Restuarant 13, Ho Chi Minh

Living up to the 'award' presented to me as 'almost a Vietnamese blogger 2007' during the food blogger Christmas party, I guess it's time for me to resume my posts on Vietnam? :p

Jeffrey said that the Vietnamese had their version of 'ngai choi sek farn' ( order dishes, eat with rice) and I wondered if there was a claypot fish served in sweet sauce as my brother was raving about it when he tried it in HCM... Luckily for me, there was and Jeffrey met us at Restaurant 13 for lunch..

We had some Yong Chow fried rice. Quite good, but not as good as those in Malaysia as I find the rice a tad wet..

The Pork with duck eggs cooked in coconut sauce looks rather..erm, unappetizing..Jeffrey insisted we try it despite the thick chunk of fat..We took a bite of the meat and OMG! This is so delicious! The meat was so fragrant and had fully absorbed the coconut flavours. No doubt it's sweet, but it's sinfully scrumptious sweet. I love it. I took a bite of the fat..didn't fancy it as it was not melt in mouth, but the springy fatty type. Duck egg was normal.

A sizzling claypot was placed on our table.. Sure it's fish? I looked at the dish suspiciously..We took a piece each..and...it was tofu. Yummy sauce though. We told the manager that we ordered fish, not tofu. He changed the dish for us..

Jeffrey ordered sour soup fish...We didn't really like the taste of the soup; yes, it's sour and it had this weird taste that reminded us of some funky soup we had in Cambodia before..The fish pieces were scooped out and placed on another bowl of soy sauce and sliced chillies..I think the fish served was river fish as the mud smell was very strong. Avoid this if you cant stand eating fish.

We had some stir fry flower buds vegetables.. This was very good, the flower buds were very sweet and fresh; had a tiny crunch to it and the light stir fry of garlic enhances the flavour of the flower buds..

And yes, the long awaited claypot fish with sweet soy sauce Looks amazing, the sauce seems to be oozing from the claypot..Did a quick stir and tried the dish almost immediately. Well, guess my burnt tongue was worth it and this dish was so flavourful. The sauce was thick; main sauce seems to taste like sweet soy sauce; plus lots of herbs and black peppers. Other than the smooth fish pieces, there were generous amount of sliced bacon and garlic cloves. Lip smacking dish.

Restaurant 13 is located at 15 Ngo Duc Ke, Q.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: 8239314.

A Very Merry Christmas!

I loved when my children were small and Christmas was totally magical, from the original Christmas story whose focus was, after all, a baby, to the wonder of Santa Claus and how he knew who wanted what. When they were very young we used to minimally decorate and then during Christmas Eve night (and into the morning) the house would be transformed with lights, and candy canes and piles of presents under the tree. Now, at least some of that magic is gone because this is the first year we acknowledged that Molly, our youngest, no longer believes in Santa Claus (Last year she pretended mainly for us!) I have to say that her brothers and sisters were very vested in helping her to believe by playing along, even when friends were telling her that Santa wasn't real. I knew that we had successfully promulgated the legend when one of my children was adamant with her school mates that Santa was real because her parents could not have afforded all the presents!

This is really a new era for us as a family, one between having young children of our own and having young grandchildren, and I was unsure how I would feel about it. A house full of adult children (all 6 were here for the holiday!) and their significant others means that there could be tension (hereditary among Dowds). Lets face it, the "Don't touch me!" and "He pushed me!" does not just go away when siblings grow up. They are just manifested differently. Coming from the different points in their lives, they bring their own stresses, concerns and personalities, and that can cause friction. In our house we had a child between jobs, one away from their significant other for the holiday, one who just graduated from Nurse Anesthesia school, one who is still getting on his feet, one who just finished her first semester of community college, and then, of course, Molly! Among them we have Christians, atheists, and practicing Catholics, lovers of techno, country, and alternative music. And yet, with all of them here, they looked past the differences, crowded around our table (and around the Wii) to laugh and tease, reminisce together to make this one of the best Christmases I can remember.

We had all eight family members, three significant others, and a guest who has lost both his parents and often comes to our house for a dose of craziness and hilarity. There wasn't much elbow room at the table but there was lots of laughter, food passing in every direction (including a roll successfully passed-and caught- across the table!) We had two turkeys, one with oyster stuffing and one with my traditional sausage stuffing, an overdose of carbs, cookies, cakes and eggnog. After opening of stockings (which traditionally comes after dinner at our house) we played several rounds of "murder", a parlor game played in the dark that our neighbors the Calverts introduced us to.

With all their differences of opinions (and those are strongly held), they really enjoyed each others' company, and to me, while that is not the magic of Santa and flying reindeer, that is really the magic of Christmas.

May you and your families experience the joy, shared history and laughter that makes every day magic!

Yuen Garden Dim Sum House, Puchong

Will try not to suffocate you guys with too much Viet stuff, I'll take a break again and do a local post.

Went for brunch with my bro to Yuen Garden for dim sum recently as we were around the area. He suggested for us to try there as it's pretty famous amongst the residents in Puchong. The place was packed but we were lucky to get seats real quickly. Service was prompt, we ordered our drinks and a selection of dim sums were placed at our tables for us to choose..

We had hargau..Skin was too thick. Prawns was fresh though and they added some julliene mah tai for that extra crunch.

Although I'm more of a har gau person, I must say that Yuen Garden's siew mai was much better than their hargau. Very fresh ingredients, the pork was very sweet and the prawns gives a springy texture to the siew mai.

We tried some fried almond seafood ball. The exterior was over fried, hence it was dry. The seafood filling was just average, not much to shout about.

We both agreed that the woo kok (yam puff) was one of the better dim sum there. The yam paste was soft and had a crispy skin and the filling was different. I cant describe how different, it's just unlike the usual woo kok filling we are accustomed to. Nice nonetheless.

We had another steam pork dim sum, which was pretty good. As the pork used was fresh there, most of the pork based dimsum is good.

One of my compulsory order..the steamed pork ribs. Sweet and springy meat, though I would have preferred a stronger wine marination.

I asked for a dim sum with chopped vegetables fillings, but the waiter brought this to me..Since it looks fresh, I dont mind trying. Should not have taken this; the sauce was full of msg..it was so sickeningly sweet with msg and oyster sauce that both of us didn't want to eat the last piece there..phleh..

My eagle eyed brother spotted one of the waiters carrying a small bowl.. We were told that it's pun tong gau, something that I dont see that many restaurants serving in Msia. We ordered one, though waiting time was 20 minutes..Looks like the pun tong gau I've tried overseas, the whole dumpling filled the bowl. The soup was lighter, more diluted; had faint herb tastes. Broke the dumpling skin and found the filling quite substantial; mince pork, prawns, chopped scallops, some strands of sharksfin and a slice of abalone. For RM10, thought it was very reasonable. My only gripe was the dumpling skin..they use the same skin used for siew mai..hence after soaking in the broth, the skin started to taste very doughy; floury. Would have tasted better if they used the translucent dumpling skin..

Total bill was RM38Yuen Garden Dim Sum House is located at Jalan Kenari 18, B. Puchong Jaya, Selangor. It at the business square opposite IOI Mall.

10 ways you know Christmas is coming at the Dowd's

Work... shopping... graduation.... cleaning.....decorating....baking....you notice blogging is squeezed out in all the hectic preparation. But I do want to touch base with all of you who are also in the throes of holiday preparation, and share a recipe that will surely make you much more relaxed at the end of a tough day at the mall or an evening untangling the Christmas lights. It is a recipe for eggnog, that, in our family is legendary and its pedigree is supposedly the recipe used in the White House. I posted this last year, and Epicurious editor Tanya Wenman Steele wanted to make it - I hope she didn't forget, but if she did, here it is for her and any of you who want to taste the very best eggnog there is! But first, here are ten ways you can tell Christmas is coming to the Dowd house:

1) Bags under my eyes.

2) Smell of Pine-Sol everywhere.

3) Bags of packages hidden in every closet and the basement.

4) Lots of whispered conversations

5) Lists everywhere.

6) Dark circles under my eyes.

7) 30 Christmas balls all around in different stages of being painted with a design I do annually.

8) Dowds go to the liquor (ABC) store

9) The "snowman room" is set up.

10) We make the eggnog!!

Dowd "White House" Eggnog

12 eggs, separated (I use pasteurized eggs so I don't have to worry about the dangers of raw eggs)
1 lb confectioner's sugar
2 cups bourbon (nothing from the cheap bottom shelf of the ABC store)
2 cups rum (See above tip)
1 quart heavy cream
1 quart half and half
Freshly grated nutmeg

Beat egg yolks until light in color and slowly beat in the confectioner's sugar. Very slowly, beat in one cup of bourbon and 1 cup of rum. Once liquors are incorporated, let this mixture to stand at least an hour before continuing. This will help get rid of the "eggy" taste.

Next beat in the remainder of the liquor and one quart of half and half, and then refrigerate for at least three hours.

Next beat the egg whites until stiff and beat the whipping cream to soft peaks (This will take longer with the pasteurized eggs, but add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and keep whipping-it will happen ). Fold egg whites into egg yolk-sugar and liquor mixture until incorporated fully, then fold in whipped cream thoroughly. Grate nutmeg over the top.

I store mine in large plastic pitchers with lids so that each time, you can shake up the eggnog to make sure everything is well incorporated. Makes about 1- 1 1/2 gallons eggnog.

Pho Hoa Pastuer, Ho Chi Minh

It was our last day in HCM, we were sad as we need to return to Hanoi. We were in Benthanh Market when Jeffrey asked if we would like to have the best Pho Bo in Saigon.

I wondered why he asked at all..He should know our answer :p

So we cut short our shopping time in Benthanh to ensure we got to savour the delicious noodles..

The moment we stepped in, we were greeted with the aroma of beef and beef stock..as we climbed to higher floors, we could see diners (mostly locals) tucking into their huge bowl of pho with gusto. I knew then that we are in the for some seriously good pho.

The tables were already laden with goodies..

meatpies, dough fritters, meat paste, fresh vegs, bananas..to snack on if you are still hungry after having the pho..

Dragon girl and Jeff ordered crunchy flank and fatty flank while I ordered fatty flank and sliced beef. We didn't wait long, soon, a piping bowl of pho was placed in front of me.

To my disappointment, they prepared my pho with just the sliced beef. No fatty flank :(
The soup, unlike most of the pho bo we have tried so far, was a little murky. It taste heavenly; hours of boiling the bones and meat gave the broth a sweetness and flavour like no other. The pho was so smooth that it practically glides down my throat. And the sliced beef; I suspect they served sliced raw beef on my noodles and just poured boiling hot broth over it to cook it. The texture was perfect; tender and juicy; almost, just almost; melt in mouth..

Dragon girl passed me a few fatty flank..I took a bite and I was totally smitten. This was even better than the sliced beef..This piece of meat was so flavourful, I just cant describe the burst of beefiness in my mouth that I'll remember for a long, long time. Perfecto.

I dunked some gio cha quay (aka yau zha gwai in cantonese) into my pho too..that tasted delicious with the noodles. The combo sounds weird, but trust me, it's yummy :). And if you like trying all sorts of beef preparation, you should order pho with mix beef; you'll get brisket, sliced beef, flank (crunchy and fatty), tendon and beef paste.

Our total bill was about RM25, which I would willingly pay for this fantastic bowl of pho bo..

Pho Hoa Pastuer is located at 260C Pastuer P8, Q3 TP, HCM.

Ngu Vien, Ho Chi Minh

We have tried quite a lot of Vietnamese cuisine thanks to you Jeffrey, we were thanking our good food guide..

Oh, no worries, you ladies have only tried about 60% of viet food..more to try..

Really? Gosh..Guess our 9 days in Vietnam is not sufficient after all..sigh..

And what are we having tonight? I liked the anticipation to some new food..hehe

Central cuisine, Jeffrey patiently replied, I figured he was used to me asking about food questions by now :p

The restaurant was rather quiet, plus the fact that we were quite late. I start to wonder if the food is good. Again, we passed the heavy responsibility of ordering food to Jeff..:)

We had some local drinks first..Ca phe sua da and beer to quench our thirst..

First up was Banh Beo (rice pancakes with grounded shrimp). This is a great starter, light and smooth rice pancakes, goes well with the salty, crunchy crushed shrimps..Pour a spoonful of sauce...Lovely

Banh La Cha Tom(Boiled rice paste with grounded shrimp served with shrimp paste) is a mixed platter of local fishcake and chee cheong fun..By now, I realised that central cuisine had lotsa steamed riceflour products. The fish cake was springy and flavourful; the chee cheong fun tasted good too; i felt healthy eating this..hehe

We had further wraps with Banh Uot Thit Nuong (Grilled pork wrapped with steam rice cakes) The grilled pork was warm when served; just heavenly; the pork was tender, but charred to the right bit, very well marinated..and the cool 'chee cheong fun' with the fresh vegs complements the meat beautifully. Dip in the thick sauce if you find it too bland.

Ram Hue or Imperial of Hue as named in the menu is lip smacking.. The sesame rice cake was filled with fish paste ; some what like the YTF foo chuk roll. The sesame rice cake was very crunchy and fragrant..while the filling was yummy with the meaty, juicy stuffing..

Mit Tron Tom Thit was a very delicious and interesting dish.. We get warm jackfruit cooked with meat, herbs, vegs and chopped prawns. Very addictive stuff, you can eat it on it's own..Else, heap it on the fried sesame cakes, which makes it equally scrumptious. Gosh, I'm drooling while thinking about it..

The Bun Thit Nuong served in HCM was different compared to those we had in hanoi..this was served with just grilled meat. The grilled pork was very well marinated, but some was a tad dry. The sauce served was similar to those served in Hanoi. Dunk it into the noodles, mix well and tuck in. Pretty yummy, but not as good as the rest.

Com Hen (Baby clams rice) was Dragongirl and my fave..Mix of baby clams, meat, veg, zhu yau zha (fried lard) and rice goes so well together. The texture, the flavours..so good..we were so sad that the bowl was so small :(

Total bill was about RM60 which we thought was very reasonable..

Ngu Vien is located at 40 Ky Dong, Quan 3, TP. HCM. DT:8437670.

NOTE: I was told that the shop has relocated/ close for good. Anyone knows what happened? (end 2008)

Pho 24, Ho Chi Minh

For those who went to Ho Chi Minh before, am very sure you've seen Pho 24 almost everywhere. It's the local 'fast food' joint, you wont get burgers and chips; you'll get pho bos and pho gas.

If you cant stand sitting on short stools,waiting for pho bo being cooked in make shift stoves and questionable hygiene level; Pho 24 might be your choice. As we were told by Jeffrey that it's just mediocre, Dragongirl and I never had the urge to try it.

Until one evening when it was raining so heavily (when it rains in HCM; it pours in bucketfuls)..we were left with not much choice as Pho 24 was just a few shops away from our hotel.

A quick order and soon the 'basics' for the pho is placed on our table..the vegs..

I decided to have the sliced beef and beef ball noodles Which was quite huge in serving..Broth was clear, rather bland. The beef, though quite tender, was not fragrant enough for me..The beef balls were just ok, think Malaysia's version is better..

Dragongirl's chicken noodle (pho ga).. The chicken taste was very strong..sorta like those meat that was kept in freezer and defrosted for the noodles. I didn't like it.

You can see Pho 24 nearly every where in HCM, so there's no address..

So Pho 24 or small pho bo stalls? Small stalls for me, anytime..

Bo Tung Xeo, Ho Chi Minh

Jeffrey, being the good host that he is, gave us the choice of having dinner on a river cruise (mediocre food) or eating a popular local fare; grilled food, but will end up smelling of smoke and food..

Not such a hard choice, we chose the popular fare over popular cruise..haha..pigs that we are..

He brought us to Bo Tung Xeo, a restaurant famed for grilled meats; and as suggested by the restaurant name; grilled beef.

The menu was in Vietnamese and English, which was good; still we left Jeffrey to do the ordering.

Surprisingly, he didn't order grilled beef, he thought we should try other dishes that's different..

So we had the sauteed pumpkin flower with garlic..I like this dish immensely, it was sweet, refreshing, had a nice bite to it. Not much salt to it, hence we could just chomp it down without any rice as accompaniment.

Next was sauteed deer's tendon (luk kan) with spinach. I've tried cow tendon (ngau kan) in Malaysia many times, but deer's was a first. The texture was very different compared to cow's. Deer tendon texture is very similar to jelly fish; had the QQ (springy) texture. It is a tad bland, hence sauteed with some vegs and sauces is does justice to this dish perfectly.

The whole reason we came to Bo Tung Xeo; Jeffrey's favourite; grilled goat's breast. Yeah, that's how it was written in the menu. After some probing, it's actually grilled goat udders..Interesting, though Dragongirl, who is not into such food, took one piece and that's that. I must say that it's tasty, the marination was delicious, the meat was a tad chewy, very much like chewing calamari. There is a gamey aftertaste, for those who hates gamey lamb/ mutton dish may wanna skip this. To be eaten with with their special sauce, mix of chili, fermented beancurd (fu yu), fish sauce; which is also tasty (unless you don't like fu yu)

I saw some exotic food stuff that involves balls and poles, decided to skip that; but I could not pass the chance of having some fried scorpions.

I was thinking that I'll be serve some pop sized scorpions..just pop in mouth..crunch crunch and swallow. Imagine my surprise when I saw this...
The length of one scorpion was about 15cm.

I started with the claws, which was rather hard and erm, prickly? Tasted like fish crackers, but coarser in texture. I decided to eat the back abdomen first as the glistening eyes looks sorta creepy. The abdomen was not crunchy, heck it was slightly pasty. And it had bitter after taste. I did not like this. Jeffrey finished the remaining scorpions..thanks dude ;p

The grilled saba (mackerel) was good though..Crispy skin, juicy meat..yums

We ended with a bowl of very fresh steamed clams..Really sweet and fresh; goes well with the sauces too..

We decided to have our food fast, hence we ordered our grills from the cook. For those who prefer grilling your own food, well, you get to do that too :)

Oh, do wear thin clothing; obviously this restaurant is not with aircon..And no perfume required..You'll leave with the restaurant's home brand perfume..haha

Bu Tong Xeo is located at 31, Ly Tu Trong, P.Ben Nghe, Q1. Ho Chi Minh