Bo Luc Lac

I have been craving steak for a while and decided to make Bo Luc Lac.  This is something Dino and I ate a lot of when we were in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Who knew steak meat in Germany was that expensive?  I certainly did not!  The butcher I went to charged me 5.40 euros per 100 grams of beef.  I got 300 grams, then went to a grocery store and got 200 grams more of rump steak for 2.99 per 100 grams.

They both tasted the same.

I ganked this recipe from the Ravenous Couple.  Instead of serving it as a salad, I served mine over steamed white rice.

Pho in Hue, Vietnam

Our first meal for our two week long trip across Indochina happened in this tiny cafe called Cafe on Thu in Hue. Being in Vietnam, I wanted something very Vietnamese for food.  This, for me, was pho.

Wikipedia describes pho as a "Vietnamese rice noodle and beef soup".  The soup is usually served in a bowl with white rice noodles and clear beef broth with thinly sliced beef, basil, lime leaf, bean sprouts and peppers.

I have had pho in NYC before, and I tell you, this one in Vietnam was different.  It had a very clean taste to it.  I believe it's in the peppercorns that they use to make the broth.  The broth had a very distinct peppery taste, not offensive or spicy, but very good.

I believe that all the pho I've had in Vietnam were superior over any of the other ones I've had anywhere else. Duh.

If you ever get to Hue, go to Cafe on Thu.  They have really good and cheap bike tours too!  It is located at 10/2 Nguyen Tri Phuong in Hue, Vietnam.