Now, however, I shall attempt to review my trip chronologically.
The first meal in Saigon was the ever predictable Pho Bo. We had ours at Pho 2000 just beside Ben Thanh market. The texture of the rice noodles came as a surprise. I expected the thick Bee Hoon mouthfeel but was instead rewarded with something more like ethereally thin Ipoh Hor Fun that disappears down the gullet. The broth here is done the classic way at low temperature and long hours with massive quantities of beef bone. It's light and clear but the beefiness oozes through ever drop of it. As warned, the boiled beef shoulder was just that – boiled meat.
The itinerary for the first day included the Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum and the Notre Dame Cathedral. The first two were admittedly forgettable unless you are really into the Vietnam War.
Traffic conditions.
Note the 'X' over the USAF emblam.
We were introduced to the Monsoon season with a sudden downpour as we headed towards the War Remnants Museum. We ducked into a cafe at the Sports Club nearby and experienced best coffee I’ve had in Saigon. It’s a common practise to serve a light green tea on the side. The effect is undisputedly Yin and Yang. The coffee was sweet (maybe too sweet), chocolaty, thick and heaty while the tea is light, refreshing and cooling. In an ideal world I could sit there all day long with a good book.
Potrait of war victims.
Vietnamese calligraphy, I like.
Not sure, but sure feels like a Soviet-inspired monument.
And nobody gets electrocuted.
I quite liked the cathedral but the decision to isolate the building on an island with traffic running on all 4 sides is pretty imbecilic.
Notre Dame Cathedral - Thou Shalt Never Get A Clear Shot.
Next meal was at a Northern Vietnamese restaurant serving Bun Cha – Quan Ho Tay. I have been craving for that since I first saw it in Bourdain’s No Reservations which sort of inflated my expectations. Turns out, Bun Cha is a really really simple and light dish. There are 3 elements in it – the rice noodles, this time more substantial than the noodles in the pho but still very light, the basket of greens and the dip which was sweet, sour and rich with rendered pork lard. If I am to take a wild stab, I would make the dip with some pork broth, fish sauce, pickled cucumbers, the pickling liquid, sugar, honey (there was a hint of something floral) and lard. I found the charcoal grilled patties and pork slices were more like accompaniments rather than the focus of the dish although I definitely wouldn’t mind doubling the amount of meat. To eat, dunk some noodles and greens in the sauce and slurp just like soba.
Al fresco dining option.
The place also serves a mean Banh Tom – battered small prawns and shredded sweet potato. One could tell that it was freshly made and fried to order as the prawns still maintained their juiciness despite the batter being very crisp.
I also walked passed this Bahn Mi store that was once voted as the Best Sandwich in Saigon. Obviously, this woman hasn’t sold out and fell prey to the evils of business expansion. Despite the torrential rain there were a line of locals queuing and she was already running out of baguettes when I arrived. All I could take home was the maddening fragrance of grilled meat.
Since the Ben Thanh Night Market was just at my hotel’s door step, we stopped to sample a Bun Bo Hue – Hue style beef noodles and Bun Mam – seafood noodles with a punchy prawn paste broth. Both were rather tasty but unrefined.
Night Market at our door step. Sweet!
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