HCM Hangover

Not Bad, But ...

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... I've never been a huge fan of Asian sweet soup desserts. This was reminiscent of a Chinese-style chilled dessert soup - wonderfully-refreshing on a hot, humid night, but not something I'd eat on a regular basis.

Roasted Pork For Breakfast at Mia's Buffet ...

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... sort of Chinese-style, but served with rice noodles that had been formed into pancakes, lightly sauced with nuoc cham, and then combined with fresh basil, mint, and other assorted herbs. A surprisingly light breakfast dish, considering the presence of such fatty pork.

Dense Pancakes ...

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... in addition to Mia's extensive buffet, diners are allowed to choose an a la carte item off of the menu - these pancakes looked phenomenal, but turned out to be far too heavy. The spiced, poached pears lighten things up a bit, but the side dish of yogurt added to the heaviness of the dish.

Much Better Than the Pancakes ....

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... Vietnamese-style grilled pork ribs with egg. Tender, juicy, and fatty ... mmmm ... too bad the ribs were a bit bland.

Green Goddess Bowl ...

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... Mia had a nice selection of smoothie bowls topped with fresh fruit - this one with dragon fruit, melon, mango, and slivered almonds, amongst other fruit. Good, but extremely filling - though that didn't stop us from gorging on the rest of the buffet!

So Frothy, So Fine ...

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... yet another excellent Vietnamese coffee. The way some places froth it up results in an exceptional coffee, lightning up the thick, rich body that is typical of a Vietnamese coffee.

The Easy Way to Determine Pho Authenticity ...

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... is to look for the inclusion of sriracha and hoisin sauce. The Vietnamese would never add that stuff! One of the few knocks on the food at Sandals restaurant, and a reminder that for all the excellent food on offer, it's not always the most authentic.

Assorted Vietnamese Foods ...

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... the banh mi, a Vietnamese sub, was good but wasn't the best we've ever had - but to be able to get it at a breakfast buffet? Frickin' brilliant! The great thing about Mia's breakfast buffet was that always included a make-yourself element - such as the sate beef, which we think we were to either eat with rice noodles or rice rolls, and the obligatory fresh herbs and nuoc cham.

Pricey Drinks ...

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... staying at a resort like Mia, you need to be prepared for the near-western level pricing. The drinks seemed to be priced disproportionately higher than the food.

Fantastic Fusion ...

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... the texture was a bit tough, but the soy-glazed pork belly was excellent, and the combination of the Asian flavours with the pesto sauce on top was an unexpectedly-successful marriage of flavours. The morning glory was perfectly cooked - crispy and not soggy, and may have been even better than the pork. On their own, the lightly-dressed noodles would be terribly plain, but were the perfect accompaniment on this dish, balancing out the strong flavours.

Pork and Shrimp Burger ...

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... the brioche bun was a bit too soggy, perhaps acting as a sponge in the 90% humidity. Luckily, the fries stayed nicely crispy! Obviously, this wasn't the most Vietnamese of meals, but was excellent nonetheless - the chefs at Mia very deftly combine Asian flavours with western dishes.

More Special Tea ...

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... upon arrival at Mia, we were greeted with a cold, refreshing glass of their special tea, infused with lemongrass and ginger, and sweetened with honey. It was so good that we kept requesting it at the restaurant, despite the fact that it was not officially on the menu. The Vietnamese coffee continues to surprise and impress - we've yet to have a bad cup anywhere in Vietnam.

Only in Vietnam ...

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... do you find Vietnamese-style coffee filters in hotel rooms! There's something eminently enjoyable about being able to make your own Vietnamese coffee in an artisan ceramic coffee filter, in the comfort of your luxury hotel room in Vietnam!

Blue Crabs at Bibo ...

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... there are a number of seafood shacks along the area's beaches - the appeal is that you can pick whatever fresh seafood you want from the tanks, and have it prepared however you like.

Steamed Lemon Grass Clams ...

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... good, but not as good as what we had in HCMC - while these were supposed to be steamed, it ended up being more like a soup! The flavours weren't as pronounced as the HCMC dish, but the quality of the clams here was just a little bit better.

No Longer Blue ...

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... the crabs were steamed and seasoned simply with the mixture of salt, pepper, and calamansi juice that we've come to love Good, but not quite as enjoyable to eat when there aren't girls in ao dai peeling them for us!

Half and Half ...

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... we went with one lobster, half grilled with garlic butter, and the other half in a Vietnamese chili sauce. Extremely expensive by local standards, at $25 USD - they charge a premium for both lobster and crab, presumably because it's mostly foreigners ordering these items.

Incredibly-Cheap Grilled Scallops ...

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... seasoned with spring onion, fish sauce, and peanuts. If you stay away from the lobster and crab, you can eat for next-to-nothing at the seafood shacks near Mui Ne - this platter of scallops was $2 USD, as was our bowl of clams.

Always Eating in Mui Ne ...

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... to balance the high prices of alcoholic drinks at the resort, we took full advantage of the happy hour. Though we only wanted a drink, snacks magically appeared like these peanuts, wasabi nuts, and fried chunks of taro. It was a good thing that they included some nibbles - the drinks were STRONG, tasting like there were about 3-4 shots of alcohol in them. Guess they were expensive for a reason!