Nha Hang Ngon (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

Bánh hỏi chao tôm cuốn bánh tráng (Grilled Pounded Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane served with Rice Vermicelli, Rice Papers and Vegetables) 140,000 VND (S$8.40)

Nha Hang Ngon used to be called Quan an Ngon and located along Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street has moved to 160 Pasteur road. The Vietnamese name of the restaurant is called Nhà Hàng Ngon. “Nhà Hàng” means "restaurant" while “Ngon” means delicious in English.

Nha Hang Ngon with its yellow, colonial style villa was hard to miss. It had a huge sitting capacity with both indoor and alfresco dining areas.

If you were to walk around the alfresco area, you would notice numerous food stall stations where the various dishes are created are prepared and cooked, ranging from appetisers, sides, mains to desserts. It was an interesting experience walking around to look at the different type of food available and how it was prepared. I do have one concern which was hygiene as I noticed there were a few flies flying around the food.

The interior of the indoor dining area. Look at how elegant it was.

The setup on the tables. The menu had both English and Vietnamese languages on it.

Cà  phê sữa đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Milk) 40,000 VND (S$2.40)

The Cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Milk) 40,000 VND (S$2.40) got us off to a great start. The coffee was so aromatic and fragrant. The coffee taste was intense and rich, and was too sweet. But once the ice melted and diluted the drink, it was excellent! One of the best Vietnamese iced coffee we drank.

Gỏi đu đủ tai heo (Green Papaya Salad with Sliced Pig Ears) 50,000 VND (S$3)

We started off with an appetiser; Gỏi đu đủ tai heo (Green Papaya Salad with Sliced Pig Ears) 50,000 VND (S$3). It had a good balance in taste when everything was mixed together. In addition, the pig ears provided lots of collagen.

Bánh hỏi chao tôm cuốn bánh tráng (Grilled Pounded Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane served with Rice Vermicelli, Rice Papers and Vegetables) 140,000 VND (S$8.40)

The Bánh hỏi chao tôm cuốn bánh tráng (Grilled Pounded Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane served with Rice Vermicelli, Rice Papers and Vegetables) 140,000 VND (S$8.40). The waiter helped us to cut the grilled shrimp paste into almost equal thickness. Anyway, we saw a small fly flying around the rice vermicelli. Not wanting to kick up a fuss, we threw off quite a few of  the rice vermicelli where the fly flew around. It certainly makes us wonder about the hygiene factor.

Bánh hỏi chao tôm cuốn bánh tráng (Grilled Pounded Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane served with Rice Vermicelli, Rice Papers and Vegetables) 140,000 VND (S$8.40)

It was served with rice paper, fresh vegetables and herbs, slices of unripe banana and star fruit. The way to eat it would be to place the fresh vegetables and herbs, slices of unripe banana and star fruit, rice vermicelli and grilled shrimp paste onto the rice paper. After that roll it up and dip it into the sauce provided. Frankly, this dish was average. Did not find it delicious.

Bánh canh cua (Thick Noodle Soup with Crab Meat and Pork) 58,000 VND (S$3.50)

Having had such a wonderful experience Hoa Dong's Bánh canh cua, the partner decided to order it again. The Bánh canh cua (Thick Noodle Soup with Crab Meat and Pork) cost 58,000 VND (S$3.50). It was a major let down. The stock was thick but not flavourful. In addition, the serving of ingredients given were so little. To make things worse, the prawn was not fresh.

Bún ốc (Vermicelli in Soup with Snails and Tomatoes) 54,000 VND (S$3.24)

I ordered the Bún ốc (Vermicelli in Soup with Snails and Tomatoes) 54,000 VND (S$3.24), as I had many people complimenting about this dish on the internet sphere. It was served with fresh herbs which could be added into the soup.

Bún ốc (Vermicelli in Soup with Snails and Tomatoes) 54,000 VND (S$3.24)

This was another let down. The soup had a strong hint of fishy smell. Although the snails were large, they were too tough and chewy.

Chè  sương sa hột lựu (Jelly, Water Chestnut, Tapioca Pearls and Coconut Milk) 27,000 VND (S$1.60)  

We were still not satisfied and decided to order a dessert; the Chè sương sa hột lựu (Jelly, Water Chestnut, Tapioca Pearls and Coconut Milk) 27,000 VND (S$1.60). It was a pleasant surprise. Very refreshing and flavourful. The coconut which was so fresh made it so addictive.

Needless, to say, I made the wrong choice coming over here. I did extensive research and heard about how highly raved this restaurant was. So much so that when my Vietnamese friend advised us to give this a skip as the locals do not eat over there and the food was so-so, we still went ahead.. Should have just listened to her!

If you are reading this, my advise would be to just visit Nha Hang Ngon for its Cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Milk). The rest of the food are really just so-so (i.e. average). 

Nhà Hàng Ngon (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

160 Pasteur

Phường Bến Nghé, Quận 1

Hồ Chí Minh,

Tel: +84 (08) 3827 7131

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