Last Meal at Wrap and Roll

We wrapped up our Vietnam trip with a meal at Wrap and Roll, the same restaurant where we had our first bite of Vietnamese dish.

Vegetarian Samosa (Cha Gio Samosa) served with rice noodles and greens.

Christmas Eve Dinner

Christmas celebrations in Vietnam were so much fun. People from all walks of life joined in the merry making. Parents dressed their kids up in Santa Claus suit. Thousands of motorcycles ran to and fro.

After hours of strolling  the city and a quick  trip to Ho Chi Minh City's biggest market, we headed back to our hotel. Our plan was to have a nice Vietnamese meal for Christmas Eve but the plan failed again. It was past 9 in the evening when we left the hotel again to find food. Our bodies were weak and our legs aching. We took a detour hoping to find a Vietnamese Restaurant but we found ourselves walking farther from the city center. As we arrived on the main road, we saw hundreds of people walking towards one direction. Our instincts said to follow them. Minutes later, we found the big statue, the landmark for locating the way downtown.

We looked for restaurants and they were packed. Then we saw Pomodoro, an Italian restaurant. We peeked through the glass window. We saw empty tables. It was not the right time to be choosy. We were too tired from too much walking and we were so hungry. All we needed was a place to relax our feet and to fill our empty stomach.

It didn't take much longer til our order arrived. We had carrot and orange juice.

Daikokuya Japanese Restaurant

One might wonder why we would go Japanese when we could eat the local delicacies of Vietnam. The first thing we wanted to do after the church service  was go back to our hotel, change into our casual clothes and get something to eat. It was our first time at Vietnam  Church  so the Kodak moments took a while. Our tummies were growling already when we flagged down a cab.

We arrived at the hotel, rested for a while, threw on our clothes and left again to eat.We drained our last bit of energy looking for a restaurant nearby which served Vietnamese cuisine. The hotel where we were lodged was located in the "Japanese area". Most restaurants  we saw were  Japanese restaurants. We were exhausted and starving so we decided to eat at any restaurants close to the hotel. We found Daikokuya and our decision to eat there did not disappoint.

I liked the cozy feeling of the restaurant. The staff and the Japanese chef were friendly. And the food was excellent.

The salmon was tender and juicy, the salad had just enough dressing.

Our First Vietnamese Meal

Our plane landed at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam shortly after 6 pm.  The trip that normally takes 20 minutes  from the airport to the city center became a one-hour-and-a-half drive due to traffic. It was a long and crazy drive. We were getting anxious so I started a conversation with the driver. His broken English made it difficult for us to understand each other. Then I remembered an article I read on the internet that many Vietnamese could speak Chinese so I asked him if he could. He replied to me in Chinese. That was the start of an enjoyable ride through Vietnam's rush hour.

We were not so hungry as we ate at Bangkok airport before our flight. I suggested to my sister we get something light that night. We checked in and left the hotel to look for food. The restaurants in the surrounding areas were mostly Japanese due to a high number of Japanese staying in the area. We passed by a convenient store. We went inside to buy water. I asked the cashier if she knew a nearest Vietnamese Restaurant. She said there's a fast food called Wrap and Roll which serve Vietnamese dish. We asked for the direction. After walking past 2-3 blocks, we found it.

We were greeted as we entered the restaurant. A waiter took us to our table and gave us the menu.  To drink, my sister had carrot juice, I had Vietnamese lemon iced tea. The tea was so refreshing due to its mild taste.