Vietnamese Food, with Kids, Easy Peasy lemon Squeezy! #pancakes

So we had the best holiday in Vietnam, kids were amazing and then some.  We came home last Tuesday and people were very interested in feedback, and guarantee the 2nd question was about he food.  Well Marks and Spencers have launched a Vietnamese food range, so that shows its "bang on trend", and I will be trying it tomorrow, but thought I'd let you see what we ate first hand.

Firstly, it's not spicy food.  The food is amazing and flavoursome, but they offer chillies and sauces for you to add heat if you wish.  The Pho is a principal dish in Vietnam, and can be eaten at any time. We saw a lot of the locals eating it for breakfast too.  It is pretty simplistic but absolutely beautiful. Considering I don't like soups, or wet food(!) even I loved it.  A lot of the mums from home were concerned about food for the children, but there was rice and pancakes on most menus, so if they didn't want to try anything else, they could still eat well.   Personally, when dragging kids around museums and stuff and they are happy to do so, interspersed with rice or pancakes, I'm all over that! Having said that, they also had spaghetti bolognese a couple of times, which also features in my Vietnamese cookbook!

Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) I added the chilli myself!

Vietnam is renowned for its street food, and we were actually staying in what they called "food street" in the "Old Quarter"of Hanoi (incidental not planned)!  If you stayed in an all inclusive or a posh hotel in the City, and wandered into the old quarter, you might turn your nose up at the street traders, but!!!!!!    We were staying in an apartment overlooking "food street" and they washed and scrubbed everything to within an inch of its life, and could not have been cleaner - food, surfaces, pots and utensils.  We ate locally every night and we had the best food, without any "tummy" issues, another question I was asked!

We also loved it when eating local clams, to die for, to see a pizza delivery guy turn up at a hotel which overlooked "food street"..... no words!

White roses

street food, you picked it and they cooked it and brought to your own hot plate, see below

Spring rolls and chilli dip

Squid in banana leaves

Clams to die for - from food street, you ate what they had basically!

Cao Lau a favourite for Chis, local to Hoi An - includes pork rind!

Our bungalow in Hoi An, they cooked for us on Saturday night, as an offering and a thank you!

Spring rolls, on every menu, but delicious

Wantons, a favourite of mine, if not too greasy!

Steamed spring rolls

Stuffed squid

Morning Glory and garlic (a type of water spinach)

Sticky rice, Scarlett couldn't get enough of it (thankfully)!

double-banana-tastic!

Jasper had his own method of eating with chopticks, but it worked!

Trying some new fruit

My initial worry was that we would end up eating dog.  On the contrary most traders and locals had dogs as pets.  We were told that you could definitely get it in Hanoi, but we didn't go looking.  We had a book with us to translate the menus, but to be honest we didn't need it.

I will have a go at trying my own, it will never match up as it won't be in the location, in the heat, and deserved after a long day out in the sun or on the water, or up a mountain!

Will keep you posted!
Annie x