Outdoors hum and street life
One thing that fascinates me about the Pham Ngu Lao backpacker area of this city is the way the tourists and the local expats who choose to live in the precinct, rarely venture far away from the rectangle confined by Pham Ngu Lao street, Bui Vien street, De Tham street and Cong Quynh street.

You see many tourists venture out on foot or by bike or cab from Pham Ngu Lao along the corridor of PNL via Le Lai street to the city centre, or Ben Thanh market, etc. But very few actually venture on foot away from that confined rectangle to explore things just a few metres further on. Or if they do (see below) they remain unadventurous about eating Vietnamese.

One boundary street, parallel to De Tham, with Sacombank, where many tourists go to do their money exchange, on the corner, is Nguyen Thai Hoc street. This is a huge drag that takes all traffic coming from District 4, District 7 and Phu My Hung, into the city.

Across this big 6 lane boulevard from the PNL precinct, is a chain of several eateries all open in the evenings only, all catering to a huge Vietnamese clientele, all creeping their plastic chairs and tables out onto the 20 m. wide footpath (until regular cop checks force them back indoors temporarily).

Quan An Gia Dinh Bao is one of these.

Family restaurant Bao.

It is not huge, though it does have a deck floor, so when full - with full footpath occupancy - can seat some 100 people or so. I go there regularly to sit on the footpath, enjoy the outdoor ambience which is just superb, as the traffic relentlessly surges by, the patrons arrive in greater numbers as the night progresses, with many emerging from bars and discos to gather here late at night to eat and drink in merriment.

The food is plain simple Vietnamese, no frills. Beers are cold and cheap. Plenty on ice. Street hawkers ensure you can augment your food with peanuts, quail eggs, fruit, etc., as well.

The atmosphere is hum, and for my tastes, this is the real Vietnam. Very few foreigners pause to sit and sup. Quite a few walk by, faces reflecting bewilderment, or at least uncertainty. More travel guides need to include places like this, to allay visitors' fears.

The food is excellent. My favourites are Basa fish roasted in alfoil on hot coals, and a meatloaf dish I've never encountered elsewhere, called cha dam. This is like the meatloaf mother never made, loaf style minced meat with all sorts of wonderful flavours, including, like raisins in a fruit cake, an array of black pepper corns. Delicious.

Travellers beAware! Don't be afraid of such eateries in this city. Give it a try. Don't just walk by agog.    [11 Jul 2007 09:33:57]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: ca Ba Sa nuong; cha dam.

     ­ian