A Fine Farewell

On one of our final nights we had reservations at the Tree Tops of the Anatara Lawana Resort, on the north eastern coast of the island. The restaurant is a collection of treehouse-like dining rooms built amongst large tree tops of the manicured grounds, connected by a network of stairways and wooden bridges. Very Robinson Crusoe-esque... or Gilligan Island chic.

Helen's friend (and now mine!) Tiffany and her husband Laurence generously gifted this dinner to us in celebration of our wedding. Here's how the meal went down:

We were greeted by a very friendly host and seated in a "sala" with a picture perfect view of the neighboring hills and open water. Tiffany and Laurence's gift started with a bottle of New Zealand brut which was crisp, slightly off-dry and quite complimentary of the seafood courses to come.

Helen and I order our appetizers and mains as we thought Tiffany and Laurence would have done for us.

The amuse bouche following our order was a grilled pork meatball served on top of blanched lettuce and Thai sausage. Served just before the amuse bouche came the fresh bread: white, whole wheat, and brown bread baked in their own individual ramicans and left to rise unobstructed until they become golden lightbulbs. We tear into them, finding them still warm, which helps slightly melt the avacado butter. Very good bread... and I don't even like bread!

You can kind of make out the bread in the dark picture below. Sorry... the light was fading by this time.

After the amuse bouche, our appetizers are served:

Tuna tartar topped with pomello, avocado and tomato salad, garnished with taro chips and radish sprouts. We found that pomello is very common in all of our destinations throughout Vietnam and Thailand. But, I've never had it paired with tuna. It was very refreshing. The slightly bitter, then sweet citrus worked well with the tuna; as did the buttery avocado and acidity of the tomato. The tuna itself was quite lean, but held up despite all that was going on with its garnishes.


Seared duck served on top of sweet potato puree and duck spring rolls; essentially this is duck two ways.

The seared duck was juicy and cooked perfectly just under medium rare. The sweet potato puree was a nice alternative to the regular cherry or port sauce that you would traditionally find with duck. You still get a sweet element that compliments the protein, while offering an additional soft puree texture to each bite.

As good as the seared duck was, the springrolls turned out to the star on this plate. The rolls were still warm and very crispy, giving way to the unmistakable richness of shredded roast duck, with a hint of five-spice. Along with the savoury duck, the roll also housed blanched bean sprouts and julienned carrots which were all tender but still crisp to the bite, reminding us that this is indeed a fresh house-made springroll. The lychee ginger dipping sauce was a nice variation to the ubiquitous sweet chili dipping sauce we have been having throughout our trip.

At this point, we were already pretty full. The mains were going to be challenge. Fortunately, a passion fruit sorbet was offered as a palate cleanser. It was refreshing and a great touch to the meal so far.

Before our mains were served, the resident "Salt Guru" comes by with a set of different salts and explains what each type of salt would be served with which types of protein; basically a quick dissertation into salt pairing. But since Helen and I both ordered seafood, we were served a side of sea salt only. Still, a pretty cool experience. Sorry for the poor photo... it was dark in the sala, and the flash on the iPhone is abrupt... or maybe it was the user.

After another 15mins or so, our mains are served:

Local prawns and grilled sea bass served on sauteed morning glory and roasted potatoes for Helen. I didn't have room to even try her dish, so unfortunately I can't comment on how it was. Despite Helen not being able to finish it, she seemed to like it.

For me, house-made tortellini stuffed with lump crab meat, served with king crab, fish, scallops, and prawns... basically an ocean on a plate! It was enourmous. The cream sauce took this dish over the top of decadence. The pasta was cooked nicely to al dente and the crab meat was immediately evident inside. I work my way through the prawns, king crab and some of the scallop and soon tap out in a briny, savoury haze. It was delicious but way too rich for my state. Sorry to my boys at home (Dru, Vince, Derrick, and Rich!) who like to take over my unfinished meals... you guys would have loved it!

We finish off our meal with an Earl Grey tea for Helen and my favourite dessert, an old vintage port to go with our pettite macaroons.

The service and pace of our meal was impeccable. The staff should be given credit for traversing the network of stairs and walkways through these trees alone, serving plate after plate of well-crafted cuisine. As printed on their toohpick wrapper, it is indeed "in the little things." Along with truly professonal service, it is apparent that the restaurant carefully considers the customer experience; like leaving a bottle mosquito repelant on the table. A very nice touch.

And in your little gesture, Tiffany and Laurence, you have provided us with a priceless experience. Thank you for your gift. You have exceptional taste ;)

So ends our honeymoon journey. Thank you all for your interest in our travels. We have missed you all, and hope to see you very soon. Take care in the meantime!

With love... Helen and Danny.