Saigon - Scooters, Frogs and Cocktails

One of my most enjoyable evenings in Saigon recently had me go out for a evening scooter tour of the city. It was so much fun! As you may know, there are a good few motorcycles to be found in Ho Chi Minh City, and although the traffic is awful for locals it can be quite an amazing experience for visitors. So when the opportunity came along for me to join the throngs and go out on the back of a Vespa motorbike I was in! Wiihooo!

Enfys on a Vespa

After being picked up at 6pm by my trusty driver off I went to join a group of seven others and together we would spend the evening going between small bars and wonderful local restaurants.

Vespa gang

There were no menus, and no choice of food was given as each place provided a local delicacy or local dish which it specialized in. After looking over the available ingredients, which included a range of shellfish, crabs and frogs etc. we were served an amazing range of beautifully prepared noodles and shellfish soup; and that was just at the fist restaurant!

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After our first 'course' we hopped back on the bike and zoomed across town to a bar for a refreshing cocktail, and I enjoyed a lovely Mojito! Lush. After the quick break off we went again, this time stopping at an amazing local pancake street-restaurant. I have never seen a place quite like it! Surrounded by metal tables and a sea of blue plastic chairs locals seemed to be enjoying the most beautiful prawn and salad pancakes I have seen. The simple kitchen was run by two (seemingly heat-proof) ladies who masterfully wielded a number of saucepans and batter above their relentless flaming stoves.

Cooking time

We all watched for a while before being ushered to our table and served an amazing spread of delicious crispy, salty, fresh seafood pancakes. Our guide explained how to prepare and enjoy each mouthful, and told what to wrap in what order. Apparently there is a fine art in creating the perfect mouthful, which I am not sure any of us really mastered, but we thoroughly enjoyed trying anyway!

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After finishing our meal, which included not only pancakes but also a never ending supply of drinks, fried spring rolls, fresh spring rolls, and bbq beef we finally finished - stuffed but happy. Time then to get back on the bike to a small cafe for a local coffee before finishing at a local disco! Fun!!

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