Now that the northern hemisphere is firmly in the cooler months of the year—and it’s only getting colder—it’s time to talk fleece. For bitter winter chills, fleece is hard to beat because the fabric is made to be both lightweight and incredibly insulating. And in recent years, fleece technology has improved so much that the variety on offer is now immense both in quality, style, and price. If you thought that Colorado bros have the market cornered with their Patagonia zip-ups, it’s time to reconsider the category altogether.I was previously super hesitant about fleece because, for most of my life, I assumed its pieces all looked the same. But while shopping in Manchester last year, I came upon a button-up fleece chore jacket with a rounded collar from UK-based Universal Works that changed my mind about what fleece could look like. But in speaking with Universal Works design director and co-founder David Keyte about the material, I learned that the name is actually a catchall that could mean different things depending on where you are. “There really are so many different fleeces,” Keyte says. “It’s an amazing technical invention that replaced knitted wools and cottons to become a flexible layer of clothing that moves with the body and is warm. Fleece became the modern version of those traditional fabrics, but it’s made of synthetic fibers that hold warmth and are lightweight.”My jacket is a wool-blend fleece (that almost looks like boiled wool), which Keyte says is great for heat regulation. I use it from fall on; either on its own or layered underneath a heavier coat when it gets bitingly cold out. But regardless of which brand or style you go for, that’s kind of the benefit of fleece when it comes to outerwear or as a shirt or sweater: They offer enough warmth when worn on their own, but most are light enough to be another protective layer to partner with heavier items for harsher winter days. Here, you'll find our picks for 28 fleece items that will serve you well from now through spring.
Gastro Obscura's 10 Essential Places to Eat in Vietnam
06.12.2023 - 23:13 / atlasobscura.com / Anthony Bourdain / Barack Obama
Vietnam has long drawn travelers in search of street food—traditional dishes passed down and perfected over decades by multi-generational food hawkers. Never was this more apparent to global audiences than when Anthony Bourdain and President Barack Obama famously met over bowls of bún chả, a northern Vietnamese grilled pork noodle salad, at a family-owned establishment in Hanoi back in 2016.
Complex yet humble, this type of street cooking remains the heart of Vietnamese food. While it’s hard to overstate the vastness and diversity of the cuisine—which actually encompasses numerous geographies and cultures—it’s generally noted for its contrasting textures and interactive manner of consumption. In Vietnam, food is typically eaten with your hands, wrapped in fresh herbs, and dipped in sauces and condiments.
More recently, the rapidly developing Southeast Asian nation has also become known for modern restaurants led by a new generation of local chefs, who reimagine and reinterpret Vietnamese ingredients and dishes.
Of course, there’s a lot more to Vietnam than the megacities of Hanoi and Saigon (as Ho Chi Minh City is still commonly known). But as the country’s northern historical capital and southern commercial hub, respectively, they’re great places to start. Here is your guide to 10 essential Vietnamese establishments between the two, from a street vendor hawking a peasant rice dish to a traditional Vietnamese coffee shop and an array of different noodle soup specialists.
Vietnam’s everyman “broken rice” dish, cơm tấm, is a symbol of innovation in times of great struggle. Believed to have originated in the southern Mekong Delta, the dish was created during French colonial-era famines when people resorted to cooking with rice that had been broken in the milling process. In operation since 1968, this Saigon institution specializes in the dish, which comes with a heaping marinated pork chop, shredded pork skin, and an egg-and-meat loaf.
This bún riêu, or crab paste noodle soup, specialist has been serving its namesake dish for some four decades in the heart of downtown Saigon. Greeting you at the front of the restaurant is a huge pot of bright red-orange broth simmering with crab paste, tofu, and pork blood. The broth is ladled directly over bún, or rice vermicelli noodles, and served with perilla leaves, basil, and a tamarind fish sauce.
There are countless nhậu restaurants, or gastropubs, all over Vietnam. To nhậu is to get together with plentiful snack foods and drinks—often seafood and beer—for meals that can last for hours. One of our favorites is Nhớ Tuyết, which serves an array of seafood ranging from clams steamed in lemongrass broth or topped with scallion oil and crushed peanuts, to colossal
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