{Saigon Snacks} The Snap Cafe

We've been living in Saigon for 5 weeks!

Being back in the workforce, my social life has certainly had an upswing and I've gone to more bars, restaurants and networking functions (many I haven't had time to write posts about!) in the last 5 weeks than I did in the 16 months in Hanoi.

Today I had a quiet one. Suffering from the excess of a Friday night out (my boss had a party on his rooftop terrace - far too much alcohol was consumed by all!), I spent the morning begging Georgia and Mackenzie to lower the verbal volume while Rob was out on his first road bike ride in 18 months.

At 11am when he finally staggered through the door complaining of hangover/heat stroke/unfitness (is that a word?) the girls and I were dressed and ready to party...well, they were at least!

Before we moved to Saigon we discovered Snap Cafe - a fabulous sanctury in District 2 that has a huge playgym and sandpit for the kids and a thatched roof outdoor cafe with funky, low lounge chairs for the parents to eat and drink the hours away. Perfect hair of the dog venue!

All morning I had promised them that if they let me nurse my sore head in peace and quiet they'd be rewarded with a trip to Snap. Thankfully it worked so we spent a relaxing 2.5 hours eating lunch, sipping hair of the dog wine and watching the girls have a blast with the other kids in the play area.

The cafe, owned by an English expat, has a great western/Asian menu with cheap food and drinks to suit all tastes.

Snap Cafe - 32 Tran Ngoc Dien Street, Thao Dien Ward, District 2

I was too hungover and crabby today to remember my camera, so here's a pic of Mackenzie eating lunch there late last year. Not the best pic of Kenny, but you can see a small section of the cool play area in the background!

Mackenzie - The Snap Cafe, December 2009

{Saigon Snacks} Bun Cha!

Last night I gave my housekeeper a copy of KOTO, a culinary journey through Vietnam - a cookbook written by Hanoi-based Australian chef Tracey Lister and her husband Andreas Pohl that introduces Vietnamese specialty dishes region by region.

All proceeds from this fabulous book go to KOTO, an Australian charity working to help Vietnamese street kids learn skills and find employment in hospitality.

I'm fast learning that there are many differences between the way the northerners and southerners prepare what I had thought were standard Vietnamese dishes and that some recipes, such as Bun Cha, my favourite street food in Hanoi, are ubiquitous in the north and rare in the south.

With that in mind I sat down with Thuy (my housekeeper) and showed her the KOTO cookbook pages with our favourite dishes from Hanoi. Bun Cha, Bo La Lot and Cha Ca were the three recipes I pointed out as our firm favourites from the north. Hint, hint - please cook these for my family!

Tonight when I walked in the door from work, I was greeted by the glorious smell of chargrilled pork. Bun Cha! Not as sweet, mind you, as smelling Bun Cha as it wafts around the streets of the Old Quarter in Hanoi, but it came close.



Homemade Bun Cha!



Bun Cha is pork grilled on a small charcoal burner served with bun (noodles) dipped in a salty and spicy broth-like sauce served with a range of vegetables such as coriander, shallots and bean sprouts. The pork is done in two ways - one a soft pork pattie, the other a slightly chewy pork belly piece. Absolutely delicious!

Apparently there are a small handul of eateries in Saigon that serve Bun Cha Hanoi style. I am yet to try them, but for the moment I am just happy that Thuy was good enough to reproduce the northern version at home!

PS - the roasted peanuts you may have spotted in the photo are not typically standard Bun Cha fare, not in Hanoi at least, but they were pretty damn good!

{Saigon Snacks} Mekong Merchant

Mekong Merchant - Georgia, Rob and Mackenzie

In District 2 we're lucky to have many restaurants offering a wide range of cuisines (Vietnamese, Italian, Thai, Spanish, standard western fare and loads of the trendy western Asian fusion options) that cater to the predominantly expat population living in the area.

Since we moved to our new house a few weeks ago, Sunday has become our day to try out the local businesses, many of which are happy to deliver. 

With today's drizzly rain that went on for hours we didn't have enthuisiasm to travel far, so we went local for lunch again.

In District 2, there is a street called Thao Dien (also the name of the suburb) which is lined with shops, services, restaurants and bars.

Today we had lunch at Mekong Merchant on Thao Dien - a casual brasserie with a friendly family vibe that serves a mix of Italian (gourmet pizzas and pastas) and western fare (salads, sandwiches).

Conincidentally this restaurant is owned by the same partners that are behind The Deck which we ate at last Sunday.

Mekong Merchant is defintely a more casual option far better suited to families, as evidenced by the many expats with kids who were dining today despite the weather.

Mekong Merchant, or MM as it affectionately known by the regulars, has a spacious outdoor courtyard in between two buildings that house indoor dining areas.

The courtyard has huge wooden tables that would be perfect for a family lunch on a sunny day, but with today's bad weather we had to dine inside.

Pizza and garlic bread for the girls, a steak panini for me and chicken wrap for Rob, fresh juices, coffee, ice creams - and of course wine - a total of US$37.

Surprisingly, unlike many of the restaurants we have eaten at since we arrived in Saigon a month ago, this place does not include the 15% tax and service charge which makes me more inclined to leave a tip.

The MM staff were friendly and took the time to ask if we enjoyed our meal - not a common question in Vietnam!

Thumbs up for this place. Can't wait to return on a sunnier Sunday.

Mekong Merchant - 23 Thao Dien, District 2.