Posted February 12, 2020
Our ten nights in Phu Quoc came with the unexpected, in more ways than one.
The Recommendation
A family of fellow long-term travelers from the U.K. had moved on to Phu Quoc, a small Vietnamese island in the Gulf of Thailand. The dad, Aaron, and I, were keeping in touch to swap travel information. After a few days on the island, Aaron messaged me that Phu Quoc wasn’t worth visiting and he advised us to skip it. That message arrived just after I booked our non refundable ten night stay on the island. Needless to say, our expectations were low. Thankfully we had a much different take on Phu Quoc than our U.K. friends.
Ong Lang Beach
Even though Phu Quoc is a small island, there are several beaches and different regions. Luckily, our hotel sat a four minute walk down a little lane to a pristine beach. The kind of beach you see on postcards. There were other people around, but not too many. It was so lovely.
What A View
We rented two functional, albeit rickety, loungers with a faded lime green umbrella for 100,000 dong a day, the equivalent of about four dollars.
The loungers sat a few feet from the water’s edge.
Like A Swimming Pool
The water was clear as a pool, and so warm that you’d swear you were in a hot tub in some spots. I could walk out for sixty feet and only be up to my thigh. Another thirty feet would take me waist deep, where the water was finally a bit cooler and refreshing.
The Village
Up the meandering lane, a few minutes from our hotel, in the opposite direction from the beach, were ten or so little family run restaurants, a small mini-mart, and bike rental shops. All the restaurants on this warm and sunny island were open-air and casual. Some had retractable tarp-like roofs, others were completely outdoor, with little to no cover.
There was hardly any traffic, other than foot traffic from other travelers, little tame and sweet dogs lounging about in the sun, and the occasional cow with her calf eating off-limits, but apparently very yummy, foliage (and getting chased away by restaurant owners).
The Beauty Bar
One of the family owned restaurants up the lane, called The Beauty Bar, stole my heart. Firstly, The Beauty Bar has it all. They provide massages, manicures, and scrumptious Thai food. It’s a unique combination of services, but I guess it works.
Secondly, the sound system at the restaurant churned out rock and roll classics like the Rolling Stones and Queen, which was a welcome taste of home.
Last, but not least, the food was incredible. I’ve missed my spicy Thai food, and here it was, ready and waiting on this tiny island in Vietnam.
But the icing on the cake, and what made The Beauty Bar really stand out, was how genuinely friendly the family who runs it is.
Can I Take Your Order?
On our first visit to The Beauty Bar, a young woman carrying an order pad approached, then took a chair at our table, settling in to her seat. That was a first. She had a welcoming smile and casual vibe. She leaned forward, exuding warmth, as if we were old friends. Then she took our order.
How Spicy Do You Want That?
When ordering in SE Asia, we are often asked how spicy we’d like our food. It’s always a difficult question to answer because I like my spice at about a 5 to 7, whereas Steve likes a 3 to 5 (on my imaginary 10 point spicy scale).
To keep it easy, we typically answer “medium”. The problem is that medium has many interpretations, especially in SE Asia.
Hurts So Good
The Phad Kra Pao (my favorite and go-to dish at The Beauty Bar), left my tongue in a state unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I thought I’d had some darn spicy meals in my life, but apparently those were child’s-play.
Seriously, my mouth, inside and out, was on fire. My tongue ached with pulsating pain except when I was bathing it in ice water. With each sip I held the cool, soothing water on my tongue as long as possible, finally swallowing after it turned warm and lost its effectiveness. It was a four Kleenex evening (my nose also wouldn’t stop streaming). And I was only sweating a little. But the spiciness seemed to make the dish. I loved it.
A Friendly Lot
Later in our meal, the same woman walked over and, once again took a seat with us on the bright orange-red wooden benches, made comfortable by the generous pads on each seat. She didn’t ask if she could join us, but her warmth shined through and we were happy she sat down.
A Family Struggles
The stranger at our table introduced herself as Ta. Ta is 32 years old and was born in Cambodia to Vietnamese parents. She told us her parents had eight children. She remembers not terribly long ago when they didn’t even have money for rice. They would go hungry. During that time Ta’s sister moved to Thailand to work and sent money home to support the entire family. Ta stayed in Phu Quoc and watched her sister’s two children. Her sister met and eventually married a Swiss man and now lives in Switzerland.
A New Start
Two years ago her sister, along with her new Swiss husband, had the means to purchase The Beauty Bar to provide a living for Ta’s entire extended family. It’s a small place, with only four tables and a small bar.
Ta spoke with such emotion of her sister’s generous heart, moving her hands to her own heart to emphasize the point. The look on her face was one of pure gratitude and love. Ta and her sister Skype daily. They are very close, even though they live on different continents.
One Happy Family
Every time we ate at The Beauty Bar, the whole family remembered us and would wave and greet us, ushering us to our seats.
After our first visit we felt like we were best-friends with Ta. On subsequent visits we also got to know her sister, mother, and nephew, who were always at the restaurant helping or hanging out, chatting or playing the game “Four in a Row” with customers at the bar or at a table.
A Foodies Dream
I loved The Beauty Bar’s red and green curries, but my very favorite, as mentioned above in the paragraph Hurts So Good, was the Phad Kra Pao. Phad Kra Pao is diced meat (your choice), stir-fried in a scrumptious sauce, steamed rice, all with a fried egg on top.
Secret Recipe?
Before leaving that first night, I asked Ta if she would share her recipe for Phad Kra Pao with me, thinking it was unlikely. She sat down close to me on the bench, patting my leg, and said she would love to. She listed off the ingredients, but there were several that I couldn’t understand. With the help of google images, we were finally able to get a list of all the ingredients, except one. And apparently this one item is critical for a good Phad Kra Pao.
The Mystery Herb
Per Ta, the key ingredient is some form of mint. She said it can only be found in Cambodia (where she was born) or Thailand (where she lived briefly and learned how to cook Thai food). Apparently this special mint has quite a kick to it, which is what makes the dish so special.
The Secret Stash
Without hesitation, Ta said to come by on our last day on Phu Quoc and she’d give us some of her seeds to take home. We told her we weren’t sure if we are allowed to bring seeds into our country, but she insisted. She was so excited for us to cultivate the herb, that we couldn’t refuse.
A Family Affair
Our last night on the island came too quickly. We sat at The Beauty Bar after dark, enjoying the lovely 78 degree weather while the Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack blasted loud and clear.
Ta’s mother smiled and waved to me as she sat relaxing with her feet up on the chair at a table nearby. Ta’s nine year old nephew brought us our drinks. Up at the bar, Ta and her sister were doing a shot with a patron while playing “Four in a Row”. Everyone was having a great time, like it was a casual party of friends.
It Might Not Be Legal
Ta came over holding a baggie of mystery seeds from Cambodia. She sat close to me on my bench with her beautiful, big smile. She was so excited to hand over the seeds – the key to a great Phad Kra Pao.
I thanked Ta profusely for the seeds, but explained again that I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to bring them into our country. She smiled, patted my leg, and told me she was sure it was fine, then shoved the baggie into my purse. And that, was that.
We exchanged WhatsApp numbers and Ta will be awaiting a picture of her plant thriving in the Seattle soil this summer. I hope I can oblige.
Wins and Losses
Wins
Saying hello to all my little gecko friends suctioned to the walls and ceiling of the long, outdoor hallway outside our hotel room every day.
Finding a small Aloe Vera container at the tiny, limited mini-mart. Boy are we scaly.
I’m still able to eat gluten with no issues. Hello crepes and Vietnamese dumplings for breakfast!
Taking a chance on Phu Quoc Island. You win some, you lose some, but this was definitely a win. And, so far, our favorite place for relaxing.
Losses
Coronavirus. What a drag. So sad for everyone affected. Also sad that, to be cautious, we have cut the SE Asia portion of our trip short by a month, but instead will spend 15 nights in Spain on the way home.
TMI warning: I thought I might need medical attention a few hours after our last dinner on the island (at The Beauty Bar). Turns out if you eat super-spicy food, your pee stings – quite a lot. Who knew? But I must say, it was definitely worth it. No regrets.
Probably half the afternoons at the beach the local families would start up an hours long Karaoke session. There’s nothing quite like a tone deaf person singing Vietnamese songs at full blast for hours.
So sad to leave Vietnam after three months. What a diverse, interesting, and amazing country. Hope to be back someday.
