An Afternoon Picnic Along the River

Getting out to the wilds of Binh Chanh via taxicab...

Picnic along the Rạch Ông Lớn, a tributary of the mighty Saigon River.

Gangsta Rap album cover #23.

Barbecued duck on baguettes with brie (courtesy of Nhu Lan Bakery) and Nước mía mojitos.

Like urban camping, sort of.

Party on, Saigon.

Dalat: Food

While our time in Da Lat was relatively short, we managed to cram in as many meals as humanly possible.  Bowing to the God of Brevity, here's a small smattering of food-related photographs and blurbs.

I was extremely impressed with the amount of Vegetarian restaurants around the town.  My favorite was a Banh Mi Chay (vegetarian baguette) stand I found attached to the aptly-titled Hoa Sen (Lotus Flower) at 62 Phan Dinh Phung.

Their distinctive Banh Mi's were magical.  They came complete with a spicy tofu 'pate' spread, soy-based imitation meats perfectly resembling the regular mystery products in both taste and texture, and the usual suspects (stalks of coriander, translucent daikon radish strips, carrots, and cucumber slices).  It was the first time in six months that I have actually been pleasantly full after a street sandwich.

Gavin's quick and dirty highlight was a Chinese-style Wonton Soup spot called Khu Hung he found on the same block at 129 Phan Dinh Phung.

The soup was meaty and flavorful with delicate nebular dumplings floating in an inviting broth.  Paper-thin slices of barbecued pork and stalks of greenery joined in the revelry. Truly difficult to not break a sweat after throwing in liberal quantities of hot chili paste and washing it all down with hot green tea.

On our first afternoon in town, we enjoyed two slices of fresh, piping-hot carrot cake at expat-owned and operated V Cafe (1/1 Bu Thi Xuan).  I paired my cake with a few glasses of Da Lat wine, while Gavin stuck to La Rue beer.  We enjoyed the friendly atmosphere so much that afternoon that we returned to V Cafe later that night for more drinks and live music.

Bo La Lot (tender, rare beef wrapped in wild betel leaf) was a definite highlight of our dinner at local favorite Long Hoa (3 Thang 2 quite near the central market).  While Gavin attacked his current favorite finger-food, I stuck with my simple stand-by in Vietnam - stir fried veggies and fried garlic rice.  White linens, a fanciful bar, and dirty French cartoons adorning the hallways made this place feel distinctly Occidental, but all of our dishes were prepared well and the staff was friendly and informed.

We also enjoyed a couple of great meals at family-owned Da Quy (Wild Sunflower) on 49 Truong Cong Dinh.  Fresh vegetarian spring rolls stuffed with fried tofu and veggies, something I make often at home but have never actually seen on a menu, whetted my appetite on both occasions.  Their stir-fried vegetables with tofu and Chinese-style sweet & sour catfish were excellent as well.

A complete list of Da Lat restaurants we recommend can be found in The Directory.

Bánh Mì - Remodeled

Traditional bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwich) is an inexpensive, tasty, and quick treat .  Nothing beats a soft, freshly-baked baguette, filled with fresh cucumbers, carrots, daikons, and parsley, topped off with some hot peppers for an extra kick and soy sauce.  But for a finicky critter like myself, it is all wrecked by the fat-ringed, processed slabs of various animals parts and the thick slush-gray pâté that is slathered on top of everything.  It was in the halcyon days of my sandwich odyssey that I realized I couldn't take the meat products much longer.

As of late, Gavin and I have found a new way to enjoy our "Saigon Subs" - sans mystery meat.  Greatly confuse your local bánh mì seller by asking for a veggie sandwich.  You will most likely be the first patron to make this strange request.  Take your new friend home and stir-fry strips of tofu and whatever vegetables you have laying around the house.  I generally use both green and purple cabbage along with red peppers.  Once cooked through, smother with Thai chili sauce and add into your sandwich.

The result will please even the pickiest of eaters and fill you for the day.

Black Cat

When craving an American-style "gourmet" hamburger on a toasted bun, smothered in cheese, fixings, and a side of fries there is only one place to go in Saigon: Black Cat. Located at 13 Phan Van Dat in District 1.  Sometime last month we got the first urge and we were pleasantly surprised. 

Following a common trend here in Vietnam, the menu is exhaustively extensive and ranges from breakfast classics and sandwiches to classic dinner roasts and Mexican food.  Breaking from local tradition, the staff is friendly and the atmosphere is inviting and relaxed.

Gavin and I were in the mood for burgers on our first visit.   If you are feeling superbly gluttonous, the "Big Cheese" is a daunting, 1.5 kilo burger that will instantly harden your arteries and land a picture of your ambitious deed on the wall.  As usual, we shied from competition and Gavin opted for the "Garfield", which luckily had nothing to do with assassinated presidents or corpulent cats, and everything to do with bacon, cheddar cheese, fresh ruby-red tomatoes, and a hunk of ground beef.

I went for the veggie burger with a side of mixed greens.  I was delighted by the patty, which was obviously made fresh on-site as it was crammed full of vegetable chunks. 

Our return visit came soon enough.  A creature of habit, Gavin went with what he knew, ordered a Garfield, and procaimed half way through his meal that it was even tastier than last time.

I went out on a unstable limb and ordered the Mission-style veggie burrito.  It was quite filling and fleetingly cured my endless hankering for Mexican food.  I also loved the tarro chips on the side.

According to a boastful sign out front, CNN has deemed the Black Cat one of the top ten restaurant experiences in the world.  Hyperbole aside, you can find good burgers at the Black Cat.

Hideaway Cafe

Gavin surprised me with a lunch date this week.  He took me to a cute little restaurant called Hideaway.  It had been recommended to him by a co-worker as a spot where sandwiches meet appetites.  It is tucked into a narrow alleyway off Phan Ngoc Thach and is cute, verdant, and very welcoming.  We chose to sit inside on a huge comfy bench in a bright, cozy room.

We ordered goat cheese bruschetta for an appetizer.  The goat cheese didn't bring enough of the barnyard and the portions were scant, but it was pleasant having ripe, crisp tomatoes in Saigon.

 

I opted for the Mediterranean chicken salad, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was full of grilled eggplant, peppers, and squash along with fresh greens, kalamata olives, paprika chicken strips and crunchy slices of crostini.

Gavin chose a grilled pesto chicken sandwich, which tasted like it was purchased from an airport cafe.  Not "I'm a dick and I'm going to complain to the waitstaff" bad, but insipid, stiff, and uninspired.  The bread was far too sweet, there was only a thin, translucent slice of eggplant and the hint of pesto conservatively applied to the bread left Gavin with a vermouth-dry mouth and a strange craving for salt.

 

I would go back.  I would try new things and maybe shy away from the sandwiches, but the ambiance alone makes me ever-so-slightly anxious to return.

The best part of the whole meal was this strange creature out front.  He was jocularly panting and blocking our bike when we tried to leave.  That's a memorable face!