‘Beautiful’ Vietnamese cuisine offers a fragrant feast

An experienced food critic once told me that one thing that’s difficult about food writing is not overusing words. “Delicious”, “savory” and the like are just too easy to use again and again. But when traveling through Vietnam for three weeks, there was one word repeatedly used to describe the aromas and flavors — and it wasn’t one I was used to — “beautiful.”

That’s not a crazy word to use. Fresh herbs are used in almost everything, making the food extremely fragrant. If you think of phở when I say Vietnamese food, you’re not totally off. But after spending some time there, I found that’s really just the culture’s version of fast food. Go for more than that, and you’ll be blown away.

Making our way from the north to the south, eating with locals and taking two food tours and two cooking classes gave us a good idea of how to eat like the Vietnamese do. To keep it short: There’s a lot of flavor and a lot of plates on the table.

Breakfast is small, maybe some fruit and bread. Lunch and dinner, however, consist of about five dishes each. We told one local that an American might have a sandwich for lunch. He responded with, “A sandwich? That’s what you call lunch?”

Yeah, these folks know how to eat. And better yet, they really know how to cook.

Here are a few popular dishes that you’ll go crazy for:

Vietnamese coffee will become your addiction after your first sip. Some condensed milk with this rich, strong coffee is perfect over ice.

Bun Thit Nuong – grilled pork and julienned vegetables over vermicelli. This dish, along with many others, is served with peanut sauce, which you liberally toss all over the bowl.

Bánh bèo – This is a popular dish, particularly in Hue. These steamed rice patties are topped with scallions and shrimp. You drizzle each one with fish oil before scooping your spoon underneath the patty and sliding the whole thing in your mouth.

Bánh flan – This Vietnamese take on flan has the same consistency as the Mexican variety, but sits in a pool of Vietnamese coffee and is topped with shaved ice.

 

Crickets. So maybe this isn’t one you’ll go crazy for. But, if you have a bite, you can at least say you did it. It’s customary to eat these while sitting back with a beer or some rice alcohol. And with the sweet chili sauce, there’s not much cricket flavor.

Banh Nam – The rice and pork are steamed while wrapped in a banana leaf.

No, this isn’t phở. Bún bò Huế is another soup that is absolutely comforting to the soul. This one (along with the rest that I had) isn’t as red as you might be used to seeing it — that’s due to the fresh, sliced chili topping it instead of some chili oil in the broth.

Get Bánh mì. Be warned: It’s spicy.

This pork is grilled with lemongrass inserted in it. Set the pork on some rice paper, toss in some fresh vegetables and wrap it up. Then pull out the lemongrass and generously dip your fresh spring roll into some peanut sauce.

Do have some phở — it’s a little saltier in the north, while it’s sweeter in the south. Try it with different meats, different widths of noodle, red chili and green chili.

Bánh xèo is everywhere in Vietnam. This Vietnamese pancake is eaten differently everywhere, though. In Hue, we were told to put it in a bowl, cover it in peanut sauce, then kind of crunch it all together with chop sticks. In Saigon, we were told to wrap it in lettuce, dip it in peanut sauce, then eat it (sort of like a taco). We cooked and ate these so much, that if you want me to make you some, I absolutely can.

Sò điệp nướng mỡ hành – this food with a complicated name is probably the best thing I ate in Vietnam. Considering I loved everything, that’s saying a lot. These grilled scallops are topped with peanuts and green chili. You pick up the shell, splash some sweet sauce on it, then scoop it all into your mouth. It’s heaven.

It’s no wonder they can make such good food with access to fresh ingredients everywhere. Any local market is worth exploring.

Fresh herbs are everywhere in markets, including this one in Hue.

Vietnam has some of the best bananas I’ve tasted.

You’ll find lychee most places, especially in the north.

The colors in the markets are beautiful, even if you’re not into food.

While traveling in Asia, there have been times when I’ve gotten tired of Cantonese or Filipino food, and it doesn’t take long. I’m an American and still pretty used to the way Americans eat, so I did get a little antsy for a cheeseburger after a while in Vietnam. However, it’s still the best food I’ve had on this side of the world. And if you make the trip to Southeast Asia, you won’t find another country where your taste buds will be as satisfied.

In Taipei, taste lasts forever in converted cooking oil shop

You know when you bite into something so delicious, you close your eyes and think for a moment that you’ve never tasted anything so wonderful? You keep your eyes shut as you chew, just wanting the experience to draw out as long as it can.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go to Taipei. Specifically, Ding Tai Fung, a dumpling house in this Taiwanese city.

The pork xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung are filled with juicy, savory meat. After you fill your small dish with soy sauce, vinegar and ginger, you pick up your xiao long bao and dip it in. You then put that in your spoon, poke a hole in it, which will release the broth. Slurp the whole spoon in to get ever flavor. (Photo by Michael Danser)

There’s a lot to choose from on the menu (which is thankfully in English along with Chinese) but it’ll behoove you to first look at the xiao long bao. These are steamed dumplings: small, wrapped pillows of savory meat.

The best dumplings I had ever had before this were at Jeng Chi in Richardson, Texas. While I stand by the fact that those are good, my experience with xiao long bao isn’t extensive. But I do have experience with deliciousness, and Ding Tai Fung has that.

The spicy shrimp and pork wontons were one of the most flavorful dishes on the table. And the menu isn’t joking when labeling this one “spicy.” (Photo by Michael Danser)

The pork xiao long bao is classic and a savory taste you’ll never want to forget. If buns are your thing, there are pork, vegetarian and red bean options to choose from. Another standout is a simple staple: fried rice.

This restaurant has locations all over the world. In addition to its headquarters in Taiwan, these dumplings can be found in South Korea, the U.S and Malaysia, to name a few. It all started in Taipei in 1958 — but there were no chefs crafting dumplings back then. The business was a cooking oil retail shop. In the early 1970s, the business was having trouble and converted into a restaurant by 1972.

The restaurant has received attention: It was rated among the Top 10 Restaurants of the World by The New York Times in 1993, and its Hong Kong branch has earned one Michelin star each year since 2010. I don’t know why that location is allegedly better than the original. It’s hard to fathom something better.

You’ll have to test your patience a bit to get a small table in the joint. On a recent Saturday at 11 a.m., the wait was 70 minutes for a two-top. That being said, there’s a good chance you might not visit again soon, so go ahead and fill your table with as many boxes as you can.

There are plenty of reasons to plan a trip to Taipei — the xiao long bao at Ding Tai Fung should be at the top of that list.

The vegetarian mushroom bun had plenty of filling. The flavor seemed weak relative to the dumplings and wontons. Other bun fillings include red bean and sesame. (Photo by Michael Danser)

Digital displays let customers know how long the wait is. Waiting customers are given a number, which are also displayed for the crowd to easily see. (Photo by Taylor Danser)

Din Tai Fung has multiple locations, with its original still busy in Taipei. (Photo by Taylor Danser)

Staff members aren’t afraid to pile on the trays of xiao long bao that are in such high demand. (Photo by Taylor Danser)