Bun Cha

Sometimes you have meals that change your life from how delicious they are. Others change your life from how different and cool they are. Today’s post is about one of the delicious ones. I've had a couple of those throughout Asia, and I love the fact that I've been able to experience them. I knew that I was going to eat amazing food, but I was definitely not prepared for some of the meals that I've had. There are three meals that I can name off the top of my head, and those are the Xia Long Bao at Din Tai Fung from a couple of weeks ago, the Ramen at Ippudo, and now the Bun Cha at Bun Cha Dac Kim.  

My recent trip to Hanoi Vietnam landed me at this popular restaurant. Places in Vietnam are known for what they do best, and only serving that. At this place, that plate is Bun Cha. Bun Cha is a type of vermicelli noodle soup dish served with grilled pork that is very interactive. People come for just that dish and there will definitely be a waiting queue. It moves fast though. And please do not expect the service to be good, because sadly, it doesn't have to be. People come anyway, and the staff has this figured out.

As I sat down, I prepared myself to have one of the better meals in the city (as I had heard from many locals). I sat down and ordered a Bun Cha, which costs 90,000 Dong (or $4.50), and waited for my food. Three minutes later, the waitress started bringing small plates of food. I thought this would be a dish, but it is actually something you have to prepare for yourself. She began by bringing a large plate of herbs, which included mint, cilantro, lettuce, and thyme. She also brought a plate of garlic and chili pepper, and a plate of melon soaking in a fish sauce and a vinegar mixture. Lastly came the large plate of vermicelli noodles and grilled pork patties in a broth.

Basically, the person eating the dish begins by putting some noodles on their plate and seasoning it however they please with what they are given. They add the pork patties/bacon at the end, mix it up, and that’s about it. It sounds pretty simple and anti-climatic, but the blending of flavors and textures is incredible. You can tell that these people do bun cha the way it is supposed to be made, and the fact that they don’t over complicate things is what makes them so successful. It’s a revelatory dish that I know I’m going to be craving very soon.

Just when you think you can’t be any happier, the waitress comes back with a plate piled with Cha Nem (egg rolls). These egg rolls are filled with crab, and they are perfectly fried. The texture is incredible, making them the best egg rolls I have ever eaten in my life. I don’t know exactly what it was that made these egg rolls better than previous ones, but I cannot see this simple dish being any better. It’s just something you have to experience for yourself to understand.

The lines to be able to even get inside this place only speak for themselves. On top of that, the fact that the employees have everything down to a science make the restaurant downright impressive. If I were to only have one meal in Vietnam over and over again, it would be this one and I would not complain. I miss you already Dac Kim, and I can’t wait until I get to experience you again.

  

Ramen Love

As you can probably tell by this blog, I've loved all my food experiences in Asia. Some places serve better food than others, some countries have cuisines which interest me more, and some experiences I've had at some places are just unforgettable. But out of all the countries I've visited so far, I can honestly say that nothing tops Chinese cuisine. Not that I didn't like the food at other places, but they just don’t compare for me.

On the other hand, you sometimes find dishes in other countries that they just do better than anywhere else. For example, the fried chicken in Thailand has no equal. Such was the case with the soups in Japan, more specifically the ramen. I absolutely loved the ramen, and found myself eating it 5 out of the 6 days that I was there. They were all delicious but I will show you my favorite three.  

 

I ate this ramen in Osaka on my first night there. It was a huge portion, but it did not stop me from finishing. Although nothing in this specific ramen was the best individually, it made a very complete dish and my second favorite ramen overall.

This ramen is the one I ate in Nara. It had the best soft boiled egg out of all the ramen I had, but the broth was a bit salty. Again, this did not stop me from downing the whole bowl.

I saved the best for last. This is the Akamara special Ramen from Ippudo. This ramen house was highly recommended to me by different people, so I knew I had to make my way here. It doesn't look like much, but this is the best ramen I had during my whole trip. The broth was perfectly seasoned, the pork belly was probably the best tasting piece of pig I've ever had, and all the noodles were perfectly tender. I’d be surprised to find a better ramen sometime in my lifetime. It was definitely worth the walk here.

Overall, I fell in love with ramen. Although the food in Japan has been my least favorite of the food from all the countries in Asia I have visited, I could eat this dish every day of my life. I can’t wait to go back.

Dumpling Making

During my trip to Xi’an, I stayed at an incredible hostel. This hostel was extremely clean and had an incredible staff. They did everything to cater to their guests, which is very atypical of a hostel. On of the things that they did that stood out though, was hold special dumpling making classes on a specific night. Obviously, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to make dumplings, so I made sure to attend this class.

When I walked into the class, there was a plate on table with the prepared dough and a couple of condiments on the table. I would have liked to make the dough from scratch, but I can see how this may have caused an issue with the staff. The consistency is hard to get, and besides, the mess made by the people taking the class would be incredible.

The condiments presented were garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, salt, and rice vinegar. Next to that was a plate of diced up scallions. Apparently, the class was making pork and scallion dumplings. This did not faze me in the slightly, since I love this filling for dumplings.

After introductions, and some history lessons, the teacher took out a very fatty plate of pork. This is of utter importance when making a flavorful dumpling. Fat equals flavor, so you know these had to be good.

The teacher taught the class how to season the pork and roll out the dough to make the dumplings. Then, she taught us how to fill the dumplings and close them. I’ll tell you one thing, this is a tedious job which I will never again take for granted. People who make dumplings must have all the patience in the world. It turned out being really fun at the end.

When the class was done, the teacher took our dumplings to the back to steam. Twenty minutes later, came a pizza tray full of dumplings for the students. They weren't the prettiest dumplings, but they were mine. I was proud of them, and the fact that I formed them made them so much more satisfying.

At the end of the day, this was a wonderful experience. It was a great opportunity to engage in the chance to make one of the most popular foods when it comes to Chinese cuisine. I learned a lot, and look forward to experiencing this again.

Ramen Love

As you can probably tell by this blog, I've loved all my food experiences in Asia. Some places serve better food than others, some countries have cuisines which interest me more, and some experiences I've had at some places are just unforgettable. But out of all the countries I've visited so far, I can honestly say that nothing tops Chinese cuisine. Not that I didn't like the food at other places, but they just don’t compare for me. 

On the other hand, you sometimes find dishes in other countries that they just do better than anywhere else. For example, the fried chicken in Thailand has no equal. Such was the case with the soups in Japan, more specifically the ramen. I absolutely loved the ramen, and found myself eating it 5 out of the 6 days that I was there. They were all delicious but I will show you my favorite three. 

I ate this ramen in Osaka on my first night there. It was a huge portion, but it did not stop me from finishing. Although nothing in this specific ramen was the best individually, it made a very complete dish and my second favorite ramen overall.

This ramen is the one I ate in Nara. It had the best soft boiled egg out of all the ramen I had, but the broth was a bit salty. Again, this did not stop me from downing the whole bowl.

I saved the best for last. This is the Akamara special Ramen from Ippudo. This ramen house was highly recommended to me by different people, so I knew I had to make my way here. It doesn’t look like much, but this is the best ramen I had during my whole trip. The broth was perfectly seasoned, the pork belly was probably the best tasting piece of pig I’ve ever had, and all the noodles were perfectly tender. I’d be surprised to find a better ramen sometime in my lifetime. It was definitely worth the walk here.

            Overall, I fell in love with ramen. Although the food in Japan has been my least favorite of the food from all the countries in Asia I have visited, I could eat this dish every day of my life. I can’t wait to go back.

Torikizoku Izakaya

An izakaya is a very traditional part of Japanese culture. Basically, it’s a very small place about the width of a walking closet that has a bar and a place for a chef to grill some yakitori (grilled food on sticks) and make some other traditional drinking food. It’s a place that is meant for locals to go and unwind after a long day of work, drink some cheap beer, and have lots and lots of food.

            After asking the owner of my hostel where I should go for some food one night in Kyoto, he directed me towards a place called Torikizoku. Now, this place was a little bigger than your standard Izakaya, but it was the same concept. It felt more like an Izakaya mixed with a sports bar concept. It was very hip, and I have a feeling that this place might actually be a chain spread throughout Japan.

            Anyway, I came here and started off with a beer. The food and drinks here are cheap and made to order, so I sat down to wait for my food to be prepared. I was able to try three dishes, and they were all delicious.

 First came out the kara-age. Kara-age is basically a battered and fried piece of food, and mine happened to be chicken. It was perfectly seasoned and fried, and like always with fried chicken, I managed to burn the inside of my mouth for not waiting. It was worth it though.

            Next I got to try Sunazuri-Shio, which is grilled chicken gizzards. This was a form of takoyaki, so it was traditional. They know their way around gizzards in Japan, and this place was no different. I wouldn't recommend them to someone who isn't adventurous with food though, as the texture could be chewy to some.

 Lastly, I was served an updated version of a classic chicken takoyaki. It was called Mune Demi Miso Cheese-yaki, which was barbequed chicken breast covered in cheese and then covered in a demi sauce. It was very good, but I regret not sticking to more traditional preparations of takoyaki.

Overall, the izakaya experience was a wonderful one. I got to spend a few hours at a fun place that was designed to bring the Japanese culture in a new way. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Kyoto, and I look forward to coming again.

Kai-Ten Sushi

When I decided to go to Japan during my study abroad session, I knew one of the things I had to do was go to a Kai-Ten sushi restaurant. For those who don’t know, this is what the Japanese call conveyor belt sushi. The sushi chef basically just makes plates and plates of sushi (sashimi, maki rolls, nigiri, etc) and places them on a conveyor belt. The patrons of the restaurant then go on to eat as much as they want and are charged by the number of plates they ate at the end. Different colored plates have different prices, so that’s how one would know what they are eating.

            Kai-Ten Sushi is not the best sushi you are going to find. But still, it is very cheap compared to great sushi and still incredible by American standards. I frequent sushi restaurants in Miami and the quality of this sushi surpassed most restaurants back home. Although I was not able to make it to a “good” sushi restaurant in Japan due to time and money constraints, I am happy that I got to experience sushi in this form.

Due to the fact that I did not want this to be my only meal for the night, I only ended up getting four plates. It may seem like a little, but each plate actually brings two pieces. This was actually a substantial enough meal to keep me full for a couple of hours, and it was relatively cheap for what I got. I got to try the mackerel nigiri, the unagi nigiri, the crab salad maki, and the inari. I had tried all of these before except for the inari. The inari is a pouch of fried tofu filled with rice. It was seasoned with some sweet sauces, and I actually enjoyed it a lot. My favorite piece of sushi though was the unagi, but that’s because I’m a big fan of this ingredient.

 Overall, the experience lived up to what I had imagined. It was fun and not too pretentious. It was a great way to start my night and lead me to some other food adventures in Japan.