Showing posts with label ~ Travel: Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh). Show all posts
Showing posts with label ~ Travel: Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh). Show all posts

Tuesday 30 September 2014

10 Food Places To Try In Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)

My picks for the food places to try in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) are appended below. If you are wondering what and where to eat in Ho Chi Minh, hopefully, this list of 10 Food Places To Try In Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) would get you started. Happy Eating! 

1) Fanny Ice Cream
Fanny Ice Cream an ice cream parlor is located along Ton That Thiep Street, a 5 minutes walk away from Saigon Centre. Established in Vietnam in 1994 by Jean-Marc Bruno, a pastry specialist graduated from the renowned Le Nôtre Paris school, it manufactures and distributes its premium ice cream to over 1000 restaurants and hotels, and has 7 ice cream parlors in Vietnam. The beautifully presented Demi Bol consisted of a mix of sorbet and ice cream, chocolate sauce, almonds, caramel sauce, whipped cream and fruit salad.

Its franchise outlet recently opened in Singapore earlier this year. The Demi Bol in Singapore costs S$25.
Demi Bol 149,000 VND (S$8.95)

2) Kem Cong Truong (Kem Công Trường)
Kem Cong Truong, an eatery located next to Turtle Lake (Hồ Con Rùa) around 15 minutes walk from the Reunification Palace sells mainly small snacks, desserts and drinks. Established before the 70s with its neon signboard, it is well-known among the locals for its Coconut Ice Cream (Kem Trái Dừa); an authentic Vietnamese-style Coconut Ice Cream. True enough during our visit, we were the only tourist. Unlike the Thai Coconut Ice Cream, this came with traditional toppings; crushed peanuts, pineapple, and dried bananas and plums adding complexity to the taste and texture.
Coconut Ice Cream (Kem Trái Dừa) 

3) Nghi Xuan Restaurant (Nghi Xuân)
Nghi Xuan Restaurant is a boutique restaurant that specialises in traditional Vietnamese cuisine. The restaurant is located at the end of an alley opposite the Saigon Opera House. The Tiny Steamed Rice Cakes (Bánh bèo tôm chấy) which consisted of Shredded shrimp, pork lard and spring onions added on top of the rice cake is highly recommended.
Tiny steamed rice cakes (Bánh bèo tôm chấy) 68,000 VND (S$4.10)

4) Banh Xeo 46A (Quán Bánh Xèo 46A)
Banh Xeo 46A an eatery located along a small narrow road between shop houses is famous for its authentic Vietnamese Pancake known as Bánh Xèo. The Vietnamese Pancake was crisp, thin and slightly sweet with a hint of coconut fragrant. Its interior was filled with beansprouts, shrimps, onion, pork and mung beans. This is a must try! While you are there, you should also try their Spring Rolls (Chả Giò) 20,000 VND (S$1.20).
Vietnamese Pancake (Bánh Xèo) 60,000 VND (S$3.60)

5) 3T Quan Nuong (3T Quán Nướng)
3T Quan Nuong located next to Fanny Ice Cream, is an open air roof top Vietnamese Barbecue (BBQ) / Grilled restaurant. It is popular for its Roasted Prawn with Salt and Chilli (Tôm nướng muối ớt) which was consisted of grilling live prawns on wooden skewers. The prawns were fresh and dipping them into the lime, salt and chilli dipping sauce added a different dimension to the taste.
Roasted Prawn with Salt and Chilli (Tôm nướng muối ớt) (100g) 58,000 VND (S$3.50)

6) Pho Nho (Phố Nhỏ)
Pho Nho located along Nguyễn Đình Chiểu road, near War Remnant Museum serves Northern (Hanoi) style pho (beef noodles). Its interior was nicely designed to resemble the streets of Hanoi with its murals on the walls and traditional street lights and foot paths.

The Saute Beef Noodles Soup with Slices of Round Steak (Phở Áp Chảo) did not disappoint. Dipping the Crispy Chinese Roller (dough fritters) into the pho, reminded me of a particular dish back home. While you are there, you should also try the Yogurt mixed with Coconut Milk and Sweet Sticky Rice (Sữa chua nếp cẩm).
Saute Beef Noodles Soup with Slices of Round Steak (Phở Áp Chảo) 55,000 VND (S$3.30), Crispy Chinese Roller 30,000 VND per piece (S$1.80)

7) Hoa Dong (Quán Hoa Đông)
Hoa Dong is a small eatery located 5 minutes walk away from the North Gate (Cửa Bắc) of Ben Thanh Market. While Pho is a more commonly known food associated with Vietnam, you should not leave the country without trying the Glass Udon Soup with Crabmeat (Bánh Canh Cua) and Grilled Pork served with Rice Noodle (Bún Chả Thịt Nướng). Both dishes are a must try at Hoa Dong.
Grilled Pork served with Rice Noodle (Bún Chả Thịt Nướng) 60,000 VND (S$3.60), Glass Udon Soup with Crabmeat (Bánh Canh Cua) 65,000 VND (S$3.90)

BeefSteak Nam Son located along Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai at the end of  a long alley is popular among the locals for its Vietnamese style western food; beefsteak (Bít tết). The eatery opens as early as 6am as the locals love eating this for breakfast. The Nam Son Specialty Combination of Steak, Sunny Side Up Egg, Meatball and Pate (Beefsteak Thập Cẩm) is served on a sizzling hotplate. Shred the Baguette (Bánh Mì) into small pieces, dipped it into the sauce in the plate and spread the pate (minced pork liver) on it to experience how the locals eat it.
Nam Son Specialty Combination of Steak, Sunny Side Up Egg, Meatball and Pate (Beefsteak Thập Cẩm) 60,000 VND (S$3.60)

9) Ngoc Suong Marina (Ngọc Sương Sài Gòn)
Ngoc Suong Marina also known as Marina Saigon Seafood Cuisine is a Vietnamese seafood restaurant located along Nguyen Dinh Chieu road (near Pho Nho). The recommended dishes to order are the Ngoc Suong Fish Salad (Gỏi cá Ngọc Sương), Deep Fried Prawns With Salt and Pepper (Tôm sú chiên giòn rang muối tiêu), Crab with Tamarind Sauce (Cua rang me) and Seafood Fried Spring Roll (Chả giò hải sản).
Deep Fried Prawns With Salt and Pepper (Tôm sú chiên giòn rang muối tiêu) 205,000 VND (S$12.30), Crab with Tamarind Sauce (Cua rang me) 55,000 VND (S$3.30) per 100 gram












3G Trois Gourmands located in District 2 is around 20 to 40 minutes drive away from the city centre depending on traffic conditions. The restaurant located in a traditional colonial house with its interior beautifully furnished specialises in serving French cuisine. Their Set Menu offers a choice of 5, 6 or 7 Course meal at a nett price of USD40, USD45, USD50 respectively. Although the prices seems expensive, the food here was excellent and value for money considering the quality and quantity. You would have to pay much more to enjoy such food in Singapore.
Clockwise from top left:  Scallops Mashed Potatoes Truffle, Homemade Smoked Salmon, Duck Breast with Orange Sauce, Gils Dessert

Two Important Tips
1) Change money at goldsmith shop
The two goldsmith shops opposite “Cua Tay” gate number 5 (west gate) of Ben Thanh market on Phan Chu Trinh Street offers the best exchange rate. Better than the rates in Singapore.

2) Get a Vinasun Taxi
We did our research and knew that getting a good taxi was important to avoid getting rip off. The two most reliable taxis are Vinasun and MaiLinh. However, do note that there are alot of copycats with varied names such as Ma Linh, Mei Linh Vinasune, Vinason or Vinasum.
Source: Hello Saigon!
After an incident (read the last 3 para if you are intersested) that happened to us, we took just Vinasun taxi. We really learnt it the hard way. Faith restore in taking taxis in Vietnam. Thank you Vinasun. We also ensure that the Vinasun taxi was
      - a big taxi (the first car in the photo above). Not those small ones as copycats normally use those                   smaller ones
      - window are not tinted
      - wear maroon tie

At the airport, if you want to get a Vinasun taxi, head left once you exit from the airport's arrival hall (where there are people waiting for their friends, family, or clients). Walk to the far left, end of the taxi stand, you will spot Vinasun wardens wearing dark green shirts with maroon ties. The airport is not far from the city and should cost about 150,000 VND around 30 to 40 minutes depending on traffic.

Rip Off Incident (sharing this to spread the awareness and help more people avoid such situations)
Despite our research, we were ripped off on our first night. We spotted a MaiLinh taxi and board it. The driver was wearing a tie, had his photo displayed on the dashboard and on the meter. Seems to be the right (genuine) taxi. The first sign that something was not right was that he was impatient; drove very fast and cut into the opposite lane of the road despite other vehicles honking. In addition, the meter jumped very quickly. It was at this moment I noticed that the side-windows for passengers were slightly tinted (oh shit..). It did not help that our destination was Cuc Gach Quan, located at a quiet private residential area.

The taxi driver drove us to the restaurant, showed us the restaurant and then move forward a little as there was a security guard there. We then paid him the meter fee of 350,000 VND which was ridiculously considering that it should be below 100,000 VND (S$21). He locked us in and demand more money (than what showed up in the meter) shouting and even throwing newspaper at us. Knowing that this was not a battle that we should fight, we slowly gave him more and more. But he kept asking for more.  The process repeated (i.e. shout, throw newspaper, give abit of money) several times. We kept asking for him to open the door but he turned even more aggressive. Lucky for us, another security guard in charge of a residential a few units ahead sensed that something was amissed and walked up. We kept waving at him as the front window was not tinted (at this time, a staff from Cuc Gach Quan also came over) and the driver quickly opened the door, told us to get out and drove off.

The security guard managed to record the number of the taxi and we explained the incident to them through a staff who understood English. The staff of the restaurant called up MaiLinh to lodge a case for us. Unfortunately, the company stated that they had no such taxi number and claimed that the driver did not belong to their company. In total, we paid slightly more than 450,000 VND (S$27) to the driver. But what matter was that we were safe..

Monday 8 September 2014

BeefSteak Nam Son (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

BeefSteak Nam Son also known as "Nam Sơn" among the locals is a no frills Vietnamese restaurant. I understand the locals love coming to this restaurant for breakfast and some visit as early as 6am or 630am!
BeefSteak Nam Son as its name suggests specialises in serving Vietnamese style western food; beefsteak (Bít tết). It has 2 branches. The branch that we went to was located along the Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai (main road).
After seeing the signboard, we turned in and found ourselves in a long alley filled with rows of motorcycles. At the end of the alley, we reached the entrance of the restaurant.
Entering the restaurant, we were greeted by rows of dark wooden tables and white plastic chairs that were arranged systematically to maximise the space. The above photo shows part of the outdoor dining area. There was also an indoor dining area with the same type of tables and chairs. In terms of furnishing, it was simple and basic. Although there was no air conditioners, the restaurant had high ceiling with many ceiling and wall fans. Hence, it was well-ventilated.

We were surprised to see that the restaurant was full when we arrived at 9am for breakfast as it had such a large sitting capacity. Despite the crowd, we were able to find a table shortly at the indoor dining area.
Menu 
The menu with most of main and side dishes. This should be for foreigners as it was translated in English language.
Menu
On the other side, it was the beverage menu. We noticed that most of their customers seems to be regulars as they did not need a menu and ordered on the spot. It was fairly easy ordering as they had many staff who were able to multitask. You could order through anyone (e.g. the person who is clearing or serving the food.

The condiments (chilli sauce, fish sauce, pepper) on every table.
Daily Homemade Passion Fruit with Ice (Chanh dây) 25,000 VND (S$1.50)
This was the Daily Homemade Passion Fruit with Ice (Chanh dây) 25,000 VND (S$1.50).
Baguette (Bánh Mì), Salad, Cucumber and carrot mixed with olive oil (Món Chua), French Fries (Khoai tây chiên) 
Although the restaurant was full, shortly after we ordered, these [Baguette (Bánh Mì), Cucumber and carrot mixed with olive oil (Món Chua), French Fries (Khoai tây chiên)] were served at our table!

The Baguette (Bánh Mì) and Salad were complimentary dishes. The Baguette deserves a mention. It was very well executed and it was so good that we requested for more after our main dishes came! (You can request for unlimited replenishment of Baguette)
French Fries (Khoai tây chiên) 15,000 VND (S$0.90)
We ordered French Fries (Khoai tây chiên) 15,000 VND (S$0.90) for sharing. Although it was average, this was a good side dish was soaking up all the sauce in the hotplate of meat!
Ostrich Steak (Bít tết Đà Điểu) 90,000 VND (S$5.40)
The partner ordered the Ostrich Steak (Bít tết Đà Điểu) 90,000 VND (S$5.40) which was served with a sunny side up egg on a hotplate.
Nam Son Specialty Combination of Steak, Sunny Side Up Egg, Meatball and Pate (Beefsteak Thập Cẩm) 60,000 VND (S$3.60)
I ordered the Nam Son Specialty Combination of Steak, Sunny Side Up Egg, Meatball and Pate (Beefsteak Thập Cẩm) 60,000 VND (S$3.60) which was also served on a sizzling hotplate which splattered the oil and sauces out. The serving was generous as the cut of the meat was fairly large. We followed what the local did and shredded our Baguette into small pieces and dipped them into the sauces and also spread pate on it.

If you are wondering what pate is, it is actually minced pork liver.

Never underestimate the influence of western breakfast in Vietnam. It was so crowded when we visited and majority of the crowd was locals except for another foreign couple. Despite the crowd, the service was prompt and efficient! In addition, the food was unique. This is worth a visit if you are interested in trying what the locals eat.  

BeefSteak Nam Sơn (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)
200 Bis Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, 
District 1,  Ho Chi Minh
Tel: +84 (08) 3930 3917
Opening Hours: Daily 6am to 10pm
Website

BeefSteak Nam Sơn (another branch)
157 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia
District 3, Ho Chi Minh
Opening Hours: Daily 6am to 10pm


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Monday 1 September 2014

3G Trois Gourmands (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

3G Trois Gourmands  is a French Dining Restaurant opened by Gils, a France native living in Ho Chi Minh, passionate in French culinary using natural products. The restaurant previously known as Le Toit Gourmand first opened in 2004.
3G Trois Gourmands is located in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), District 2. It is around 20 minutes to 40 minutes drive away from the city centre depending on traffic conditions. The restaurant is located in a traditional colonial house and its interior is beautifully furnished giving it a classy modern look. The setting inside makes it a perfect place for a romantic meal between couples or gathering between friends.

We had actually wanted to visit La Villa French Restaurant, another French restaurant recommended by my Vietnamese friend. However, by the time we reached our hotel and asked the hotel to reserve a place for us, the restaurant was fully already booked. Hence, we settled for the next option recommended by my friend; 3G Trois Gourmands and got the hotel to assist us in making the reservation. (Note: It is highly advisable to make reservations as these two French restaurants are popular among locals and tourists. You would not want to travel all the way there to find out that it is full.)
Menu cover
The menu cover.
Set Menu and Entrées (Starters)
The Set Menu offers a choice of 5, 6 or 7 Course meal at a nett price of USD40, USD45, USD50 respectively. Do note the price has increased, hence its different from the photo.

We went for the 6 Course Meal which costed USD40 / VND 840,000 (S$50.40) per pax then. The 6 course meal consisted of Truffe Scrambled Eggs (Brouillade Aux Truffes), Homemade cheeses (Assortiment de fromages maison) and a choice of 2 Entrées (Starters), a main dish and a dessert.
Main Dish Menu: Viandes (Meat), Poissons (Fish)
The Main Dish menu consisted of Viandes (Meat) and Poissons (Fish).
Desserts (Sweet Desserts), Glaces Bellany (Bellany Ice Cream)
The Desserts menu which consisted of Desserts (Sweet Desserts) and Glaces Bellany (Bellany Ice Cream).
Truffle Scrambled Eggs (Brouillade Aux Truffes)
The meal kicked started with Truffle Scrambled Eggs (Brouillade Aux Truffes). The scrambled eggs were light, fluffy and buttery. I was impressed by the strong and consistency of the truffle flavour present in it. What a great start!
Entrées (Starters): Scallops Mashed Potatoes Truffle (Coquille St Jacques avec sa Purée de Pomme de terre aux Truffes)
The Scallops Mashed Potatoes Truffle (Coquille St Jacques avec sa Purée de Pomme de terre aux Truffes) was the first Entrées (Starters). This was our favourite starter!

The panseared scallops were incredibly succulent, firm and fresh. Caviar was added on top of the scallops which were laid on a bed of truffle mashed potatoes and seafood bisque foam. The taste of all 3 (scallops, mashed potatoes and seafood bisque foam) was just divine. I was scrapping off as much foam as I could from the plate. If I had it my way, I would be licking the foam off the plate =P.

The both of us wished that we had ordered two portions of this instead of sharing it. This is a must order!
Entrées (Starters): Homemade Smoked Salmon (Saumon Fumé Maison)
The second starter we had was the Homemade Smoked Salmon (Saumon Fumé Maison). This was also excellently executed.
Entrées (Starters): Goose Liver Spring Roll (Nem de Foie Gras)
Entrées (Starters): Burgundy Snails in Garlic and Parlsey Butter (Escargots de Bourgogne au Beurre)
The next two starters we had was the Goose Liver Spring Roll (Nem de Foie Gras) and Burgundy Snails in Garlic and Parlsey Butter (Escargots de Bourgogne au Beurre).

For the former, I preferred the foie gras terrine compared to the foie gras macaron and the foie gras spring roll. Maybe I am too used to having my macarons and spring rolls with their normal fillings. As for the escargots, they were fresh and interestingly, the garlic flavour was much milder compared to those I had in Singapore.
Lime Sorbet
After the starters, the Lime Sorbet was served. This was light and refreshing, probably to cleanse the palate before the main course.
Viandes (Meat): Beef Filet Pepper Sauce or Morels Sauce (Filet de Boeuf Sauce Morilles ou Poivre)
For my mains, I was in a dilemma on whether to order the Beef Filet or Beef Cheeks. In the end I chose the former; Beef Filet Pepper Sauce or Morels Sauce (Filet de Boeuf Sauce Morilles ou Poivre). The beef filet was ordinary. The pepper and morels (mushroom) sauces that accompanied it was the game changer. (The sauces were served separately)
Sides
The potato and zucchini served at the side were awesome too!
Viandes (Meat): Duck Breast with Orange Sauce (Magret de Canard à l' orange)
The partner ordered the Duck Breast with Orange Sauce (Magret de Canard à l' orange) which came as a surprised to me as she was not exactly a duck fanatic.  But after hearing how the staff recommended this dish, she decided to order this.
Viandes (Meat): Duck Breast with Orange Sauce (Magret de Canard à l' orange)
The Duck Breast with Orange Sauce did not disappoint her. The Duck Breast was so tender and the orange sauce served at the side was richly flavoured but did not overwhelm the meat.
Pepper Sauce, Morels Sauce, Orange Sauce
The pepper, morels (mushroom) and orange sauces served separately. We could add the amount of sauces onto our mains according to our own preferences (the little things that matter).
Homemade cheeses (Assortiment de fromages maison)
After we were done with the mains, the Homemade cheeses (Assortiment de fromages maison) was served. We were shocked by the sheer variety and amount of cheese served. Nine types of homemade cheese ranging from goat cheese with truffle, spring onion cheese, red wine cheese, rosemary cheese, saffron cheese, cow cheese and other aged cheese. The both of us were not cheese fanatics and just sampled a little of each. Our favourite among the nine was the red wine cheese.
A video of all nine cheese. It was a waste giving us that much, but I understand that they serve this much for everyone, even if you are dining alone you get these. Cheese lovers would love them.
Desserts (Sweet Desserts): Gils Dessert (Dessert de Gils)
For desserts, we ordered the Gils Dessert (Dessert de Gils) which was recommended by the staff. It consisted of a combination of crushed meringue, nougat, berry coulis, strawberries with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sorbet. This dessert was fantastic! It had different texture and taste and was so addictive. Even though we were full, we had no problem polishing this up.
Desserts (Sweet Desserts): Chocolate Fondant (Fondant au Chocolat)
Our second (last) dessert was the Chocolate Fondant (Fondant au Chocolat). This was something that you could taste else where too. But still I must admit that it was well executed.
The chocolate cake was moist with molten chocolate flowing out of it. Berry and mango coulis was served next to the vanilla ice cream for additional flavour.
Lime Macaron
Just when we thought that we had came to the end of a fantastic fulfilling meal, we were each served a mini Lime Macaron!

Never mind that we missed out visiting Le Toit Gourmand. It was a blessing in disguise as we had such a satisfying meal at 3G Trois Gourmands. Not only was the food delicious, the staff were also very well trained. They were so friendly and hospitable. As the menu offers too many choices, I always make it a point to ask them for recommendations. They would them recommend the dishes and even went down to the extent of describing how the dish looks or tastes like. Their English was perfect! It was a breeze communicating with them.

Even though this was the most expensive meal we had, it was so value for money and affordable. It would be hard finding such food at such prices in Singapore. If we visit Ho Chi Minh again, we would visit 3G Trois Gourmands again even though we have to take a 30 minutes cab ride. This time I would go for the 7 Course Meal =) This is a must try!

3G Trois Gourmands (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)
39 Tran Ngoc Dien Street
Thao Dien Ward, District 2
HCM City, Vietnam 
Tel: +84 (08) 3744 4585

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Friday 29 August 2014

The Shibuya Wagon (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)


Matcha Toast 95,000 VND (S$5.70)

The Shibuya Wagon's bright colour signboard was so eye catching that we saw it on a mini bus while on the way back to our hotel. We did a quick google on this place and found that it was a Japanese restaurant serving Japanese food and desserts (e.g. Shibuya Toast).

The first thought that came to our mind when we read Shibuya Toast was our experience at After You Dessert Café in Bangkok. The thought of being able to try this again was too hard to resist. Hence, we slotted The Shibuya Wagon in for tea. 
When we arrived at 4pm on a weekday, the eatery was empy
With the environment, it did not felt like we have stepped into a Vietnamese restaurant. Even the menu was in English language only. 
Matcha Toast 95,000 VND (S$5.70)
There was a variety of toasts to choose from such as the Original Shibuya Toast, Stick Toffee Toast and Mega Toast. We settled for the Matcha Toast 95,000 VND (S$5.70). The Matcha Toast was served with Matcha ice cream, whipped cream and syrup. 
Matcha Toast 95,000 VND (S$5.70)
Sadly, the Matcha Toast failed to match up to our expectations. The toast was dense and not as soft and fluffy as what I had expected. In addition, the buttery fragrant in the toast was lacking. What a let down.

The Shibuya Wagon (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)
258 Lê Thánh Tôn, 
Quận 1 
Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Tel: +84 (08) 3827 0770
Opening Hours: Daily 1030am to 10pm
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