This weekend was a little different than most because we have a special guest in town: Poppers! My Dad arrived on Thursday night and has been exploring the city with us ever since. He is loving it so far! We have covered quite a bit of the city despite the oppressive heat (39 degrees yesterday) and have more adventures to come. I present the last 48 hours:
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| Mud Snails in Coconut Milk Broth |
On Friday night we dined @ Quan An Ngon - 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia in District 1. A must for first-timers to the city, the restaurant serves a wide selection of street-food served in an enormous, picturesque yellow villa. A good way to sample a multitude of dishes.
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| Papaya Salad with Dried Beef |
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| Fresh Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon) |
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| Deep-fried Soft Shell Crab in a Garlic Sauce |
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| Vegetarian Noodles |
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| Bun Rieu Cua |
Dessert @ the irresistible Fanny's -
29-31 Ton That Thiep St, Q.1.
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| Young Rice Ice Cream and Mixed Berry Sorbet |
Saturday morning started with avocado, dragon fruit, mango and sapodilla smoothies at our house before meeting up with Poppers at his hotel.
Poppers and I made our way out to District 5, where we explored Binh Tay Market.
After a sticky morning, we took a break for lunch @
Nhà Hàng Ngon - 160 Pasteur, District 1. Another key location for neophytes to enjoy a wide selection of street food in an innocuous, atmospheric setting.
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| Vegetarian Goi Cuon |
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| Bot Chien |
We managed to fit in massages at Lady Saigon and a trip up to our apartment before we were ready for dinner. We went to one of our old favorites, Cuc Gach Quan @ 92B Thach Thi Thanh, District 1 to eat a sumptuous "home-cooked" meal and take part in the Japanese Tsunami Relief party upstairs.
Sunday morning found us wandering through Dan Sinh Market with bright eyes and bushy tails. At this giant military surplus market one can procure oddities left over from the decades of war that Vietnam experienced in the 20th century.
More pragmatically, the market doubles as a massive hardware store. Poppers had a field day informing us about the functions of every obscure tool and piece of equipment.
We walked along the street until we couldn't bare the heat anymore...
The potent conflation of mid-day hunger and blistering heat led us to the delectably spicy Indian fare @ Ganesh -
15B4 Le Thanh Ton, Dist. 1.
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| Vegetarian Samosas |
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| Ganesh Spicy Naan |
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| Malai Kofta |
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| Aloo Gobi |
To avoid further roasting, we made our way to La Fenetre Soleil @
1/F 135 Le Thanh Ton, District 1, where we proceeded to relax and enjoy refreshments with some friends.
Wandering out to the streets again, we made our way to the Reunification Palace. Unfortunately, the palace was closed, but we found a spot at an outdoor cafe on the grounds and enjoyed a late afternoon refresher.
Dinner was light after our sub-continental feast and indolent afternoon. We headed to the tourist-heavy and generally overwhelming Barbeque Garden @ 135A Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, District 1 to cook our own meal under the twinkling lights of Saigon.
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| Grilled okra, bo pho mai, and vegetarian skewer |
3 comments:
Well, you can imagine how delighted I am with all the photographs of all of you and seeing E made it to Vietnam!
The multi meals look splendid, it is hard to believe how you can travel from one restaurant to the next due to the heat-but I know from expierence that it is true!
I've never seen Dad look like a tourist before! My favorite shot is the one of him and Gavin near the top of the page with their matching plaid shirts.
Mom- So glad you liked the pictures! We're all having a lot of fun!
Ned- Poppers had to get a whole new travel wardrobe to cope with the heat... he looks pretty cool with his plaid shirts and pants that zip off into shorts!
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