FROM PERFECT PHO TO FRENCH FARE, JOHN LANDER DISHES OUT TEN TASTE TREATS IN HO CHI MINH CITY – BANGKOK AIRWAYS’ LATEST DESTINATION FOOD IS EVERYWHERE in Vietnam. On every street corner, something is being chopped, barbecued or ladled. In Ho Chi Minh City, the locals can be seen eating at any time of the day or night – whether dining off china plates at a restaurant or slurping from bowls on a humble sidewalk stall. It’s little surprise that this is actually where you can fi nd some of the city’s finest food. The Vietnamese believe that eating should be an experience for all fi ve senses: touch, smell, taste, texture and visual presentation. Anything that provides nourishment is appreciated – including weeds, medicinal barks and cobras – which can make for some particularly interesting dining experiences. As such, this is a destination many people visit and return to simply for its food, never mind the bonuses of beautiful countryside, pagodas and beaches. It is clear that the famous chef Anthony Bourdain is one such fan. When asked what his best meal abroad was during his worldwide travels, he replied, “Almost every meal that I ate in Vietnam! It has the best food per square foot of any country that I have been to.” Here are 10 reasons why this is certainly true in Ho Chi Minh.

1. PHO TO GO

Pho is Vietnam’s national dish and a perfect example of how the country’s cuisine balances flavours: salty, sweet, bitter, sour and spicy. A steaming bowl of beef broth and noodles is served with sides of basil, mint, limes and other greenery to season the dish to the individual’s taste. Originally a Hanoi speciality, pho shops are now found on nearly every street corner. The key to finding a good one is to ask around or pick a stall packed with the local customers, in spite of the peeling paint or discarded chopsticks on the ground. On hot days, however, when visitors might prefer not to dine outside next to a boiling cauldron, air-conditioned comfort is available at Pho 24, a small chain of pho noodle shops that are spreading throughout Vietnam. Th e “24” in the name stands for the number of ingredients found in its soup stock – which has received particularly high praise – and the hours taken to prepare it.

2. CRUNCH OR MUNCH

Cha gio or spring rolls are a staple of all Asian cuisine, but the Vietnamese version wins hands down because of the delicious mix of ingredients that go into this local delicacy. Minced pork, crab, vermicelli, green onion, mushroom or carrot are rolled into rice paper, then gently fried to a crisp golden brown. Usually served with a stack of herbage, wrap a large piece of lettuce, mint or basil around the roll, dunk it into the fish sauce on the side and happily crunch away. A popular lighter version is goi cuon – fresh spring rolls that contain similarly cooked ingredients, but wrapped in soft rice paper and accompanied by a sweet and sour sauce instead of fish sauce. Either one makes a great snack or appetiser to any meal.

3. FRUIT FESTIVAL

One of the great things about fruit in Vietnam is that there is always a vast variety in season. Foreign visitors will be thrilled by the low price of items usually considered a luxury, for this is a land where papayas, mango and passion fruit are as common as apples and pears in Europe. It is also a great opportunity to try some of the more exotic choices which are hard to find outside Asia. Th e pink specimens with the tapering tendrils are known as dragonfruit – waxy and wild-looking on the outside, but soft and mild inside. Th e hairy red balls piled high in a heap are called rambutans. Twist open the furry case, and a pearly sweet bulb surrounds a stone within. Mangosteens are considered the “queen of fruits” and, while the deep purple shells take a bit of work to open up, the tender, bittersweet segments inside are worth it. And finally, the spiky green durian, the “king of fruits”, is the stuff of legend. In fact, the Vietnamese say that they “make you strong” – well, it certainly takes strength to ignore the pungent smell of the fruit’s ripe yellow flesh.

4. BARGAIN BAGUETTES

When taking a bite of a banh mi baguette, crumbs may scatter. But no matter, you’ll be standing on the sidewalk where these stalls are always found. Th e original fusion cuisine, banh mi sellers can be found all over town and are easily recognisable. Just look for stacks of golden baguettes on streetside carts. Variations exist, but the classic filling is banh mi pâté, which is more liverwurst than the sort of pâté to make a Frenchman swoon, but still flavoursome nonetheless. The tasty baguettes oft en come with a huge choice of extra ingredients. Order “the works” and you will get cucumber, chillies, coriander, spring onions, shredded carrot, and a splash of hot sauce – all wrapped up in a page from the Vietnam News. Be careful of the chillies at banh mi stalls, however, as they are of the fire alarm variety.

5. CAFFEINE CRAZY

Contemplate your day while watching a container of dark coffe e drip slowly through your own personal filter and – if you like it sugary and white – slowly merge with the layer of creamy condensed milk sitting in the glass cup below. Co[fb00] ee just doesn’t get any fresher than this. However, a word of warning – there’s a good reason for the pot of hot water that accompanies the filter and cup. The Vietnamese like their coffee lip-curlingly strong – to find the right mix, just keep adding water to the top until it’s the way you (and your heart rate) will enjoy. Vietnamese coffee is grown and roasted locally with the best stuff coming from the Central Highlands around Dalat. Arabica beans are freshly roasted with butter, which gives them a mellow aroma and taste. Trung Nguyen Coffee is a leading roaster and exporter with branches of popular cafés throughout the country, but nearly any local café will do. Local coffee beans also make a great souvenir – one of Vietnam’s flavours that is easy to carry back home.

6. HERBAL HIGHLIGHTS

Mixed aromas emerge from giant bags of bark, roots and herbs while vats of snake wine – rice wine with a pickled snake floating in it – sit outside. Don’t worry; you are at a traditional herbalist’s, which makes for the ultimate Asian experience. Consistent with the Vietnamese notion of balance in all things consumable, herbal remedies are meant to correct the imbalances incurred by eating too much beef, for example, or not enough vegetables. So when the Vietnamese catch a cold (yin), they will be given hot ginger tea (yang) to even things up. Likewise, if a person has a fever (yang), they will be treated with onion (yin). Although such herbalists can be found anywhere that roots hang from the raft ers, the best place for a tonic is one of the many shops along Hai Th uong Lan Ong Street, named aft er a famous Vietnamese herbalist and his renowned medicinal skills. Snake wine allegedly cures everything from night blindness to impotence. However, for those preferring a treatment without a bite, explain your ailment and the herbalist will brew up an appropriate concoction specially for you.

7. JUICY MOMENTS

Mix and match your fruit, then watch the combo whir in the blender into smooth sinh to (fruit juice). Try strawberry and mango, or durian and coconut, or just plain passion fruit – street vendors are ready to mix up anything available. Whether you prefer a single flavour or a blend, there is one thing that is guaranteed – it couldn’t be fresher than if you had picked the fruit o[fb00] the vine and squeezed it yourself. Raw sugarcane juice is the other refreshing “must-try” drink found at stalls specialising in this liquid treat. Not as sweet as the name would suggest, the key to premium mia da is to make sure it has just been through the mangle, seconds before being served.

HELPFUL HINTS

• From street food to gourmet tables, Graham Holliday’s irreverent and sassy Noodlepie is the blog about the city’s food. www.noodlepie.com • Elephant Guide is a well-maintained website with links for all Southeast Asian destinations, including Vietnam. www.elephantguides.com • The Vietnam Cookery Centre o[fb00] ers cooking classes ($30 per short-term course) for both casual visitors and pro chefs, available in morning and aft ernoon sessions followed by lunch/dinner. 177 Dien Bien Phu, District 1, tel +848 (0) 823-5872, www.expat-services.com

8. SAUCY SEAFOOD

With a coastline of over 3,000km, it should come as no surprise that seafood comprises an important part of the Vietnamese diet. Crabs, prawns, tuna and squid are both cheap and plentiful, alongside a huge variety of other fish that is served up steamed, fried or cooked with fragrant herbs in banana leaf. Set in a lovely Art Deco French villa, the Oceania is Ho Chi Minh’s premier seafood restaurant which features fish and shellfish from Vietnam’s coastal regions. With luck, oysters from Nha Trang will be in season. Don’t be put off by any fishy smells either. More than likely, this is nuoc mam, or fish sauce, the salty condiment used throughout Southeast Asia in a wide variety of dishes. The best stuff is distilled from anchovies and fermented for one year in huge vats.

9. TURNING TABLES

While most Vietnamese foodies insist that the best fare is to be found at select street stalls, certain meals benefit from a fully equipped kitchen, decorative presentation and attentive service. Com Nieu Saigon restaurant is a raucous experience and feels more like home-cooking than fine dining. The house speciality is a steaming claypot baked rice served with all manner of seafood. Duck the pot as the chef throws it, sizzling, over the heads of applauding and mesmerised diners to your waiter. Voted year after year as the city’s best restaurant, The Mandarine is spread over several antique- and fl ower-fi lled rooms. Menu highlights include banh, a shrimp pancake served on a lotus leaf and garnished with a decorative pagoda carved out of carrot. Next up is beef bamboo, cooked and flambéed at your table in its own bamboo shoot, accompanied by fried rice served in a pineapple shell. Expect an unforgettable meal.

DINING ETIQUETTE

• Traditionally, older people are seated fi rst and are also given the honour to start eating first. • When serving yourself from a communal bowl, never dip your chopsticks into it – use the spoon provided. • It is polite for hosts to offer more than the guests can eat; it is also polite for guests not to eat everything in sight. A small portion is always left in the bowl for others. • Th ere is no proper succession of courses in Vietnamese food; dishes arrive as soon as they are ready. • Never leave chopsticks sticking out of a bowl, especially not in a “V” formation which signifies “death”.

10. FRENCH FARE

The majority of French might have left Vietnam in the ’50s, yet many of the city’s architectural masterpieces, notably the Opera House and Post Office, remain unmistakably French colonial. Another such legacy left behind is French cuisine – an important element to Ho Chi Minh’s cornucopia of food. Th e Brodard Café is an old favourite for chocolate gateau, tarte de pommes or any pastry you desire, while next door’s Brodard Bakery is among the best for takeaway baguettes, croissants and sweets for those who enjoy their carbs. For cosy bistro dining, head to La Fourchette. Th is popular place is one of the city’s original French restaurants and specialises in simple, traditional French fare served in generous portions at reasonable prices. Bon appetite!

CONTACT DETAILS

Brodard Café & Bakery, 131 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, tel +84 (0)8 823-2630; Com Nieu Saigon, 6C Tu Xuong Street, District 3, tel +84 (0)8 820-3188; La Fourchette, 9 Ngo Duc Ke, District 1, tel +84 (0)8 829-8143, www.elephantguide.com/fourchette; The Mandarine, 11 Le Th anh Ton, District 1, tel +84 (0)8 823-7694; Oceania, 167A Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 3, tel +84 (0)8 932-2579; Pho 24, 135 Hai Ba Trung, District 1, tel +84 (0)8 823-7694, www.pho24.com.vn; Trung Nguyen Café, there are hundreds of branches all over Vietnam. Try the one at 114 Ly Tu Trong, District 1, near City Hall or at 82 Bui Th i Xuan Street, District 1, tel +84 (0)8 925-5312, www.trungnguyen.com.vn

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