Our first order of business in HCMC was to eat pho and lots of it. So for our first Vietnamese meal we headed to Nha Hang Ngon which offers classic street food flavors in a refurbished French villa. Reminiscent of Singapore’s famed hawker centers, Nha Hang Ngon features dozens of food stalls, each specializing in […]
Destinations
Modern Xinjiang Barbecue at Xibo, Shanghai
A few weeks ago, friends suggested we meet for dinner at this new barbecue joint called Xibo. We gamely showed up expecting pulled-pork sandwiches and hamburgers. But what we found was so much better. With a stunning rooftop location, Xibo specializes in modern Xinjiang cuisine. This hearty, comforting food comes from the northwestern reaches of […]
A Taoist Temple in Pudong, Shanghai
The other day I was running errands – in Pudong of all places – and when I exited Yuanshen metro station I saw a massive temple directly across the street. Marked on my dog-eared city map as a Confucian Temple, I went inside to investigate. What I found was a vast and ornately decorated Taoist […]
Snapshot: A Shanghai Street Market
When our visiting friends wanted a taste of the “real” China, I took them to the Dajing Lu market in the old section of town. My mom and I stumbled upon this lively locale when we were hunting for the remnants of Shanghai’s old city wall and I knew it would deliver local flavor in spades. […]
Over the Moon for Mooncakes
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a celebration of the fall harvest and an important event on the lunar calendar. The festivities include dragon dances, glowing lanterns, incense and, perhaps the most important, eating mooncakes. These traditional pastries are usually filled with red bean or lotus seed paste and can also include a cooked yolk of duck […]