This is a mixed platter of delicious roll-your-own fresh rolls, with sugarcane prawn, mustard leaves, mint and rice paper. Also up the top there is thinly sliced green banana and starfruit, so good when rolled up with all the other ingredients for a hit of freshness and crunch.
This is a steaming bowl of Pho Bo I had in Hoi An on the street one night. Eating on the street is where some of the best food can be found, and this was no exception. My knees were up around my chin, as the tables are very low. It was a really hot night, and I was outside the cloth market. I saw a rat dash across the walkway at a distance. Then a little kitten (hiding under the motorbike above) took off after it. I can't imagine what that kitten did once it caught up, 'cos that rat was big.... I had a vision of Templeton from Charlotte's Web turning around to it and saying with a big grin, "Well what are you going to do NOW then?"
I was invited by my friend Linh for dinner one night. I helped with the preparation of some things, and it was lovely to be invited to share a meal with her whole family in their house. We had morning glory wok-tossed with garlic, home-style spring rolls with prawn and pork, and special chicken with rice. The full moon festival was on, so I took moon cakes for dessert. It was a great story to tell around the dinner table (with lots of hand gesturing) that when I went to the man to buy the mooncakes, I pointed at a beautiful red display box and said that was what I wanted. So we exchanged the money, and I took my mooncakes. Only when I picked up the box, it was empty! He had just sold me the box - not the cakes inside.
This is the view looking out on the street from the Cargo Club cafe in Hoi An. The cafe has a patisserie attached with all kinds of croissants, breads and pastries. They serve fantastic fresh juices like watermelon, pomelo and pineapple as well as my favourite Vietnamese iced coffee. You can get great coffee just about anywhere in Vietnam, and it is lovely and strong. I have to limit myself to two a day, because otherwise there would be no sleep for me. Also the Trung Nguyen coffee houses are great, serving the real deal in Vietnamese coffee and tea.
This lady was outside my hotel one morning, all loaded up for a day of mobile trading. She had lots of varieties of nuts, seeds and snacks, perfectly balanced on her bicycle. As much of life in Vietnam is lived out on the streets, it just makes so much sense that she would go to her customers rather than them coming to her. She would only get a few steps along her way before someone would pop out to see her wares, then she would produce her handy metal scales and weigh up their purchases. I also enjoyed buying fruit from travelling vendors this way, my favourites being rambutans and tiny, sweet bananas.
And lastly, a quick vid taken while zooming through the city streets last night on tour with XO Tours. Great fun, and a chance to get out into some of the many districts of Ho Chi Minh City that are off the beaten tourist track. We visited a local fruit and vegetable night market which was amazing, because most people didn't even get off their scooters to buy food, they simply pulled up to the stall and pointed at what they wanted. It was kind of like a drive-thru market, loud and flat-out, with only the freshest produce. We stopped for Banh Mi and fresh squeezed sugarcane juice halfway through, and zoomed through shopping strips and over the Saigon River to lots of interesting areas. Highly recommended!
2 comments:
I love pho! Thanks for the great photos of your trip and cute designs too.
Thanks Cassie! It was a great trip x
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