South-East Asian travelling gourmet and author JULIE MEHTA spent two weeks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh staying away from dog, snake, bat and lizard and shattering the myth that you cannot eat a decent meal in Vietnam without guzzling exotic meats.

HANOI/INDOCHINE

Seven years ago, on our yearly forays to Hanoi as journalists, this was the only clean and stylish restaurant that served good Asian fare. Building from those early accolades, Indochine has continued from strength to strength.

Like the gentle mists wafting over the lakes of Hanoi, and drifting over the imposing yellow and white French colonial buildings, the heady fragrance of lemongrass and fish sauce still accosts the visitor to the quaint and popular restaurant Indochine, housed in a beautifully restored villa in the heart of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

The food is a curiously delicious mixture of Indochinese flavours -� Chinese wok-style, quick stir frys with beansprouts, squid, fish, mushrooms and local greens like bok choy rub shoulders with the smell of cumin, chilli and small red onions. The fare brings to mind the 2000-year-old strong Chinese and Indian influences in the region once known as Annam, making the culinary experience here somewhat like an instant though highly-engaging history lesson.

Charcoal grilled pork on skewers, or bun thit nuong, is fragrant with the marinade of anise, clove and cinnamon. The garlic, chilli and sugar that cut right through the saltiness of the nuoc nam or fish sauce is as Vietnamese as the battle of Dien Bien Phu, and just as memorable.

Indochine projects itself as an upmarket joint, and quite rightly so, with food often served in trendy woks and servers dressed in the style of ancient mandarins and scholars in imperial court caps with long tassels and decadent pyjama suits and silk jackets with a live traditional band playing in the evening. Dinner is from 5.30 p.m. and reservations are recommended. At US $10 per diner, you can have an excellent evening. For lunch, the set meal per person is a steal.

There is a very charming indoor-outdoor atmosphere to this mansion with a courtyard that streams with sunlight - very welcome on cold winter days as the breeze from the Hoam Kiem Lake leaves you craving for a bowl of piping hot and robust pho-Vietnamese rice noodles seasoned with ginger, pepper, beef and onions. Not to miss.

Indochine, 16, Pho Ngam Ngu, Hanoi, Tel 8246097

Lunch from 11 a.m.; dinner from 5.30 p.m.

HANOI/HOA SUA

Hoa Sua is the stuff dreams are made of � in more ways than one. A successful philanthropic mission has turned this light and open air dining place into an international legend. With consistently excellent food that pivots around French and Vietnamese cuisine, Hoa Sua has already churned 300 professional chefs out of a steady stream of street children.

The support, tutoring and love with which the otherwise hapless though obviously talented youngsters have been lavished have all yielded fine cuisinnaires who now either work as chefs in first class establishments or run their own restaurants within Vietnam and outside. And Hoa Sua's fame as the most delectable patisserie has spread far and wide, bringing the best known diplomats and visiting heads of state to its portals. The bakery has the best baguettes in town that are transformed into the most amazing sandwiches on the menu, accompanied by salads and handsome French bistro fare. Even if it is just to vet your curiosity or savour the baked goodies, Hoa

HO CHI MINH/MOON FISH CAFE

Ho Chi Minh was busy witnessing the shooting of The Graham Greene masterpiece The Quiet American as we made our way one afternoon to a charming little cafe in the "style stretch" of what was once a very Yankee Saigon of the '60s.

Now, of course, named Ho Chi Minh and sporting every manner of branded goods from perfume to painted prima donnas, the city is awash with currency, cafes and clubs. Bang in the heart of fashionable Dong Khoi street, where boutiques and craft shops have sprouted like crocuses in spring, is a traveller's haven, where tired shoppers come for the all-time favourite Vietnamese snack and a cup of strong Vietnamese cafe.

I'm talking about the cha gio � little rolls of dynamite known to the world as Vietnamese spring rolls � those devastatingly addictive minced prawn, vermicelli and pork filled cylinders encrusted in a thin-as-a-muslin rice paper roll, deep fried and served with a garden of herbs � mint, sweet basil, coriander leaves and the Vietnamese staple dipping sauce or "achar" � nuoc mam.

Of course, if you are well-versed in Viet cuisine and want to be adventurous or if nuoc mam (a type of fermented and highly smelly fish sauce mixed with sugar, chillies, garlic and vinegar) is too much of a monotony, a taste of mam tom (Vietnamese shrimp paste � which the American GIs called "Viet Cong tear gas") � might give you a real surprise. And it's worth a try especially if you like Bombay duck and other such delectable culinary smelling salts.

But truly, Moon Fish cafe excels in very creative preparations and presentations of simple snacky meals. A photo reproduction menu is at hand for the uninitiated. Do try the hand pounded shrimp paste wrapped around sugar cane and grilled over charcoal, fresh morning glory leaves sauteed with garlic and the seafood with lemongrass skewered and grilled.

The tall capuccino with a generous head makes the home made vanilla ice cream a perfect partner for an afternoon delight if you wish to take a break after stuffing your cane bags with silk and ceramics.

6, Dong Khoi Street, Ho Chi Minh City, tel: 823 8822.

HO CHI MINH/LEMONGRASS

If there is one dish that would take me back to Ho Chi Minh City, it would be the hot and sour tamarind based seafood soup with a glorious bite served at Lemongrass, one of Vietnam's most authentic yet natty eating houses which curiously marries the best of tradition with the best of nouvelle cuisine.

The Arab, Indian and Chinese elements in Vietnamese cuisine find glorious expression in this one dish wonder where the tartness of the robust tamarind is married to the pungent chilli and every mouthful yields a generous bite of prawn or a chewy piece of squid or firm white fish. It was deja vu for us, as we sat there in the old restored shop house with bamboo decor, sipping Vietnamese green tea between mouthfuls of the manna soup with my Indochina specialist husband Harish.

Once upon a time in the '80s, when the historic Caravelle Hotel (the hub of all journalists during the Vietnam War), a stone's throw from Lemongrass, had not been stripped of its antiquity and charm and resurrected as a ubiquitous chrome and concrete behemoth, its rooftop restaurant used to serve a mudfish curry with tamarind, coconut milk, turmeric and chilli. One of the highlights of my visit to the Southern Vietnamese capital used to be that curry and a whole pot of rice, while watching the Saigon Ine from its sweeping bay windows. Today, Lemongrass is the only living, breathing eatery run by a matriarch that still has the same sort of the old Caravelle heritage and authenticity of spicy southern cuisine that showcases the magical melange of spices and herbs that came with the waves of trading communities from Malaysia, India, China and the Middle East for 2000 years.

There is not an item on the menu that is under par and you can eat at the Lemon Grass every day for lunch or dinner and still go back for more. Hearty portions and great prices. USD 20 gives you a famous tuck in for two. Don't forget to have the cha ca, robust Vietnamese fish burgers splitting at the seams with herbs and spices.

LEMON GRASS, 4D Ngyuen Thiep, Next to Dong Khoi Street, tel: 822 0496

HO CHI MINH/ASHOKA

Fine Indian dining and very standard, good desi khana is what the Ashoka is about. Indian entrepreneurs, technocrats, businessmen and diplomats all give Ashoka the nod, and after the two-week blast of pho, cha gio and cha ca in every possible variation, I can appreciate why the Ashoka is so sought after.

There is an Indian presence in the city, and one is reminded of the pre-war presence of the Chettiyars who built a beautiful Mariamman temple with every nuance of Hindu ritual still practiced here. Naturally, the dosa and idli staple does find expression in more modest eateries such as the Saigon Indian Bar and Restaurant and Indian Heritage, as does "biryani" � a hark back to the Islamic culture from India and the Middle East that saw the construction of several mosques in this very cosmopolitan city.

But Ashoka is the top choice and the tandoori items are very good � we brought back some to the hotel on one occasion and enjoyed finger-licking chicken gravy to mop up the nans. Little wonder the Indian expatriate community that resides in Ho Chi Minh � and there's largish bunch of yuppies who work for multinationals and conduct their own businesses, who cater from Ashoka frequently for their parties.

ASHOKA, 17A/10 D. Le Thanh Ton, Ho Chi Minh Tel: 8231372