Tasty Treats

I don't think you can travel without making food one of your top priorities. Vietnam was a nice change to Korean food with all of its variety. Because Vietnam has influences from France, America, as well as all the other Southeast Asian countries, the options are endless. We began our trip with some pho, the classic Vietnamese noodle dish.



One of our next meals out was recommended by the owner of the guest house we stayed in. The restaurant was outdoors, and was really lovely. The food was delicious as well.







The banana cake came with a frothy coconut milk to dip in...mouth-watering. The atmosphere was great and the food was even better, all for a whopping $8. Can you handle it?

After watching Anthony Bourdain's many travels to Vietnam, we decided we needed to heed his advice and go to a restaurant called Com Nieu Saigon. The highlight dish was Com Nieu which is rice baked in a clay pot so that it hardens on the outside, creating a shell-like exterior. The waiters put on a little show by throwing the clay pot to each and breaking it into pieces before serving the dish. We also ordered filet, crab, and shrimp wrapped in pork. My favorite dish was the filet, cooked and seasoned perfectly, although everything was scrumptious!





We went a little wild on this one...spending around $40 I think. We were ballin. I think the prices probably went up after all of the publicity Bourdain had given the restaurant. I say this as if the prices were outrageous...even though I'm pretty sure the last time I went to Chili's in the states, dinner for two was pushing $40, and well, it was Chili's.

The best part of Vietnamese food culture is not even the restaurants, but the street food, specifically Banh Mi, otherwise known as the Vietnamese sandwich. This sandwich combines the best of its influences, with its use of the baguette from the French, and adding Asian flair like soy and chili peppers. It also has some type of meat, usually pork, and various vegetables. Banh mi on the street typically costs 10,000 dong, which is 50 cents.



Fresh fruit and vegetable stands cover the streets. Vendors selling water also sell fresh coconuts, slice of the top in front of you, and hand you a straw. Fresh squeezed fruit juice abounds, in any fruit imaginable; passionfruit, papaya, mango, avocado, pineapple, etc. I honestly wouldn't even know where to go about getting these types of fruits in Korea, or America, for that matter. They definitely would not cost 50 cents, that's for sure.