Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Banh Beo

12 Sep 2007

Vietnam Village Resort – Khu Du Lịch Làng Quê

Filed Under:

Staff retreats stateside and in Vietnam have two things in common—ridiculous amounts of food and not so much productivity.

On the road from Da Nang to Hoi An, the site of the retreat, the entire East Meets West staff (80+ people) stopped at the Vietnam Village Resort for a cultural experience and lunch.

The Vietnam Village Resort is a Vietnamese version of Colonial Williamsburg, but instead of observing butter churning demonstrations and visiting the shoemaker, we saw silk being spun from cocoons (!) and learned the art of making banh chung. Although I usually shun tourist traps, the exhibits were so interesting that I couldn’t help being a fan. I was particularly fascinated by the sugaring demo, which transformed sugar cane into raw sugar. The Astronomer had a more hands-on experience and learned how to make banh cuon. We had a blast.

After perusing the food and craft stalls for an hour or so, we sat down for a multi-course lunch prepared by the Village staff. We started off with three appetizers: banh dap, banh beo, and banh nam.

This was my first time trying banh dap, which is banh cuon (tender rice flour crepes) laid atop a crispy rice cracker, broken in half, and eaten with fish sauce. Dap means to hit/slap in Vietnamese, which is what one does to break the banh in half. I found banh dap a little bland, but enjoyed the texture. A little Internet research has revealed that some versions of banh dap are made with scallions and meats; I’m sure those preparations are much more desirable.

The banh beo was very unique in that it was portioned in a small dish, topped with a salty shrimp paste, and eaten with a wooden stick. The banh beo I’m familiar with is arranged overlapping on a plate, topped with mung bean paste, sautéed scallions, dried shrimp, and sweet fish sauce, and eaten with chopsticks. The Village’s version was alright, but I prefer the one I’m used to.

The banh nam was very well prepared; everything tastes better wrapped up in banana leaves!

Next came an intermezzo course of my quang, which was far from amazing. The dish tasted like it was thrown together and the flavors didn’t meld at all. Preparing a meal for a large group is tough and the noodles really suffered as a result. Following the my quang, we enjoyed a number of dishes with rice.

I didn’t have any of the chicken, but my table ate it up.

The braised fish was wonderfully marinated and my favorite course of the afternoon.

The water spinach and shrimp soup provided a good source of greens, but was nothing special.

For dessert we were served sweet tofu in a ginger syrup, which rocked my world so much that I ate three bowls. There’s just something about the tofu’s delicate texture mixed with the sweet and spicy syrup that I clearly can’t resist.

—

Vietnam Village Resort (vnhomeland@dng.vnn.vn)
Cam Nam, Hoi An
Phone: 0510936089

Saigon

11 Sep 2007

Vegetation Profile: Langsat

Filed Under:

0 Comments

Langsat are ovoid, roundish orbs around five centimeters in diameter, usually found in clusters of two to thirty fruits. Each round fruit is covered by yellowish, thick, leathery skin. Underneath the skin, the fruit is divided into five or six slices of translucent, juicy flesh. The flesh is slightly acidic in taste, although ripe specimens are sweeter. Green, seeds are present in around half of the segments, usually taking up a small portion of the segment although some seeds take up the entire segment’s volume. In contrast with the sweet-sour flavor of the fruit’s flesh, the seeds are extremely bitter.

I recently discovered Langsat or trai bon bon at Cho Han (Han Market) in Da Nang. The vendor who I was buying guavas from insisted I try a langsat and began peeling one before I could say no thanks. I popped the fleshy fruit in my mouth and fell head over heels instantly. The langsat was ripe and simultaneously sweet and tart—sort of like a perfectly sweetened grapefruit. I bought a kilo for 25,000 VND and polished them off much too soon.

Restaurant Review

10 Sep 2007

Wonder – Da Nang

Filed Under:

0 Comments

August 25, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese

160 Le Loi Street
Hai Chau District, Da Nang

Phone: (0511) 824134
Website: none

—

“Mango Yogurt”

Trung Opla – eggs sunnyside up with baguette

Banh Mi Bo Kho – beef stew with baguette

—

Our first meal in Da Nang was at Wonder, a trendy cafe around the corner from East Meets West headquarters. Our colleague Craig from Oakland highly recommended the place and joined us for a quick breakfast before we headed off on our staff retreat.

The atmosphere at Wonder is quite Western—complete with high tables and chairs, loud music, and multiple flat screen televisions playing an Eagles concert. I think The Eagles are Vietnam’s favorite rock band. If it weren’t for the food and service, we would have thought we were dining back in the states at a Hard Rock Cafe.

Not in the mood for anything too heavy, I ordered a mango yogurt. What arrived resembled a smoothie and tasted like a fruity and frothy cream cheese. The “yogurt” was a huge letdown. Luckily, The Astronomer found it pleasant and drank most of it.

For my second attempt at breakfast, I decided to go with a more traditional offering, trung opla. The egg whites were deliciously crisp around the edges, while the yolks were runny and perfect for dipping my baguette. After a disappointing start, the trung opla more than made up for the weird yogurt rendition.

The Astronomer’s banh mi bo kho was executed superbly as well. The stew’s deep, meaty flavor really perked him up early in the morning.

The food and ambiance at Wonder is festive, but I’d much rather scour the streets for eats than return here again even though prices were fairly reasonable. Who wants to be hip and cool in Vietnam? Certainly not me.