Travel Post - White Rose , Hoi An, Vietnam - Part 9

"White Rose (Banh Bao Banh Vac), a type of shrimp dumpling made from translucent white dough bunched up to look like a rose.
The recipe for these dumplings is a secret, held by one family in Hoi An who supplies all the restaurants.  At 533, Hai Ba Trung Street, Tran Tuan Ngai is a third generation secret keeper of the traditional white rose recipe".

We read these words on the printed menu with much excitement.  We had planned to make a stop at Lo Banh Bao Banh Vac (White Rose Restaurant),  to have a taste of the famous white rose. There are only two items on the menu at this shop, the other being Hoi An Pizza (VND100,000/USD5/ RM20) or Fried Wonton (Hoanh Thanh Chien) "Resembling tortillas due to their large size, these crispy wontons are filled with shrimp and topped with a tomato roulade".

We opted for just an order of the White Rose (VND70,000/USD3.50/ RM14) as we had to leave room for more food since our food quest was still in the early stage for the day!

It did look rather pretty, I could see why they call it White Rose.  Biting into one after dipping it into the light tangy dip, I wasn't particularly awed by the taste but was more intrigued with what was inside.  Apart from the shrimp, I couldn't pin the ingredients down.   It was similar to "gau chi" - turnip with dried shrimps translucent skin dumpling back in Malaysia and there's even a variety with chives too.  In my opinion, I rate the Malaysian "gau chi" better in taste and the White Rose better in looks! However, having said that... one must try the White Rose when in Hoi An.. just because! Then you can say "I ate a White Rose!".

Travel Post - Nuong Nieu BBQ Hoi An, Vietnam - Part 8

A quick short post ... was busy filling up the income tax form! Hahaha... During one of the few nights when we visited the night market, we wandered around looking for a dinner spot.  We came across Nuong Nieu, a no frills BBQ joint.  It was quite packed with locals and we thought that we should eat where the locals eat!  Sitting by the sidewalk, with a little table and on little chairs, a small charcoal grill was placed beside us. We ordered from a simple picture menu - bacon, prawns, eggplant and we could not resist ordering our first bowl of Cao Lau from the stall next door.

Good decision to nurse the stomach first with the noodles as the BBQ would need some time and work to get the food cooked!.  Having no basis of comparison for the Cao Lau (noodles made with rice flour, water and ASHES from firewood, see pic of fresh Cao Lau from my visit to the market earlier HERE) , I ate the noodles with a bit of apprehension for the fact that I was eating something with ashes! We found the noodles alright, no wow factor to it.  The noodles has tiny grey specks (presumably the ashes) and is served with slices of pork, lots of vegetables and small deep fried wantan skin with a little bit of soya pork broth.  As we expected more satisfaction from the national dish of Hoi An, TT made it a point to lead us to another spot later on in the trip, hopefully for a delicious bowl of Cao Lau, more on that trip in another post! :o)