Hue rolls with pork and prawn – Vietnamese sushi?!

Glutinous goodness

Everything tastes better rolled!

The menu featured a mix of standard ‘western’ fare (nowhere near as innovative as the global/gourmet offerings at Friends and KOTO) so we stuck to the more enticing looking desserts. One slice of carrot cake, one of chocolate cake and two coffees later (they do great Vietnamese iced coffees by the way – but then, it’s hard to find a bad one) we were satisfied with both the sweet fix and Sozo’s feel good factor.

The vegetarian curries in particular reminded me alot of the single-veg dishes we ate (and loved) while travelling around Sri Lanka, such as the savoury green beans cooked with curry leaves and mustard seeds. The okra curry and the potato cubes had a real Sri Lankan taste too, while the paratha (bread) was distinctly Indian. We tried a mildly-spiced beef curry in addition to all the veg, but the fried chicken was the real standout with its crispy, tangy tasting skin (providing more travel flashbacks – this time of Penang).

First stop: Trung Nguyen, Vietnam’s best-known coffee chain – think a local version of Starbucks. We went to the huge branch across the road from Diamond Plaza, which has mostly outdoor seating. Some of the tables are actually shaped like Vietnamese coffee drippers! Trung Nguyen coffee comes in various arabica and robusta blends but the type we were seeking out was that made from weasel poo! Rumour has it that weasels (or civets) digest the beans, which produce a really smooth tasting coffee, among the best in the world. Whenever we’ve gone to Trung Nguyen and tried to order it they’ve said they don’t have it. So we tried again, and they still said it wasn’t available but pointed to the Legendee coffee (my favourite) instead. So we stuck with the Legendee and I’ve since discovered that it’s made using the animal’s digestive enzymes without the coffee actually passing through a living creature. So – I guess we kind of had weasel poo coffee, in a much more palatable way.

Post-lunch dessert – time for chocolate nemesis cake at Au Parc, my favourite dessert to date in Saigon. So rich it’s hard to finish one by yourself (but I usually manage!).

Dinner – Vietnamese fare at Quan An Ngon, one of Saigon’s best-loved restaurants where stations are set up around a courtyard (with a French colonial building on the grounds) dishing up the best of Vietnam’s street snacks. We had chilli salt beef, prawns on skewers, banh xeo (pancakes with pork, prawns and bean sprouts), lemongrass clams and much, much more. A feast for the princely sum of around US$7 per person.

And somewhere in the midst of all this eating and drinking was a trip to La Fenetre Soleil, one of my favourite Saigon cafes for it’s decor, ambience and great ginger juice (read my blog post about it here). And there was also a trip to Wrap & Roll (how could I forget?) for more delicious Vietnamese snacks (the highlight – sundried beef in fresh spring rolls).

Next time out and about -will perhaps check out new dumpling bar Steam, have a drink at favourite wine bar Qing (its new location that I haven’t been to yet) and try a curry at the mosque, another thing on my to do list!