What's Pho Lunch?

After spending six days in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay we were ready for some good weather and beach time in Nha Trang.  Located in Southern Vietnam, Nha Trang is a popular tourist spot for locals to go, but it is slowly becoming an international tourist destination as well.  We were also very excited for our hotel, the Sheraton was recently mentioned as one of the top hotels in the region.  Arriving in Nha Trang seemed like we had landed in a different country.  For starters the sun was out, it was the first time we had seen it since arriving in Vietnam. The airport was immaculate and you could sense that things just rolled a lot smoother and slower over here, which was very different from the hustle and bustle found in Hanoi.   To add to our excitement was our newfound love for Vietnamese food.  If Hanoi served as the springboard into Vietnamese food, Nha Trang would serve as our food Eden.  It would not only allow us to indulge in all kinds of Vietnamese food, but also the opportunity to explore the culinary arts behind Vietnam’s famous cuisine.

Pho Love Affair

I loved Pho before coming to Vietnam and after just spending a week here, Pho and I had become ONE.  What should we have Pho lunch today guys? Hmm, Phogeta bout it, let’s have some Pho! Babe, are you Pho real, Pho again? This exchange became common among the three of us, but deep down we were all in love with this delicious soup.  We found a great place to indulge in our favorite meal. PHO 24 is a Vietnamese Pho restaurant chain that is found all over the country.  This became one of our favorite lunch destinations.   Somebody seriously needs to bring this restaurant to the US it is fabulous!

Pho 24 - Best restaurant chain!

So much was our enthusiasm for Pho that we enrolled in a cooking class being offered at the Sheraton.  In this class we would learn how to cook four authentic Vietnamese dishes.  The class started early in the morning and we were taken to the local food market where we would pick and buy the ingredients to make our dishes.  The market was a thrill all itself.  Courtney and I were just mesmerized by the variety of food that you could buy there.  The market was very well organized and easy to navigate.  All kinds of fish, birds, meat, vegetables, and fruit could be found. There were even frogs, which are cooked alive and then stripped from their skin while cooking. It sounds pretty freaky, but fortunate for us we were not having any of that. We spent an hour at the market mingling with the locals and gathering the ingredients for our recipes. A well-known and respected chef taught our cooking class.  Court and I were not sure what we had signed up for, but it ended being a blast. I just hope we can remember these recipes and cook them when we get back home.

huge prawns

Squid

frogs

And the Tobons learn how to cook...

Master Chef

making Spring Rolls

Tobon household Master Chef

Courtney's second Spring Roll

Learning how to make Fish in Clay Pot

Rice noodles for our Pho Bo (Beef Pho)

I am really happy as well for the skills you are learning!

Pho Phor you?

Heaven!

Desert time

Sesame Dumplings, great way to end a meal

Awesome class!

We had a wonderful time in Nha Trang.  The six days spent there were needed since we got to rest and enjoy great weather.  The Sheraton was also one of the best hotels we had stayed at so far.  Besides being a great place to enjoy the local cuisine, Nha Trang has great beaches, shopping, and bars. We were sad to leave, but excited for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) our last stop in Vietnam.

View from our room

Our bathroom

Our bedroom

Our living room

Sheraton pool