YUMMRAJ Eating out in Vietnam (part 4)

Continued from YUMMRAJ eating out in Vietnam (part 3) This is the last of the series of YUMMRAJ eating out in Vietnam. This is about two our dinner at Ha Lua – this was a massive two storied building with a open air area, a partially covered area, a fully covered dining Hall & also special AC dining rooms for hosting parties for 8 – … Continue reading YUMMRAJ Eating out in Vietnam (part 4)

YUMMRAJ Eating out in Vietnam (part 3)

Continued from YUMMRAJ eating out in Vietnam (part 2)

This post is about Vietnamese food in Caravelle Hotel – A fixed menu that had been thoughtfully designed for our group. The spread was Vietnamese but some of them had Western influence when it came to presentation.

Vietnamese starter platter

The service was interesting. The food was being brought in large serving trays & then divided into individual portions (8 persons per table) in front of us by a server dressed in Traditional Vietnamese attire.

starter served on individual dishes

The multi course meal started with a Vietnamese combination starter platter containing miniature shrimp mousse on sugarcane, minced lamb in la lop leaves & heart of palm salad with shrimp & pork.

miniature shrimp mousse on sugarcane

The miniature Shrimp mousse was shrimp paste applied all around a real sugarcane stick & then fried. The shrimp was delicious, soft, fresh & flavorful. I ended up chewing up the sugarcane as well. That was fun.

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YUMMRAJ eating out in Vietnam – part 2

continued from …. YUMMRAJ eating out in Vietnam – part 1 Meal 3 – The next interesting encounter with food was at the canteen of a shoe factory. The system in good Export factories is that they serve tasty & healthy food to workers & Managers – Same menu for all, same canteen, everyone stands in a queue & collects plates, bowls & chopsticks. I … Continue reading YUMMRAJ eating out in Vietnam – part 2

YUMMRAJ eating out in Vietnam – post 1

This is a series of food experiments by an Indian foodie YUMMRAJ in Vietnam. It will cover different food places & interesting stories of food & people.

In a nutshell:

An amazing place for foodies if u r open to experiment with food, almost everything is freshly made & served , super simple yet very delicious, an array of restaurants – almost every 4th shop is an eatery, pocket friendly yet u end up paying hundreds of thousands for a meal!!!!!

A view of Ho Chi Minh City from my hotel room

The story:

Vietnam’s currency is horribly devalued. So I was paying in lacs for every meal e.g. VN$ 160000 for a meal which is equivalent to Rs. 437 !!!! It was a challenge while browsing thru the menu card – to ensure I was not going overboard.

Shocking prices of food at Vietnam – at first sight

Meal 1 –
Ended up in Vietnam to attend a training program. Before I set out my friends told me – no need to eat in expensive restaurants. Just go out & eat anything on the streets or small eateries – even they serve good food.

My first meal after I landed in Vietnam last week was PHO. This is a famous traditional Vietnamese Noodle soup. I went for the beef option. This comes in many other options as well – pork, lamb, chicken, seafood etc.

Pho with condiments @ Caravelle Hotel

The restaurant was at the famous Caravelle Hotel. As I sat down for lunch the Lady brought me the menu card. I asked for Vietnamese section & instead of just showing me the section, she started talking – ‘Is this ur first time in Vietnam’, food preferences etc. Then she emphatically suggested ‘ Pls try PHO’. I agreed.

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