Having come here many times because of its taste, on the occasion of two friends from Japan traveling to Vietnam, Kiki took him to his “favorite” broken rice restaurant in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City to enjoy.
Kazuki Matsumoto (commonly known as Kiki), a guy from Japan, is one of the foreign guests who has a lot of love for Vietnam.
He used to work at a restaurant, lived in Korea for 2 years, then moved to Vietnam. His “side job” is currently a blogger, sharing many of his experiences in the new land.
Initially, he planned to only travel for 6 months and then return to his hometown. But in the blink of an eye, more than 6 years have passed, and he loves and wants to stick with this land. Kiki has repeatedly confided her decision to live in Vietnam until she “retires”.
Because he is familiar with the streets of Ho Chi Minh City and knows many delicious restaurants and beautiful places just like the locals, every time he has friends from Japan coming to visit, he acts as a tour guide to take everyone there. Go experience.
This time, Kiki has 2 friends from her hometown traveling to Vietnam. As usual, he was responsible for leading the group to enjoy his “own restaurant” located in District 1.
“Saigon people eat broken rice as much as Hanoi people eat pho,” the Japanese guy, who seemed knowledgeable about culture and cuisine, shared with two friends.
If Hanoi cuisine is famous for its famous pho, Ho Chi Minh City people are proud of broken rice – a dish that combines many unique flavors and is a symbol of cultural interference between the East and the East . and the West.
In the past, broken rice was a familiar dish for working people or poor students because people took advantage of leftover broken grains and broken rice to cook rice, saving costs. Now it is everywhere in this city. Serving all classes. Therefore, Japanese guests seemed excited when they first tasted Saigon’s delicious dishes.
The broken rice restaurant where Kiki took you is a popular sidewalk restaurant, a familiar address for gourmets. Located in Cau Ong Lanh ward, the restaurant is open from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. with prices from 35,000 VND/serving.
By the time the group arrived, the restaurant was already crowded, so the staff arranged tables to sit in a small alley nearby. Right on the sidewalk, the staff grilled ribs on the grill, giving off a fragrant aroma that made many passersby “unable to bear it”.
The side dishes are quite rich and Kiki decided to order 3 full meals including ribs, pork sausage, pork belly, fried rice, and sausage for 80,000 VND/serving. Kiki said that a normal meal only includes meat and broken rice, so the full meal will have a higher price. If desired, guests can order bitter melon soup or iced tea.
The traditional broken rice dish of Saigon people cannot lack the trio “ribs – skin – rolls” which are grilled rib meat, mixed skin and boiled egg rolls. There are also many side dishes for guests to choose from, depending on their taste.
The first time they sat on plastic chairs and ate in an alley, the two Japanese guests seemed quite confused. Kiki explained that this is one of the characteristics of popular restaurants in Vietnam.
When the waiter brought the food, the two didn’t know how to eat properly and Kiki gave them meticulous instructions. First, each person will add a little greasy onion sauce. To “relieve boredom” and balance the taste, diners will eat sour dishes with a cup of sweet and sour fish sauce.
“The meat is well-marinated and fragrant,” the Japanese girl commented when she tasted the first piece.
She found that the egg rolls had a different flavor compared to the Japanese way of preparing eggs, but everything else was rich.
“If you calculate it in Japanese currency, it’s about nearly 500 Yen. Delicious food with many things like this has a very reasonable price, eating the whole plate still makes you feel hungry,” Kiki’s friend commented.
During the conversation with her friend, Kiki also revealed that this is one of her favorite Vietnamese dishes.
“When I eat, I feel like I have returned to my second hometown,” he said.
($1=24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet