Food Adventures

Although I've blogged about attempting to cook this semester, last night I skipped the food preparation and dishes to go on a dinner date with my friends. A group of four of us went to a small Vietnamese restaurant on the outskirts of campus that everyone claims is delicious. I can finally say that I'm able to truly experience Tucson and it's hidden gems now that I'm not as busy in the evenings. I've driven curiously by Miss Saigon thousands of times but last night was the first time I took in the quaint atmosphere. Care to relive my dinner adventure?

Here are two of my lovely friends- they're the Miss Saigon professionals. Sorry for the crazy lighting.

My roommate and I with hungry bellies - it was our first time at the restaurant and we came with empty stomachs to fully enjoy the food.

We got there and waited in a tiny space near the cash register for an open table- I was surprised to see so many people packed into the place. When we sat down, our two friends who'd been there before suggested we order the #28, "Chicken noodle" Pho dish and a side of steamed rice. I clearly had no objection since it was my first time and we all eagerly awaited the arrival of our plates. By the way... there was TONS of food! I'm pretty sure there could have been enough left overs for days.

We all got the same dish! Here's a photo- sorry for the terrible lighting & crummy quality!

Each dish is served with sprouts, limes and cilantro. The waiter also brought out three sauces: plum, a spicy red (I'm not sure of the name) and soy to mix into our rice & soup. The thing I loved most about this meal was the fact that you could choose the flavoring you wished to have by mixing the sauces together. I personally used the low sodium soy sauce in my soup and then I poured the other flavors on different sections of the rice so I could enjoy a variety of tastes.

Would I go back you ask? In the words of my roommate, "I'm not sure I'd jump at the opportunity," but it was totally worth the time and money. My family raised me with a pretty typical food appetite, so it was fun to try something out of the ordinary.

Do you have any genres of food that have surpassed your expectations? Let me know- I'm totally willing to try new things!