Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

09 Oct 2007

Bè Bạn – Ho Chi Minh City

Filed Under:

0 Comments

September 14, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese

51 Tu Xuong Street
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: 089325028
Website: none

—

Com Dap – crispy rice prepared in a smashed clay pot (10,000 VND)

Com Nieu – rice cooked in clay pot (6,000 VND)

Ca Loc Kho To – braised Snakehead fish (55,000 VND)

Canh Chua Nghieu – sweet and sour soup with clams (55,000 VND)

Rau Muong Xao Toi – water spinach sauteed with garlic (25,000 VND)

—

Com nieu restaurants serve traditional Vietnamese dishes in a polished setting and specialize in rice prepared in clay pots. Prices are generally significantly higher than their street food counterparts, but the quality is much better, portions are generous, and the service is very good. These joints are fairly common around town, especially on Tu Xuong Street in District 3.

Com Nieu Saigon is probably the most well-known eatery for this genre of food, but the offerings at Be Ban could give them a run for their money.

My Aunt Phuong from California came to Saigon a couple of weeks ago on vacation and we met at Be Ban for lunch. Even though my aunt is originally from Vietnam, she has never tried com nieu or com dap, so we ordered one of each.

Com nieu is nothing special and tastes exactly like plain ‘ol steamed rice. Com dap, on the other hand, is really something special. The rice is made in a clay pot on extra-high heat (or something), which forms a crispy crust on the bottom. The rice is served by smashing the clay pot its cooked in and inverting the rice onto a plate. Com dap is commonly dressed with crushed black sesame seeds, nouc mam, and an oil and scallion mixture. The com dap I had at Com Nieu Saigon was adorned with all the fixings, while the com dap at Be Ban had the condiments served on the side.

All of the dishes we ordered were seriously good and sorta made me want to abandon com binh dan forever. The ca loc kho to was caramelized perfectly and extremely flavorful. I poured the fish’s syrupy sauce with bits of pork belly over some rice, which brought back fond childhood memories.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love canh chua. This version featured clams and the usual suspects as far as vegetables go. The clams didn’t add much additional flavor to the already stellar soup, but were texturally interesting.

The sauteed water spinach was also quite good. I’m not sure what the restaurant did with the spinach leaves, but they only served up the hollowed stalks. The greens were intensely garlicky and an excellent complement to our meal.

Although I prefer to scrounge the streets for my eats, Be Ban is a great place to take guests from out of town or unadventurous friends.

Street Food

08 Oct 2007

Friday Night Bites

Filed Under:

7 Comments

October 5, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Corner of Ho Xuan Huong Street and Nguyen Thong Street
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: none
Website: none

—

Bo Vien, Ca Vien, Cha Gio Chien – fried meatballs, fish-balls, and eggrolls (12,000 VND)

Xoi Man – sticky rice topped with various meats (5,000 VND)

Xoi Dau Xanh – sticky rice with mung beans (3,000 VND)

Bap Xao Tom Bo – corn sauteed with shrimp, scallions, and butter (5,000 VND)

—

Before meeting up with friends at the Diamond Plaza for bowling last Friday night, The Astronomer and I headed to the corner of Ho Xuan Huong and Nguyen Thong Street in District 3 for some grub. We’ve driven by this street on several occasions, but never got a chance to sample the goods because we were always on the back of a xe om (hired motorbike).

On this evening, there were several corn dealers (steamed and sauteed), a lone sticky rice hawker, and a man frying up meaty treats on a stick. Feeling especially hungry, The Astronomer went for a three-course feast and purchased from each of the vendors on the street. He has eaten xoi man and bap xao tom bo previously, but this was his first foray into fried-up meat and eggrolls on a stick.

The Astronomer commented that the sauteed corn tasted exactly like the version he ate in District 4. It’s really amazing how standardized street food recipes are in Vietnam! The xoi man was generously topped with cha lua, cha bong, pate, soy sauce, and an oil and scallion mixture. We’ve been on a xoi binge as of late, and this version did not disappoint. The fried meat fest was a let down. The eggrolls, meatballs, and fish-balls turned soggy from the oil rather than crisp and the hoisin sauce was too strong at times. Two out of three isn’t terrible.

For my dinner, I went for a small box of sweet xoi dau xanh sprinkled with salt and toasted sesame seeds (mui me). The xoi was moist and sticky in all the right places and the combination of sweet and salty flavors were delicious. The xoi was so tasty that I went back and bought 2,000 VND more.

Restaurant Review

05 Oct 2007

Mien & Dung's Wedding

Filed Under:

3 Comments

Vietnamese weddings are so damn cool.

I attended my first one, and sadly probably my last, a couple weeks ago at the Saigon Star 2 Restaurant. Mien, my grandma’s sister’s son’s daughter, got hitched to a fellow named Dung and they were nice enough to invite me to the celebration. The couple officially tied the knot in a Catholic ceremony a day earlier, so this evening was dedicated to partying.

The two hour reception was filled with great company and plenty of cold beers—Heineken was the bia of choice.

I arrived a bit on the late side and was greeted by the bride and groom on the staircase leading up to the banquet hall. I congratulated them on their big day, we snapped a picture with the professional photographer, and then I made my way into the dining room. I’m pretty bad with estimations, but I’d say there were somewhere around 200 guests at the shindig.

The evening began with dancers performing a little number in silky, all-white ensembles. I initially thought they were Mien or Dung’s friends, but my aunt informed me that they were hired by the restaurant.

Following the dancers, the bride and groom were introduced to the enthusiastic crowd.

Next, came the in-laws—here is my Uncle Hai and Aunt Phung.

Following the introductions, the bride and groom performed a champagne ritual. Ten minutes and three bottles of champagne later, the glasses were finally filled. Unfortunately, the bride, groom, and in-laws were the only ones who got to drink the bubbly. The dry ice brought about a mystical element to the ceremony don’t you think?

After the champagne came the food! The six-course feast was served family-style and was very tasty as far as wedding food goes.

Appetizers: Onion Salad (goi hai san kieu Thai), Stir Fried Vegetables with Cashews (so diep xao hat dieu), Crab Dumplings (cang cua bach hoa)

Seafood Soup

Steamed Shrimps in Young Coconut

Banh Hoi

Thit Heo Quay

Seafood Hot Pot – lau Thai hai san

Tropical Fruit Gelatin

The last wedding I attended had a buffet dishing up seven layer dip and crudités; this was definitely a giant step up. Although palatable, the food was far less memorable than the festivities. Standouts include the crab claw dumplings on the appetizer platter and the tropical fruit Jello dessert.

As guests dined, the happy couple made their rounds and greeted each table. They must have been smashed by the end of the night because every table raised their glasses.

And somewhere between all the boozing and food, the Karaoke started up and went on for the rest of the evening. My Uncle Minh sang the first song—he was completely toasted.

—

Saigon Star 2
Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City
Phone: 088117844