This.

En Route to Con Dao

Sorry I wasn't able to post last night.  I got a last minute opportunity to take a trip this weekend so had to work late finishing work, plus had to get to bed early for my 4am wakeup call.


So I'm sitting at Noi Bai Airport this morning, on my way to the Six Senses Resort on Con Dao Island about which I'll tell you more later today.

More Home Cookin'!

I'm pretty fortunate in that Tay Ho has quite a few great restaurants right around the corner and a wide range of cuisine to choose from.  Within a short walk, I can find Ukrainian, Spanish (tapas), Italian, Japanese (sushi), Indian, French, Belch (isn't that what you call food from Belgium?!) and most recently, I found a really good Moroccan restaurant. Since I doubt there's much interest in reading about the latest on the Vietnamese-Moroccan food scene, I'll just tell you about what I had for lunch today instead. 

As I think I've mentioned before, the favorite street vendor for most of the Americans working at Air Mekong happens to be right next door at "Bun Bo Nam Bo".  I've eaten there several times before, but today, instead of pho, I tried something new.  

Like "Mai Anh" next door, it's not much to look at.  You can't even say it's a hole in the wall since there really isn't a wall.  The restaurant is just kinda hangin' off the side of the building next door. 

As you step inside to the counter, you place your order and can see all the fresh (un-refridgerated) ingredients from which to choose.  (The general concensus here is that we'll probably frequent Bun Bo Nam Bo a little less frequently this summer when the temperature starts warming up.  Somehow we're not sure meat was meant to sit outside in 100 degree heat).

After ordering, you can sit up top or make your way down stairs that OSHA would find violates every stairway safety law known to man (but check out the astroturf!)

At the bottom of the stairs sits a sad dog who's not terribly friendly.  He, no doubt, has had buddies in Hanoi who had fates much worse than his.  Fortunately for him, there is no "cho" (dog) on the menu at Bun Bo Nam Bo. 

(I should add that the "dog" thing was discussed yesterday at lunch, in part because when I told them how much I loved the "bun cha" I tried recently, they all wanted to clarify that it was indeed "cha" (pork) and not "cho" (dog).  Fortunately, Fido isn't widely found in Hanoi, but more often in rural areas.  Rumor has it that it's quite tender and tastes like chicken!  Ok, I added the last part.  And rest assured, while I have an adventurous palate, I love dogs too much to make them part of my diet).

The downstairs patio.

Today's ca phe sua da.  And some iced green tea (but who needs that?!)

And today's feature, My Xau Bo. 

Any college student will recognize the ramen-like noodles on the bottom of the dish.  They're boiled in a very tasty buttery broth.  There's also beef (bo) and today's green, bok choy.  I've also seen it served with the susu vegetable I had yesterday.

My mom will be pleased to know that I cleaned my plate yet again.  I'd suggest that I was only being polite, but Vietnamese dish I've eaten so far has been delicious.  

Snails for Lunch!

After a very taxing morning (and before a very taxing afternoon), I was invited by our Hanoi Sales staff to join them for lunch.  Sales is the one department I've most neglected so far and I hadn't had a chance yet to meet most of the team members, so it was a great way for me to do so.

At noon, all eight of us loaded up into a single small cab for the five minute drive to our restaurant, Tom Bao Quan. 

It looked like a great place.  It was open air, had a great view of the small lake that sits adjacent to Tay Ho and, instead of kiddie stools, had low tables and Japanese-style pillows to sit on.

We all removed our shoes, sat down and let the feast begin! 

A very young staff, but they were fun and laughed a lot during lunch. 
Which, naturally, I hated (you know, since I'm not much of a laugher myself).

The first course was the appetizer which consisted of hot peanuts and peeled cucumbers.  You could dip the cucumber in a small bowl of salt and chili powder.

After that, they brought a bowl of "susu" vegetables which were steamed with garlic.  They were kinda spinach-y tasting and not bad.

Next up: Fried Chicken! 

Then they brought rice cake (steamed rice which is then fried and cut into eighths).  Also, note chicken head on left side of chicken plate (we were joking at how fresh the food in Vietnam is and I asked if it was so fresh that the chicken we were eating actually woke up this morning.  Everyone thought that was pretty funny).

At this point, I thought we were finished.  But those were just more appetizers.  The main course was yet to arrive.

Hot Pot!  Hot Pot is very popular in Vietnam.  When dining in restaurants, they'll generally bring a heating device, place it on the table, then place a broth-filled pot on top where it can be warmed.  As you can see, they also bring plates of fresh ingredients which you add yourself to the "soup". 

Today, our Hot Pot consisted of banana (more like plantain), tofu and snails (yes, shelled snails).  To that, a bowl of fresh herbs and vegetables was added.  After it simmers for 10-15 minutes, you fill your individual cup with rice noodles, pour the Hot Pot contents on top and dig in!

So I'm not big on either tofu or snails, but this was pretty good.  (I told an American co-worker today about the snails in the Hot Pot and after giving me a doubtful look, I told him they were just like slightly hardened gummy bears.  I think he remains skeptical).  The broth had a curry-flavor and, after mentioning it, I was told that it contained something like Vietnamese curry. 

When I asked what the name of our lunch dish was, they said, in Vietnamese, "Snails, banana and Tofu". 

As usual, no dessert was served.  The Vietnamese aren't particularly big on dessert, especially sweet desserts (at least here in the North - they prefer fruit).  After two servings of hot pot and all the appetizers we ate, this is a very good thing. 

Woohoo!

It is an absolutely beautiful day here in Hanoi!  Mostly sunny, mid 80s, nice breeze, blue skies, no haze, spectacular!

Even better since I was able to take half the day off in honor of International Workers Day (the American staff were the only ones working today).  So I decided to wonder through the neighborhood on my way to lunch.  On the way, random stuff popped up so I thought I'd share.

The street adjacent the hotel is home to several nurseries (which also grow the Tet trees so popular in February).  As I was walking past, I found a little reminder of home: two golden barrel cacti, my favorite.  Now all I need is a picture of a big block of cheese to remind me of my "other half"!

They've been installing what looks like a new sewer line on a street nearby.  Work is almost completed, but in the meantime, there are several gaping holes which aren't marked by orange cones, flashing lights or warning signs...just tree branches.

There are several embassies around Tay Ho.  Here's the one for Belarus
(along with a handy community billboard!)

Reminder to vote in the May 22 Election when people will vote for 500 members of the National Assembly, 3200 members of the People's Council at cities and provinces and over 300,000 members of the People's Council at districts and communes.

Freshly Chopped tree
(someone's back hurts today; see how low the cut is?)

Embassy #2: Egypt

 

The Vietnamese flag originally caught my eye for this picture.  But as I took the shot, I also noticed a second flag waving in the background.  Ironically, it stands in front of Embassy #3: Venezuela (my parents spent fours years in Venezuela in the early 80s so there's a special attachment there...and worry about what Chavez is doing to the country).

Apparently either Caesars Palace or Donald Trump are moving in down the street
(and check out the web of wires and cables they'll get a view of out their front window!)

Flower Bike Lady & Today's Flowers
(I guess sunflowers are in season now!)

'Guess he didn't get the day off!  (The road pictured btw, is Xuan Dieu, the main road into and out of my neighborhood.  Not exactly the thoroughfare you'd expect, huh?)

Now it's off to the gym to work off breakfast!

Homemade Sua Da

Since today is the second of the two Vietnamese holidays being celebrated this weekend (today is International Workers Day), the restaurant where I normally get my pho each morning is closed.  Surprisingly, I planned ahead and got a couple of muffins from the French bakery down the street along with some delicious Vinamilk Yogurt from the Fivi-Mart (it's good, but not as good as the homemade stuff Chi shared with me last weekend). 

Of course, all this sugar can make a guy thirsty, so why not make my first attempt at some homemade ca phe sua da?  With the help of my friend Neil (who donated his sua da maker when he moved to Ho Chi Minh City last month) and Chi (who helped me buy both the coffee and condensed milk Saturday), I thought I'd give it a try.

So here are all the components: sua do thing, coffee grounds, condensed milk, water.
 

 I'll add some "ca phe" in the little brewer.  I have no idea how much to add, so let's see how this goes.

Pour in a little hot water.

Let brew for a few minutes

Pour over ice (normally I'd have used a glass, but the only glasses I have don't accommodate the single, large ice cube I have.  I realized this after breaking Glass #1 attempting to insert said ice cube), so I'll use another coffee cup instead.

My mom always said that lots of milk is good for you!

'Looks to be about the right shade of brown.

How's this for a healthy breakfast?!

 
And, yes, I'll be going to the gym later today.

...and on the 67th day, there shall be Sun!

Until today, a nice day in Hanoi meant it was a relatively clear (ie, you could see across relatively small Tay Ho/West Lake), warm spring-like day...with haze.  Nary a beam of sunlight has been seen here since I arrived in January.  Hence, my elation at seeing the sun once again on my trip this weekend to Saigon.

I'm not sure if I just brought some of that nice weather back with me or what, but today, there were actually patches of blue in what is otherwise a forever gray Hanoi sky!  Hallelujah!

You can't see in the pic, but there are actually mountains off in the distance!
I wonder if anyone around here knew that?!

Not a big patch, but I'll take anything I can at this point!

'Hope everyone at home can enjoy a sunny Sunday of their own!

PS-if you're interested, Chi and I went back to the Fivi-Mart yesterday afternoon and she told me what all those strange products I mentioned earlier this week are.  I've updated that day's post ("Today at the Fivi-Mart") below in case you want to rush out and buy some "Want Want Shelly Senbei".