As much as I try to get it out of my mind, lyrics from the classic Broadway musical by Schonberg and Boublil play like a broken record: “The heat is on in Saigon! The girls are hotter than hell … One of the girls here will be Miss Saigon, Go! The tension is high, not to mention the smell!”
I have been dying to go to Vietnam to eat every possible Vietnamese mint-lemongrass-laden dish they offer since I tried my very first bo bun in Paris. In my mind there were two parallel, coexisting worlds of Vietnam: the grimy image of the underworld and hard-lining Viet-Cong soldiers fuelled by tales of the fearless bui doi, the horrors of the Vietnam War portrayed in Hollywood and immortalized by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now (capitalized into a very popular nightclub, by the way). Then on the other hand there’s the fragile freshness of their cuisine, adorned with all sorts of leaves, herbs and spices, cooked with restraint and sophistication, prepared in an idyllic country scene best portrayed by Kim from Miss Saigon in an ao dai on a bicycle.
Stereotypes. Today’s Ho Chi Minh City is a vibrant place. That legendary Vietnamese fighting spirit is still there but it’s channeled in the right direction: development and prosperity. Zipping their way around the city on two wheels, ranging from the all-purpose Honda Wave to the trendy-chic Vespa are well-dressed, independent youths determined to get ahead in life. You can see it in their eyes — there are no false hopes, their success is dependent on one thing only: how hard they work. Where in other parts of the world people clamor for more for less, they thrive on the fact that you don’t get anything for nothing.
Not only did I not see any beggars, everyone was at least selling something, perhaps scamming you but at least they were trying. No one was overweight. It’s no surprise as their food is veggie-rich and extremely nutritious without sacrificing flavor. Arriving at 1 a.m. at the airport, I was salivating at the sight of late-night pho joints that were still open. Our taxi guy was über-friendly (little did we know that he bamboozled us into paying double the regular price, but our fault for being the agreeable tourists) and I was ready to gobble up the city. I have to admit that I had no plans of visiting any tourist attractions; I just wanted to walk around and eat. Walk around some more and eat some more and do it all over again till I had to be rolled home.
After a lazy hotel breakfast in bed — the Park Hyatt (2 Lam Son Square District 1, HCMC, +84838241234, http://saigon.park.hyatt.com) makes a mean Eggs Florentine — we decided to earn our lunch. I had mapped out a food itinerary. With such a short time frame, we had to conquer the city and its gastronomic treasures strategically. We’d hit the local food joints, grab an iced coffee on the road for merienda, attack some gourmet joints and chi-chi cocktails at night, then in our remaining days go full-throttle with the open-air barbecue, chili-laden seafood and token nice-ambience establishment.
Straight to Ben Thanh Market we marched on (Le Loi Street District 1, HCMC). Abuzz with activity, I wanted to bring home everything. From the gorgeous engraved chopsticks to the blue and white porcelain, I wanted an ao dai, pajamas, coffee, herbs, an opium pipe, artichokes … I wanted it all. It was the same in the food section, but we had to be wise. I settled on a bun thit cha gio and a Saigon beer. My commandant in arms, Jonathan, had the pho ga. The quality of the ingredients, the flavors were so squeaky clean. My noodle bowl had everything I wanted, fragrant and smoky pork patties, crispy spring rolls, a bit of tang and spice. The chicken pho was intense and clean, the broth devoid of any yellow undertones that come with instant bouillon cubes. This was the real deal made from spices and chicken bones. Oh, and it cost us $1.50. What can you buy for P60 here? Seriously? For a refreshing “dessert” I had some fresh-pressed sugarcane juice that was so amazing it has become an obsession.
After an afternoon of wandering in and out of art galleries, enjoying iced coffee and then having a merienda poolside with some of the best spring rolls of my life, that evening we hit Square One at the Park Hyatt (+84835202359). Don’t be fooled by the hotel-buffet open-kitchen look, the food is rocking. I had never seen soft-shell crabs that huge and that soft. None of these tiny ones that get stuck in your teeth, these crabs could walk off my plate, so crispy and fluffy inside with a sour tamarind sauce and bitter watercress. I was happy I didn’t have to share as Jonathan was engrossed with his spicy beef salad, which was equally delicious. The spicy tender pork spareribs were excellent but even he admitted being envious of my clay-pot curry. A bowl of amazingly rich coconut creamy broth with intense lemongrass and fresh turmeric flavors, river prawns swimming in a golden sea rubbing elbows with little logs of soft, spongy eggplant. I found myself near tears as I drank the sauce with a spoon — a serious moment of soulful enlightenment. We washed it down with some generous cocktails at Xu bar, red-faced and flushed, we both couldn’t stop gushing about our meal. (Xu Lounge, 71-75 Hai Ba Trung, District 1, HCMC, +84838248468, www.xusaigon.com)
We then left for Siem Reap and upon our return our time was limited; every meal counted and there was no room for error. On top of touristy Temple Club (29-31 Ton That Thiep Street District 1, HCMC,1st Floor, +84838299244, www.templeclub.com.vn), a beautiful place worth visiting for perhaps some spring rolls and a cocktail before dinner) sits a very local open-air barbecue joint: 3T. We arrived late and the feisty lady said, “You order now you pay 10:30, we close at 11. Got it?” Grilled five-spice pork and lemongrass beef, fragrant white rice, grilled smoky okra and eggplant, draft beer … all for P800? I couldn’t believe it myself. Definitely a must-try. (3T Barbecue Restaurant, 29-31 Ton That Thiep Street, District 1, HCMC 2nd Floor, +8488211631)
The next day was no less exciting as we ventured off to Ngoc Suong for some luscious seafood (Ngoc Suong Seafood Restaurant, 11 Nguyen Van Troi St., Phu Nhuan District, HCMC, +84838443861, www.ngocsuong.com.vn). We were two and ordered for eight. The clams are a must-try. Poached and served with its spicy poaching broth, they were so sexy, plump and juicy it was almost scandalously erotic. The big fat ugly stonefish was like the frog prince kissed with a bit of steam and soy transformed into a thing of beauty with cloud-like flesh. Sigh. I love Saigon.
We finished the day with a compulsory pasalubong run back at the market. My head was filled with lemongrass dreams, chili hot flashes and minty memories. My new favorite town has such amazing cuisine and interesting people. As we were negotiating the price of some “iPHO” T-shirts, the salesgirl casually barked at me, “Okay, lady, I give you big discount, I give you free, you leave me your boyfriend.” We just laughed. Who could blame her for trying? In a town where you work to get what you want, well, I ironically got what I asked for: good food and Miss Saigon.