This Weekend...

Our weekend began with a trip to District 7 for acupuncture and fire cupping to alleviate my never-ending cold.  We stopped for some food at a random, sweltering cafe while we were out in the land of apartment blocks and prams.

Mi Xao Rau (Stir-fried noodles and vegetables)

Malaysian-style fried chicken and rice

After an afternoon of errands in the extreme heat (the hot season has arrived my friends), we watched a film and made dinner.  Our friends Sonya and Tuan Anh joined us for dinner and a painting party.  While the night went unphotographed, our masterpieces are below.

Water-colored prayer paper

Stencils from Laos

An Illustrated Excursion to Vietnam

Bear on a Bike

Bunting on Cards

Sunday morning my bruises from the cupping done the day before were dark and we couldn't resist a photo shoot!  More on this to come later this week...

A trip to District 2 was made to celebrate the birth of Jordan Rex Keith Farran, our coworker and friends' son who was born on Leap Day (February 29).  At less than 6 pounds he was so tiny and fun to hold and play with. 

After the party we thought we would check out a highly-recommended District 2 eatery: Mekong Merchant @ 23 Thao Dien.  We thoroughly enjoyed both our meals and the atmosphere.  We will return someday.

Fresh Squeezed Juices

Beet and Lentil Salad topped with Goat Cheese

Hamburger with French Fries

Finally we headed to John and Sara's house to welcome Mr. Wright back to Saigon and catch a sunset on their roof.

Rooftop Water  Storage

Black Bean Burgers

As I have recently been delving into a predominantly vegetable and fruit-based diet, I have have had plenty of time to research, cook, and re-invent some of my favorite meals.  One of which is the classic veggie burger.  Rather than choking down a dessicated, relatively expensive, store-bought, freezer-aisle special, try these tasty, homemade black bean burgers! They are naturally constructed, moist, friendly, flavorful, filling and easy to make.  (The following recipe makes four large, dinner-sized patties.)

Drain and bathe a can of whole black beans.

Mash virtuously with a fork in a large bowl.  Add a pinch of salt and seasoning.  I usually go for cumin and paprika, but curry powder is tasty as well.  You can also add a tablespoon of whole wheat flour if you are worried about the burgers falling apart and would like to employ a trustworthy binding agent.

Add two or three minced garlic cloves, a cup of drained corn, and some finely-chopped green or red peppers.  I generally cook sans onion, but feel free to substitute a half cup of chopped onions for the corn.

Mix together and chaperone.  Once the ingredients have combined forces, form them into aesthetically-pleasing patties.

Heat a pan with a bit of olive oil and drop in your newborn burgers.  Cook them for several minutes on each side or until brown.  Top with cheese if desired.

Serve on a toasted bun or some grainy whole-wheat bread with mayo, ketchup, and mustard to flavor.  Pile on ostentatious toppings such as tomatoes, fresh field greens, and delicate slices of avocado.  Serve with a pile of taro or potato chips on the side.

Mogambo Bar and Grill

An unfortunate aspect of being a Giant is constantly worrying about your next meal: when will it happen, where will it be provided, what does it consist of, etc.  Seeing as though traditional Vietnamese portions are rather scant, a Giant transplanted into an East Asian context has an even bigger preoccupation: wondering if their next meal will be filling and appropriate to his body mass.  Being the spouse of a Giant is often an unenviable position as one has to be constantly prepared.  An unending search for substantial meals to fuel an insatiable appetite fills my days.  To ward off petulant hunger tantrums, I am always on the lookout for quick bites and snacks.

One of my Giant’s favorite meals as of late is hamburgers.  After hungrily devouring Black Cat’s "Garfield" and many a homemade black bean burger, we decided to diversify.  Mogambo came highly recommended by our meat-friendly colleague Javier.  He had described a strange, dimly-lit tropical world with corpulent matriarchs stretched lazily over divans and robust burgers that melt in your mouth.  We were intrigued...

Tucked into an unassuming storefront (especially for such an ostentatious interior), Mogambo is located between Ham Nghi and Thuc Khang at the beginning of Pasteur Street in District One.   We were immediately astounded by the decor of the establishment.  The walls were covered in varnished teak and bamboo siding, which zigzagged around the room in a claustrophobia-inducing pattern.  It reminded me of a Colonialist outpost on the edge of a murky jungle, where big game hunters knocked back countless scotch-and-sodas before embarking into the heart of darkness.  Paintings of half-naked African women and stuffed carcasses of various monkeys and jungle cats lined the walls.  A massive Zebra pelt took center stage, covering the majority of one wall near the entrance.  A long, sleek wooden bar lined with tall stools stood on one side of the narrow restaurant and rows of diner style booths on the other.  Gavin and I scooted into a comfy corner booth and quietly took in the sensory overload.

Gavin quickly found a traditional burger, while I struggled with the menu.   While extremely comprehensive for omnivores, I was left with two vegetarian options to choose from:  a French Onion Soup or a House Salad.  I went with the aforementioned soup.

 

Immersed in such a festive atmosphere, one can't help but imbibe.  Our drinks were delivered, Gavin's Tiger draft was quite nice, whereas my Campari Soda left much to be desired.  They must have measured out about a half-shot of Campari and diluted it down with an entire can of soda - leaving me with a slightly pink, fizzy water.

Gavin's meal came out first.  In typical fashion, he wolfed most of it down before my soup even arrived.  He deemed it a pretty standard burger.  A noteworthy bun, a large fresh patty, and average fries.  Extra points were given for the cornichons that came on the side!

My soup arrived paired with a side of chewy sourdough bread.  After watching Gavin eat most of his meal while I hungrily waited, I was overly excited to dig in and managed to scald my tongue on the first bite.  The broth was tasty and the three thick bread slices submerged in the soup and smothered in a thin, but rewarding layer of cheese were divine.  However, I thought it strange that an already bready soup would be accompanied by... drum-roll please... more bread.  Although it was no La Bonne Soupe, it did the trick and filled me up. 

Over all the experience was full of peaks and valleys.  It's quite pricey for Saigonese standards, but the kitschy ambiance is a welcome reprieve from the sleek, ultra-modern asceticism adopted by most eateries these days.  The food is standard, but the staff is attentive.  On the bright side, I don't think I have ever consumed so many carbs in one sitting, so at least a record was set.  While I don't think I will be returning due to the meaty menu, Gavin mentioned it would be a great spot to go with a bunch of fellow Giants for an "Alpha-Male Meat Fest"... whatever that means.

Hanoi: KOTO

Everyone loves a non-profit with a solid business model.  How about a non-profit with a tasty business model?  A Lonely Planet and blogosphere darling,  KOTO (Know One, Teach One) is a vocational school/life-changing organization that trains disadvantaged teens to work in the service industry.  The chosen youth are enrolled in a rigorous 24-month course and concurrently work at a restaurant. Normally, I am skeptical about such ventures and would selfishly choose good food over a good cause, but after reading several outstanding online reviews and checking our itinerary, we decided to go.

The space is bright and modern and strikingly polished: the chairs comfortable, the menu diverse, the bathrooms unearthly clean.  The cute young staff is beyond friendly and very accommodating.  Gavin and I chose to sit in the downstairs dining area, but took a look at the tidy, unassuming cafe upstairs as well.

Since we were unaccustomed to the climate in Hanoi and had shivered our way through a day at Uncle Ho's tomb, we were starting to feel a bit under the weather.  For our beverages, we appropriately went for the house specialty: spicy lemongrass ginger tea with honey.  Our tea arrived scalding hot, thawing our petrified hands and cores as we carefully sipped from the porcelain.  From the delightful teas' fragrance and complex flavor, we assumed we were in for a real treat when our meals arrived.  After studying a menu split between classic Vietnamese dishes and Western favorites, I went for a falafel wrap and Gavin sheepishly ordered the cheeseburger, plus a bowl of the soup du jour - an unfortunately insipid, modest, and lukewarm cream of potato.

He handed it off to me at the halfway point.  I finished it, blaming the lack of flavor on Gavin for forgetting to add salt or pepper and that lack of warmth on... well, I guess the kitchen has to bear that cross.

When our lunches arrived we were excited to dig in.  Cold and weary, our deliberate comfort choices felt a little strange; in hindsight, we should have stuck with Vietnamese.  As for my wrap, the menu promised hearty falafel balls smothered in creamy tsatsiki and crammed in with veggies.  While the falafel itself was warm, it was surrounded in a meager amount of lettuce and cucumber, was wrapped in cold flatbread, and left my palate parched.  The mythical tsatsiki sauce went untasted or seen for the majority of the meal and the sad side-salad was covered in a viscous opal paste which nearly made me gag.

Gavin's decidedly average patty sat on a granite-cold sesame bun and was accompanied by a few slices of tomato and cucumber, a single leaf of lettuce, and a small side of ketchup.  And... the indignity of all indignities -  his french fries were cold.  They tasted as though they had been partying for a week straight - pale, pock-marked, greasy, and lifeless. 

A wonderful cause, a perfect location, a solid menu, and great service, but the food (at least the Western fare) was not well-executed.  I think we need an autocrat in the kitchen whipping these kids into shape.

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.