With brie cheese, lettuce, tomato, and raspberry jam on wheat bread. 250 PHP
Cafe France, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL)
This sandwich was a bit different. I had mixed feelings about the raspberry jam. One the one hand, I liked the fruity component, but I also thought that it was maybe too sweet for the sandwich. The balance was off.
San Miguel Light beer. Ahh, it’s always a good idea to drink at airports, lol!
Rizal Park, Manila.
Goi vit. With sweet/spicy dressing, mixed greens, and roasted peanuts. Small 125,000 VND
Duck Deli, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM
Wow, this was delicious! I wish I knew what all the stalks and shaved stems were, but they all tasted great with the duck and the gingery fish sauce dressing. The duck had pieces of chopped bones in it, but I didn’t mind at all. I always think that bone-in is more flavorful anyway.
Hotel de Ville de Saigon (City Hall) and Ho Chi Minh statue.
Magnolia brand purple yam flavored ice cream. Complimentary
Manila (MNL) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), Philippine Airlines
I love ube ice cream! This was definitely no where as good as Mitchell’s ice cream in San Francisco, but I loved that they served a tropical flavor instead of the usual vanilla. And it’s always fun to eat ice cream with a wooden spoon!
Construction mural, Ermita.
With lemon-anchovy vinaigrette.
Incanto, San Francisco CA
Sad. This was probably one of the saddest salads I’ve seen in a while. When I chose it, I wasn’t expected a bunch of limp butter lettuce leaves drenched in caesar dressing. Everyone at our table who ordered this asked for some grated parmesan to at least add some texture. This was sad.
Little kid eating his boogers on the streetcar. LOL!
Pho bo. Sliced beef with flat rice noodles, onions, and chives. Served with basil, greens, limes, and habanero peppers. Regular 65,000 VND
Pho 2000, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM
I think I like beef pho better than chicken pho. The broth has a lot more flavor and I think it’s more fun to eat with chopsticks, especially if you have to try and separate the thin slices of beef. This soup was very tasty and such a great value!
Communist flower bed, Cong Vien 23 Thang 9.
With hard boiled egg, rice, sweet and sour sauce. 180 PHP
Deli Kiosk, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL)
I swear I’ll eat almost anything when I’m hungry. I really didn’t even want this plate at the airport, but I was starving during our layover. It wasn’t very good. I do like hard boiled eggs though.
Drag show at Club Red Banana, Malate.
Dragonfruit, papaya, and watermelon.
Pink Tulip Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM
I’m always wary of eating fresh fruit in foreign countries unless it has a peel and I’m the one who peels it myself. But our morning fruit plates were great and we never got sick from them. Phew!
Vietnamese coffee with milk. They also provide hot water in case the coffee is too strong for your taste.
Almost done! I love Vietnamese coffee. I always asked for regular milk instead of the condensed milk.
The hotel guard dog. 🙂
Banana, papaya, and watermelon.
Iced Vietnamese coffee with milk.
With rice, steamed vegetables, carrot and jicama salad, dinner roll, and red wine. Complimentary
Manila (MNL) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), Philippine Airlines
Meh, this dish wasn’t very good. The chicken curry tasted ok, but I didn’t like the verging-on-slimy texture of it. The carrot and jicama salad was different, and I think it had pieces of ham in it. It was decent. Thank god for free wine on international legs!
Driving from Manila to San Pablo City.
Assorted salumi served with roasted garlic, pickled radishes and onions, and coarse mustard.
Incanto, San Francisco CA
I LOVE SALUMI! Boccalone (Chris Cosentino’s salumeria) makes some fine cured meats. They have a storefront in the SF Ferry Building, and Incanto also sold some of their products at the restaurant. The meats were SO tender and flavorful. I loved everything on the plate!
California Palace of the Legion of Honor.
Cha gio tom. Served with sweet fish sauce, carrots and lettuce. 65,000 VND
Pho 2000, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM
These crispy spring rolls were really tasty, but I’ve always loved Vietnamese style spring rolls. They had a lot of flavor and were filled with plenty of delicious noodles and vegetables.
Moist towelettes.
Drivers and families wait at international arrivals, SGN.
Siopao with sweet pulled pork filling. 60 PHP
Deli Kiosk, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL)
Mmm, I really needed this pork bun during our long layover in Manila on our way to Vietnam. It was quite large and decently priced even for airport food.
Young musician statue, Villa Escudero.
Planter’s Punch: Bacardi light rhum, triple sec, lemon juice, pineapple juice, soda. 220,000 VND
Rex Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM
So this was probably the most we spent for cocktails while in Vietnam. We really wanted to check out the rooftop bar though (and get out of the scorching heat). The Rex hotel is historic and it was quite relaxing up on the roof so I really didn’t mind too much about spending a little more for drinks here. My Planter’s Punch tasted pretty weak and not as sweet and vibrantly colored as those you would find on a Caribbean island.
Gin and tonic. 240,000 VND
Salted peanuts.
Table centerpiece.
View from the Rex Hotel rooftop.
Vittle Monster 