April, 2013 - The Hungry Nomad

Rangoon Burmese Restaurant- Chinatown (Philadelphia, USA)

April 10, 2013 No Comments

I’ve never been to Myanmar (formerly Burma), let alone had Burmese food so when the opportunity arose to dine at Rangoon Burma in Philadelphia, I was there in a hop, skip and a jump. The restaurant is located in the heart of Chinatown and offers a clean and elegant dining environment and great friendly service.

The menu resembled Indian with the spices, Thai with the coconut milk and Malaysian with the thousand layered bread. Indian, Thai and Malaysian are one of the most intricate and delicious cuisines in the world (at least according to my taste palette) and a mix of all three resulted in fireworks. The meal started off with an order of the thousand layered bread with a side of potato curry. It resulted in multiple orders. Thin, chewy yet crispy and greasy layers of bread that once dipped in the curry side resulted in the perfect bite.

The crispy fried Burmese tofu with spicy dipping sauce was out of this world delicious. It was so light and fluffy, fried to perfection served with a spicy chili sauce. This also resulted in multiple orders (to be fair- there were 6 of us). The Burmese dumplings were a little bit too crispy for my liking on the outside. Yet, others at the table really seemed to enjoy these which were served with a sweet dipping sauce. We all ordered separately but ended up sharing all the plates. I advise shared plates for any readers who are tempted to pay Rangoon Burma a visit. For my main dish, I had the Glass Noodle Salad which resembled the Thai glass noodle salad I have tasted in Thailand. It was a mix of slippery glass noodles, onions, mushrooms, chicken, carrot and many other fresh ingredients. It was delicious.

The Burmese Spare ribs were very spicy, tangy and mouth watering good. The ribs were slathered in a spicy herbal sauce which tasted like green chili peppers. The meat was tender and fresh. While the sauce was too hot the white rice that went along with dish helped distill some of the spiciness.

The other two main courses ordered by the table included a chicken coconut curry and a kung pao chicken. While they were good, they resembled fast food Chinese and did not stand out as having any distinctive Burmese flavors. For dessert we had the Furlada. A sweet drink dessert of milk, rose syrup, pudding, raisins, tapioca and Asian fruit jellos. Topped with ice cream. It was very sweet and creamy similar to Filipino Halo-Halo or Hawaiian Shave Ice. It was not very good. Next time, we will leave dessert for some where else in Chinatown.

Food, Israeli Cuisine, Philadelphia

Israeli Cuisine at Zahav- Society Hill (Philadelphia, USA)

April 10, 2013 2 Comments

Zahav meaning ‘golden’ in Hebrew is an Israeli restaurant in Philadelphia named as one of the best places to dine in the City. It is also one of the most aesthetically pleasing restaurants where you are easily transported to the Mediterranean coast in which Israeli delicacies are served fresh in a family-style setting typical in the Middle East. Rustic tables, imported stones and high wooden beams all work hand in hand to bring out the Middle Eastern theme of the restaurant.

Our dinner started with the Salatim– a range of small plates and orders of hummus. All served with a side of laffa bread, a delicious Israeli version of the traditional Indian naan or Greek pita. It was delicious and I probably ate too much for my own good. We also ordered the crispy haloumi cheese, fried cauliflower, Brussels sprouts with whipped feta and fried kibbe. We were looking forward to ordering the Mesibah tasting menu which features a whole roasted leg of lamb grilled over coals and braised with pomegranate sauce; however, we were sadly told that it had to be pre-ordered before coming in to the restaurant since the demand for it is so high. Apparently, Anthony Bourdain paid Zahav a visit for his show ‘No Reservation’ and ate the lamb, which has now become the most popular dish. So we settled for items off the ‘Shipudim’ or main course menu which was just as tasty, yet surprisingly small in portion. The selection included a range of meats including lamb kabob, kofte and chicken. While we were still a bit disappointed about not having the leg of lamb that we wanted, we left quite satisfied with our meal.

Food, Hanoi, Travel, Vietnam

Street Food in Hanoi: Bún Chả (Bún noodles with grilled pork patties in broth)

April 5, 2013 1 Comment

Hanoi is a major foodie destination and many like myself come equipped with an appetite, ready to try almost anything and everything (although I draw the line at eating Vietnamese dog, which I learned is still common amongst the elders). Every foodie traveling to Hanoi should already know that street food is a way of life here. A life which many tourists don’t dare to try. And while I was daring and ready to sit down at any of the many small street food stands, traveling with a physician prevented me from doing so. I was constantly reminded of all the reasons I should not be eating street food including parasites and traveller’s diarrhea to name a few. But how could I ignore all the smells and aroma permeating the Old Quarter. So, I took the risk and dragged the physician along with me (he refused to try but instead stared at me in horror while I sat down to eat).

Street food is central to the life and culture of the city. At any time of day, you will see crowds of people crouched on street corners slurping away on fresh pho (literally fresh, the chicken was alive only a few hours prior to cooking). While I was excited to try some phở, I ended up sitting down on my first day for a mystery meal. Mystery because each stand only serves one dish. And I did not know what dish it was I would be eating, having selected the spot based on the crowds of people munching away. All I know is that it was good. Very good. And I wanted more. But what was it? No one spoke English. So I took a photo and decided to investigate later.

I later learned that the mysterious and delicious meal I had (all less than a dollar) was the popular and quintessential bún chả dish. A serving of crispy, caramelized slices of pork (although at the time I could swear it was chicken), along side a a bowl of bun noodles, and a bowl of warm light fish sauce based broth with small slices of pickled green papaya. A plate of fried spring rolls –nem cua bể was served alongside the bún chả. Probably the most delicious spring rolls I’ve yet to taste in my quest for Vietnamese food. A combination of minced pork, glass noodles, mushrooms and bean sprouts wrapped in egg roll and fried. All this was served with a basket of fresh herbs and vegetables.

Once the dish arrived, I was not sure what to do with it or how to do put it together. In such a scenario, imitation is essential. I looked around and noticed that all the localers (who were eyeing me suspiciously) dumped the grilled pork patties (thit bam) into the broth. Next, the noodles were dipped in the broth picking up a piece of pork on the way before gently placing in the mouth.

Food, Italian food, Philadelphia, USA

Popolino- Northern Liberties (Philadelphia)

April 2, 2013 1 Comment

What do an Irish, a Moroccan and a Mexican have in common? Popolino! Peter McAndrews the owner of Popolino- the Irish, our server- Moroccan, and the manager- Mexican! You wouldn’t be able to tell walking into the restaurant which feels as Italian as you can get. You may even feel like you are walking into an episode of the Sopranos waiting for the director to call “cut”.

As a fan of Peter McAndrew’s Modo Mio and Paesano’s we wanted to try his other restaurants starting with Popolino (meaning ‘commoner’ in Roman dialect). The experience at Modo Mio was so amazing that we went in with really high expectations for our meal. And while the two restaurants have many things in common including the menu tourista, it ends there. Even though many of the items on the menu closely reflect those offered at Modo Mio- the quality of the food and service was definitely not the same.

At the center of this BYOB restaurant was the Tavola Calda, a ‘hot table’ selection of room temperature antipasti Roman Style ($10). As one of the starter options, diners could walk around and choose from all the different dishes.

We tried the hot table, Mozzarella in Carozza, Arugula Salad and complimentary bruschetta. Amongst it all the mozzarella in carozza dish stood out as the most delicious: a large stuffed Italian bread, egg dipped, pan friend and served in a creamy anchovy caper butter.

The starters were the best part of the night since the pasta left us all unsatisfied. The Bucatini all’Amatriciani was overcooked, slightly cold and lacking the amazing flavors we tasted at Modo Mio. The Gnocchi di Castagne was my least favorite. The gnocchi itself was doughy and chewy. The best part of the dish was the chestnut and ricotta sauce mixed with mushrooms, white wine and tomatoes. It was again a disappointment especially when compared to the gnocchi served at Modo Mio. The Cannelloni with oxtail and Gorgonzola cheese was the best of the three dishes. Although, I found it to be too oily and greasy.

Only one person from our party tried the menu tourista as it really is an abundance of food. For the mail meat dish, our friend ordered the Porchetta. A crispy roasted suckling pig served with coriander, goccia, porcini and provolone gauzetto. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy every bite, ranting and raving about the experience. As for the rest of us, we looked forward to our dessert.

The desserts at Popolino are standard desserts available at most Italian restaurants. Amongst our orders were the Panna Cotta, tiramisu and chocolate cake. While they were all good, none stood out as being outstanding and memorable.

Our friends, being Philly natives did not seem overly impressed by Popolino and I had to reassure them that Modo Mio was quite a different experience. This restaurant has a lot of potential given that it is a McAndrews establishment, the menu looks good and the decor is brilliant. I only hope that in time the food becomes as good as McAndrew’s other restaurants.

Information
Tavole Calde (or “Hot Table”)
Menu Turista
Cash Only
BYOB

Opening Hours
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday & Sunday
Lunch – 11.00am – 2.30pm
Dinner – 5.00pm – 10.00pm

Tuesday – Closed

Hanoi, Travel, Vietnam

Vietnamese Cà Phê adventures in Hanoi, Vietnam

April 1, 2013 1 Comment

One of the highlights of our trip to Vietnam was the abundance of high quality, rich, chocolatey coffee on every corner- all for less than a dollar. The Vietnamese know their coffee and take it very seriously. Yet, don’t go searching for fancy shops with overly happy baristas serving multiple lettered coffee drinks. Some of the best coffee we had were on street corners and curbside food stands. Just some shabby plastic stools, laminated tables and the buzzing sound of motorbikes.

One of the best discoveries was cà phê sua chua or known to us foreigners as yogurt coffee. At first, a bit apprehensive to try coffee with yogurt. What could be so good about that? But after first taste, we were left wanting more, ordered seconds and for the remainder of our trip searched for ca phe sua chua on every occasion (sadly it was not so popular in the South). The bitterness of the coffee blends perfectly with the slightly sweetened yogurt.

Cà phê sua chua consists of a Vietnamese vinamilk yogurt (delicately sweet and delicious), a splash of condensed milk and strong Vietnamese coffee. Ice is optional.

Another treasure was the Cà phê sua da, rich and smooth drip coffee served with condensed milk. I probably had 10 of these a day, shaking and jittery on a coffee high after each drink. In fact, most of my time in Hanoi was spent on a coffee high.

In order to get the ultimate coffee experience it was essential to learn how to order these drinks at places where English was hard to come by. Usually pointing to the drink did the trick but otherwise the coffee vocabulary musts include: cà phê (coffee); đen or sữa (black or sweetened; nóng or đá (hot or iced).

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