Guys, I’m… pretty sure I’ve come to the end of my Vietnam travel post series. <insert wistful sigh here> It was a relatively short trip, but I think we did a good job of packing as much as we can into those few short days, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh, without killing ourselves. And what better way to end it than with FOOD? Believe it or not, my first gastronomic encounter with Burger King was in heated Saigon.
Yep! Confession time. I may have been in that generation, but my family never subscribed to the “burgers are good” and “burgers are complete meals” line of thinking. XDD For some reason, my folks have always equated FAST FOOD with JUNK FOOD. Ergo, not good for me. Ergo, stay away from it.
So even if Burger King were established in my hometown or city as I was growing up, I doubt I’d have been including it in my foodventures. (Incidentally, in a couple of weeks or so, the first BURGER KING in Baguio will open, along Legarda Road.)
But I digress. Because I did not write this last Vietnam-related post only to blabber on about Burger King. 🙂 Let’s move on to the yummy stuff, shall we?
Unfortunately, unlike our foodventures in Hanoi several days before, no conscious effort was made on our part to sample authentic Vietnamese food when we were in Ho Chi Minh. I guess it was because we were focused on ticking off the places we’ve listed on our itinerary to actually care about where and what to eat. XDD
It’s a Milk Bar, or at least that’s what the sign says
After leaving the War Remnants Museum at a bit past noon, we were feeling the heat as we were walking the streets towards the Independence Palace. And then we stumbled on this charming looking place right across a school where some kids and teens in uniforms were flocking.
The place is called Milkbar, which sells “Familk Inside”, and I remember posting about it on Instagram, then the Familkbar company commenting on it, which aaaaahhh, warmed my heart. 🙂
So we took a peek and saw that Tripadvisor recommendation sign, then decided to give it a try.
I think it’s adorable how they serve milk-based products, considering that they are right across an elementary and high school, instead of selling coffee. And their cakes look sooooo yummy!
There were tables in the dining room inside and on the mezzanine of the milk bar, but we opted to go al fresco and occupied one of the tables on their outdoor patio.
Which was quite problematic at the time, since there was another table occupied by two ladies who seemed busy trying to outdo one another in smoking a joint. So. Yeah. Cigarette smoke kinda ruining the mood a bit.
But the place still looked so nice.
Unfortunately, we had a late breakfast back at the hotel, and we were planning on getting some lunch a bit later, so eating something dessert-y was not such a good idea at the time. We were, however, looking for some refreshment, so that’s what we ordered.
If I remember correctly, one of us ordered Long Island Iced Tea, and Passion Fruit Latte. Mine was the one on the far right, the Umeboshi Kumquat Latte.
You can check out Milk Bar of Ho Chi Minh on Facebook on their page right here. Or read some reviews on Tripadvisor right here.
Adding Spring to our Rolls… or something…
What do you know, the lattes we had were quite filling, so we decided not to go for anything heavy for lunch.
Which was fine, because compared to the spring rolls we had back in our cruise on Halong Bay, the spring rolls that we had on another roadside open restaurant (also along the same street as Milkbar), was a bit of a letdown.
I made one discovery, though: I LOVE TAMARIND ON MY DRINKS. On my cold drinks.
It’s Pho, for sure!
When we came back to the City from our Cu Ci Tunnels visit, we just randomly picked a place to eat at close to the night market. Actually, not too randomly, because we just picked the place that seemed to have lots of customers. It’s called Pho 2000.
So it’s on the second floor of a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf branch, and it’s like a fastfood that serves Pho. Good pho, if I may add.
Apparently, it’s recommended by Vietnam Guide. And it is where US President Bill Clinton had his first taste of pho, and he was so impressed by it.
Get that Italian Buzz….a!
This was an accidental find.
It was quite late into the evening already, and we were looking for a place to have dinner. And it seemed that most places are now closed!
So we just walked. And walked. And walked the streets. Until we saw a place that was still lit up and open. It’s called Buzza Pizza.
The facade looked soooo attractive, and so… Italian. I dunno, I just felt like that!
When you enter, there are brick ovens on the side, and that is where they bake their Neapolitan pizzas. The dining area is upstairs, on the second level.
And it was quite packed! So we thought, ok, this place must be good!
It looked so clean, too, and the serving staff look so proper and friendly at the same time.
So we thought they were slightly pricier than the ones we’ve tried so far, but not by too much, and I think the ambiance, cleanliness, maintenance and overall aesthetic of the place somehow merited that.
I wasn’t kidding when I said this trip made me fall in love with mojito. Just as my trip to Japan introduced me to my much-loved chuhai, Vietnam introduced me to mojito.
That’s why I ordered their Buzza Mojito.
Since this is a pizza place, we had to try their pizza, and this came highly recommended, their Gorgonzola pizza, which has mozzarella, gorgonzola, parmesan cheese, and cream.
And I forgot the exact type and name of the pasta, sorry. If I’m not mistaken, it has seafood and tomatoes in it. But both are hits. Thumbs up!!
Check out Buzza Pizza’s official webpage (in Vietnamese, tho) or their Facebook page.
Food everywhere!
If you’re worried where to eat, you won’t find a shortage of it especially if you’re around the area surrounding the Ben Thanh market. There are lots of places to eat at, depending on your preferences.
And, of course, Burger King.
So our last meal before leaving Ho Chi Minh and going back home to the Philippines was the uncomplicated Burger King. Haha!
We tried dropping by McDonald’s for takeout, but the place was packed, so we walked towards our hotel, thinking we’d pick any random place going there.
But we did not consider the fact that the evening crowd was something to contend with, especially in a very touristy part of town. The places were mostly serving booze at that time instead of any proper dinner or supper.
And that’s how we ended up at Burger King, which was just a couple of blocks before our hotel.
So there you have it! I know there are some people that worry about what to eat when they go to a new place, especially if they have special restrictions or strict preferences when it comes to their diet. What this post proves, I hope, is that there is something for everyone in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh, just like in Hanoi.
This makes me even more excited about eating different types of food in my upcoming trip. I’ve even drawn up a list and everything. *is hyped*
And this ends my Vietnam series of travel posts. I’m glad I got to get a glimpse of this beautiful country, and I definitely wouldn’t say no for another chance to visit it again. Although, by that time, I think I want to go back to Hanoi… or visit Hue, which I heard is even more beautiful. Soon. Maybe.
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