Monthly Archive for February, 2008

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'Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey' Taping

Published by Gastronomer on February 14, 2008 in Press and Saigon. 15 Comments

My fifteen minutes are ticking away…

Last Sunday, I met up with the crew from Rick Stein‘s Far Eastern Odyssey at Ben Thanh Market to tape a segment for their episode on Vietnam. I introduced Rick to bánh hỏi thịt nướng (steamed vermicelli rice noodle cakes with grilled pork) and bún chạo tôm (fresh vermicelli rice noodles with shrimp paste and sugarcane). Both were hits!

The most interesting aspect of the taping was seeing how these travel and food shows that I enjoy so much are made. There was no prep beforehand and we pretty much did everything on the fly, which was casual and not the least bit nerve wracking. However, if Rick or I said something noteworthy or funny, we had to repeat it a second and third time so that every angle was properly captured on film. Who would’ve thought?

This episode is one in a series of six about food in the “far east” and will air in 2009. Since it’s a BBC show, it will most likely not air in America. Fortunately, I will be receiving a DVD. Woot.

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UPDATED: August 18, 2009

Bún Chả Hà Nội – Ho Chi Minh City

Published by Gastronomer on February 13, 2008 in Bun Cha, Restaurant Review, Saigon and Vietnamese. 3 Comments

Firstly, hats off to Wandering Chopsticks for pointing me to this awesome bun cha joint on Ly Tu Trong Street. I hardly ever eat in District 1 unless its fancy or sushi and would have never found this place otherwise.

A group of new (Olivia) and old friends (The Astronomer, Zach and Tom) headed here for lunch right before the Lunar New Year shutdown, which is unfortunately still going on. The Vietnamese sure do know how to relax after a year of hard work! I hope my xoi vendors start dishing out the goods soon.

During our visit, the eatery was sold out of the cha gio cua be (crab eggrolls) WC raved about, but the manager promised me a complimentary one the next time I stopped in.

Our group ordered five portions of bun cha at 25,000 VND each. Generally, I find that bun cha portions veer toward meager, especially in the bun (vermicelli rice noodles) department. The Astronomer usually has to request two extra plates of bun to round out his meal. This restaurant served up the perfect amount of food.

The flame-grilled pork patties with bacon bits (not Bacos) were dunked in a mild fish sauce vinaigrette with thin slices of pickled daikon. The smoky patties were packed loosely, contained a satisfying ratio of meat to fat and took on the sauce’s sour flavors well. Truly, excellent. I can’t wait to compare and contrast bun cha Saigon with bun cha Hanoi when I visit later this year.

Since I’m in the south, I assembled my bun cha in a southern fashion—small bowl + herbs + greens + meat + sauce. Definitely the best I’ve had so far.

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8 Ly Tu Trong Street
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

One Broth, Two Dishes

Published by Gastronomer on February 12, 2008 in Bun Rieu, Canh Bun, Chao, Gio Chao Quay, Restaurant Review, Saigon and Vietnamese. 0 Comments

January 29, 2008
Cuisine: Vietnamese

193 Ly Chinh Thang Street
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: none
Website: none
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Canh Bun (8,000 VND)

Bun Rieu (8,000 VND)

Chao Muc (5,000 VND)

Ca Phe Sua Da (5,000 VND)

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Another day, another new noodle soup to try!

The Astronomer, our pal Cathy and I lunched at a not-so-pretty eatery on Ly Chinh Thang Street advertising canh bun, bun rieu and chao muc. We ordered one of each for variety’s sake, but I was particularly interested in the canh bun because I have never tried it before.

Canh is a light Vietnamese soup eaten with rice, while bun are vermicelli rice noodles. Surprisingly, canh bun is not a combination of the two. Tricky, huh?

It turns out that canh bun is exactly the same as bun rieu (vermicelli noodles in a sour crab-based broth) with the addition of blanched spinach served alongside the essential herbs and greens. Not the most innovative dish, but I can find no fault in extra nutrients and fiber. Anything for 5-a-day.

The bun rieu here was very good. Unlike my family’s version or the one at Thanh Hai, this one came with spongy squares of deep-fried tofu that soaked up the sour broth nicely and contained cubes of blood jello that are much tastier than they look.

The chao muc was my personal favorite of the meal. The smoky squid porridge was topped with ground black pepper, chopped scallions and pieces of fried dough. Similar to the tofu in the bun rieu, the fried dough soaked up the porridge with its oily goodness. There were several pieces of actual squid, but they blended in with the hot porridge.

After three steamy dishes, we headed to a drink vendor several blocks down for some ca phe sua da (Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk on ice). Although I usually passed on this stuff back home, I am officially a huge fan. What’s there not to like about drinking melted coffee ice cream? I have seen the light.

Bánh Tằm Bì

Published by Gastronomer on February 7, 2008 in Banh Tam Bi, Saigon, Street Food and Vietnamese. 7 Comments

January 12, 2008
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Ton That Thuyet Street
District 4, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: none
Website: none

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Bánh Tằm Bì (7,000 VND)

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I think the couple pictured above just moved into the neighborhood because I’ve gone from never seeing them to seeing them daily. Welcome to D4, guys! You’re a delicious addition to the neighborhood.

Bánh tằm bì is a dish that I did not grow up with. In fact, I only tried it for the first time this past summer at a restaurant in San Diego. While everyone was eating seven courses of beef, I went for something completely different.

Short, worm-like, rice noodles form the base of the dish. Bì (a mixture of pork and pork skin) is piled atop the bed of noodles. Coconut milk, nuoc cham (fish sauce vinaigrette), scallion oil and freshly julienned cucumber and basil add the finishing touches on this uniquely sweet and savory dish.

The mixture of coconut milk and nuoc cham in bánh tằm bì makes me feel like I’m eating che for dinner.

The Art of Eating Bánh Tét

Published by Gastronomer on February 6, 2008 in Banh Tet / Banh Chung, Saigon, Scenes and Vietnamese. 4 Comments

I was instructed by my aunt and great aunt to hang the Bánh Tét until I was ready to eat it to avoid spoilage.

We ate the bánh tét with dua mon (vegetables pickled in nuoc mam and sugar). Fresh bánh tét is like no other—subtle and satisfying. The silky pork fat melted on our tongues.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!