I love to try new things as much as the next person, but sometimes, I obsess over tried and true favourites I must order, must eat or must buy! In Phnom Penh, I couldn’t get enough of the brownies at The Shop, the Kampot pepper chocolate at Chocolate by the Shop, the lasagne at Pop…the list goes on. Here in Saigon, I’ve also built up a repertoire of regulars I can’t live without (and yes, I realise they’re not exactly ‘Vietnamese’ foods but I think I take commonly available things for granted, seeking out rarer, more craveworthy things!). Current obsessions include:

Fanny icecream – particularly mint and choc chip and vanilla macadamia, and their seasonal Asian flavours like ginger and anise. This might be my overall favourite Vietnamese brand – of anything!
Pacharan – I must have the chorizo at least once a month (I know – so bad for food miles – it’s flown in from Spain). The gambas al pil pil (garlic prawns) are pretty addictive too.
Au Parc – nemisis cake, nemisis cake, nemisis cake – I must have eaten my weight in this decadent chocolate concoction since moving to Saigon. Or maybe even more.
Shang Palace – I’ve always loved yum cha (or dim sum as it’s known here), but Shang Palace has become something of an obsession. Though I’m off to Ocean Palace tomorrow (the one near the zoo) just to mix it up a little!
Da Vinci’s – a home delivered pizza place I’ve somehow only just cottoned onto. So good, and so much better than the other Italian places we’ve tried. My pick – the Greek pizza with olives and feta!
Saigon Square – the city’s answer to Phnom Penh’s Russian Market. I love trawling the crowded stalls for clothing bargains, like a check shirt I just got for a steal. Even better are the kids clothes, should you need them.
Kita Cafe – the coffee here (Lavazza – not Vietnamese, I know!) is the smoothest brew I’ve come across in the city. When I’m over my cafe sua da’s at local places I crave a Kita cappuccino.
L’Usine – any dessert. So far have tried their mini profiteroles with raspberry sauce, chocolate fudge cake and their latest addition – cupcakes! All… so… good!

Time is fast running out for getting my favourite food (and shopping) fixes here as I’m soon moving back to Sydney, where a whole world of gastronomic temptation awaits (yay!). In the meantime, I need to make the most of what I like best about Saigon (and block out the rest!).

Image courtesy of L’Usine

What’s A Girl in Asia all about? According to Wordle, mostly food (yes!), with a bit of love, people and blogs thrown in for good measure. Glad coffee, travel and Muji are there too, but not sure how ‘dog’ made the cut! What does your blog say about you?!

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Shantiwallah has been one of my must-read blogs for some time now, so I’m happy to introduce you to its author, Marie. Her time living in Asia has had an obvious impact on her life, which is reflected so beautifully in this recent blog post. She’s also a freelance writer and finds the time to maintain a food focussed blog called Five Flavours. Here’s more on Marie:


Where have you lived, and where are you now?
I lived in various parts of the United States until I was 18. Since then I’ve lived in England, Vietnam, Japan and New Zealand, which is where I am now. I’ve also spent a lot of time in Thailand including some short term work. I am a US/NZ dual national.

Why do you blog?
Like many people, I started blogging to keep in touch with friends and family. Since then it has really become a place for me to practice my writing and put it in front of real live people (before that it was all in books made of paper that stay on my shelves) and to connect with like-minded souls of which, it seems, there are many. That’s what I love about the internet.

Where did the name ‘Shantiwallah’ come from? What does it mean?
It’s about how I see others as my teachers. I’ve written about it in more detail here.

Can you tell us about Five Flavours, your food website? 
I started my food blog in order to talk about the connections between food, people and culture. I’ve always loved how people use food to connect and enjoy finding out the story behind a particular recipe or way of cooking. If you ask anyone what their favourite food is, even if they just tell you the name of it, they will have a story in their mind as to why they like that particular thing. Very often these stories are connected to other people.

What are you currently…

…reading?
The Poisonwood Bible. It’s been on my shelf for ages from one of my English language book binges that I used to go on when I lived in Asia and came across a sale. I know now there are Kindle readers, but as far as I know Kindles still don’t have that new book smell, so…

…listening to?
I’m rediscovering my old CDs (remember CDs?) that I stored while I was in Asia. They are all 6+ years old so it’s like a time warp. I’m slowly uploading or ditching them. I’d love some new music!

…watching?
Not a lot at the moment. New Zealand TV goes through phases of good and bad which is good for me because I’d rather not suck up my evenings with addictive TV. There are a lot of awesome docos on the Maori Channel and they also play really good foreign films. I did watch the Chilean miner rescue. Oh my God, humans are amazing!

…cooking?
I’m into Central Asian food at the moment from old Silk Route places. I love how the recipes change through the various countries with local additions to ingredients or a slight change in name but you can still recognize them as being related.

…eating?
At the moment it is starting to get a wee bit more spring-like so my husband and I have been overindulging on lighter summery Japanese food such as zaru soba and other cold noodles and salads.

…drinking?
This week it was something we really miss from living in a specialty region of Japan, sake! My husband, who is an ex-scientist, writes a tongue in cheek blog called the Journal of Applied Drinks Studies International where he reviews random drinks we find in our local supermarket and small shops. I am one of his “research assistants” so we try to do a tasting at least once a week. We also drink a lot of New Zealand wines, and on a different note, I am pretty much obsessed with tea of all kinds.

…wearing?
It’s been so cold that I’ve been I’ve mostly been wearing jeans and hoodies, But now that it’s warming up I’m looking forward to wearing something with a bit more style to it.

…planning?
More short escapes around New Zealand. Last month my husband took 6 days off work and we drove down to the Hawke’s Bay wine country. It was the first time we’d been down there and it was fantastic. They’ve got a wonderful local food and wine scene. Long term we’d like to save enough money to go abroad again, but since I’m still pretty new at the freelance writing game our income is limiting.

…obsessed with?
Nostalgia for travelling. I’m still getting my business going and it’s a wee bit hard for me to be grounded in one place. It’s all good though!

Primitive Culture is one of the most inspiring blogs I read, with food, travel and style insights from globetrotter Xander. He has also just started another blog, Taiwan Famous, chronicling food exploits in his new home. Not only does Xander have a penchant for street eats and local produce, but he seeks out cool cafes wherever he travels, making him something of a kindred blogging spirit of mine! Here’s more about Xander:

Where do you live/where are you now?
I have just moved to Hsinchu, Taiwan. It’s about an hour South of Taipei (though only half an hour by high speed rail), with some big city benefits, but a nicely relaxed pace of life.

What are you currently…

…reading?
I’ve just started reading “This Side of Paradise”, which will, sadly, be the last new F. Scott Fitzgerald novel for me.

…listening to?
I’ve always had a fondness for old music—I love Big Band. Lately I’ve been playing a lot of goofy happy songs by Doris Day, and moody latin numbers by Xavier Cugat. I’m also just now getting into Podcasts—I love how a relaxed hour of listening can fill me up with so many new ideas. I especially love This American Life and The Splendid Table.

…watching?
While I was in the States recently I finally caught up on watching the rest of Six Feet Under—I still can’t get over what an amazing show it was. It might have ruined me for TV forever—no show could ever be as good.

…cooking?
With so much great, cheap street food around in Taiwan, I’m not cooking too much lately. But I’m excited to be getting a new kitchen soon (we’re still apartment hopping), and to start stocking it with produce from local markets and shops.

…eating?
Hsinchu is a great city for eating local Taiwanese food—it’s especially famous for xiao chi (“little eats”). We’ve discovered some great spots recently—we just found two different places that make delicious duck noodles. My favorite snacks right now are zhua bing, flaky pancakes studded with scallions, and baotze, steamed buns filled with pork.

…drinking?
Not enough, really. With summer in full force I’d love to be mixing some gin and bitters, or maybe a gin fizz, but no apartment means no bar yet!

…wearing?
We were in the states for a few months before moving to Taiwan, and I loaded up at some of my favorite stores. I really miss American Apparel, J. Crew, and H&M—but at least I brought a heavy suitcase with me from the states. I mainly loaded up on clothes in shades of peacock and navy blue. Wearing navy blue is a new thing for me—I used to have to wear navy blue as part of a uniform at Catholic school, so for years I hated the color.

…planning?
We’ve been traveling since January, and I’m getting excited about the idea of having an apartment of our own again, so I’m already figuring how I want to decorate it, what we need to get, what the layout will be… We might have found a place that is just what we were looking for, so we’re hoping to sign a lease soon. It’s a really funky old ‘60s Chinese style place—it looks like something out of a Wong Kar Wai movie.

…obsessed with?
Muji! I wish I had a salary high enough stock my entire apartment with streamlined Muji furniture, but as it is I’m making do with some new Muji bags and clothes. I’m also dreaming of a trip to Japan, partly so I can visit one of the mythically huge Muji stores…

My other obsession right now is my new dog, Japie (an Afrikaans name said like Yaw-pie). Neither my husband or I are dog people, but we’ve always talked about getting a French bull dog some day. Then just after we got to Taiwan, we met someone who was trying to find a home for one… we met him, totally fell for him, and now he’s my sole topic of conversation.

Favourite cuisines?
We found a great Vietnamese place today, a total hole in the wall, and I was once again reminded of what an amazing cuisine that country has. The cool, herby flavors are especially fantastic for summer—a banana flower salad and a glass of lime and soda sounds like the ideal lunch to me. Conversely, I have some very American tastebuds—well made pizza and hamburgers are two of my favorite foods.

Favourite travel destinations?
Hanoi is one of my favorite cities—great for shopping, eating, taking in culture, and relaxing in cafes. I also think Cape Town might be one of the best destinations in the world. After living there for a year, I don’t think I want to go back full-time, but as a get-away it’s perfect: beautiful beaches, hiking trails, and some excellent cafes.

Next trip planned?
My parents are coming to visit soon, and we’ll be heading off for a few days in Bali, then heading back here so I can show them a little of Taiwan. I’ve never been to Bali, but I might actually be more excited about Taiwan—it’s a fascinating island, and there’s still so much of it I haven’t seen.

If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where and why?
I’m so eager to try living in the US again, especially LA, my favorite city in the world. But I’m also vaguely curious to try living in the South for a while, to explore some swamps and learn more about the fantastic food…

Who/what inspires you?
I am definitely a city person, and the closer to downtown I can live the happier I am. But I’m also really inspired by nature—right now the lush greens of Taiwan’s bamboo forests are filling up my sketchbooks. I love studying the forms and shapes of animals and plants.

3 of your must-read blogs?
Despite sort of being a ‘travel blogger’ I don’t actually read many travel blogs, unless they have a focus on food or style. More than just reading about people going places, I love reading about what people are eating, where they’re enjoying coffee, or what they’re wearing or making.

I love Readymade Magazine, and they have a fantastic set of blogs—my favorite is their food blog, Feast, which always has great ideas for what you should be eating.

I’m also really into David Lebovitz lately. I know he lives in Paris, which is obviously quite a bit different from Taiwan, but reading the culinary explorations of a fellow expatriate make me want to get up and go search out some interesting local ingredients and dishes.

And though its admittedly a little girly, Design*Sponge is one of my favorite daily reads—especially now that food and entertaining seems to be getting expanded coverage on their blog.

Thanks for inviting me to participate!

Thanks Xander!

….in one of my favourite cities in the world – Bangkok – for up to two months! Am here waiting to have baby number 2 – but I’ll save the ins and outs of that for another post. I get so many emails from random readers asking me for more details about having a baby in Asia so I’ll do a FAQ post about it soon (that the non-baby minded among you can choose to skip over – I don’t want to bore you to death!). In the meantime, here’s what I’m: