Category Archive for ‘Goi’ at gas•tron•o•my

Archive for the 'Goi' Category

Goat Breath

Published

on June 9, 2008

in Curry, Goi, Restaurant Review, Saigon, Unique Meats and Vietnamese

. 8 Comments

Once you go goat, you can’t ever go back. I swear.

My gig at AsiaLIFE has given me the opportunity to sample a lot of foods that I wouldn’t normally seek out. Our latest issue features a great piece about the joys of eating goat at 304 Le Van Sy Street in Tan Binh District. Even though I wasn’t assigned the article, I tagged along with the writer and the photographer during their visit to see what goat was all about. Plus, it’s not everyday one has the chance to sample a brand new meat!

Before I delve into the food, it must be stated that THE shortest stools in Saigon are at the goat palace. Although I didn’t whip out a tape measure, I’m pretty sure the distance between the floor and my bum was six inches max. My legs were so sore by the end of the meal.

Our first course of the evening was grilled goat with okra. The meat was sliced into thin slivers and marinated lightly. After dredging the meat with some vegetable oil, we placed the raw goat onto the grill. The first few pieces were a bit leathery because we cooked ‘em for way too long. When it comes to goat, rare is best. Just 45 seconds on the grill yields tender morsels of meat. The texture of goat is very pork-like, which was deliciously familiar. A salty fermented tofu (chao) sauce pairs extremely well with this preparation.

Next, we tucked into an awesome goat curry served inside a clay pot, which turned out to be the best dish of the night. Hunks of potatoes, okra, eggplant and goat arrived submerged in a sweet, creamy, thick and slightly spicy curry broth. We sopped up the broth with many warm baguettes. The curry was so unbelievably good that the photog, writer and I made plans to return for more before finishing up the portion before us. What can I say? We’re a greedy group.

The final course of Goat Fest 2008 was rare goat salad accented with lemon leaves. I kind of over did it with the curry, so I was toast by the time this course arrived. The salad was really raw onion intensive, which doesn’t float my goat boat, but my dining companions scarfed it up with baguettes.

I had such a pleasant experience at 304 Le Van Sy that I returned a few weeks later with Hawk, Nina, The Astronomer and two visitors from New York.

Eating in Nha Trang III

Published

Gastronomer

on May 1, 2008

in Cha Gio, Com Chien, Curry, Goi, Nha Trang, Saigon, Scenes and Xoi

. 7 Comments

On our final day in Nha Trang, we did a bit of sightseeing and mud bathing. We spent the morning hours seeking out the city’s famous giant Buddha, but stumbled upon a small Buddha first.

Fat, peaceful and happy.

We’re getting closer—the giant Buddha from afar.

At last! We found the giant Buddha.

The temple grounds were adorned with signs engraved with the Buddha’s teachings. This one was one of my favorites—speak like the Buddha, think I like Buddha, work like the Buddha.

Before jetting off to the mud baths, we bought some xoi chien to snack on. They were filled with “meat” that resembled the stuff Taco Bell serves up. Texturally interesting, but not all that tasty.

After our therapeutic mud session, we bought some good ‘ol banh mi and swam in the ocean one last time before catching our flight back to Saigon.

For dessert, Matt and I shared a caramel sundae from an ice cream shop by our hotel. The whipped cream tasted like artificial butter flavoring, which we liked a lot.

Just as we landed in Saigon, I received a call from Ba Sau (my grandma’s sister) inviting me over for dinner. When Ba Sau calls, I always oblige. We ate a lotus stem salad with shrimp and pork…

Cha gio...

Xoi gac!

Fried rice…

And chicken curry with rice vermicelli noodles. I am one lucky girl.

Eating in Nha Trang I

Published

Gastronomer

on April 29, 2008

in Bun Sua, Ca Kho, Candy, Che, Goi, Markets, Mi Xao / Hu Tieu Xao, Nha Trang, Nuoc Mia, Scenes, Seafood, Seafood, Vietnamese and Xoi

. 13 Comments

After suffering through his first Boston winter, we treated our friend Matt to a trip to Nha Trang during his week-long stay in Vietnam. The goal of the trip was to nosh, relax and “get brown.”

By the way, Nha Trang will be the site of this year’s Miss Universe Pageant and the picture above is a billboard counting down the number of days until The Donald comes to town.

Unlike the Jersey Shore, the beaches in Nha Trang are peaceful and empty. The funny thing about Nha Trang is that the waves roll on to the shore sideways. The Astronomer and I took a dip as soon as we arrived, while Matt soaked up some rays because he’s not much of a dipper.

After beach time, we walked toward Nha Trang’s major market. On the way, I bought 100 grams of xi muoi Thai. I usually avoid xi muoi because it is oftentimes too lip-puckeringly sour, but this version was just right—salty and sweet. I also bought 100 grams of me Thai because I am addicted to sugar coated tamarind candies.

We arrived at the market in the middle of the afternoon, which wasn’t the smartest because it was pretty much deserted and the vendors were napping.

Our first stop at the market was at an alfresco joint serving up bun sua—rice vermicelli noodles with jellyfish. It turns out that jellyfish isn’t all that exciting. I would say that it’s definitely more texturally interesting than it is flavorful. The broth was clear and mild and the cha and tomatoes came through where the jellyfish lacked.

Since Matt had never tried nuoc mia (sugarcane juice) we ordered him a tall glass.

The boy dug it!

Next we moved on to a che vendor. So many choices, so little time…

The Astronomer and Matt tried the che bap, which was warm and good, but a bit too sweet.

I had the che troi nuoc because it’s one of my favorites. Everything was exactly on point, down to the sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. The mung bean paste inside the tapioca balls was just the right among of salty to contrast with the overall sweetness. Mmm!

As we enjoyed our che, Matt spotted a bunch of live roosters hung from a motorbike. They were surprisingly quiet as a result of all the blood rushing to their heads. Poor guys.

Xoi! I seriously can’t pass a xoi vendor without buying some and dropped 3,000 VND on a small bag of xoi gac. The sticky rice was more oily than usual and a really vibrant orange.

While I munched on my newly acquired xoi, The Astronomer and Matt downed two bowls of mediocre mi quang—too much broth and too little zing.

The Astronomer and Matt have ridiculous metabolisms and are thus able to munch on cookies all day and still have killer abs. I, on the other hand, must participate in street aerobics and run daily to maintain my physique.

After the market, we walked to see the Cham towers. This is a view of the bridges of Nha Trang from the towers.

And here is an actual Cham tower. I don’t mean to be a traitor to my people, but Angkor Wat was heaps more impressive.

For our first dinner in the city, we dropped in at a large seafood emporium. The food wasn’t great, but we left stuffed and satisfied enough. Our first course was a jellyfish salad served with rice crackers.

Here’s a closeup of the goods. I think I ate enough jellyfish for a lifetime in Nha Trang.

Our second course was sweet and sour squid. The seasonings were meh and the squid was not Phu Quoc-tender. On a postive note, the pineapple chunks were tasty!

Our penultimate course was braised catfish in a claypot. This dish was the standout of the evening and different from the ca kho I’ve eaten in Saigon due to the generous employment of ginger.

And lastly, stir-fried noodles with seafood. Ho hum seafood makes for a ho hum noodle dish. However, a dousing of caramelized sauce from the ca kho turned things around.

Quán Nướng 3T

Published

Gastronomer

on April 10, 2008

in BBQ, Bo Tung Xeo, Goi, Restaurant Review, Saigon, Seafood and Vietnamese

. 8 Comments

Grillin’ like a Villain - clockwise from top left - muc nuong sate, goi bon bon, bo tung xeo, so huyet rang me

–

The Astronomer and I tagged along with a travel journalist named Peter a number of times last week as he explored some of Saigon’s best eateries for a piece in progress.

After our extensive food tour of District 4, we met up with Peter for dinner at Quán Nướng 3T in District 1. As its name implies, the restaurant specializes in grillin,’ and every table is equipped with a brazier for diners to cook their own supper. The only thing that could have made this place better was if we hunted our prey too.

Peter heard good things about the bo tung xeo (60,000 VND), so we made sure to get an order of that. The pieces of cow marinated in garlic arrived raw and ready to meet the heat. The fatty bits splattered a bit, but the burning sensation on my arm subsided once I tasted the results, which were tender and savory. Eating red meat makes me feel like a caveman.

The heo rung nuong xa ot (wild boar marinated in chilies and lemongrass - 45,000 VND) was also a treat to grill up. Sliced more thinly than the bo tung xeo, these little piggies cooked up quickly and had plenty of chewy cartilage for me to gnaw on.

Our last victims of the evening were the muc nuong sate (squid marinated in sate sauce - 45,000 VND). Even though the squid was not Phu Quoc-tender, the spicy and salty sate seasonings made up for the less than perfect texture.

We rounded out our protein-rific and grill-centric meal with an order of so huyet rang me (blood cockles with tamarind sauce - 35,000 VND). Unlike the bloody cockles I’ve enjoyed in District 4, these contained a bit of minced lemongrass which added a subtle new layer of flavor.

The goi bon bon (75,000 VND) was wonderfully fresh, but couldn’t compete with the beefy, piggy and squidy delights.

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29-31 Ton That Thiep Street
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Phone: 8211633

Bánh Khọt

Published

Gastronomer

on April 4, 2008

in Banh Khot, Chicken, Com Chien, Goi, Restaurant Review, Saigon and Vietnamese

. 9 Comments

March 27, 2008
Cuisine: Vietnamese

59B Cao Thang Street
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: 8323312
Website: none

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Bánh khọt thập cẩm - miniature fried pancakes sampler platter (30,000 VND)

Cơm gà rôti - rotisserie chicken with fried rice (35,000 VND)

Gởi mục Thái Lan - Thailand-style squid salad (70,000 VND)

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The Astronomer and I finally made our way to Co Ba Vung Tau the other week to try the bánh khọt Wandering Chopsticks raved about. Bánh khọt are a specialty of the southern coastal city of Vung Tau and taste quite a bit like banh xeo due to their similar batters and accouterments.

Co Ba Vung Tau offers four different varieties of bánh khọt—shrimp, pork, oyster and cha ca (fish loaf). Since this was our first time trying the dish, we hedged our bets and ordered a sampler platter that included a few of each kind. To round out our meal, I went for a squid salad, while The Astronomer went for some chicken with rice.

The bánh khọt were delivered along with a large basket of herbs and greens. After our waitress poured some nuoc mam from a giant pitcher (pictured above) into our individual bowls, we proceeded to eat the bánh khọt just as Graham of Noodlepie advised:

Take a leaf (lettuce or mustard) and sling in a couple of herbs and pickles along with the bánh khọt itself. Make a small parcel and dip into the plain nuoc mam. Depending on the size of your gob and/or how much of a fat bastard you are, each green parcel should take around three bites to fully consume. It’s green ‘n’ lean and airyfairy enough that one diner could stuff in all eight cakes with ease.

Bánh khọt are simultaneously “airyfairy” and crispy. The Astronomer and I each ate four and could have easily downed twice as many if we hadn’t ordered the other dishes. We both liked the oyster bánh khọt best because of its intense flavor. Unlike the shrimp, pork and fish cake bánh khọt, the oyster variety could hold up against the nuoc mam and shrubbery. The texture of bánh khọt is really something special.

Although we came for the bánh khọt, the dish that really stood out was the squid salad. The pieces of squid were plentiful, fresh as can be and unbelievably tender. Ever since we indulged in the finest squid in the world during our trip to Phu Quoc last November, we’ve become quite the squid snobs. The squid salad at Co Ba Vung Tau magically transported us back to the sunny shores of Phu Quoc.

The Astronomer’s rotisserie chicken with rice was also well-executed. The buttery fried rice contained bits of scallions and eggs and tasted indulgent compared to the plain jasmine The Astronomer has grown accustomed to. The chicken was moist, crispy skinned and dressed in a five-spice marinade.