Saigon Street Food by Day I 11 Nov 2017

After we have settled down ourselves in the hotel and luggage, we immediately walked into the streets and looked for our late lunch. And, yes! It was almost 3.30pm.

We were so hungry and after we had walked down the streets along Phang Ngu Lao, finally we sat down at a food stall which was near to one of the alley of the hotel we stayed.

It was quite a hidden stall but still you can noticed that lane, as there were motorcycles coming in and out with a big rattan basket at the back carrying a lot of Banh Mi which were just hot made and came from the oven. At the end of the lane was a Banh Mi bakery shop.

We sat down on the plastic low arm chairs and the lower version of stainless steel tables. The lady quickly handed us the menu. There were many Vietnamese food on it.

We ordered Banh Mi Op La (Bread with Omelette), Banh Mi Xao Bo Trung Op La (Bread with Sautéed Beef and Omelette), Pho Bo (Pho Noodles Soup with Beef) and Nui Gio Heo (Nui Noodles Soup with Pork’s Foot).

We did not ordered any drinks, as the menu shown only either coffee or milk coffee only. The kind lady served us Tra Đa which is Vietnamese iced tea, and she told us with her not so fluent English, “Free…Free…”

We were grateful with her hospitality and kindness. We did drink the iced tea, even though our family do observe the Words of Wisdom. We felt that it was not a kind gestures and not a good manner to decline it, as the lady had brought us 4 glasses of iced tea to quench our thirst, and she was smiling all the time.

After which, she brought 2 Banh Mi to us first, while she was preparing our food. It was kind of easy and convenient to her that, she can just hopped into the Banh Mi bakery shop behind her stall. It was indeed hot from oven!

The Vietnamese baguettes or Banh Mi, which we saw all over Vietnam are in a personal sized loaf, and extremely light and fluffy, yet on the other hand, extremely crusty and crunchy on the outside.

When we break into a personal baguette, the crust flakes and the insides kind of collapse. They are very light and not too filling, but go extremely well with eggs or as the holder for a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich.

I was delighted when our Banh Mi Op La have been served to us. The duo of eggs were cooked on an extremely high fire, like stir frying Chinese food with the breath of the wok, except this time only with a small personal pan, and simply eggs.

The result was that the eggs were flash cooked, seared on the edges, and soft and runny on the inside, including the yolks.

Banh Mi Xao Bo Trung Op La. Along with the eggs, which covered the base of the pan, there were some slices of beefs, which appeared to have been pan fried separately, with the addition of sautéed white onions. The onions were slightly caramelized and smoky, giving the entire pan of eggs and meat an incredibly sweet oniony flavour.

Although there are many variations of op la, to me what really makes it good is if the eggs are sunny side up, so the yolk is extra runny, and what makes it even better is if it’s served topped with caramelized onions and peppers.

Pho Bo was served too later. The noodles were placed at the bottom of the bowl, followed by thin slices of flash cooked beef, which remained half raw, then a handful of green onions and cilantro, and finally a few sprinkles of pepper to top it off.

The noodle soup did not become so famous for nothing – it really is one of the most common dishes in throughout the country, and it makes the Vietnamese food menu at nearly every sit-down restaurant too.

One of the most popular Vietnamese noodle soups is Nui Gio Heo and Banh Canh Gio Heo. The ham hock or pork knuckle or pork feet is a flavourful cut from the pig's lower leg. The broth is very flavourful with hints of lemongrass and a nice spiciness to it. Green onions or chives may be added to the soup. This is using vermicelli.

All of us were so hungry that we finished our meals within 30 minutes. It was around 4.00pm when we left the alley. We were wondering around the area and noticed that there was a big city park just across the Pham Ngu Lao Street.

Just across from Saigon’s buzzing backpacker Pham Ngu Lao area, this park is long and narrow, reflecting the nature of its former incarnation as the final approach to what was once Saigon’s main train terminus.

Alive with activity from the early hours of dawn, September 23^rd Park got its name from a brief but brutal rebellion against the reinstatement of French control in Saigon, just three weeks after Ho Chi Minh had declared independence on September 2^nd 1945.

There’s a kinetic energy to this park: badminton, kung fu, aerobics, yoga, jogging, and đá cầu (like badminton, but played with feet rather than rackets) are all practiced here. And, there was an Ho Chi Minh City – Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2017. Quite an exciting atmosphere we have here!

Meanwhile, young couples, dressed for work, share a quiet moment on the benches under the low hanging branches of copper pod trees, before they must part and go their separate ways to work.

There is more concrete than grass, but there is plenty of shade provided by dozens of palm and tamarind trees.

I was quite amazed that the September 23^rd Park is always keep in clean and neat.