On the occasion of Marjorie Castro’s big birthday, her sweet sons organized a nice weekend family reunion and the request for a special night….and Heron House was more than happy to oblige as we cooperated with her sons to devise the perfect menu focused around locally sourced ingredients, free range poultry, and some new recipes we whipped up predominantly based on classic western dishes with a new oriental spin.
The results spoke for themselves as the birthday girl in question could not have been happier and Chefs Loic and Thanh loved talking with our guests and explaining the dynamics of each dish. Not sure if we quite competed with ‘Chef’s Table’ but I will say there were far more smiles around the kitchen.
Will be trying to share some of the recipes in question in the future, but for now we just wanted to share our menu, some pics from our lovely guests, and in general thank the Castro family for a memorable weekend!
Castro family dinner menu
The happy 
The Castro family birthday dinner:
Marinated Mushrooms with toasted almonds on home baked toast canapés
A variety of 4 local white mushrooms marinated in an olive oil and raspberry vinaigrette. The perfect starter that will leave the hands dirty and the stomach happy
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Chilled Mango Gazpacho with lemongrass sautéed shrimp
Hoi An’s very own take on gazpacho with a little chili kick and large chunks of fresh mangoes & tomatoes served with lemongrass sautéed shrimp and mint on top
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Oriental Caprese Salad
Our local tomatoes are only enhanced with capers, Japanese seaweed, sesame seeds, and of course a large piece of fresh Da Lat mozzarella with sesame & oil dressing
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Affligem Double beer Smoked Free Range Chicken and Duck
These birds sat on top of thrones full of Belgian double beer for 4 hours while sweating in our smoker and having their skins regularly basted in a maple syrup and thyme honey sauce. There are indeed far worse fates off for these birds
With baked potatoes topped with a mix of east and west
A simple twist on a classic, these baked potatoes are cooked directly on the charcoals and are served with sour cream, fresh chives, and Vietnamese fried scallions on top
And simple sautéed mushrooms with garlic butter and thyme
We love using the dark mushrooms grown in Da Lat and roasting them in the oven before tossing them in a simple butter and garlic sauce. The perfect partner for Daffy
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Thanh’s own Tiramisu
Heron House’s own resident baker has made her own delicate tiramisu using fresh whipped cream and Vietnamese cacao powder. The perfect Birthday Cake!
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Heron House - Vacation Home in Hoi An 