Kitchen Conundrum

Kitchen On the Road- Ho Chi Minh City

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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….

Bread and Roses, Paris

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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

 

Le Camion Qui Fume- Paris’ First and Only Gourmet Food Truck

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OChateau-51-33If ever there was a time to break into the food truck business in Paris, now would be that time. It’s an uptapped market. (Can someone say Empanadas?) There is currently only one gourmet food truck, Le Camion Qui Fume, owned by Kristin Frederick, a former Californian, serving up hamburgers and French fries to those who wait hours in lines with hundreds of starving people on a daily basis. Moving around Paris and keeping fans up to date via Twitter and their website, they have amassed an incredible following and reputation.

I had carefully planned to be at their “location of the day” when they began by checking their site earlier in the week. I had heard that if you didn’t get there early you would have to wait a long time. Well, they started taking orders at 11 and the line was already down the block! Apparently, “early” means, like camping out for rock concerts.

And so I waited. And waited.  And waited. It was well over an hour before I was actually able to place my order with their order taker. I chose the Classic Burger and Frites, not wanting to add more time to the process by ordering the fancier, and certainly mouthwatering sounding, “Campaene”, with Gruyere, mushrooms and onions, or the “Bleu” with it’s blue cheese and caramelized onions.  Keep it simple. It will be faster.  I handed over my 10 euros and received my paper receipt with my number-39.

Well, 39 may have well been 390.  I could have ordered whatever I wanted and the time wouldn’t have mattered.

The wind was blowing freezing cold air, and toes were frozen, but no one cared. We all just stood around and waited patiently for our number to be called. We were watching their every move, burgers on the grill, buttering the rolls to be toasted, piles of mushrooms and onions being loaded, cheese being melted, wondering if that was our order they were creating. We were mesmerized by all the cooking that was happening.

As happens when in a situations together, people began chatting with one another while waiting in line. The young man on his lunch hour (sorry- it’s going to be a three hour lunch today!)  a film crew, there to film the them in action, and other food writers and tourists from around the globe.  Everyone chatting and snapping photos of the flurry of activity that was occurring in such a small space. It was great fun.

And when, after an hour went by, we began cheering as each number was called and the customer was served up their steaming, hot burger and fries. Clearly, we were weak and giddy with hunger.

Finally, when they could take no more orders, and they had counted out the very last amount of remaining uncooked burgers, saving one, just in case of a horrid accident- losing a burger to the floor, as sometimes happens, they counted heads in line and cut it all off.  That was all they could do, much to the chagrin of the crowds behind that last lucky patron.

My ticket ended up being one of the very last tickets. The very last orders of five tickets remained on the counter. And mine, it, was the third. When they called trente-neuf, I felt as though I had won the lottery! MY BURGER AND FRIES HAVE ARRIVED!

It was massive! A huge burger, larger than my hands could hold well, and yet, I devoured it.  Each juicy bite was filled with cheese, mayonnaise, onions, tomato, lettuce and pickles.  All of this sitting on a thick, buttery, perfectly toasted roll.  My only disappointment was that it was cooked a little too bleu (rare) for my liking, the very center nearly raw. But no matter, the mayo and the cheese, coupled with my starvation, hid that fact and every last bite was consumed.

The shoestring French fries were salted, crisp and hot. They didn’t even need the packet of ketchup I put alongside. Flawlessly, fabulous frites!  I could have eaten two orders had I not devoured my burger. The onion rings looked amazing as well and next time I go back, I will have those for certain. Along with a more “gourmand” burger. But I will be sure to show up a few hours earlier than their official “open” and maybe not have to wait quite as long. But if I do, it’s worth the wait.

Follow on Twitter – @LeCamionQuiFume

And check their website for locations and other news.