Cô Khàn Đêm 57-59 Hàm Nghi Street District 1 ***** Some weeks back, when our friend, Hai (not my Hai, but Hai’s friend, Hai) (that’s clear, right?) invited us to enjoy some lẩu (Vietnamese hot pot), of course we said dĩ nhiên (of course). Hai (the other one) is also a connoisseur of excellent, authentic, [Read on …]
Chợ Bà Chiểu Okay, so Hai has lived here in Saigon his entire life. He and his brothers and sisters cook in his local neighborhood restaurant – everyday. They know Saigon, inside and out. So, I had often wondered at which Saigon market do they find what they need to cook up their array of [Read on …]
Ối trời ơi! Hai is a winner! CONGRATULATIONS! His Đông Hoa Xuân Restaurant in Saigon just won Tripadvisor’s Certificate of Excellence! * * * Read more about Hai’s place here * * *
Why not ..? Coffee 128C Nguyễn Đình Chính Phú Nhuân District APRIL 2017 UPDATE: Sadly, we must report that the owner here has closed her cafe and relocated to Nha Trang. ***** A few month back, Hai and I had a need to ship some items back to the San Francisco Bay Area. With [Read on …]
It turns out that Hai is not the only amazing cook in his 11-sibling family. In fact, I often suggest in the late evening after our visits to the gym, “Let’s go visit chị ba (Sister #3)”. What I actually mean is, Let’s go have some really yummy bún riêu.” Hai never disagrees … off to Binh [Read on …]
Dung Miên Garden Cafe’ 7 Phan Văn Trị Street Gò Vấp District ***** As a nearly lifelong resident of Berkeley, California, I love really strong coffee. Good ole Peet’s! As a lifelong resident of Berkeley, California, now living for many years in Saigon, I love really strong cà phê sữa đá. Good ole Trung Nguyen [Read on …]
Bánh Cuốn Tây Hồ 127 Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street District 1 # 38200584 ************************ Legend has it that this place serves the best bánh cuốn south of Hanoi … and has for the past 50 years!! WELL, SOME LEGENDS ARE REAL! So when I told Hai that I really felt like bánh cuốn for breakfast, [Read on …]
Bún Mắm Cô Ba 55/9 Phan Huy Ích Street – P.14 Gò Vấp District ***** My good friend, Rick (also originally from the California Bay Area), lives in the Gò Vấp district of Saigon. That’s an area of town that Hai and I don’t get to visit often enough. So, Rick, where’s your favorite place [Read on …]