2013 IS HCMC International Festival

In one afternoon,  where can you do all these, and for free?!

- Taste different savoury and sweet dishes from around the world... couscous, pork barbecue, various types of noodles, nasi lemak, tiny pannekoek, hot dogs & corn dogs, brownies, crepes, ice cream and jello, takoyaki and sushi, different rice cakes and cup cakes... 

- Quench your thirst with coffee, bubble tea, fruit smoothies and soda...

- Try face painting and henna tattoo, have a wacky photo, dress-up in traditional Korean costume, play a traditional game like sungka (Philippines) and other fun games like tug-of-war

International schools typically have an annual international festival. Organized by the parent teacher association,  the school grounds become a veritable showcase of the different countries and cultures.

Yesterday, IS Ho Chi Minh City had its international festival for this school year.  I helped prepare the Filipino booth in the morning, rushed after lunch to wrap and deep-fry the banana turon (with oil blisters on my hands to boot),  and joined the kids and the Pinoy community in our booth.

I didn't have much time to go around, but managed to get a few photos.

Philippines. With its flag, the jeepney, native abaniko (fan)
and the traditional costume



South Korea



Australia

USA

United Kingdom

India

India - henna tattoo anyone? 

Sweden -  I dont really get it,
but am sure it makes sense to those who know Sweden

Latin America - I don't get this booth as well.
I missed the vibrant energy and rich culture of the Latin Americanos

Love these Pancakes

I made really good pancakes today.  And I'm really pleased with myself.

You see,  I'm no domestic goddess,  and quite challenged when it comes to baking.  

Even with pancakes, I buy pre-mixes and just add eggs, milk and butter.  (It's pathetic, I know!)  To be fair to myself, I've made effort to jazz up our pancakes by adding choco chips, chunky peanut butter and banana, orange marmalade...

This morning, I wanted to cook pancakes for breakfast.  We haven't had it for weeks.  The trouble was : we've run out of pancake mix,  and the shops are closed for Tet holidays.  

Thanks to Google, I found a simple enough recipe in allrecipes.com.  Checked the cupboard if we had the ingredients - yes we did!  (A surprise because we didn't normally have baking powder.)

Here's the recipe :
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour,  sifted and mixed with the other dry ingredients ( as follows)
1 tbsp baking soda
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt

The standard recipe called for 1 1/2 c milk, 1 egg and 3 tbsp melted butter.
I added another egg, 2 mashed overripe bananas and 1 tsp cinnamon powder.

My little boy came to help me beat the eggs, mash the bananas, and stir the mixture.

Mighty proud of himself for it.

I poured half a cup on a non-stick pan, over medium heat. Waited a couple of minutes till bubbles formed on top.

Then flipped the pancake over, and cooked it for another minute.  

Made 8 servings.

They looked golden and gorgeous, and I served them on a big bright platter with lots of love.

For topping, everyone had his/her favourite - chocolate sauce, maple syrup, peanut butter... My husband and I preferred blueberry preserve.

The pancakes were gone in no time. Good thing I remembered to take a picture just before my last bite.

No more pancake mixes from now on.  This one is really for keeps. 

Saigon Eats : Bun Bo Hue



Hue - photo courtesy of vietnamuniquetours.com



Huế is the capital city of Hue province. Between 1802 and 1945, during the reign of the Nguyen dynasty, it was the imperial city. This feudal dynasty dominated much of southern Vietnam in those times.

Now where there is royalty, there is good food, presented beautifully.  The theory is - the palace cooks and the citizenry in general do their utmost to please the king/emperor. 

And so, Hue cuisine is regarded in Vietnam as the best.

Besides phở, another popular Vietnamese soup is bún bò Huế. Key ingredients are rice vermicelli (bún) and beef (bò). It usually includes thin slices of marinated and boiled beef shank, chunks of oxtail, and pig's knuckles. Bun bo is commonly served with lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, sliced onions, thinly sliced banana blossom, mint & basil, and mung bean sprouts. Fish sauce and chili sauce can also be added to taste.

There's a restaurant chain which goes with the same name.

The one we frequent is the one in 39 Ngo Duc Ke St. (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). It's usually full, especially during lunch time. 

We enjoy the fragrant, hearty, spicy soup and generous chunks of meat and meatpaste.

After an afternoon of shopping, my daughter and I were famished and tired, and headed there for some snack.  We sat by the window.  It was 5pm, only a few diners were inside.

There was the banh nam on the table (glutinous rice with minced shrimp wrapped in banana leaf and steamed).

We opted instead for a platter of steamed mini-cakes made from rice flour and cassava flour,  and with shrimp and meat topping/filling.  These were eaten with nuoc mam (fish sauce).

Hue cuisine is characterized by small serving sizes with a refined presentation.


We also had a bowl of soup each.  This time I tried the one with crabmeat paste.

with crabmeat paste

with beef flank and pork paste

A serving of the house yogurt refreshed and cleansed the palate afterwards.



Such a simple, satisfying meal.  The cost was quite reasonable at VND 250k (US$ 12.50) for us two.

Plus we had some free entertainment - cockfighting right by the window where we sat.

         







In case anyone is wondering why Huế ceased to be the capital after 1945 ...

On August of that year, Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated to Hồ Chí Minh, who unified south and north Vietnam. The capital of the government became Hà Nội in the north.

L'usine - The Coolest Cafe in Saigon

L'usine, for me, is the coolest cafe in Saigon. The place has character, food is good, and so is the service.

I've brought many of our guests here. Like me, they loved the place. I concede it could be quite noisy (poor acoustics) and the service slower when full, but that's the case in most eating places.

We checked out its second branch at 70B Le Loi St., which opened last October.  At the ground floor is the lifestyle shop.  

We lingered a bit to check the merchandise.

The kids love the cool gadgets like lomo cameras. My first time to see Marou dark chocolates made from 100% Vietnamese coco (80% cocoa). Luxe Cochine stuff - votive candles and skin care products;  there are three fabulous fragrances, White Jasmine & Gardenia, Water Hyacinth & Lime Blossom, and Vietnamese Rose & Delentii.  I can't resist getting a few drops of lotion from the tester.

But I digress.

Up a flight of wooden stairs is the cafe on the first floor.

The interiors is as cool as the one in Dong Khoi. It also felt more spacious, though I'd think the area in front of the counter would be cramped when full.

Again, I loved the touch of colourful fresh flowers on the table.

Acoustics was bad, with all-concrete walls  (as with most cafes in Saigon). The service is more efficient (not too many customers perhaps?).

 The western menu is written on the board.

At the counter are the luscious cupcakes.

Also the magazines. 

Red-win beef pot pie

The food was quite good.

We had roast beef sandwich and red wine beef pot pie; both came with a small portion of salad.

Roast beef sandwich

The mango smoothie and the carrot juice had the right level of sweetness. My coconut juice was served in a glass with the coconut meat - I prefer it that way, more convenient.

A meal would typically cost VND 150-200k (US$7.50-10) per person. Not cheap in Vietnam, but then again, this is an uppity-lifestyle cafe.  Quality food and a cosy ambience do add to the bill.

I like it as much as the first one in Dong Khoi. Still a great place for a meal and to hang out.

Below are a couple more pictures of the ground floor shop.