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Kitchen On the Road- Ho Chi Minh City

June 15, 2012 by Renee

This year has been full of travel!  (Hence our sporadic postings!) We have so much to catch you up on!  In February, I took a tour with Intrepid Travel called the Cambodian Traveler. It took me to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. My first stop- Ho Chi Minh City.

The trip started on a really high note when after checking into my Cathay Pacific flight I was called back to the check in counter and asked for my boarding pass.  As a jaded New Yorker my first thought was “Oh crap, what’s wrong now?”, but instead I was handed a new boarding pass with a new seat assignment….Business Class! My chin hit the ground and I thanked the check-in agent and walked away quickly before he could change his mind. I was in shock! Inside, I was jumping up and down like a little kid and I called Renee and told her the good news. Needless to say, she was a bit jealous!

I located the Business Class lounge at JFK and waited there until my flight was called enjoying a light breakfast as well as a glass of wine before the flight. Why not?

The flight time to Hong Kong was almost 16 hours during which I ate like a king! For airline food, Cathay Pacific serves up dishes that are actually restaurant worthy.

Marinated prawns with grilled asparagus and artichoke mousse

Imperial fried noodles and Chinese dim sum

Chicken with chili vinegar sauce egg fried rice and kalian

 All of that plus a strawberry smoothie, cheese and fruit and a piece of chocolate truffle cake. Oh, and a snack of barbecued duck in noodle soup!  I think I gained weight for sure and the trip had barely started.

I slept comfortably in my pod, watched a few movies and countless television shows before we finally landed in Hong Kong where there was a 2 hour layover before another flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City a little after 6pm on Friday and the amazing thing is that the hustle and bustle of the city starts right at the gate of the airport! There was no break from the din of horns and the frantic frenetic nature of the driving for the entire ride into the city center!

I checked in, showered and went to explore the area.  One curious thing about some hotels in Vietnam is that not all rooms have windows, and mine was one of them.  It certainly made for good sleeping because it was so dark, but it also was a bit cave like and you never knew what time of day it was.

As I ventured out into Ho Chi Minh City, even at almost 9pm, the flow of motor scooters seemed never ending. I later found out that there are about 4 million scooters registered in the city! Incredible!

On my own for a few days before the official tour began, I took advantage of the time and tried to see as much as possible. That first night I found a great little place up an alley and off a side street-The Huong Viet Restaurant (Vietnamese Aroma) where for 250,000 VND (about $12) I had an appetizer of spring rolls followed by beef rolls served with a very light noodle that looked like rolled gauze and just melted in your mouth like cotton candy. I also drank a liter bottle of Tiger beer hoping it would help me sleep.  I was wrong!  I got back to the hotel and fell asleep quickly but was up by 3:30 am-jet lagged and not knowing what day or time it was.

I stayed wide awake until breakfast which turned out to be an interesting and eclectic mix of eastern and western food. But not just breakfast foods, there was spaghetti bolognaise being served right next to the bacon and a steaming pot of Pho simmering by the omelet station.

My first morning was filled with so many sites.  I toured the Reunification Palace, Norte Dame and the Ben Thἀn Market.  By mid afternoon and the temperature was already in the 90’s- a big change from the  winter I was experiencing in New York right before I left-and the heat and lack of sleep had finally caught up, so it was time to head back to the hotel for a cool shower and a very long nap.

 

The largest lacquer painting in the world is housed in the Reunification Palace

The Dining Room

Notre Dame

Ben Thἀn Market

Sunday was my last full day in Ho Chi Minh before I’d met the tour group for our trip to Cambodia the next day.  My first stop after breakfast was The War Remnants Museum. It was extremely interesting to see the Vietnam War from the other side.  It was also no holds barred either in their description of the horrors of the war.  They certainly don’t hold the same feelings towards the French as they do with the Americans. I was actually taken aback a bit, but only because I didn’t fully expect to confront the anger that is still predominate.

I was also surprised to see in the gift shop that they were selling original dog tags. From what I could make out, they looked as though they belonged to South Vietnamese soldiers. I was left to wonder what happened to the original owners of them.  An odd souvenir for purchase.

After the museum I needed a little uplifting so I took a cab across town to Chinatown and the Binh Tay market.  I was really hoping to find some good food stalls but I left disappointed because I could not find a single one! It was mostly house wares and such.  So after a quick snack it was nearly time for me to meet the group I would be with and have our first of many group dinners, so I just headed back to the hotel to get ready.

 

The thing about traveling with a group is that you never know what kind of people you are going to get. Thankfully, everyone seemed really amazing! There were 12 of us total and people came from every corner of the globe; New Zealand, Vancouver, Germany, UK, and a few Americans all ranging in age from mid 20’s to mid 70’s. Our guide, Sky, was Cambodian and really got us excited for the adventure we were about to embark on.

Tomorrow,  an early bus ride to Phnom Penh….

Filed Under: Travel, Featured Posts, Vietnam Tagged With: Ho Chi Minh City, Pho, Travel, Vietnam

Blend, A Paris Burger Haven

March 12, 2012 by Renee

I love a good hamburger and I have to say that in Paris, I’ve had the best burgers. I think it’s because the meat is just so much better there than it is here in the US. The lack of hormones and other byproducts that are mixed in just leaves you with pure, unadulterated meat.

It’s meat like that, that produces for a good base for a great burger. Add a freshly baked bun and you’ve suddenly got the makings of a spectacular burger.

At Blend, the newest burger joint in Paris, the meat, either beef or veal, comes from Yves-Marie le Bourdonnec , a Paris butcher who just happens to be a consultant to Alain Ducasse and other three-star French chefs. So you know it must be good.

As with most trendy newcomers, we had to wait outside (in January on a very cool day) until there was room inside to stand and wait. But we then had ample time to look over the menu and figure out exactly what we wanted. When it came time to seat us, we ended up sharing a table with three other people, squeezing inside each side of a table by the wall. Even though this setup is a bit awkward for those who prefer to enjoy their present company alone, it did make for some fun conversation with our tablemates, who, luckily, were very nice folks. It’s certainly intimate and cozy, just not with your own party.

(It was packed when we first arrived!)

But don’t let the small space fool you. The burgers are tops. The menu consists of four meat versions and two veggie options.  Each meat burger comes on a freshly baked buttery, brioche bun and the vegetable burgers sit atop either a spinach or tufu bun of equal delight. They are juicy and messy and really hit the spot like a good burger, craved, should.

The hand cut fries, either regular or sweet potato are lightly salted and are the perfect complement to the burgers.

(The Cheesy with it’s delectable barbeque sauce and The Champ, a mushroom burger with a lovely mint sauce on a spinach bun. MMMM Burger is right!)

If you should still have room after you’ve finished your burgers, the cheesecake and the homemade cookies are not to be missed!

I’ll definitely stop in here again and get my burger on!

BLEND 
44 rue d’Argout
75002, Paris
M° Sentier/Etienne Marcel

Filed Under: Travel, Featured Posts, France Tagged With: Beef, Blend, Hamburger, Meat, Paris, Veal. Travel. Review

Bread and Roses, Paris

March 11, 2012 by Renee

Just a block away from the lovely Jardin du Luxembourg in the fashionable St Germain des Prés district is one of my favorite spots in Paris to have lunch, Bread and Roses. Besides being a bakery featuring a wide range of beautiful, organic breads, fruit tarts, luxurious slices of cheesecake and other sweet indulgences, this wonderfully cozy spot is the perfect place to enjoy a pot of tea and delight in huge, buttery, savory puff-pastry quiches filled with bright vegetables and herbs.  They are served with a generous mesclun salad infused with sprigs of dill and drizzled with a tangy and sweet mustard vinaigrette. So delicious and filling is this meal that you might not have enough room for dessert.  Which is okay, since it’s nice to purchase a variety to take home with you.

The service was impeccable and very friendly. The charming host and lovely server remembered me on my second lunch there, which, to me is always impressive and makes the whole experience much warmer and neighborly. It’s definitely a place where you can stop in for lunch and end up spending the entire afternoon, lingering over tea and scones.

And while the prices are a bit steep for those on a budget, the food warrants the investment.  After lunch on both occasions, I bought a loaf of their divine brioche to enjoy and turn into the best overnight French toast ever.

I am so looking forward to my return visit and trying to figure out how bring some of their breads with me on my walk!

Bread & Roses
7 rue de Fleurus
75006, Paris
M° Rennes or Saint-Placide

 

Filed Under: Eat, Travel, Featured Posts, Breakfast & Brunch, France Tagged With: Bakery, Bread, Bread and Roses, Paris, Tea, Travel, review, tea salon

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