With plans for Sunday 14th taking us out and about, Rennie and I decided to enjoy a celebratory Valentines’ dinner on Saturday evening.  We both fancied a lovely juicy steak, so on the recommendation of friends settled for “rare bar and kitchen” (all lower case per their logo) at Uga Residences on Park Street.

Wow, what a treat.  Rennie chose medium rare Tenderloin on a bed of mashed potato with cheese, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity of a pink rack of lamb even though I’d had my heart set on a rib-eye.  The lamb and accompanying gravy was divine, as was the spiced fig (I intensely dislike figs normally), the crumbled mature Roquefort cheese, and the superbly paired bottle of La Ferme Du Mont Premiere Cote; a classic Cotes du Rhone from this stony, dry and hot region.  Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre grapes; intensely coloured, with red fruit and spice on the palate and a long finish.  Easily the best bottle of wine enjoyed since moving to live in Sri Lanka and enjoyable to choose from easily the best cellar experienced in Sri Lanka, too!  Enjoying the wine took me back to a family holiday in the Rhone valley back in the Seventies, and memories of visiting one of the Chateau Neuf du Pape vineyards and Dad teaching me some of the basics of wine.

We sat outside in the peace of the courtyard instead of the bustling restaurant, and along with the food and wine enjoyed each other’s company in leisurely manner before setting off home.  This was a mile and a quarter walk past the Gangaramaya Temple and its eclectic roadside collection of possessions from those who have passed on, and then along a lakeside avenue of trees – whereupon we noticed that the pavement was painted absolutely white from bird droppings and simultaneously heard splat… splat… splat splat splat… splat!   Eugh!  Looking up, all the trees were full of Crows.  Thankfully there was next to no traffic so we could safely walk along the crown of the road for a hundred metres and so avoid an unwelcome baptism!

Memories of Ho Chi Minh city park, Mum and Dad?

Steve