Thursday Aidan had a bad cold so he mostly stayed at the hotel to rest. We did get out to see the nearby history museum. Then for dinner, Mike, Maya and I were met by two students, Nha and Thuong, from Saigon Hotpot, an organization that provides free tours. We decided it would be fun to do a night food tour. So our guides ordered us a Grab (Vietnamese Uber) and we travelled to District 3 for some "Vietnamese pizza" and ate on the street on the tiny plastic chairs that are ubiquitous in Vietnam. The "pizza" is made with a rice paper base and then is coated with egg and various toppings. Our guides told us it is very popular in Vietnam! Then we walked to a local restaurant for banh xeo, a savoury pancake. We were the only tourists in the restaurant, so it felt very authentic. Our last stop was a restaurant for dessert. We tried a lotus seed dish, which had almonds and rose flavoured jelly floating in it, as well as coconut jelly served in a coconut and caramel custard (much like creme caramel). Our guides very very gracious and spoke excellent English. Again we tried to tip them, but they only accepted a donation for charity. Like Hanoi Kids, we would highly recommend Saigon Hotpot for an inexpensive and authentic Vietnamese experience. Here are some photos from our night food tour.
Food stand, where "Vietnamese pizza" is being made
We cut it up with scissors
Our guides, Nha and Thuong, both university students (again with educated parents)
Thuong and Carol about to dig in
We also tried some pork meatballs
Here we are sitting on the street
Next stop a local restaurant serving banh xeo
A large savour pancake filled with pork, shrimp and heart of palm and served with herbs, lettuce and collard greens and dipping sauce - yummy!
Next stop dessert
Maya ordered coconut jelly which came in a coconut
We also had a caramel custard and lotus seed dessert which tasted like roses (like Turkish delight)
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