Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

10 Aug 2007

Xinh Xinh – Ho Chi Minh City

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August 1, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese

65 Tu Xuong Street
Ward 7 District 3

Phone: 9321099
Website: none

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Goi Cuon – summer rolls filled with shrimp, pork, rice vermicelli, basil, mint and a hoison dipping sauce (15,000 VND)

Com Tam Bi – thinly shredded pork and thinly shredded pork skin served over broken rice with fish sauce (12,000 VND)

Bun Cha – charcoal broiled pork with rice vermicelli (20,000 VND)

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Xinh Xinh is one of a handful of restaurants neighboring our office on Tu Xuong Street. Our colleague Binh recommended that we try the eatery for lunch on our first day of work.

Unlike the majority of restaurants in Saigon, Xinh Xinh has an extensive menu spanning 10+ pages. Besides being 9 pages too long, the other strange thing about the menu was the lack of prices on certain items. This sort of situation sometimes occurs in American restaurants on dishes affected by market forces, such as lobster and is generally denoted “M.P.” However, I don’t think that was the case here. Perhaps after a few more visits I’ll figure out their pricing scheme.

The Astronomer and I both ordered from the section of the menu without prices and hoped for the best. He had the com tam bi, while I had bun cha. Both items were superbly prepared and actually priced lower than the other items on the menu. The pork in the bun cha was seasoned well with nouc mam, sugar, salt, and other spices. Combined with the cool noodles, herbs (mint, lemongrass, basil), and nouc mam vinaigrette, the dish really hit the spot.

The Astronomer enjoyed his com tam bi as well, but as usual was left unsatisfied due to his enormous appetite. To supplement our entrees and to avoid leaving hungry, we ordered three spring rolls. The goi cuon was extremely fresh and contained lots of little shrimps, which I appreciated because the goi cuon in the states always contain wimpy shrimps sectioned in half. Xinh Xinh’s spring rolls are definitely the best ones we’ve had in Saigon thus far.

Street Food

09 Aug 2007

Cơm Bình Dân – Workers' Lunch

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With the help of Rad and his wife, The Astronomer and I scored a spacious three-bedroom/two-bathroom apartment on the 9th floor of a high-rise building in District 4 soon after we arrived in Saigon. Although its a bit far from the touristy-action of District 1, we’re settling in nicely and discovering lots to like about the place everyday.

We moved into our new space on our third day in Saigon. After spending the morning unpacking, we headed out to explore our ‘hood and to find some grub in the afternoon. Clueless about our new surroundings, we stumbled into a small, residential neighborhood with narrow streets. With the assistance of a woman selling che (a genre of Vietnamese desserts) on the street, we found a home selling Com Binh Dan—cheap eats for laborers/workers. The woman running the joint had a kind face and her food looked pretty darn good, so The Astronomer and I decided go for it.

Com Binh Dan almost always consists of big plate of rice, some sort of boiled or pickled vegetable, canh (soup), and a selection of meat dishes. From the extensive choices available, I chose the thit kho (braised pork with eggs), dau hu kho (braised tofu), and mam (fermented fish and pork). I opted not to have any canh. The rice was a little dry, but all the dishes tasted just like grandma’s cooking. Mmm!

The Astronomer chose a piece of curry chicken, fried chicken, and dau hu kho. He didn’t like the pickled mustard greens and bean sprouts that came with his plate, so he passed them on to me. The curry chicken was his favorite, while the fried chicken was only so-so.

The Astronomer and I ate our lunches at the woman’s house on low plastic chairs and a slightly taller table. We shelled out 17,000 VND ($1.06) for our meal. We returned a few days later for lunch, but this time we took our meal to go, which was a much better choice.

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After such a pleasant experience with Com Binh Dan in our neighborhood, we decided to try a place near our office located off of Ba Tháng Hai street in District 10. I once again had thit kho, while The Astronomer had dau hu xa (tofu with lemongrass). We both had small bowls of canh. The food here was not nearly as flavorful as in our neighborhood and the ratio of rice to meat was fit for a famine. What really icked me out was the skinny cat sitting underneath our table; this was easily the worst meal we’ve had since our arrival. The cost of this meal was 16,000 VND ($1).

The workers are hungry, not desperate.

Restaurant Review

08 Aug 2007

Saigon River Dinner Cruise

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During our year-long stay in Vietnam, The Astronomer and I are working for a humanitarian organization called East Meets West. We reported to our first day of work on August 1st. In my brief employment history, my first day at East Meets West goes down as the best. We started off by talking to our boss Rad for an hour or two, then we wrote one-pagers about our interests and skills, and then we went on a site visit to two hospitals (one public and one semi-private). At the hospitals, we met some children who are benefiting from East Meets West’s program, “Operation Healthy Heart.” As if that weren’t exciting enough, later that evening we went out to dinner with Rad’s family and a visiting doctor from the states.

At around 7 PM we boarded a boat resembling a giant fish on the Saigon River for an evening of fine dining and entertainment. We relaxed and left the ordering to Mrs. Rad. The Astronomer and I both opted for Soda Chanh (lime juice, sugar, soda water) to start. Even though I avoid drinking my calories in America, I’m branching out while in Vietnam because the water quality is poor.

We started off with a crab and white asparagus soup that reminded me of Aunt Tina’s seafood soup served at my family’s Christmas gatherings. Following the soup were some wonderful cha gio (egg rolls), which I dipped in fish sauce to add a little zing. The Astronomer consumed six egg rolls and would have eaten more, but he didn’t want to look too piggish in front of our hosts. Our final appetizer was goi tom thit (salad with pork and shrimp) served with shrimp chips. The salad was especially delicious this evening because I had gone through so many days without fresh vegetables.

Our main dishes included steamed giant prawns, bo luc lac (steak with French Fries), chicken with oyster mushrooms, fried rice, and rau (greens). The prawns were a bitch to peel and sorta tasteless; the cost to benefit ratio was low to negative. The steak and fries were a garlicky treat, especially dipped in some catsup. The steak was the tastiest well-done meat I’ve had in ages. I was completely stuffed by the time the chicken arrived, so I only ate some mushrooms. The fried rice was seasoned to perfection and the greens were good as well, but both arrived a little late in the game. All in all, the food on the boat was top-notch. We’re looking forward to taking The Astronomer’s family on board when they visit in December.

A meal on a fish-shaped boat would not be complete without some hip gyration and pyrotechnics. How does she do that?