My brunch began to snap, crackle, and pop after I poured on the clam broth.
The name of Hue, the ancient political and culinary capital of Vietnam, gets a lot of play in Ho Chi Minh City (if you've seen "New York" on a pizza menu somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon Line, you've got the idea). Nam Giao's short menu showcases some of Hue's most-celebrated dishes, including com hen ("clam rice"; 14,000 dong), a heap of baby clams, rice puffs, roasted peanuts, and sesame seeds atop rice noodles. After I stirred in the accompanying bowl of warm clam broth, I uncovered a scattering of herbs, too; versions in Hue itself reportedly feature coriander and basil as well as banana flowers and star fruit.
Nam Giao
136/15 Le Thanh Ton (at the end of Hem 136), Ho Chi Minh City
(From a November 2006 visit)
