vung tau, san jose

My friend Phi is dead serious about Vietnamese food. I never expect to be eating Vietnamese when I’m with her because she has high standards for the stuff. Color me surprised when I asked her and Adeste to dinner and she suggested Vung Tau near downtown San Jose.

Obviously, this meal was gonna be dang good.

one bánh for the road

Have you ever been more confused by a plate of food in your entire life? There is a lot going on here. This food is a speciality of Hue in central Vietnam.

This is the last of the HCMC series. Bánh, bánh and more bánh!

tân hoàng ty, hcmc

I wrote this post awhile back and scheduled it for delivery tonight but wanted to put a plug in for folks who want to help the people of the Philippines. To find ways to help or track down more information visit Google’s Typhoon Ondoy page.

Hooray! More Vietnamese food in Vietnam!

My last meal in Vietnam was bánh canh (erm I think that’s what it was called) at Tân Hoàng Ty. Plates of boiled pork, pickled veggies, cucumber, crepes, and crazy heaping piles of unknown herbs.

Heaping piles. No lie. So heaping that for the first time ever I’m gonna show my face up on this blog just so you have some context.

bún chả cha cha

Okay there are two more cha’s than necessary.

La la la.

I’m back from a quick trip to Ho Chi Minh City with a few food posts to inspire a lil Vietnam love.

phan viet deli, singapore

Like the box? I think it’s pretty snazzy.

There are no less than 3 Phan Viet Deli’s between the office and Baguette. The last time Sarah and I went to Baguette Kevin and Joao came with. The story ends with Joao and Kevin being so immersed in conversation that they never make it to Baguette, lose us completely, and eat at Phan Viet instead. They gave it 2 thumbs up last time so I figured I’d give it a try myself.

The verdict? Not as good as Baguette but a decent alternative. The bread is soft but not freshly baked or toasted. The veggies are crisp but could have used more cilantro and pickled carrots – a poor supply of those means that the sandwich is teetering dangerously into not-Vietnamese territory. This isn’t a direct comparison since this is beef and the one I have at Baguette is chicken but the filling here is not well flavored. Again, not bad just not great. 

You know what is great though? Their spring rolls. Fresh veggies and bright shrimp, soft slightly sticky wrapper, and, the best part, not hopped up on mint to within an inch of it’s life. Even the fish sauce is better here. The spill is courtesy of Kitty who tipped the box over to get a peek. 

I’m gonna give the other fillings a try too but I would definitely go again. 

Phan Viet Deli: 112 Robinson Road #01-03 HB Robinson, Singapore

baguette: the viet inspired deli

I have a love hate relationship with Baguette.

I love them for their crazy good Vietnamese sandwiches and tasty lime soda. I hate them because they are supposed to be open until 7:30 but the two times I’ve gone for dinner – once around 6:45 and the other around 7:00 – they looked at me like I was crazy for trying to get a sandwich and then told me they were closing. When I asked what time they closed (so that I could better plan another trip) they said 7:30. This is where I glance at my watch and raise an eyebrow. Both times they claimed that they close at 7:30 but were closing early ‘just for today’.

Just for today, Baguette? What about just every damn day? Ugh.

My love for them and my craving for a Vietnamese sandwich won out last week. An all too willing Sarah accompanied me on the 15 minute trek past LPS to the small storefront.

eat eat eat all the way home

Unless you’re a major NSync fan, the post title is strictly informative and not funny.

I had a fantastic 2 1/2 weeks at home in California. Two of those weeks I spent in Hanford with the family vegging out, eating lots, and hanging out with the brothers. Not too many new meals but lots of old favorites.

I spent 3 days in the Bay Area catching up with good friends. The grand finale there was a meal at Pho Vi Hoa. I ordered the sliced pork meal. It was as good as I remember it. (Thanks to Jane and Jlin for housing me while I was in the Bay!)

banana donut heaven

Okay, they aren’t *technically* called banana donuts. Real name: bánh chuối.

Super sweet banana (no added sugar) + rice flour batter + hot oil = banana donut heaven.

That’s pretty much all you need to know.

quán ăn ngon, hanoi

Look closely – do you see me in the reflection of the spoon?

Linh treated all of us out to dinner on our last night in Hanoi and picked Quán ăn Ngon for the festivities. If I remember my Vietnamese lesson correctly, Quán ăn Ngon means ‘delicious eating place.’

The place was bustling with activity. There’s a small buildling with indoor seating and then a large tent covered outside area bordered by small food prep stations along the perimeter. Before ordering, Duong and Linh suggested that we take a promenade around the place to pick out things we wanted to try.

fried fish hanoi style

We spent Saturday morning at Silk Village which was recovering from the floods that plagued most of Hanoi that week. After doing our part for the Hanoi economy by indulging in many of its fine silk goods, we were starving.

This dish is now tied with pho as my favorite Vietnamese food. I hope I’m able to recreate it at home some day or find some place that serves it. This dish is a Hanoi speciality and they make it with a fish that is only found in the area. If you find yourself in Hanoi make sure to order yourself some cha ca thang long.