Archive for the 'Saigon' Category

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Life After Bourdain: Reuniting with the Lunch Lady

Published by Gastronomer on November 28, 2011 in Banh Bo, Banh Tieu, Bun Mam, Che, Mi Vit Tiem, Saigon, Street Food and Vietnamese. 23 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about Nguyen Thi Thanh ever since departing from Saigon in the summer of 2008. In the three years since I first sat down to interview her, there’s no doubt that her life has changed. In a corner of the city previously unknown to tourists, she now finds herself dishing up noodles to a steady stream of Anthony Bourdain fans. These days, it seems that a trip to Saigon isn’t complete without bargaining in Ben Thanh Market, flagging down a cyclo for a rusty ride, and sitting on a stumpy stool slurping up a Lunch Lady-made noodle soup.

I have often wondered how the Lunch Lady’s livelihood and that of her tight-knit community have been impacted by the fame and influx of foreign dollars made possible by modern travel journalism. Have her prices skyrocketed? Is her cooking watered down? Mostly, I wondered if I messed up something really great by blabbing about it to someone who had access to a global audience.

I found the 46-year-old proprietress more or less unchanged since we last met. She was clad from head to toe in a colorful do bo (Vietnamese pajamas) with a well-worn non la (conical hat) atop her head. Her smile was as big as ever. Nearly every table was occupied on this sunny afternoon, which meant that she and her team of workers were up to their ears in orders.

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Vietnamese Steak and Eggs at Quán Lệ Hồng

Published by Gastronomer on October 25, 2011 in Bo Luc Lac, Bo Ne, Restaurant Review, Saigon and Vietnamese. 10 Comments

Much to The Astronomer’s dismay, traditional steakhouses just aren’t my thing. While I can appreciate a slab of meat as much as the next carnivore, I’d rather sink my teeth into noodles, fried chicken, sushi, and the like whenever we eat out. However, there is one worthy exception to my general sentiment: Vietnamese-style steak. It’s hardly the tenderest cut or preparation, but the flavors and fixings make it impossible to resist.

An expat magazine pointed The Astronomer and me to Lệ Hồng, a popular steak shack hidden away in Phú Nhuận District. We came for lunch and dined amongst local office workers, as well as a dozen motorbikes because the dining room doubled up as a parking lot.

Each order of steak comes with a simple side salad made of iceberg lettuce, pickled shallots, sliced tomatoes, and cilantro sprigs. The vegetables are lightly dressed in a vinaigrette made from white vinegar.

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Saigon Classics: Goat Three Ways, Coconut Ice Cream, and Vietnamese Fried Chicken

Published by Gastronomer on October 23, 2011 in Chicken, Dessert, Restaurant Review, Saigon, Unique Meats and Vietnamese. 7 Comments

Somewhere near the top of my list of must-eat restaurants in Saigon are Lau De 304, Công Trường, and Su Su. The first specializes in goat prepared a myriad of ways, the second serves the dreamiest ice cream ever, and the third fries chicken in a most unique fashion.

Old haunts like these are meant to be revisited with old friends, so we reserved these beloved spots to dine with Hawkins, a southern gentleman who came to live in Saigon by way of Georgia. It had been much too long since we broke bread with our friend.

One of my favorite dishes at Lau De 304 is the grill-it-yourself goat (de nuong). The meat is served raw and thinly sliced with a charcoal brazier. The grill’s fiery temps cook the meat in snap. Then, it’s dunked in a fermented tofu sauce for extra pow. Grill, dip, eat, repeat—that’s how we do.

The next dish to arrive was fried goat in a tangle of lemongrass threads (de xoi xa). This preparation turned the goat’s flesh slightly crispy, with a distinct lemongrass essence.

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District 4, Saigon: Our Home Away From Home

Published by Gastronomer on October 13, 2011 in Bo La Lot, Che, Goi, Mon An Chay, Pho, Saigon, Street Food, Vietnamese and Xoi. 8 Comments

The Astronomer and I began our third day in Saigon across the river in District 4, a densely packed island we called home for the better part of a year. In the three years since we’ve been gone, the old neighborhood has undergone quite a makeover. While the river is still as murky as ever, dirt roads have been transformed into sturdy bridges and run-down shacks have given way to shiny highrises. The lay of the land was so unfamiliar that The Astronomer had trouble navigating the streets at several turns. Rapid development can be mighty disorienting.

Fortunately, the vibrant street food scene hasn’t changed one bit. After stopping to pick up some xoi gac from my my favorite sticky rice vendor on Ton That Thuyet Street (pictured above), we searched the district for more good eats.

The smell of grilled seasoned beef wrapped in betel leaves brought our motorbike to a rapid halt. Even though we had just eaten bo la lot a few meals ago, it was too tempting to pass up.

The Astronomer’s bowl of bun bo la lot was piled high with herbs and sprouts tucked underneath a tangle of cool vermicelli noodles, peanuts, pickled carrots and daikon, and a swipe of crushed fresh chilies. Everything was evenly dressed with fish sauce. The best bites included a pinky-sized bo la lot nugget.

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Saigon Dinner Crawl: Squeaky Meatballs, Sesame Sludge, Spicy Duck Tongues, and More

Published by Gastronomer on October 10, 2011 in Che, Chicken, Mi / Hu Tieu Bo Vien, Restaurant Review, Saigon and Vietnamese. 6 Comments

The Astronomer and I met up with our friends Chris and Ann for a belly-busting food crawl on our second night in Saigon. We kicked things off in familiar fashion with steaming bowls of noodle soup, but soon moved on to novel delicacies including spicy duck tongues and goopy hard-boiled eggs.

As much as I love revisiting my old haunts in this city, it was a welcome change of pace to be introduced to new grubbin’ spots. It’s an endless feast up in here.

After meeting at our hotel, the four of us headed to an alleyway nearby for the first of three courses. Chris is a huge fan of the bo vien (beef meatballs) served at Truong Thanh and insisted that we begin the crawl there.

The food served at Truong Thanh is prepared outdoors on a cart, while patrons are seated in a sparse and well-lit dining room two paces away. Chris and Ann took the lead and placed the orders. The Astronomer and I kicked back and relaxed.

The restaurant’s signature dish is a simple and satisfying combination of mi (Chinese egg noodles) or hu tieu (wide rice noodles) with meatballs, bean sprouts, basil, and saw-tooth herb. The broth is the same for both types of noodles, porky and mild.

The highlights of the bowl were the squeaky meatballs. Eaten on their own I found them to be quite plain, but dipped in the sate oil, chili sauce, and hoisin sauce served alongside, the flavors popped just a little more.

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