Mien
02 Sep 2008

Miến Cua

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Whenever The Astronomer and I dine at the Crab Shack, we tend to order the usual delectable suspects—glass noodles sautéed with crab (mien xao cua), soft shell crabs prepared a variety of ways (cua lot) and crab-stuffed egg rolls (cha gio cua). On our fifth or so visit along with Hawk and Nina, The Astronomer thought that we should veer from the norm and try something different. I, on the other hand, deemed a visit to the Crab Shack without ordering our favorites plain silly, so we compromised and ordered all of our standbys in addition to something new.

The something new was mien cua—a light broth and noodle dish made with glass noodles, a crab-based broth, cilantro, onions and bits of shredded crab meat. All of the locals around us were slurping it up, so we knew it was going to be good. And indeed, it was! The crab broth was subtle, while the noodles had a certain al dente-ness that most Vietnamese noodles lack.

Compared to the rest of our spread, the mien cua was definitely the mildest. I would suggest ordering this dish if one is dining at the Crab Shack alone. If there’s a good crowd of friends, stick with the standbys because they are much easier to share and the flavors complement one another without competing for attention. The mien cua is best on its own.

See the original Crab Shack post for details.

Restaurant Review
01 Sep 2008

Thai Express – Ho Chi Minh City

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I first tasted Thai food in southern California and it’s sort of messed me up for life. When I traveled to Bangkok earlier this year, I found the real deal to be too real for my tastes. The pad Thai wasn’t tangy enough and the curries tasted like burning. I wish I could turn back the hands of time and experience Thai food properly from the get-go, but what’s done is done.

When Thai Express opened a branch in Saigon in late July, The Astronomer and I were some of the first folks in line to sample their offerings. This Singapore-based chain of Thai restaurants can be found throughout the region with 34 locations in nine countries. Thai food designed to cater to the masses? This just might be up my alley…

The waitress recommended that we share an order of pork-stuffed tofu skin to start. It was more pork-intensive than I anticipated and tasted more or less like an Asian meatball. The spicy thick and glossy sweet and sour sauce that accompanied the dish was a lovely addition.

For my entrée, I had pad Thai. Just one bite and I knew that this was the faux stuff that I adored! The noodles were dressed in a sweet and tangy sauce and the sheets of scrambled eggs were thin and a bit crispy. The portion was heftier than it looked.

The Astronomer ordered a red curry with pork and potatoes that was creamy, but just a few notches too spicy. Why are we so weak?

For dessert we shared mangoes with sticky rice. The sticky rice was formed into a strangely dense log, while the mango was scored and placed atop. Both components were drizzled with coconut milk. The rice was much too sweet and the mango, which didn’t break apart easily, wasn’t sweet enough. While I preferred the pad Thai here to the ones in Bangkok, the street food vendors of Thailand could teach Thai Express a thing or two about preparing mangoes with sticky rice properly.

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Thai Express
8A Le Thanh Ton Street
District 1, HCMC

Street Food
31 Aug 2008

Noodlepie's Sarnie

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There was an era a few months back when I would read Noodlepie almost nightly for dinner ideas. The Gastronomer was working late, so I was on my own to scour the streets of districts 1 and 3 in search of new dishes, and I found a lot of winners. Once, I stumbled upon a post entitled “Is this the best sandwich in Saigon?” It was about a lady selling banh mi thit nuong in the evenings at 37 Nguyen Trai Street. He writes:

I’ve tried many a sarnie in this mad megalopolis, but this particular specimen is undeniably the bread’s bollocks. Enjoy. I did. Burp.

Of course I had to try it. There are two primary styles of banh mi thit nuong in Saigon—one is nuoc mam-based, while the other is dressed with some version of barbeque sauce. This lady’s sandwich was my first taste of the latter style. The sandwich is simple, just meat, do chua (pickled daikon and carrots), cucumber slices, and barbeque and chili sauce. Being a weakling, I typically decline the chili sauce, but I’ve tried the sandwich spicy a few times and it’s still pretty damn good. The pork pieces are circular—closer in shape and texture to bun cha patties than the meat typically featured in banh mi thit nuong.

On my first visit to the stand, I had to wait 10 to 15 minutes behind a line of motorists and workers from nearby shops to receive my sandwich. This has become a routine—there’s no doubt this lady is popular! She starts selling banh mi and bun thit nuong in the late afternoon and typically runs out of meat by 7:30. It’s no wonder—the sandwiches are awesome. I can’t quite go so far as to proclaim them the best in town (my favorite sandwich vendor in District 4 still has a special place in my heart), but they’re definitely a must try, and two for 14,000 VND is one of the best dinner deals out there.

There are few things I’ll miss more upon leaving Saigon than banh mi thit nuong. This is the dish that almost singlehandedly convinced me that it’s okay to eat meat for breakfast every morning, and on more than one occasion, I’ve eaten three sandwiches in one day. The nuoc mam-flavored variety seems more traditionally Vietnamese to me, while the version with barbeque sauce brings back memories of Alabama. Either way, nothing brings joy to my heart like spotting a miniature grill on a street cart. It’s a sure-fire sign of good times to come.