The One About the Noodles
They say the food in Vietnam is reason alone to visit, i say the food alone is reason enough to live there. I shall now try as much as i can to describe and recommend a few places to eat when your in Vietnam in hopes of converting you to a pho-addict. I'll do so in parts, easing you into a their food culture, this blog entry being the first of more to come. We'll start with one of their main sources of carbohydrates, noodles (but of course all of us know, Rice like most countries in SEA is their main source, but rice bores me and i have a special fondness for noodles).
in Hanoi
this is a from a street side pho stall located a road junction in Hanoi, i don't really remember the address but its somewhere with most of the shophouses selling just shoes and opposite a Bia Hoi joint, tha'st not really gonna help cuz that's like what most places in Hanoi sound like; opposite some other shoe store on some other road junction near some other bia hoi joint.
Street food is mostly eaten on a small stool and wooden table. A few sauces, chilli and some lime are served next to a bunch of fresh vegetables for you to compliment your pho. You can help yourself to all of it at no extra cost, but hold back on the chili because some stalls have innocent looking but fiery stuff on their saucers.
The stall serves Pho Ga or chicken noodles for about 12000 Vnd (SG$1.20). for 5000 Vnd (50cents) more you can order her special eel version, this was my first bowl of pho so i took the safe stuff.
in Hue
This is from a vegetarian store in Hue at the end of Le Loi street at the Pham Ngu Lao Area (backpacker heaven) of Hue. It serves very good vegetarian food at super budget prices. It was recommended to me by the very nice lady at the guesthouse who i wish could be my Vietnamese godmother (that i would leave for another story)
Their fresh lime juice is the best thing to have on a hot day. Its not the syrupy variety you get in Singapore and you know that for a fact because it takes at least 10 minutes to prepare it. 10000 Vnd (SG$1.00) vegeterian noodles that are very generous with their mock meat. It isn't Pho, the noodles are round and its like a Hue speciality there, i think its more commonly known as Bun (pronounced as "boon").
Also recommended by the lady at the guesthouse, My favourite Beef noodle store because, according to the girls, they think i like it for the chio aunty cooking the beef.
Her noodle broth is very rich and tasty, with abit of chilli paste its quite magical. Then there's the marble-y like brisket beef that she's so generous with. So good we ordered a second round.
word of advice: bring extra water along as she doesn't sell drinks but the food could be too fierce for the tongue.
In Saigon
this corner Pho Bo or beef noodles store at Pham Ngu Lao Street (another backpacker heaven) in Saigon is very popular with the locals around this otherwise very angmoh backpacker area. For the two times i was there i saw workers parking their bikes outside and ordering their bowl of Pho Bo and "ca phe sua da" (ice coffee with milk) to start their day, all that while the kwai los figure out what that piece of lime they always serve is for. (fyi its for the soup or sometimes its for you to mix with seasoned salt to dip in)
Their pho bo at 18000 Vnd (SG$1.80) is cheap for their quality and quantity. Generous with their very finely sliced beef that has a nice thin layer of skin (i love my cartilage) and a clear broth that compliments the fine pho.
They also serve Bo Kho Banh Mi or Beef Stew with a French Loaf. This is my personal favourite with its mildy spicy stew with tomatoes and fresh onions. I can have this for breakfast, lunch and dinner and everything in between.
more food to come soon, i think i can do a thesis paper on their coffee, but i think many have attempted that already but still, i'll try to do one soon
p.s. thanks to all my caring friends, I'm much better now. The diarrhoea has gone away, i now feel stronger than ever, or so my stomach thinks so. and if team fong is reading this...lets go Naan-ing lei!! i need to visit Mustafa again.
in Hanoi
this is a from a street side pho stall located a road junction in Hanoi, i don't really remember the address but its somewhere with most of the shophouses selling just shoes and opposite a Bia Hoi joint, tha'st not really gonna help cuz that's like what most places in Hanoi sound like; opposite some other shoe store on some other road junction near some other bia hoi joint.
Street food is mostly eaten on a small stool and wooden table. A few sauces, chilli and some lime are served next to a bunch of fresh vegetables for you to compliment your pho. You can help yourself to all of it at no extra cost, but hold back on the chili because some stalls have innocent looking but fiery stuff on their saucers.
The stall serves Pho Ga or chicken noodles for about 12000 Vnd (SG$1.20). for 5000 Vnd (50cents) more you can order her special eel version, this was my first bowl of pho so i took the safe stuff.
in Hue
This is from a vegetarian store in Hue at the end of Le Loi street at the Pham Ngu Lao Area (backpacker heaven) of Hue. It serves very good vegetarian food at super budget prices. It was recommended to me by the very nice lady at the guesthouse who i wish could be my Vietnamese godmother (that i would leave for another story)
Their fresh lime juice is the best thing to have on a hot day. Its not the syrupy variety you get in Singapore and you know that for a fact because it takes at least 10 minutes to prepare it. 10000 Vnd (SG$1.00) vegeterian noodles that are very generous with their mock meat. It isn't Pho, the noodles are round and its like a Hue speciality there, i think its more commonly known as Bun (pronounced as "boon").
Also recommended by the lady at the guesthouse, My favourite Beef noodle store because, according to the girls, they think i like it for the chio aunty cooking the beef.
Her noodle broth is very rich and tasty, with abit of chilli paste its quite magical. Then there's the marble-y like brisket beef that she's so generous with. So good we ordered a second round.
word of advice: bring extra water along as she doesn't sell drinks but the food could be too fierce for the tongue.
In Saigon
this corner Pho Bo or beef noodles store at Pham Ngu Lao Street (another backpacker heaven) in Saigon is very popular with the locals around this otherwise very angmoh backpacker area. For the two times i was there i saw workers parking their bikes outside and ordering their bowl of Pho Bo and "ca phe sua da" (ice coffee with milk) to start their day, all that while the kwai los figure out what that piece of lime they always serve is for. (fyi its for the soup or sometimes its for you to mix with seasoned salt to dip in)
Their pho bo at 18000 Vnd (SG$1.80) is cheap for their quality and quantity. Generous with their very finely sliced beef that has a nice thin layer of skin (i love my cartilage) and a clear broth that compliments the fine pho.
They also serve Bo Kho Banh Mi or Beef Stew with a French Loaf. This is my personal favourite with its mildy spicy stew with tomatoes and fresh onions. I can have this for breakfast, lunch and dinner and everything in between.
more food to come soon, i think i can do a thesis paper on their coffee, but i think many have attempted that already but still, i'll try to do one soon
p.s. thanks to all my caring friends, I'm much better now. The diarrhoea has gone away, i now feel stronger than ever, or so my stomach thinks so. and if team fong is reading this...lets go Naan-ing lei!! i need to visit Mustafa again.
posted by Jon at 11:12 PM
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