Foodie Friday: Foods Around Ho Chi Minh City

Travelling Period: 1st April - 7th April 2012

Whenever I travel abroad, I will not purposely go and hunt for those famous eateries or restaurant of that particular places or cities cause I believe everyone has different preference and taste. What might be best for others but may not suits my liking. Plus, some of those highly recommended seems to be overrated and taste so-so only. What worse was most of those recommended restaurants or eateries only filled with foreign tourist, not the local. One of the travel tips that I came across is discover where the locals eat. Therefore when we were in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), most of the restaurants or eateries we visited were patronized by the local.

#1:Cơm Tấm Cali. This small little restaurant located not far away from our hotel and the plus point, it comes with free WiFi connection. The staffs spoke very little English but no worry, there is English translation in their menu.

#2: Bun Cha Ca Nuoc (Noodle soup with fish paste) - This bowl of noodle is so flavourful with the mixed of tender and soft fish paste.

#3: Nhà Hàng Ngon - One and only grand and fancy restaurant we visited when in HCMC. This two floors open-aired restaurant is recommended in Lonely Planet and almost all the seats occupied by both locals and foreign tourists.

When we browsed through the menu, it was filled with wide selection of foods but then, it was kinda pricey for budget travellers like us. However, it worth every value we paid where not just that we can enjoy the authentic Vietnamese food but the buzzing and delightful atmosphere as well. These were what we ordered from Nhà Hàng Ngon:

#4: "Ngon" special fried rice

#5: Salad roll with shrimp and pork

#6: Steamed banana cake with coconut milk

#7: Grilled pork

#8: Pork porridge

#9: And on the other night, we decided to have our dinner at the open air stall outside the Ben Thanh Market

#10: Crunchy fried spring roll

#11: Fried rice

#12: Scrumptious sweet and sour pork

Last but not least, when in one's country, experience like the local. A visit to HCMC wouldn't be complete without experience Vietnamese local and Asia-Europe fusion foods on the sidewalk of a busy street. This is the real culture of Vietnamese people do everyday - eat streetfoods. 

#13: This is how food vendors prepared the foods on the sidewalks

#14: Crispy rice paper mixed pork

#15: Fried bun - crispy on the outside, delicious on the inside

#16:Crystal clear spring roll with mixed pork and veggies - This one taste kinda weird. Not recommended.

#17: One of Vietnam's famous cuisines - Pho

#18: How can you miss a cup of coffee when in Vietnam? It's a sin if you missed out.

Although I didn't get the chance to try baguette in HCMC but luckily I got to try in other Indo-China countries like Cambodia and Laos. As for exotic foods, I try my best to avoid cause I have a weak stomach to absorb those foods. And I was being asked whether did I try dog meats, hell no I will have those cause I am dog lover. Don't you think it is so cruel to eat dog and cat meats?

P/S: This is another scheduled post cause I'm currently away for another short weekend getaway. It's Cuti-Cuti Malaysia! 

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