Birthday Celebrations on the Roof!

I recently celebrated my birthday in style on our brand new roof!  We had a few close friends over and did a sort of Italian themed night.

The recently renovated roof was ready and waiting for some fun.

Here is something novel....a photo of me!  Usually I am behind the lens.  Having a quiet cocktail before our guests arrive.

With the tooting of horns in the background the sun went down and we were ready for some fun...and some FOOD!

In going with the Italian theme we set up a projector and played old Italian movies in the background.  Roman Holiday anyone?

My wonderful husband and I living the dream in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meanwhile, back at the coalface, Ezio, from Italian Food Services (ezio@italianfoodservices.com or ph +84 0 128 6729411) was cooking up a storm.

Crostini al mascarpone e limone 

Home made mascarpone cheese, perfumed with lemon peel, pepper and fresh herbs.

Bocconcini di pane all'uvetta

Deep fried bread dumplings with raisins, pine nuts, herbs and spices.

The man himself.  Ezio is a joy to have in the kitchen.  While he was creating his culinary masterpieces he was also having fun with my kids in the kitchen.  I can highly recommend him to cater for you.  He is always on time, full of awesome recepies and a pleasure to deal with.

And what could be in these little delightful bowls?

Ta Da!!! 

Minestra maritata

Classic Napoli vegetables soup with crispy pancetta ham and pecorino cheese. Served with garlic crostini.

Closely followed by

Risotto all'Aceto Balsamico

Balsamic vinegar risotto with aromatized sausages and Parmesan cheese.

And lastly but by certainly no means least,

Spaghetti alla maggiorana

Spaghetti seasoned with a delicate ragú and perfumed with marjoram herb.

...and in what has become a bit of a tradition....the BEST Banoffee cake in the world courtesy of Jaspas.

So as the clock ticked over to the big day I became another year older and hopefully wiser.  Well, maybe not wiser.  If I was wiser I would not have had that last cocktail!

After the last of the guests had gone, Nick and I settled onto the couch with the streets finally silent below and finished off watching...what else...the Italian Job.  A birthday I will never forget.