Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

21 Aug 2007

Bunches of Lunches: Cơm Trưa

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One of the luxuries of Vietnam is being able to dine out for nearly every meal due to the low cost of food. On average, The Astronomer and I each spend approximately $1-$1.50 per meal depending on the eatery and what we order. Although a part of me misses cooking up a storm, it’s easier and far more delicious to frequent restaurants and street stalls rather than bargaining, buying, and preparing raw ingredients in Saigon.

For the most part, The Astronomer and I have avoided eating out for breakfast because we prefer chomping on cereal and PowerBars in our apartment to eating hot soups street-side. However, lunch is a completely different story.

Here are some snapshots from lunchtime outings during the past few weeks:

August 3, 2007—While exploring our ‘hood during a rainy Saturday morning, we stumbled upon a friendly man dishing up goi du du kho bo (green papaya salad with beef jerky, basil, and fish sauce vinaigrette – 5,000 VND) and goi coun (spring rolls with pork, vermicelli noodles, herbs, lettuce, and mam nem dipping sauce – 6,000 VND). The green papaya salad was spectacular, especially the spicy jerky. The spring rolls, on the other hand, contained a bitter herb that was overwhelming. We also weren’t fans of the potent anchovy and pineapple dipping sauce.

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August 6, 2007—A mechanic pointed The Astronomer and I to the Banh Canh Cua eatery. We shared a bowl of the restaurant’s siganature dish, banh canh cua (13,000 VND), and a sampler plate of the restaurant’s offerings that included banh beo, banh nam, banh bot loc, and banh ram it (10,000 VND). The banh canh was very different from my family’s version due to the employment of fresh noodles, which contributed to a thicker and starchier broth. The sampler platter was terrific!

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August 9, 2007—Around the corner from our office is an outdoor restaurant serving worker’s lunches. We’ve eaten here twice mainly due to proximity. The rice is often too dry and the flies buzzing around quickly kill an appetite. On our first visit, The Astronomer had the braised fish and a fish patty, while I had tofu stuffed with ground pork and an omelet. Our lunch plates include a small bowl of soup with mustard greens, which The Astronomer hates but I rather like. The food here isn’t stellar, but it’s definitely decent and inexpensive at 15,000 VND per person.

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August 11, 2007—My grandma’s younger sister, Ba Sao, invited The Astronomer and me to her house for lunch the other weekend. She prepared her famous egg rolls, thit kho, braised fish with tomatoes and turnips, and bi coun (spring rolls with shredded pork and lettuce). Everything was delicious! The Astronomer probably ate twenty egg rolls and the braised fish rocked my world. I hope to learn a few recipes from her during my year in Vietnam.

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August 12, 2007—There’s no such thing as a bad bowl of pho in this country! This random pho joint called Pho Bac Ha is located off the uber-busy CMT 8. The Astronomer ordered the pho ga (15,000 VND), while I had the pho bo (12,000 VND). Nothing super special here, just a solid bowl of pho.

Restaurant Review

20 Aug 2007

Quán Ăn Ngon – Ho Chi Minh City

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August 17, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese

138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: 088257179
Website: none

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Our colleague Mimi invited us to lunch last Friday and suggested we dine at Quán Ăn Ngon. According to numerous guidebooks and tourist websites, a trip to Saigon isn’t complete without eating here at least once. The restaurant serves spiffed-up of versions of traditional street food in a tropical space resembling a Hollister store. Quán Ăn Ngon’s chief diners are Pepto-Bismol popping tourists and Vietnamese residents with cash to burn. The restaurant opened in 2001 and is always packed during peak dining hours.

Word on the street is that the restaurant’s owner, a Viet Kieu (overseas Vietnamese), scoured the streets of Saigon and recruited the best cooks in town to prepare their dishes at Quán Ăn Ngon. Without a central kitchen, these “chefs” cook up their specialties along the perimeter of the eatery for the viewing pleasure of diners (see video below).

Similar to Vietnamese-American Restaurants, Quán Ăn Ngon’s menu is extensive. I felt like Barry Schwartz shopping for jeans at the Gap while trying to narrow down what to eat. I eventually settled on the bo bia (10,000 VND) and banh tam bi (20,000), while The Astronomer ordered com thit nuong (25,000 VND) and banh tom ho tay (20,000 VND). Mimi suggested we share a plate rau muong xao toi (22,000 VND) and I agreed.

The best thing I had at the restaurant was the rau muong xao toi, which is water spinach sautéed in garlic. Even though I had stinky breath for the rest of the day, it was totally worth it! The Astronomer agreed that the rau muong was awesome. The rest of my selections were ho hum. If cleaning up street food means taking away most of the flavor, then I’ll pass. The Astronomer liked his dishes, but didn’t think they were any tastier than what he’s eaten on the streets or in grimy establishments for half the price.

Eating Vietnamese food in a Hollister store is pretty cool, but we’ll stick to the streets next time.

Street Food

17 Aug 2007

Bánh Chưng & Bánh Giò

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During Tết (Luner New Year) this year, I was sick as a dog and desperately craving bánh chưng—a sticky rice cake filled with meat, pork fat, black pepper, and mung bean paste wrapped-up in banana leaves. I couldn’t get my hands on one because the lone Vietnamese grocery store in Philly on Washington Avenue was too far to walk to in my weakened state. Oh, how I yearned…

Growing up, banh chung was always consumed during Tết and was as much a part of the holiday as li xi (gifts of money in red envelopes). My cousins and I called the treat “foot cake,” which is the literal translation of bánh (cake) chưng (foot).

Since my arrival in Saigon, I have developed an obsession of sorts with foot cake due to my deprivation earlier this year. I estimate that I have consumed 5+ cakes in the past three weeks. The bánh chưng in Saigon are a smidge fattier than the ones in the states because they contain more fat than actual meat, but are truly just as good.

While wandering around town during lunch the other day, I found a woman selling bánh chưng (4,000 VND) and banh gio (4,000 VND) and The Astronomer and I decided to have one of each. We sat on some beach chairs lining the sidewalk covered by an awning, while the woman plated our selections. Both the bánh chưng and banh gio are pre-made and ready to eat. Using a sharp knife, she cut through the countless layers of banana leaves to unveil each delight.

The inherent stickiness of the bánh chưng is a turn off for The Astronomer, but I simply adore the cake’s texture and the faint taste of banana leaves ingrained in the rice. The mung bean paste is savory and works beautifully with the pork and rice.

The banh gio, which I learned how to make earlier this summer with my grandma, was really delicious as well. This version was softer in texture than my grandma’s and contained two quail eggs that were especially yummy. Similar to the bánh chưng, the essence of banana leaves seeped into the banh gio adding a layer of complexity.