Spring Rolls and Cha Gio
November 10th, 2024
Our tour ended early afternoon, we decided to get some lunch. We walked to Hua Tuc, a restaurant around the corner from the hotel which was recommended by our tour guide. Google maps sent us around the block and when it started to send us around the block a second time, I spotted an alley where we found this somewhat hidden gem. As we sat down, I noticed that there were various awards posted and that it was included in the Michelin Guide.
Hoa Tuc
We ordered Spring Rolls, Cha Gio (fried spring rolls) and Banh Khot (Vietnamese Pancakes). Everything was so good! I couldn’t help but notice they offered cooking classes. Later, I would learn that the building was originally an Opium refinery. I will definitely put this place down for my next visit and hopefully take a cooking class!
Afterwards, we went looking for Vietnamese Coffee to bring back with us and then we went back to the hotel to rest before our night tour.
Our night tour was a culinary tour of street food. We would not be dining in high end restaurants, we would be getting our food from carts and sitting at times, at tables that were made for toddlers. We started with Vietnamese Pizza, which according to our guide is extremely popular. Made on a grill with rice paper, egg and pork, it was crispy and delicious but I wouldn’t call it pizza.
As we sat our 2 foot high table situated on the sidewalk in front of a school, our tour guide explained why. These restaurants are pop-up restaurants, they have to pay the establishment they are sitting in front of and they may need to move at a moments notice. In earlier days, many of these pop-ups weren’t legal and if the police showed up, they would have to quickly pack up and get out.
Vietnamese Pizza
how that the food vendors have to pay the establishment they are in front of. The reason for the small tables and stools was so that everything could be packed up and moved quickly in case the police showed up. I always wondered wondered about these small tables and stools.
We crossed the street and we had pork noodle soup (Hu Tiu). I couldn’t help but notice the prices, a bowl cost 50,000 VND which is $2.00. We were just getting started and at our next stop, we had banh mi a Vietnamese sandwich, which fuses the flavors of France and Vietnam. At our next stop, we had steamed clams in lemongrass broth which out of this world. As we sat there, I realized that the one thing that we weren’t seeing were other tourists, everyone around us were local, I wondered if I could find my way back to any of these places if I wanted.
We weren’t done yet but I think both of us were feeling pretty full, we wandered through the streets until we found Madam Nga’s who was cooking up savory crepes (banh xeo) and fresh spring rolls. We then headed to get coffee at a local coffee shop. As we sat at the coffee shop, it was getting pretty late and yet everything was alive and loud – motorbikes buzzing through, loud music blaring from several coffee shops, a group of men playing cards while singing songs – I casually asked the guide if his neighborhood was like the one we were sitting in and he said that he lived not too far from where we were sitting.
We returned to our hotel stuffed but both of had new things that we had never tried before and we got a glimpse of local life. What a great night!
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