Well, Hai and I have been back in Saigon for less than a week after our extended absence and we’ve already had a dozen great eating adventures … mostly re-visiting some of our favorite Saigon street food vendors.
Hai and I enjoyed a wonderful evening with Cô Nhật Minh and her extended family
But the experience this week that really stands out right now is our dinner with one of our very own “Eat With a Local Saigon Family” families – with Cô Nhật Minh and her family.
Neither Hai nor I had ever had the chance to enjoy a dinner at her home until this week. Simply a wonderful wonderful time!
Both Cô Nhật Minh and her sister, Long, are excellent cooks, and they both participated in the dinner preparation.
That’s me (Joe) enjoying an evening with 3 great chefs … how bad can life be?! 🙂
In fact, so did two of their sons, Thuan and Thanh.
Cô Nhật Minh’s sons, daughter and nephew helped make the evening great fun
Speaking of their sons – plus their daughter, Han, and nephew, Quan – all were charming, engaging and humble, and helped make the evening an overall fun experience. Their good English skills and my pathetic Vietnamese struggles provided some of the best entertainment for the evening. Everyone had fun exchanging cultural differences, recipes, and photo sessions.
And then, of course, there was the food!
Presenting an amazing home-cooked meal – no, make that a FEAST!
Perhaps my favorite Vietnamese dish – cá kho tộ
How did she know that cá tho tộ (fish steaks in a spicy caramelized sauce) is probably my favorite Vietnamese dish?!
Canh khổ qua (bitter mellon soup)
And canh khổ qua (bitter mellon soup), one of Hai’s favorites. Both were excellent.
And the cà tím nướng (grilled eggplant) and the thịt có truong (braised pork belly) – OMG!
Super yummy cà tím nướng (grilled eggplant)
Thịt có truong (braised pork belly)
Grilled banana in a coconut milk/sesame sauce
And then there was the dessert! Grilled banana covered in a coconut milk/sesame sauce. Who needs Buds icecream, really!
After dinner, “tea and cookies” and chat, laughter and cell phone number exchanges insured that Cô Nhật Minh, her family, and Eating Saigon! (that’s Hai and I) will all continue to have a long and wonderful relationship together.
Now, I truly wasn’t intending to make this a “marketing” post. However …. if one were to be persuaded to join Cô Nhật Minh for a excellent family dining experience, of course, we wouldn’t be disappointed. And there’s no question in my mind, neither would you!
Hai and Cô Nhật Minh
More about Cô Nhật Minh here.