Vietnam Forever Changed Me…
Are your ready for it to change you…
Day 1
1.We will start our morning with a plate of Cơm Tấm, the classic, pork heavy, broken rice dish of Saigon. Here we will also taste multiple kinds of “Canh” which is a type of side soup always served with rice. This category of soup is broad and here we will taste more of the complex variations.
2.After breakfast we will do a quick coffee tasting at 2 different locations. We will taste the classic Cà Phê Sữa Đá “Iced Milk Coffee” made with a Phin “Vietnamese Coffee Filter” and the new style produced with an espresso machine to experience the difference and how the coffee culture is changing on the street.
3.From there we will travel to Ms. Lua”s home to have a large tasting session to quickly get you familiar with the flavors and ingredients of Vietnam. We will enjoy a tasting of 10 different varieties of fruit, a tasting of every common to the less common herbs of Vietnam, a tasting of every noodle commonly used in the cuisine and a tasting of different qualities of fish sauce. From these ingredients we will learn how to make Nước Chấm the most popular dipping sauce in the country and you will learn how to make and roll your own Gỏi Cuốn, The classic and refreshing summer roll. This is intended to be the fastest most intense tasting experience to get your palate up to speed with unique flavors and textures of Vietnam.
4. After this tasting we will head off to enjoy a bowl of Bún Mắm , the sweet and funky soup the southern Mekong area is known for. Filled with seafood, crispy pork and many unique and bitter vegetables, this unique flavor is something that you have to experience while here.
5.I’ll give a you a short break to digest and relax before dinner. We can drop you off at your hotel, a cafe or a more touristy spot in District 1 if you want to see the sights.
6. This meal will be focused on wrapping, which is one of my favorite ways to eat in Vietnam. We will wrap and enjoy Bánh Xèo “Vietnamese Crepes,” Bánh Khọt, “Crispy Fritters,” Chả Giò “Spring Rolls,” and Bánh Chống “Savory Cup Cakes”
7. We will end our first night with a cup of Chè “Sweet Soup” although I think of it more as a pudding. This is the most popular dessert in Vietnam and this vendor is extremely delicious.
Day 2
1. This morning will start with the best bowl of Phở Bò I have ever tasted served in a very unique way.
2. From there will head towards a private cooking class where we will prepare a 3 course lunch. This class will be designed to teach you extremely popular family dishes while also giving you ideas of how to utilize these dish concepts and techniques with your own cooking when you return home to your kitchen. I want you to leave this class not just knowing how to cook 3 new dishes but for it to completely change your thinking process when making a meal.
3. After that we will head of to enjoy the most refreshing drink in the world Nước Mía “Fresh Squeezed Sugar Cane Juice.”
4. It’s time to eat again with a snack of Huế Dumplings. This will allow us to taste all of the unique textures of the different flours used in Vietnam, Rice, Sticky Rice, and Tapioca. Used individually and in combination they create a range of textures from chewy and gummy too soft and tender.
5. It’s break time again, digest and recoup at you hotel, cafe or tourist location to see the sights.
6. You must be hungry by now, let’s try a lesser known dish from the central area. Mì Quảng is sometimes served as a soup and sometimes can be presented somewhere closer to a salad with just a tiny bit of broth regardless of the style, this dish is one of my favorites and one of the most diverse vendor to vendor.
7. To satisfy that sweet tooth Flan was something brought by the french but adapted to the Vietnamese palette and is know a very popular dessert commonly served with crushed ice and black coffee. The best vendors will serve it wit coconut milk as well. We will be able to try a vendor who does a variety of unique flavors.
Day 3
1. Our morning starts off with a bowl of Bún Bò Huế. A soup originally created for royalty, slightly spicy, flavored with lemongrass and shrimp paste. This is probably the second most popular soup in Vietnam, but in my mind deserves the number 1 spot.
2. After breakfast we will move on to try 2 unique coffee preparations. Cà Phê Trứng, “Egg Coffee” and Cà Phê Kem Muối “Salted Cream Coffee.” Both of these preparations pair the bitter black coffee with a sweet and rich component one being a sweetened egg yolk mousse the other being a slightly salted whipped cream.
3. Just in time for when you might have the slightest thought of being hungry we will move on to a lunch to one of my favorite dishes from the north. Bún Chả, ”Grilled Pork” Nem Cua “Crab Spring Rolls” and Bánh Tôm “Shrimp Fritters.” All three of these dishes are served with a very unique service style and are paired with the most delicate and light fish sauce preparation in the country. There will also be some unique salted drinks to taste here as well.
4. The is a lot of food ahead of us so we will swing by District 5 to enjoy a warm herbal Tea that helps with digestion.
5. It’s time for a snack. We will swing by to pick up what i think is the best banh mi I have ever had and have a little picnic in the park.
6. I think we will all need a break after this food filled morning, plus we have to get ready for dinner. Enjoy a break at your hotel or we can drop you off at any desired location in District 1
7. It’s time for Dinner and we will head, to one of my favorite districts to one of my favorite streets to experience a Quán Nhậu. A food experience in Vietnam would not be complete with feeling the atmosphere of a “Drinking Restaurant.” In my view these are characterized by being big, busy, huge menus and with varieties of beer just an “Em Ơi” away. We will try a large variety of dishes here to encompass the whole experience and everything you have learned and tasted so far
8.After we feast here we will walk down one of the best food streets in the city to satisfy everybody’s sweet tooth with a variety of snacks from the vendors.
Cost Per Person $960
Whats Included-
-All Food and Drink (including alcohol) for the entire 3 day experience.
-Me as your personal eating companion
-A private air conditioned vehicle for all transportation including hotel and pickup and drop-off (In districts 1,3,4,5,2,7 )
-During your 3 day experience you will have access to an assistant for any help you may need with translations or planning your next steps
More Details…
-Group Size 11 pax max
-Ever day will have a pickup time around 8am depending on your hotel location
-Our ending time will be different everyday depending on how the night goes, I would assume most days would end around 8pm
-After dinner we can drop you off at your hotel or at any bar / cafe you prefer
-Almost every dish comes with zero or very little chili, which allows you to control your own heat level
-We will be eating at all types of eating establishments from stools on the street to “nicer” air conditioned restaurants, this means that we will encounter bathrooms of varying quality
-It’s possible that we may encounter some of the smaller stools, we will do our best to stack them if you have trouble bending, but you may have to stand for short periods of time if you can not sit that low.
-The current menu has 3 locations with stairs, if you are unable to get up and down them easily you may need to sit at a table downstairs separate from the main group as some restaurants force larger groups to certain areas.
-As some vendors are on the smaller side there may be times we have to wait for a table to open up.
- I have specifically planned this menu out so that we do not go to the major spots that the majority of the popular “motorbike food tours” are going too. If you have the time booking a motorbike tour the day before or the day after our time is highly recommended. I think everyone should experience what it’s like to be on a bike while in Saigon.
-For this experience I am unable to accommodate most food restrictions, If you have major restrictions we can organize a private single day or half day experience for your group
-The menu above is a guideline and is subject to change at my discretion.
Who is this for?
-Are you cool, do you love food…This is for you
Who is this tour not for?
-If your worried about “the ice” or will be concerned about people not wearing gloves this is not for you.
-We are at the mercy of the vendors, the traffic and the city itself if you need everything to be “just right” this is not for you. Things often go wrong or are not as expected in Vietnam, but luckily the city is robust and there is an endless array of incredible things to taste. When in Vietnam going with the flow is key, look no further than the traffic.
For future dates,
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