Nha Trang

On the Wings of a Chicken I Find Myself Lifted …

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Marinated chicken wings with steamed rice and a side dish of dipping sauce that would “knock your socks off” (to quote my dear Grandma).

The condiment of chilli, hot pepper, salt and lime juice might be a distant cousin of Khmer lok lak sauce?

It marries well with the sliced cucumber and Vietnamese mint.

I have promised my waistline that on my imminent return to Australia, rice and myself shall become estranged – albeit temporarily.

VND100,000 (AUD6.40), Nha Trang, Vietnam

(And apologies to lyricist & musician Russell Morris)

Pink Snow in Summer: Colorful Flowers of Vietnam

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Pink Snow in Summer: a soothing experience, to stroll down a Vietnam street while being gently showered by flowers tossed in the breeze.

Hoa ken hong (Tabebuia Rosea) trees are also known as rosy trumpet or pink poui.

Vietnam cities & towns – this is in Nha Trang – are a tree-and-flower admirer’s paradise, with streets adorned by green, lavender, yellow and bougainvillea colors.

There is much more to South-East Asian botany than only the amazing lotus …

A Plateful of Colors

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Adore the colors.

Simple lunch of chargrilled buffalo beef, fried egg, cucumber, spring onion and rice.

Add chilli and fish sauce.

VND40,000 / AUD2.60.

Aussie export Angus steak is also available in Vietnam for marginally cheaper than what Woolworths and Coles supermarkets charge us suckers in Australia.

Which should get you thinking … 🤔

Pork: Five Hours in the Oven for this Moment of Bliss

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Pork Ribs Cooked Five Hours in Oven.

I can’t have a favorite dish, in South-East Asia.

Not even a Top 10.

There are just too many.

This pork is served with a sauce of subtle but complex salt & spice flavors, a salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion and capsicum with a light-ish, creamy mustard dressing, and sticky rice – to which I like to mix in a squirt of chilli sauce and a good dose of South-East Asian hot pepper.

If I were at home in St Kilda, I would discreetly wrap the bones and tendons in a serviette and take for my two little terrier dogs – to better explain why I’ve arrived home with such a happy, contented smile.

At the newly opened The Local Anh’s restaurant & bar, cnr Hùng Vuong and Trâng Quang Khai streets, central Nha Trang, Vietnam.

VND135,000 (AUD9), or add VND10,000 for mozzarella cheese on the pork, which our Russian tourist friends seem to savour.

Stirred, Fried and Good

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A simple but delicious (and big) lunch of stir fry beef, vegies & handmade (not the cheap packet variety that’s conveniently become prevalent) noodles.

VND140k (AUD9) at Quán Quê Huong Vietnamese restaurant, 97 Hùng Vuong Street, Nha Trang, Vietnam.

It’s great to see this part of Nha Trang springing back into life, with new shops, restaurants and bars opening …

The Sauce of Food Joy

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Dare to be Different?

As you can see, I was well into my spag bol – and then I added a good splash of Tabasco.

It did not alter the taste but it did add a “sharpness” to the flavor. Recommended.

As well as the tremendous local food, I have enjoyed some fabulous “foreign” cuisine in South-East Asia, and this spaghetti Bolognese joins that list.

This pasta, at Time House Bistro in Nha Trang, Vietnam, is cooked al dente – an achievement that my cooking prowess finds to be as elusive as a Higgs boson particle …