Restaurant Review
27 Nov 2007

Ngự Viên – Ho Chi Minh City

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November 7, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese

40 Ky Dong Street
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: 8437670
Website: none

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Com Sen (50,000 VND)

Bo Tai Dua (50,000 VND)

Ca Hu Kho (44,000 VND)

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The Astronomer has a mad crush on Noodlepie and I can’t say I blame him.

Whenever I ask The Astronomer where we should eat for lunch, he always visits Graham’s blog to locate a tasty option. The other week he chose Ngu Vien on Ky Dong Street because Noodlepie proclaimed it as the “best all around” restaurant in Saigon.

Prices have jumped dramatically since Pieman’s days, but the food is still superb, especially the Ca Hu Kho. The flaky braised fish was served piping hot inside a clay pot. I filled my little bowl with a bit of white rice, a nice hunk of de-boned fish (skin and all) and topped it off with some syrupy caramel sauce. One bite, and I totally swooned. I haven’t been this moved by a dish since the Wagyu at Alinea this past June. The flavors were damn near perfect and I cannot imagine straying from this dish when I return to Ngu Vien.

The Astronomer chose the Bo Tai Dua and Com Sen. The Bo Tai Dua consisted of thin slices of beef, scallions and onions cooked inside a young coconut. The flavors were subtle and not coconut-y. The beef was plentiful, but not as tender as I had hoped. Compared to the insanely flavorful ca kho, this dish just wasn’t striking. Even though I personally wasn’t into the coconut beef, The Astronomer liked it very much because he appreciates milder flavors.

On the flip side, the Com Sen was subtle in a pleasant way. The dish looked like a delicate package upon arrival and we tried our best to keep the leaf intact as we ate. The rice was filled with lotus seeds, bits of pork and shrimp and a smattering of scallions and steamed inside a fragrant large lotus leaf. The rice was wonderful alone or paired with the beef and fish.

Even though Ngu Vien specializes in foods from Hue, they do a fine job executing a variety of other Vietnamese favorites as well.

Thanksgiving
22 Nov 2007

Saigon Thanksgiving: New Country, New Traditions

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For the past seven years, it’s been a New York Thanksgiving for my family. Mom would fly in from California, while I would ride the Chinatown bus from Philly to the city. We’d all stay in brother’s apartment—in the early days it was a tiny studio, these days it’s a swanky one bedroom. It’s always been in the Lower East Side. Brother labored over the turkey, while our good friends Dean and Deluca prepared the sides and dessert.

This year is going to be quite different. Mom is staying in California and brother’s flying home.

The Astronomer and I, along with our favorite Americanos, are hitting up this ridiculous event:

WAYNE’S WEIGH IN CONTEST
4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Venue: Texas BarBQ Restaurant, 206 Pasteur Street, District 3, HCM City

Where else can you be rewarded for overeating? In the gluttonous spirit of American Thanksgiving, Texas BarBQ is having a contest to see who can eat the most. We’ll weigh you when you come in and before you leave. Whoever gains the most weight wins an IPOD! Wayne the Texan will be checking for cheats – so don’t try adding coins to your pockets!”

This event is part of the restaurant’s 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Buffet Dinner, which is a true “Turkey Time”! It’s a good deal, for the whole family. For full details and to make reservations telephone 825 1142 or 823 1459 or e-mail TexasBBQ@hcm.fpt.vn.

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Mekong Delta
21 Nov 2007

Vegetation Profile: Winter Melon

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The winter melon (Chinese: 冬瓜; pinyin: dōngguā, Japanese 冬瓜（とうがん）tougan, also called white gourd or ash gourd, is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable. The fruit is fuzzy when young. By maturity, the fruit loses its hairs and develops a waxy coating, giving rise to the name wax gourd, and providing a long shelf life. The melon may grow as large as 1-2 meters in length. The word “melon” in the name is somewhat misleading, as the fruit is not sweet.

Originally cultivated in Southeast Asia, the winter melon is now widely grown in East Asia and South Asia as well. The shoots, tendrils, and leaves of the plant may also be eaten as greens.

I saw these lovely winter melons or bí đao at the market in Vinh Long during my trip to the Mekong Delta a month or so ago. My favorite bí đao preparation is canh bí, which consists of minced shrimp and pork in a sweet broth that is eaten with steamed rice. The soup’s color is a translucent, but brilliant orange that is a result of bloody shrimp heads.