One final bowl of bún chả and finally some success after all those failed attempts in Saigon! Of course I had to travel to Hanoi for a decent meal, but that’s ok. Since I had to spend the night in Hanoi for work anyhow, I figured why not make the best of it and have […]
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein had this concept figured out nicely in his quote there. Why can’t I seem to learn what he found to be so evident? A decent bún chả just does not exist in Saigon so why do I subject myself to […]
Since I needed to run an errand out by the airport, I decided to run by Van Anh at 36 Hong Ha for some bún chả. Why not kill two birds with one stone? And, yes, I know. You are saying to yourself not another bún chả meal. These juicy pork patties and crispy strips […]
Eating a Saigonese rendition of Hanoian bún chả is much like walking into the Carl’s Jr at Vincom Center and expecting a succulent burger hand formed from the finest Wagyu beef that is then grilled to perfection over hot mesquite coals. Or better yet it’s the equivalent of expecting fully authentic Tuscan cuisine at the […]
Let’s journey north to Hanoi for three local dishes unique to the capital. This is my latest article for Tuoi Tre newspaper. The link and text follow: http://www.tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tuoitrenews/city-diary/a-street-food-capital-1.71611 Word is out. Various magazines and travel websites such as CNN Go are now letting our neighbors in on a secret we in Vietnam have long known to […]
Is “foodgasm” a word? If not, someone please tell Mr. Webster to slap these eight letters into his dictionary and to do it quickly. Foodgasm. Wow, What a sensory overload food can be. Now before you think I have completely gone off the deep end, hear me out. Bún chả is probably one of my favorite foods in Vietnam. No, scratch […]
A proper bowl of bún chả in Hanoi is one of that city’s greatest culinary inventions. Hot coals sear tiny minced pork balls into charred medallions sealed with flavor. Strips of marinated pork meat crisp up as the flames lick their fatty edges. Bún chả can be found everywhere from impromptu here today and gone […]
It’s pronounced boon chaaaaah with a nasally vowel sound. It’s also the first Vietnamese food I sampled after moving to Hanoi and quickly became my all-time favorite. My Vietnamese coworkers introduced me to “noodles grilled” at a street food restaurant whose bedraggled authenticity nuked my western sensibilities into submission. I lowered myself onto a tiny […]
Down The Street and Back Again 