Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Saigon, (aka Ho Chi Minh City) Gastronomy Tour Part II



If you travel to HCM City and can only eat at one place, then it has to be Quan An Ngon restaurant, a HCM institution. I loved it so much I went there three times in one weekend.  'Ngon' means delicious -- which is almost an understatement. What Quan An Ngon managed to do was bring all the local street food under one roof. The place is packed with locals and foreigners. There is a lot to choose from on the menu and it can be overwhelming. If you can, go with a local. But if can't like me, just do a quick once over in the restaurant. I tend to go for the 'I am looking for the bathroom route', just to see what everyone else is eating. Luckily, the restaurant also has open air cooking. So you can actually see how many of the dishes are being prepared. Just as if you were on the street!

Pork and Spring Roll Vermicelli. 

Spring Rolls! 

I had one of my all time favorite Vietnamese dishes, Pork and Spring Roll Vermicelli. Truth be told I just love the spring rolls and the fish sauce combined. So I got a dish that was only that as well. And despite the Spring Rolls, I felt that these were very respectable healthy dishes. But I am sure it was all in my mind. 


My friend had the Mekong Delta Style Roasted Pork and Seafood. The soup had a deep rich fish paste base to it. I think it was called the Mekong Delta style because they lumped ingredients you would find in the Mekong Delta. A weak theory, I know.

Green Papaya Salad with dried beef and peanuts.



I saw everyone eating the Seasoned Toast and Beef Cubes. It was the restaurant's take on the traditional Banh Mi, which they did not have much to my disappointment.  


Quan An Ngon
138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia
Ho Chi Minh City, District 1
Vietnam



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