Happy new Year 2008!!! Ho Chi Minh Take 2

Chinatown Street Vendor

I decided to usher in the New Year in Ho Chi Minh city. Why? Why not? :)

New Year's Eve was spent in Chinatown, checking out the grub. Chinatown it is, teaming with food stalls selling familiar food, Vietnamese versions of Chinese food, if you will.

Carrot Cake

Most familiar of all was this carrot cake, Vietnam style i.e. small serving with lots of roughage and Nước Mấm at the side. Yum-mee.

Vietnamese Coffee...is our friend...especially in the morning...

Bánh xèo

Ok, here's where I spice things up. There was something on my list which, I am ashamed to say, I missed out on my previous visit. I atoned for my folly by rightfully hunting down the one great place for Bánh xèo, the only shop locals swear by. So sacred and secretive is the place I cannot reveal its location to you, for I have destroyed the tiny scrap of paper where the location was scribbled on. Yes, I lost it.

Why Bánh xèo? Well, I love crepes, and Bánh xèo is basically a crepe made of rice flour, tumeric, shrimps, fatty pork, onions, and sometimes, mushrooms, fried in coconut oil. Wait, that's not all. It is then wrapped in lettuce and loads of various local herbs, and dipped in Nước Mấm or sweet fermented peanut butter sauce.

Crepe in peanut butter, what's there not to love? Have I mentioned the peanut butter? :D

Happy 2008!

Hot Stuff *Sizzle*

Volcano on a Plate

Weekend cooking with my fav green spinach noodles. I threw in lotsa veg for the fibre, and in the name of balance and color, sprinkled chopped red chilli padi to offset the green and toasted cashews for added crunch. And no, it is not too much chilli padi.

Let the Avalanche Begin!

Mum's Mee Goreng

Mum makes a mean mee goreng, or Malay Fried noodles. She prefers hers with bean sprout, added at the last minute to cook them slightly and retain their crunch and add sweetness to the dish. And of coz, an egg. I always have noodles with egg.

Red Power!

Latest Recipe, KL

Le Meridian's flagship restaurant was recently revamped and renamed Latest Recipe. The setting is grand and the spread follows the latest trend in restaurant buffets, spotting Japanese, Chinese, Indian, grill, live cooking, dessert stations and the likes.

What stands out in this particular buffet is the tapas style appetizers that you pick and plate onto equally quaint Japanese trays.

Sitting Pretty

Each plate held the perfect serving size and a tasty mouthful. Needless to say it was very easy to polish off the plate(s) without feeling uncomfortably stuffed.

Before

After

Satisfied with the food and service, baby G and I went back for dinner the same day, this time for their ala carte.

Mushroom Soup

Warm Mushroom Salad

A medley of mushrooms, fortunately they tasted very different. I especially liked the salad, with the mushrooms lightly grilled and dressed to preserve their unique flavors.

Seafood Squid Ink Pasta

Ooo...squid ink pasta, something I always try when I get the chance, coz it looks so different from the usual, it just have to taste different too, you'd think? Unfortunately it tastes...like regular pasta. It has a denser texture than most but no hint of the ink they get their pigmentation from. Still, it was a good dish, with fresh seafood and a light cream sauce. My favorite part of this dish, hidden at the corner right of this pic, is the slivers of fried garlic, adding sweetness and fragrance which lifted the dish and made it the highlight of the meal for me.