Binh Dan literally translates to commoners rice and it is a cheap way to fill yourself up on the streets of Vietnam. Don't let the name fool you though - the dishes at each vendor are anything but common.
As soon as lunch time hits in Ho Chi Minh you see signs for Binh can or Com Tam appear in front of buffet style stands hawking everything from fish to frog to vegetables.
Binh Dan literally translates to commoners rice and it is a cheap way to fill yourself up on the streets of Vietnam. Don't let the name fool you though - the dishes at each vendor are anything but common.
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Being far from home means that we miss out on the fun of being invited to a family or friends house for a great home cooked meal and the kind of hospitality that only comes with being in the home of someone you know really well.
We wanted that feeling and we heard of a place where we could get it. The Vietnamese never cease to amaze me with their ability to set up shop from seemingly nothing and the place we went for lunch today took it to a new level - the "restaurant" was literally in someone's lounge I'm on the second floor of an unassuming apartment block on Thai Van Lung street in District 1 close to the Business Area (number 9). Due to an unfortunate incident in the hotel we we're staying in in Ho Chi Minh we had to pack our things and change locations mid way through our city stay.
The move actually ended up being the best thing that could have happened to us as we moved away from the tourist area and into a street that was filled with locals and not a tourist in sight. Moving away from the tourist area though does have one down side - no more English menus or English speaking locals. This makes ordering food a whole lot more adventurous. Those avid readers of my blog (come on I know you're out there!) will know that Carrot Cake - both sweet and savoury - are amongst my favourite things to eat in the world.
In Singapore I went crazy for their savoury take on carrot cake that strangely enough contained no carrots just radishes. After a morning bike riding around Nha Trang we had worked up quite an appetite.
We hadn’t heard great things about the food in Nha Trang but I would definitely like to say, for the record, that we loved the food here. One dish in particular was so memorable that when I look back in the years to come and reflect on my time in Nha Trang I will think of this dish. Man I love street food – but what I love even more is that every city we go to there is a new local speciality to try.
It literally excites me and this dish reminded me why we hunt back streets looking for these local delights. The dish is called Banh Can – on paper it doesn't sound like much but wow oh wow it was bludy sensational. As we entered the French inspired town of Da Lat we were shocked to see people walking around in jumpers and long pants.
What was going on? That morning we sweated through 37 degree heat in Nha Trang and within a 5 hour bus ride we were now shivering in 17 degree weather. We grabbed our warmest clothing and hit the streets to find some food to warm us up on a cold and rainy night. There was one dish that I was desperate to try – Bo Kho – it looked like it would warm our miserable bones. |
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About MeWelcome to Food Fuelled Travels where my partner Jeff and I will attempt to eat our way across SEA! The month by month journey |