Le Rabelais, Dalat Palace Hotel, Vietnam

Can you believe it's Christmas Eve today? I guess the festivities make for a good time to share my last Vietnam post on a truly splendid restaurant and hotel M brought me to during the trip. The Dalat Palace hotel is almost a historical monument in itself, first built in the 1920s and beautifully restored by the American Tycoon Larry Hillblom (the H in DHL, by the way) in 1993. The theme is splendour and grandeur, from everything down to the paintings along the corridors. We didn't stay there, but it was still a feast for the eyes. The French restaurant within, Le Rabelais, has long been touted as the finest in the region (with prices to match), and proudly serves a menu created by 5 Stars Diamond Award French Master Chef Didier Colou, one of the most celebrated Chefs in Vietnam. Ingredients are sourced from the freshest Dalat produce, and subtle Vietnamese influences brings out a unique slant in each course.

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Tau Cao Wanton Noodles, Dalat, Vietnam

Wanton Noodles

M was rather addicted to this humble bowl of wanton noodles. So addicted, in fact, that we had it twice in the two days we spent in Dalat. The wantons were similar to the Thai version - more sweet than savoury. The soup was tasty (probably due to the additional minced meat and lard). I love how it's really a cross between Ba Chor Mee (Minced Meat Noodles) and Wanton Noodles. Plus a generous sprinkling of lard. The combination just can't go wrong, can it?

P.S. Am I the only one who finds it amazing how different the same dish can be in different countries?


Tau Cao
217 Phan Dinh Phung
Dalat, Vietnam

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Com Nieu, Saigon, Vietnam
Cha Ca La Vong, Saigon, Vietnam
Dalat Street Food - As Fresh As It Gets, Vietnam
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Le Rabelais, Dalat Palace Hotel, Vietnam

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Trong Dong, Dalat, Vietnam

Trong Dong was our favourite restaurant in Dalat. The atmosphere was cosy and unassuming, and the dishes we ordered were very good.

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Dalat Street Food - As Fresh As It Gets, Vietnam

Banh Mi with Roasted Pork Belly

Have you ever heard of Dalat? Picture a less crowded Saigon, chilly temperatures in the vicinity of 12 degrees Celsius, a whole lot more French-inspired architecture, hilly terrains, slightly less motorcycles, picturesque nature sights courtesy of the highland climate and perhaps best of all, street food that are a whole lot fresher. I am convinced that the chilly climate results in a natural refrigerating system that helps keep street stall ingredients at its freshest. Considering most ingredients are left in the open the entire day, you can literally taste the difference. Perhaps this was why we were so impressed by the Banh Mi we had in Dalat, since the dish involved assembling pre-cooked ingredients. The difference isn't as obvious when it comes to dishes that are cooked on the spot. The Banh Mi pictured had a crustier baguette, perfect pickles (the pickles in one of the Banh Mis we had in Saigon were actually bitter), fresher meat and even fresher greens. It's slightly pricier cause of the cheese, but very, very tasty, refreshing even. I wish I tried the Banh Mi Thit Nguoi (Banh Mi with Deli Meats) too.

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Cha Ca La Vong, Saigon, Vietnam

Cha Ca

Cha Ca La Vong serves only one dish: Cha Ca, snakehead fish pan fried with herbs (fresh dill and ground turmeric), and served with bun noodles, peanuts, and fermented shrimp sauce. For some strange reason, the shrimp sauce is not in that last picture. You can probably get similar renditions in other eateries (especially in Hanoi where it originated) for less, but we thought it more fitting to first try the original. The bun noodles, though served dry on a plate, didn't clump up as much as I expected. My favourite way to eat this involves breaking off a small piece of cracker (especially the lobster flavoured one, the other being the sesame rice cracker), dipping some bun noodles into a little of the pungent fermented shrimp sauce before placing it on top of the cracker, topping everything off with a slice of fish, and eating it all at once. Oh yes, add a beer to the equation and you have yourself a delicious and unique meal!

Cha Ca La Vong

3 Ho Xuan Huong Street, District 3
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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Com Nieu, Saigon, Vietnam

We decided to check out Com Nieu since Anthony Bourdain waxed lyrical about it in season 1 of A Cook's Tour. You can watch the video here. The restaurant has since undergone a drastic renovation, sporting a classy and modern interior, though the lively and homely atmosphere is now lost. Despite looking rather posh, the prices at Com Nieu are very reasonable for a restaurant.

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Quan An Ngon, Saigon, Vietnam

Cơm tấm with Grilled Pork, Shredded Pork Skin, Fried Egg and Sliced Cucumbers

You may notice that I've been on a posting rampage. It's just that I have so much to share! The Singapore posts have been steadily piling, and a rampage is the only way out of this. So... we headed to Quan An Ngon knowing that it is very much a market style restaurant (or even a food court, if you may) catered more to those who would like a taste of street food without risking an upset stomach. That said, even with the steeper prices (only to be expected given the setting and ambience), Quan An Ngon exceeded our expectations - there was great variety and the food was pretty decent. Pictured above is Cơm tấm with Grilled Pork, Shredded Pork Skin, Fried Egg and Sliced Cucumbers. Com Tam means broken rice, and the dish likely originated from the fact that broken grains were often less expensive than unbroken ones, and therefore more accessible to the masses. The result is generally shorter grains, which makes for a pretty interesting texture, though it really isn't that different from what you normally get. The grilled pork was tasty though a tad dry, and the shredded pork skin had a great texture that really contrasted with the rice.

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Fanny, Saigon, Vietnam

If you want some great ice cream creations in a casual chic setting, Fanny's the place to go. The sundaes and parfaits range from 60,000 to 80,000 dong, which is about 4 times the price of a noodle on the streets, but it's still not going to burn a hole in your pocket. There's wifi here too, which makes it a perfect spot to plan the rest of your trip, which was actually what we did. I had Autumn, a parfait consisting of coffee ice cream, a certain pastry, kah lua, and lots of cream. It was as decadent as it looks. M had a simple parfait of strawberry and chocolate ice-cream with a waffle biscuit at the side. Apparently, they have some pretty good tropical fruit flavours too, though we didn't try them. Fanny wasn't as quaint and cosy as I expected (it's somehow a tad commercialized), but it's still a pretty good place to chill when the sun gets a bit too much!



Fanny
29-31 Duong Ton That Thiep, District 1

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Other Vietnam Posts
Itinerary: Saigon and Dalat in 5 Days
Street Food in Saigon, Vietnam
Pho Hoa, Saigon, Vietnam
Quan An Ngon, Saigon, Vietnam
Com Nieu, Saigon, Vietnam
Cha Ca La Vong, Saigon, Vietnam
Dalat Street Food - As Fresh As It Gets, Vietnam
Trong Dong, Dalat, Vietnam
Tau Cao Wanton Noodles, Dalat, Vietnam
Le Rabelais, Dalat Palace Hotel, Vietnam

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Pho Hoa, Saigon, Vietnam

Pho Hoa

Pho Hoa served the best bowl of pho I've ever eaten in my life. If you're planning to have just one bowl of pho for your entire Vietnam trip, this is it. If this doesn't satisfy you, I don't know what will. The prices are steeper than those you get on the streets, but we thought it was well worth it. The whole place was brimming with character (and locals), despite the fact that it was featured in lonely planet as a place popular with foreigners. This is as authentic an eatery as it gets (and looks).

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Street Food in Saigon, Vietnam

Flat Rice Noodles with Pork Slices, Intestines and Quail's Egg

What I observed was that the snacking culture in Vietnam isn't nearly as popular as that in Thailand. The focus seems to be more on meals (noodles, rice, etc). At night, beer with snacks are popular, but the snacking isn't done throughout the day. Still, Vietnam has a lot to offer, and you'll find many pleasant surprises if you try as much as possible to dine like the locals. This was the first bowl of noodles M and I had in Saigon, and it was a really great start. I still haven't managed to find out the exact name of this noodle dish (anyone?), but the noodle toppings comprised of  tender pork slices, intestines and a quail's egg. The flat rice noodles had unique jagged edges that lent a nice texture. It was delicious. We found the stall in the Pham Ngu Lao area when we were trying to find our hostel. If you happen to spot it, definitely give it a try!

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Saigon and Dalat in 5 days

Street Photos of Saigon

I really don't know how to begin to describe Vietnam. But if I had to put it in just one sentence, it was everything I had imagined and more. There were more motorbikes than I had imagined, more conical hats, more French influence, more alleys, more history, more surprises, more tourists (especially French), and more food. I had no idea how rich the food culture actually was, and I found myself overwhelmed by new knowledge everyday. Before the trip, nothing really made sense to me except Banh Mi, Rice Paper Rolls, Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls, and Pho. But Vietnam has so much more to offer than just that! This is part of the reason why I'm taking so long to share, because I'm mostly still making sense of everything, and partly because I really want to share everything I've learnt about this unbelievable city that has so much more to offer than meets the eye. I'll leave you with the itinerary for now but more posts are coming up!

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