Back Alley Dinner

Taking a random turn or two off of Saigon's main roads is likely to put you in a labrynthine tangle of small, narrow streets. They're tucked away from the bustle and steady purr of motorbikes racing over the main roads. Like every other corner you turn in Saigon, there's incredible food to be found here, and a lot of times it's offered from the front room of someone's home. The place we chose served one dish: pho, the widely popular noodle dish in Vietnam served with beef or chicken. The biggest difference between southern (Saigon) and northern (Hanoi) variations is the inclusion of bean sprouts. They're left out of pho in Hanoi. The BAD (back alley dinner) we stumbled upon was one of the most humbling eating experiences so far.

These condiments were all on the table: fresh chilies, kumquats, hoisin, sweet and sour chili, and chili paste.

A plate of fresh basils and cilantro is brought to the table shortly after you sit down. The small bowls are full of salt and pepper, to which you add the juice of one or two kumquats and make a paste to dip the beef.

The assembly line. Your choice of noodle (three options on the right) is blanched in a pot of simmering water (middle) and then topped with beef and broth.

The pho had that intense, rich, soul warming flavor common in food that's been simmering all day. The long cooking process starts in the early afternoon and is ready by nightfall, which is why pho is a such a popular night food. It would make sense to enjoy the "stew" on a cold, winter night with a glass of Burgundy, but the back alleys of Vietnam know no winter, and the ice cold, refreshing nuoc mia (sugarcane juice) is preferred to the Grand Cru's of eastern France.