do a self-portrait to send out as a response to the wonderful New Years cards I got from family, friends and students. Nothing says Happy New Year like vanity!

Harmonie Embrassee Wedding Hotel - Christmas dinner

My wife and I enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner (On December 23rd mind you) at this nice hotel. While I wasn't able to eat everything that was put in front of me, it was a pleasant experience. It went a little something like this: champagne to start, appetizers that ranged from raw fish and small portions of duck, to some rather delicious pate of sorts. Next, the soup. I have to admit, my tongue couldn't really tell the difference between this soup (Which was suppose to be 'expensive') and soup that I make at home from water and soup mix. Then we had a half a quail, which is pretty tiny. It was stuffed with some sort of rice and bread. Then came the fish dish which was lobster. Very nice, although I'm not much for lobster (I really should've looked at the menu before ordering). After the lobster came some flavors ice, a kind of break between the main dishes. The next big dish (My favorite) was the beef and Foie Gras (Fatty duck liver). The portion size was small (I could've finished it off with a single bit) but instead I took the time to savor the taste. My wife, not being the biggest fan of Foie Gras, gave me her portion. The beef was so soft that it almost melted away when you put your knife to it.



And just when you thought it was all over, the cheese cart made it's way to our table. The waiter kindly asked us what our preferences were and cut us each our own plates of cheese. All of this of course was with a bottle of the cheapest wine on the list (About 4000 yen). I managed to sneak in a beer near the end.

The evening ended with the desert tray and choosing from an assortment of different deserts. A nice cup of tea with that and we were already wishing we could just lay in the hotel lobby for a couple of hours.

A nice dinner...here's hoping that next year turkey is on the menu!!