Why does this rustic and simple food have such a strong attraction on people? Well, to enjoy delicious banh beo, diners should come to a small alley next to An Dinh Palace at the corner of Nguyen Hue and Phan Dinh Phung streets or to Ba Do or Huong Cay food shops on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street.

These shops are popular to diners. Shop owners prepare cake-making materials and start cooking once customers order food. That’s why diners always have a chance to savor hot and freshly-made cakes.

Banh beo is made from two main ingredients including rice powder and shrimp. To make the cake, people usually combine rice powder and nang powder with water to make it chewy. Then people wait for five hours to steam the mixture. After that, they put some cooking oil into small bowls, put on a steam cooker and pour powder mixture inside these bowls. A good cake should be steamed from 8 to 10 minutes.

Shrimp will be ground with spices and then fried with cooking oil. Eateries will put shrimp on the surface of the rice cake bowl and other ingredients including fried onion and pigskin. Banh beo is served to guests with a special sauce made from shrimp broth, fish sauce and fresh chilies.

(Vietnamtravel.gov.vn)

I am feasting on vegetarian Banh Mi, a salad of radish and carrot, inside a soft baguette with chilli sauce and mayonnaise. Food has been an omnipresent companion in my two-week sojourn through this country packed with a rich history and culture.

Street food is part of Vietnamese culture

Street food culture is big in Vietnam. Bia Hoi or pavement pubs have men sipping cold beer over boiled quail’s eggs. Every corner is a portable restaurant with plastic stools, and people bent over bowls of the national comfort food — Pho (pronounced fuh). Pho is a fragrant broth of rice noodles with beef or chicken, spring onions, bean sprouts, and a garnish of fresh herbs. You have to eat Pho with a chopstick and a soup spoon and slurping is de rigueur.

Hue, in central Vietnam, used to be the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty for more than 70 years and we enjoy our time in this city of Pagodas, Citadels and Tombs of emperors. But Hue is also known for its imperial cuisine, which developed because the finicky emperors would refuse to eat the same dish twice in a year. These are visually-arresting dishes carved like dragons and tortoises, using a variety of ingredients.

These days you can opt for a royal style set meal with dishes carved out of fruits and vegetables. Local favourites are Banh Beo — tiny plates of gelatinous rice with dried shrimps and Banh Khoai — an egg and rice pancake stuffed with meat and bean sprouts. Being a major Buddhist centre, Hue has attractive options for vegetarians, with meals of Fake Meats made out of Tofu and Gluten. We have an interesting set meal with fake shrimp cakes, jackfruit salad and grilled Deer with lemon grass.

Dried chillies and spicy chilli sauces are tabletop staples in most eateries. Fermented seafood sauces are an integral part of the cuisine. The Vietnamese widely use the crackly rice paper, which is used to wrap up almost anything; the enjoyable deep fried spring rolls called Nem is just one of the examples. Vietnamese recipes also make use of a range of herbs, including lemongrass, mint and long coriander.

Hoi An, in Central Vietnam with a wealth of architecture on the UNESCO list is the place to taste Cao Lau — a rough, thick noodle which had its origins in Japanese soba noodles brought by Japanese traders to this town long ago.  In the Mekong Delta, we sail through a mosaic of mangroves, rice paddies, fruit orchards and shrimp farms and visit floating markets vending succulent fruit and fresh vegetables. Lunch is at Mr. Kiet’s Historical Home, a restored house, built in 1838. With orchards, ponds, exquisite bonsai and trees bursting with star fruits, jackfruits and pomellos around, the setting is wondrous.

The local speciality is Elephant Ear Fish, wrapped in small rolls of rice paper with mint and lettuce, and dipped in pungent fish sauce. Our Aha moment is a dish of vegetarian rice in a clay pot with curry made of lotus root and Bok Choy — simple when you look at it, but delve deeper and a myriad flavours astound you, much like the country itself.

Don’t miss thisn Vietnam is a paradise for fruit lovers. Feast on pink guavas, juicy mangosteen, passion fruit, jackfruit and longans as well as ice cold smoothies.To those with a sweet tooth, don’t miss out on Che, which is like a sweet soup with an eclectic mix of tapioca pearls, ice shavings, coconut milk and bits of jelly and corn.

Vietnam is the second largest exporter of coffee in the world.  Get addicted to the vanilla-ish taste of ice-cold coffee served with a shot of condensed milk.

(Source: hindustantimes)

Today, “pho Hanoi” (Hanoi noodle soup) is not only a popular dish but also a national dish of Vietnam. As a culinary ambassador, it promotes the city’s culture around the world.

Famous Vietnamese writers such as Nguyen Cong Hoan, Thach Lam, and Bang Son have praised the Vietnamese national dish in their literary works. Nguyen Cong Hoan affirmed the 100 year history of pho in his autobiography, recalling a memory from 1913 when he occasionally had the chance to enjoy pho sold by a street vendor. Thach Lam said in his “Hanoi-36 Streets of the Old Quarter” that pho is a daily nosh of all Hanoians, especially public employees and workers, and, although it is available in many other places, it is at its best in Hanoi.

Pho is one of the most popular dishes in Hanoi, but there are many different theories about its origin. Some people say that pho is a Vietnamese adaptation of the French “pot-au-feu” (beef stew) while others think that it comes from Vietnam’s neighbour, China, .However, it is probably most accurate to say that it comes from Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi.

Since its first appearance in the country, pho has been accepted and favoured by even the most discriminating of people. In the early days of the 20th century, pho was sold by street vendors who carried it to every corner of the city. Then famous pho restaurants opened in the 1910s, such as the Cat Tuong restaurant in Cau Go and Truong Ca restaurant in Hang Bac. At that time, there was only one kind of pho called “pho bo chin” (well-done beef soup), but people later created more kinds such as “pho bo tai (rare beef pho) and “pho ga (chicken pho).

Khanh, the owner of a pho restaurant in Trieu Viet Vuong Street, told me that he sells as many as 500 bowls of pho a day so he has to get up very early to prepare it.

“My pho business helps me support my family and even buy some houses and a car,” he said enthusiastically. But when I asked him about how to make a good bowl of pho, he smiled and said that was his own secret.

Despite eating pho every morning, I did not know how to really “enjoy” a bowl of pho until I met Chris, an English teacher from New Zealand, whose first question when he met me at Noi Bai airport was, “Where can I have pho?”. He was the one who taught me how to “lower my head down to the bowl and let the steaming scent cover it before starting to slurp with lips poised just inches above the bowl”. When I asked him how he knew the pho culture in Vietnam so well, he told me that all his friends who had been to Vietnam advised him to try pho so he looked for information on the internet before going to Vietnam.

The millennial capital city is developing very fast with modern buildings, a modern lifestyle and the proliferation of foreign dishes. Hanoi’s cuisine is also changing and there are many restaurants serving fast-food from western countries. People now can even enjoy their favorite po in deluxe air-conditioned restaurants.

However, many Hanoians enjoy eating pho in a crowded restaurant where they have to wait a long time to be served because they think, if the restaurant is crowded, that means its pho is particularly delicious. It’s the taste that matters most.

Thanks to global integration, people can now enjoy pho all over the world. It has become an outstanding trademark of Vietnam promoting the country through thousands of pho restaurants worldwide.

(with by VOV)

Moon cakes have been a familiar symbol of Tet Trung Thu –the Full Moon Festival, and there is a particularly high demand this year.

Moon cakes are being displayed at luxurious stalls

The cakes are becoming more sophisticated with exotic ingredients.

Still, many people prefer the taste of traditionally-made cakes.

Just a few decades ago, moon cakes were only a small part of the festival. Then, they were mostly hand-made with plain ingredients. ‘Banh deo’, the white cake was made with green beans and lotus seeds. ‘Banh nuong’, the brown one, was made with meat, melon seeds, sesame, egg yolk, lemon leaves and kumquat peels. Both kinds can be square or round, and have a bright yoke inside to represent the moon.

They are often given to children to celebrate the festival.

Nowadays, however, the cakes are becoming more sophisticated. A number of manufacturers add exotic ingredients, such as shark fin, abalone.

A chef from Metropole Hotel Hanoi, which has had some eight years producing moon cakes, said that besides traditional ingredients like green bean, lotus seed or salted egg they are creating new flavours with ingredients like carmel and walnut. They are also making large cakes in the shape of fish and moon. This year the hotel produces some 3,000 boxes of cake against 2,000 boxes last year.

Some new hotels are also following their predecessors like Metropole, Daewoo, Hilton, etc. to take advantage from this festival. Silk Path Hotel on Hang Bong Street has also set up a swanky moon cake stall at the lobby to display their first batch. According to the hotel manager, Cesar M.Castro, they are just making 1,000 boxes for this season. “We hire a good Hanoi chef with over ten years of experiences in making moon cakes to make our first products,” he revealed. “We apply just traditional methods and ingredients into our cakes but invest more on the cover and pack so as to make it a nice piece for people to give one another on this special occasion.”

Newly-established Crowne Plaza Hotel on Le Duc Tho Street has just cooperated with two Chinese chefs to produce their own products for the festival. Their chef Can Hong Huang boasts that he has been working in Vietnam for many years and understands people’s taste very well. So he is confident that their four kinds of ‘Banh nuong’ with both traditional and new flavours will please customers’ taste.

Still, many people prefer the taste of traditionally-made cakes.

Therefore, some bakeries are still following traditional methods and employing just traditional ingredients into their cakes. Gia Thinh Shop on Hang Duong, Ninh Huong on Hang Dieu or Do The Gia on Dong Tac and Thanh Cong Street are still popular places for those who love the traditional flavours.

A customer at Do The Gia stall says that her family are always fond of the natural flavours and unique taste of traditional cakes. “We cannot take the cakes with new ingredients and strange flavours even though they are said to be precious and expensive,” she expresses. “Therefore traditional cakes are usually the best choice for us to enjoy or give to our friends or relatives who live far away from Hanoi.

People’s loyalty to traditional cakes is attributed to its special taste and the taste comes from the fresh ingredients and complicated process of making. Do Nang Ty, who has had more than 60 years making moon cake and is now owner of Do The Gia, says that Hanoi people are very meticulous in cooking and a ‘Banh nuong’ must have fat meat, chicken, Chinese sausages, melon seeds, seasame, almond in its content and fresh lemon leaves, young kumquat fruits, and a kind of scented wine called Mai Que Lo to make its flavour.

“And this is why traditional cakes have special and unique flavours that the others aromatized with artificial scent cannot compare,” he explained.

The price for a full moon

In the past, they also used to be quite cheap. The real price of one is around VND30,000-50,000. But these days, they are often considered a luxury gift, and packaged with elaborate boxes, and maybe a bottle of wine.

The “Montes Alpha M” from Daewoo Hanoi Hotel, is priced at VND 6.06 million.

Tips for choosing a moon cake:

- Moon cake manufacturers all have their stalls on many streets in Hanoi. To avoid fake products you should buy here or at big shops or supermarkets but not at small general stores.

- Moon cakes all have very short expiry date, so you should check it before buying.

(source by Dtinew)

We all assumed that the reception would consist of a handshake with the Ambassador, a cup of tea, and maybe a snack, but upon arrival we were to learn an important lesson about Vietnamese hospitality: that it always involves enormous amounts of food.

As a vegetarian, I learnt another lesson: that enormous amount of food almost always involves an enormous amount of meat. I ate the beef pho and pork spring rolls that were served by His Excellency’s private cook, and I wondered if this was a sign of things to come in my future life in Vietnam. Now I have lived in Vietnam for two years, I can tell you, it was.

While Vietnamese restaurants in Australia are always popular with us vegetarians and offer huge numbers of vegetarian dishes, this is quite deceptive, as it’s not actually easy to be a vegetarian at a Vietnamese restaurant… in Vietnam.

Outside of the country’s excellent dedicated vegetarian restaurants, a vegetarian diner can find themselves eating predominately potato chops, omelette and morning glory for almost every meal. Trust me, I know. I once went on a cycling trip in the Mekong Delta, and while my partner dined on an amazing array of local fish and meat dishes, I was left with no choices other than omelette and chips for three meals a day for four days straight. By the end of the fourth day, I was pleading with restaurants to make me some tofu.

I have noticed that Vietnamese people are firm believers in the strength-giving qualities of meat. While most people in Australia, upon learning of my vegetarianism, would ask me “Why are you vegetarian?” I was surprised to find that this question is rarely posed by the Vietnamese. Instead, since arriving here the question has been “Aren’t you hungry?” Where vegetarianism in Australia is associated with ethics, environmentalism and animal rights, the strongest association with vegetarianism in Vietnam seems to be hunger.

For example, when I visited a friend’s family last Tet, she warned relatives in advance that I was vegetarian and very kindly they prepared a meat-free omelette for me to eat. And then her Aunt added pork to it.

Our friend asked her Aunt, “Why did you add pork? She is eating the omelette because she doesn’t want to eat meat!”
And her Aunt replied, “But without the pork she will be hungry!”

Since meat is the nutritional foundation of the Vietnamese population’s diet, it’s understandable to think that without it, you’re missing something. But vegetarians don’t just eat a normal diet minus the meat: they replace the meat with other protein sources like tofu, nuts, beans, legumes and whole grains. Until I came to Vietnam, it never occurred to me that anyone would equate vegetarianism with hunger!

I found a friend’s story on this subject particularly funny. My friend, an Englishman living in Hanoi, is six-foot tall, and well built. Vietnamese people often come up to him to comment on how “strong” he looks, and flex their muscles to emphasise the point. Despite this, his Vietnamese colleagues have repeatedly told him that it’s dangerous for him to ride his motorbike around Hanoi. Why? Not because he could get run over by a bus, but because he’s vegetarian. Against all evidence to the contrary, his colleagues say that because he doesn’t eat meat, he must be so weak and feeble that he won’t be able to control his bike and will simply fall off.

Maybe there are more vegetarians in Vietnam that I realize, but they’re just all too weak to get out of bed! In any case, I don’t see the Vietnamese giving up meat any time soon. I guess I’ll be eating omelettes and chips for a few more years yet.

* Tabitha writes The City That Never Sleeps In, a blog about expat life in Hanoi.

Photography and history lovers should head to Cosmo Cafe at the back of HCMC Museum before the end of this month to witness the photo exhibition themed Sai Gon xua (Ancient Saigon).

A corner of the exhibition Ancient Saigon – Photo: Huy Nguyen

According to organizers, HCMC Museum of Fine Arts and HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there are 70 pieces by various authors on display at the exhibition and all of the photos have structure and meaning and were taken in a journalistic style as the authors went about their daily business.

Visitors can imagine the daily lives of Saigonese in the early 20th century. There are images of street vendors, a pavement cafe outside a French-style hotel, a mobile beer-selling vehicle, and costumes of Southern women and the activities of Saigon’s intellectual women among others.

To cultural scholars, this exhibition is a precious entity to preserve the typical cultural features of ancient Saigon.

Cosmo Cafe, located at 86 bis Le Thanh Ton, District 1 opens from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m daily.

CNNGo programme says Pho and Goi cuon are some dishes that “you eat to stay alive, others you eat because not to would be a crime.”

It says of Pho which ranks 28th in the list: “This … national dish is just broth, fresh rice noodles, a few herbs and usually chicken or beef. But it’s greater than the sum of its parts — fragrant, tasty and balanced.”

Goi cuon, 30th, is “wholesome, easy and the very definition of ‘moreish’.”

“This snack made from pork, shrimp, herbs, rice vermicelli and other ingredients wrapped in rice paper is served at room temperature. It’s ‘meat light,’ with the flavors of refreshing herbs erupting in your mouth.”

Other foods to make the list are potato chips and buttered popcorn from the US, som tam, nam tok moo, and tom yum goong of Thailand, and chicken rice and chili crab of Singapore.

Following the first publication which honoured 100 elderly people across the country who were aged over 100 years, this publication recognises specialities that met criteria in both popularity and origin, such as 13 popular dishes of noodles, porridge and vermicelli in the northern, central and southern regions.

In addition to 17 varieties of cakes, 14 types of special wine and 17 kinds of confectionaries, the publication also featured famous tea from the northern province of Thai Nguyen and the southern province of Lam Dong.

Many kinds of fruit from the three regions such as Xuan Dinh sapodilla, Luc Ngan lychee, Xa Doai, Bo Ha orange, Phuc Trach grapefruit, Soc Trang watermelon and Dong Nai jackfruit were also recognised specialties.

In a bid to fully promote the value of these specialities, the first festival displaying Vietnamese food specialities in the three regions will be held in Ho Chi Minh City this year./.

(source by VNA)

“The North – Central – South Cuisine Festival 2011” will feature 40 booths and showcase dishes from 25 restaurants from 14 cities and provinces across the country.

The festival, a highlight for the National Tourism Year in the South Central Coastal provinces – Phu Yen 2011, aims to honor the traditional cuisine as well as seek and develop high-quality foods to serve tourists, Le Mai Khanh, vice head of the festival’s organising board, said.

The event at Thuan Thao Convention and Ecology Centre at 2 Hai Duong – Tuy Hoa City – Phu Yen province will run until July 9.

(source by TuoiTre)

Shri restaurant & lounge
Add: Level 23, Centec Tower, 72-74 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 3, HCM City
Hours: 10am-12pm. On Sundays and public holidays, 4pm till midnight
Prices: VND95,000-1,200,000 (US$4-60) per dish
Comments: High-end restaurant, wonderful view, contemporary Western cuisine, professional and courteous staff.

Shri is the perfect place for a business meeting, date or a drink with family and friends, says Xuan Hiep who satisfies his taste for fine diningOn a regular business trip to HCM City last month, a foreign friend of mine told me he had tried one of the city’s best Western restaurants which boasts a stunning 360-degree view.

Wow, I hadn’t heard about that. I was curious and could not wait to experience the restaurant.

Finally, last weekend I gave it a try and discovered that it’s worth more than one visit.

What a shame I didn’t know about the Shri Restaurant and Lounge earlier!

Located at level 23 of the Centec Tower on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street in District 3 – right in the heart of HCM City – Shri is one of the city’s newest upscale venues.

It’s an interesting escape for visitors in the country who need a break from Vietnamese cuisine.

Shri opened early last year, but it has acquired a regular clientele, most of whom are foreigners.

Set atop the new Centec Tower, Shri offers unparalleled panoramic views from almost every table in the restaurant, whether it is in the internationally styled Dining Room or the contemporary Lounge and Bar, or the stunning alfresco Garden Terrace, where diners can relax and get away from the city’s frenetic energy.

The restaurant is divided into three main areas.

The Dining Room, which offers the most stunning panoramic views of the city, is set classically with simple white linen and modern glassware, offering an intimate feeling for all occasions, whether it is a dinner for two, or a business dinner with an international client.

The restaurant’s Terrace is another surprise for diners. With its full open air feel, frangipani trees, water features and ambient lighting, it provides an excellent setting to unwind for the day and watch the sun set and the lights come up over the city.

The Bar and Lounge of the restaurant is also nicely designed. With its modern styling, ample sofas and fully stocked bar, the lounge is a good place to sit back with a classic cocktail or a glass of wine.

Diners have an option to stay inside the Dining Room to enjoy the cosy atmosphere or stay outside at the Terrace to enjoy the fresh air and the views of the city.

I went to Shri with a friend on a rainy evening, but, unfortunately, the restaurant doesn’t serve diners on the Terrace on rainy days.

The restaurant was quite busy so we waited for about 10 minutes to have a seat at a corner in the Dining Room.

A waitress advised us to reserve the seat in advance if we wanted to have a seat on the Terrace area.

“Most diners would love to have a seat on the Terrace to enjoy the fresh air and the views of the city,” she said.

We quickly forgot about the hassle of waiting to order our favourite dishes.

“Are you ready to order, Sir?” a waiter asked softly, smiling.

We spent some minutes looking at the menu again and again. It was quite difficult for me to choose my desired foods from an extensive menu full of Western dishes, many of which I had not heard before.

The menu at Shri offers a wide range of dishes to suit a majority of diners’ tastes with contemporary Western-style starters, mains and desserts as well as a wide selection of grills and salads utilising both local and imported ingredients. It also serves a range of pasta and risotto dishes.

Diners will also find a full grill menu with Wagyu beef, pork chops, grilled lobster, and surf and turf, among others.

The waiter was enthusiastic and helpful and based on his advice, we chose two main dishes.

My friend ordered the pan-seared magret of duck “au poivre” with gratin dauphinois and sauteed broccoli, while I chose the pan-roasted sea bass wrapped in Serrano ham, with olive oil mash and gremolata.

I preferred the sea bass much better as I love fish. The dish was extremely flavourful as I could feel all the tastes of the well-cooked dish, a bit sweet, salty and sour.

It’s such an indescribable feeling, especially when I ate the fish together with vegetables included. The fish texture is tender and the vegetable is also fresh.

Light music was played quietly during the meals, which makes diners feel more relaxed.

The staff was attentive and courteous, and spoke English well. They filled my glass of water even before I noticed it was empty.

Because this was a high-end restaurant, the prices ranged from VND90,000 up to 1,200,000 (US$4-60) per dish.

My friend told me next time he would take his American boss to the restaurant again; the last time they dined there, they were very satisfied with the restaurant’s food and service.

I also talked with the restaurant’s manager Duong Cong Thuong about the name of the restaurant and discovered that “shri” is not an English word but Sanskrit, which means “surrounded by the light”.

Indeed, the Shri is surrounded by lights with its 360-degree view of the city’s skyline.

“Shri” is the sacred sound of cosmic auspiciousness and abundance in Hindu religion. Written as Sri or Shree or Sree or Shri, it stands for abundance, auspiciousness, affluence, grace, wealth, beauty, loveliness and light, according to one respected source. My friend and I believed the name was quite fitting for the restaurant.