Happy birthday to me

We have birthday celebration year after year. As time goes by, it has become an excuse for indulgence. I am always happy when the big day arrives, which means, hey, I have again peacefully got through another year. As long as I am still alive and kicking, I don't really mind the fact that I'm getting older each year.

Before having our kids, in the name of celebration, Petty and I, together with some like-minded friends, would take all the trouble to fly all the way from Zurich to Ibiza on a Friday afternoon. That same night you would find us in some clubs.

In a matter of a weekend, we could manage to rush from Amnesia to Space, and from there move on to Cream and Manumission. Clubbing till dawn, only then we headed back to our hotel - just in time for early breakfast. After a hearty breakfast feasting on bacon, baked beans and fried eggs, it's time to sleep like a log/pig until afternoon. We would then be enjoying the hot Spanish sunshine either by the pool or the beach. At such a moment, I thought: This is how life should be.

But right now if you ask me to do the same again, I definitely will turn you down. Clubbing, yes I'll join you. But please don't ask me to rush from one club to another. I have no energy for such foolishness anymore. Moreover I do need my eight hours beauty sleep.

That's why nowadays when we do have birthday celebration, we'll invariably end up in a good restaurant instead of dancing the night away in some smokey dodgy back alley kind of club.

For my birthday celebration back in December, Petty took me to Restaurant Le Léman in Nyon. He reserved a table for us long before my birthday. Our two kids, as arranged by Petty, were looked after by my mom-in-law. How nice to have mom-in-law, sometimes!

Restaurant Le Léman had great ambience that night. With the use of candle light and dim ceiling light, they managed to set the mood for romantic dinning.

Initially there were only Petty and I. At a later stage, knowing that they could leave their children at home by themselves, Chris's brother, Olli and his wife, Niko decided to join us.

Escargots de Bourgogne

My first course was half a dozen of snails. I love snails. No I don't love the animal but I do love eating it. Having snails involves the use of a number of 'instruments'. Check out the picture above. Don't they look like the same instruments used by the gynaecologist?

Filets de perches

Petty particularly likes a kind of fish found mainly in Lake Geneva called perch. Perch from this part of Switzerland is small in size. But when cooked, its flesh can be so tender and sweet. It has tiny little bones that are edible. Filets de perches is Restaurant Le Léman's speciality.

Bobo de crevette

For our main course, Niko and I opted for grilled prawn cooked with coconut and coriander. Hmmm....this was so yummy. Check out the picture above. Can you see the grilled scallops amongst the prawns?

One can't do without good wine when having good food. The four of us killed a bottle of Grand Cru Classé 1999 Pessac-Léognan. This lovely red wine produced in the French region of Bordeaux was the right stuff to cleanse our palette. Hello Mr. waiter, can you bring us another bottle please?

The atmosphere was so cozy inside the restaurant. Who would have guessed the temperature outside was 5ºC?

Tarte Tatin

After the main course, I was so full I could hardly move anymore. But Petty suggested a dessert called Tarte Tatin. Apparently it's a very common dessert in the French part of Switzerland. The combination of warm apple pie and cold vanilla ice cream was just too hard to resist. I ended up finishing the whole thing in a matter of minutes.

Olli's Sorbet

For dessert, Olli chose several scoops of berries-flavoured sorbet. The presentation was extremely pretty and inviting. I don't like sorbet. It may look pretty but I know deep down it's sour. To me, having sorbet is like having ice cream without THE CREAM. What's the fun of having sorbet?

Whenever I have the opportunity to indulge, I always remember what my mom told me: To be able to wine and dine properly is a blessing. So folks, let's enjoy the finer things in life.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!