Please note that since writing this blog post, Taste of Vietnam has closed down
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a Bokbierfestival at the Beurs van Berlage. It had started at about midday, but we only arrived around 8 pm having decided to grab a bite to eat beforehand. But clearly we’d missed the memo: the vast majority of the beer revelers had brought their own kaas blokjes, grillworst slices and peanuts – either in neatly stackable Tupperware boxes, or straight from Albert Heijn. Because why wouldn’t you?
So not only was I one of the very few women at the beer festival; I’d also somehow made the ultimate beer snack faux pas. Because, unlike my Dutch counterparts, I’d been for Vietnamese food beforehand. What a rookie error! There was me thinking that a nice, light bowl of pho and some spring rolls would be a great balance to the heavy bokbier… when all along I should’ve been packing my cheese ‘n mustard.
Oh well, I’ll know for next time. And meanwhile, I did very much enjoy my spring rolls. Vietnamese food seems to have become quite the hip foodie trend in Amsterdam of late – Little Saigon opened in spring, Pho 91 during the summer, and now Taste of Vietnam. It’s in the Jordaan, which is handy for me, and comes decorated with these gorgeous wooden figures on mini-plinths. It’s kind of an irrelevant detail when it comes to the food, but I liked it.
Dinner was, however, a perfect preparation for the beer to follow. Filling without being bloating, and spicy enough to make you thirsty – I’d take Taste of Vietnam over Albert Heijn nootjes any day!
