Saigon Favorites: The Rest of My Bests

This post has been sitting on one of my back burners for a while, but the memories are fading and I think it's time to put this occasional series to bed, so ... herewith, a few more of my favorite food and/or drink-related spots in Saigon.

Best Coffee on Saigon's Mean Streets

By now probably the whole world knows about the fantastic coffee that can be found streetside just about anyplace in Vietnam (in Saigon, there are also all sorts of glitzy new coffee houses and Paris-cafe wannabes but really, when it comes to enjoying an ice cold glass of joe in Vietnam, sitting a few inches off the ground in a tiny plastic chair that might any minute break beneath the weight of your un-Vietnamese big-butt weightiness is a good part of what it's all about ... so you'll never find me at a Highlands Cafe <sniff>). 

This spot -- literally a "spot" since the building that the coffee was served out of is now a hole next to a construction site --  I'm going to recommend is a bit of a sentimental favorite.  For our first year and a half in Saigon, Dave and I lived just a couple doors up the street in a house that is now a creperie (and an extremely short-lived Hue food "cafe" before that) and it was this lovely girl's smile that greeted us every morning when we left the house to walk our lazy mutt in the park across the street.

Soon enough we dispensed with our morning ritual of Melitta filter and paper and from then on our a.m. caffeine hit consisted of her thick, delicious brew delivered right our door.  Convenience wasn't the deciding factor here --- coffee quality does vary in this (that?) town and this gal offers some of the best.  Very rich, slightly chocolate-y, and of course mixed expertly (light on the sugar, on request).  If you're heading down Han Thuyen Street to the Liberation Palace after a walkabout in the vicinity of the "Notre Dame" cathedral, look for her and her sisters next to 3 Han Thuyen (the construction site) at just the place where the card sellers peter out.  Pull up a tiny chair, enjoy your brew, and watch the action (which often includes quite a bit of public urination, I'm afraid) across the street in the park.  Now that's a true Saigon experience (and one that won't make the pages of the travel glossies).

Best I'm-Hungry-But-I'm-Not-Exactly-Sure-What-I-Want-To-Eat Spot

Nhu Lan wraps around the corner of Ham Nghi and Ho Tung Mao streets, a 15-minute or so stroll from Le Loi Street in District 1's prime tourist area.  The great thing about this place is that they serve very good versions of quite a few noodle and rice snacks, so there's little likelihood that you find something that appeals on the menu.  I wouldn't go so far as to claim that Nhu Lan's version of everything is the very best example to be had in town .... of course you'll need to seek out specialty vendors for the best of anything.  But what they do churn out (and I mean churn -- this place is positively packed at lunchtime and does a steady business right through from early morning to late afternoon) they churn out well.  Our favorites include the bun rieu (rice noodles in sourish crab broth with tomato, and topped with a hefty cap of stir-fried crab roe, above), and the bun bo xao (usually, room temperature bun topped with stir-fried beef and peanuts, served with a dipping sauce of fish sauce, sugar, and chilies -- but here, peanuts are left out and the beef is stir-fried with scallions and an assortment of green veggies, below).

We've also been known to return again and again for the banh bao (Chinese-style steamed meat dumplings ... best with the chili-oil lajiao that adorns every table), bun mam, chao ga (rice porridge with chicken -- squeeze on plenty of lime, drop in lots of fresh chilies, and add a spurt of fish sauce and a good dab of chili sauce and you've practically got yourself a bowl of Thai khao tom), and goi cuon (fresh spring rolls).  The latter are actually one of Dave's favorites; I myself prefer my goi cuon without shredded pig skin. 

There's an extensive list of fruit and veggie blender drinks (like the avocado shake, pictured with the bun bo xao) and a huge deli counter where you can get anything from a banh mi (sandwich on baguette) to a package of perfect fresh strawberries, when they are in season.  Behind the deli  counter, restaurant-side, find fresh peanut butter (a wee bit sweet for my taste), assorted Vietnamese sweets, and jars of that chili oil. 

Stop in at Nhu Lan for a snack, a meal, some pig,

or a peck of pickles. 

Possibly the Best Dish -- Certainly the Best Chao Vit -- in Saigon

Chao vit -- duck and rice porridge.  It sounds far from spectacular, but it's really quite divine, at least as done at two well-known (to locals) holes-in-the-wall in Thanh Da district.  I've no pictures to share, so you'll have to trust me on this.  No, don't trust just me.  Read my 2003 review of Chao Vit Thanh Da here, then read this intrepid tourist's follow-up appraisal here.  Finally, see an enthusiastic egulleter's impression, after he and I visited one of the two outlets for lunch, here.  If I recall correctly he describes this dish as the best things he ate on a recent trip to Saigon.  He's not exaggerating.  Thanh Da is a bit of a haul from downtown Saigon, about a 15-minute taxi ride.  But, if you travel to eat as I do, I can almost guarantee you'll find the effort worthwhile. Addresses for the two outlets can be found in the linked reviews.

Best Saigon Market Not Selling Yellow-Star-On-Red-Background T-shirts

Van Thanh market is well off the tourist track and I suppose that unless one is really, really into food there's no reason to go there.  There's no kitsch for sale, no prepackaged coffee or cashews or peppercorns on offer.  No food vendor will grab your arm as you pass by, which in my book is really a good thing (does this sales pitch work? because the minute someone grabs my elbow they've just guaranteed my rear end will never land on a stool at their stall). 

Years ago Saigon municipal authorities built a big ugly building to house Van Thanh market; vendors refused to move inside and the hubbub continues as it always has, outside and behind the empty building (which means the market is not visible from the main street).

It's smallish, the aisles are muddy when it's been raining, and the action is pretty much over by noon.  But it's a great spot to take a few pictures and see how the majority of Saigonites do their shopping, which is not by perusing the aisles of Ben Thanh (nothing against Ben Thanh -- I shopped there often and it's the best place to find good fish).

Van Thanh's vendors are friendly and easy to smile, prices are lower than at Ben Thanh (and in some cases -- oyster mushrooms, for example -- quality is better), and there is a bun mam vendor in the middle of the market kicking out some wonderful smelling stuff (unfortunately we were never able to snag an empty stool at her place).  The banh cuon sold from a lean-to just outside the market (and still behind the building), however, are utterly forgettable.

Find the market on Van Thanh Street in Binh Thanh District.  Any taxi driver should know it; walk behind the dismal concrete hulk that was to house the new "upgraded" market -- that's where the it all happens.

Best Place to Pick Up a Bottle or Two

When the Warehouse opened a bit over two years ago, it offered little to impress the prospective wine purchaser -- other than a radical (for Saigon at the time) industrial chic interior.  The wine selection was slim and ridiculously weighted to the upper end of the price spectrum, and the manager was, quite frankly, a real wine snob -- the type that sniffed haughtily at us whenever we walked in the door in shorts and flip-flops (hey, I learned to love wine in the San Francisco Bay area, where one isn't expected to dress up to make a booze purchase). 

About a year ago, however, a new manager arrived on the scene and things began to change for the better.  Stock expanded greatly, and there was more attention paid to "value" wines -- not cheap necessarily, but good quality for the money.  There's still an emphasis on French wines (Chapoutier is a favorite of ours, and offers a nice red at 159,000 dong), but now plenty of decently priced Aussie and NZ bottles as well.  The selection of Italians is thin, but occasionally a bottle of good Piemontese barbera can be had for as little as $10.  My major complaint is that the staff is hopelessly clueless when it comes to wine (why doesn't managment train these people, some of whom have shown their staying power for over a year?), so unless the French manager is around you won't get much guidance.  But at least the Warehouse is now producing the occasional pamphlet with tasting notes.

This is the place to stop for a BYO bottle if you're headed for one of Saigon's tonier restaurants, where wine lists are pretty anemic, or if -- like me -- you're an expat in a country with ridiculously high duties on alcohol and want to carry home a few.  If you're local, the Warehouse delivers.

178 Pasteur Street, District 1. Tel. 8-825-8826.

Best Place for a Cook to Get Inspired

Quite often, after I'd bought a lovely piece of fish --- a whole silvery pomfret, say, or a thick fillet of sea bass -- from this sweet and honest vendor at Ben Thanh market, and before I'd decided how I would prepare it, I'd head over to Veggy's to get my creative juices flowing.  I'd walk into the refrigerated storage rooms with a sense of anticipation ... what fantastic ingredient might be waiting for me?  Some rhubarb, just shipped in from Australia?  Load of rocket, globes of scarlet radicchio, plump bulbs of fragrant fennel, all grown in the mountains around Dalat?  Perhaps a new shipment of raw milk French cheeses for dessert?  While it's true that stocks can get discouragingly low during the summer (when most expats leave town for a few months, and incessant rains make Dalat's climate inhospitable to just about every kind of green vegetable), the Veggy's refrigerator rarely disappointed.

The Veggy's story is an interesting one.  Years ago an American man and his Vietnamese wife, tired of relocating every couple of years for his career, returned to Saigon -- where her family lives -- and decided to start a business.  Saigon's expat population was growing, and foreign foods were thin on the ground, so they bought some land in Dalat and started growing vegetables and herbs not often seen in Vietnam at the time: Italian basil, thyme and rosemary, a variety of lettuces, brussels sprouts and haricot verts.  Business was brisk -- they sold their produce to hotels, restaurants, and retailers under the bright green and yellow oval Golden Garden trademark. 

But almost immediately problems arose.  The stores where their products were sold, like Citimart, began copying the Golden Gardens trademark sticker and attaching it to every fruit and vegetable on their shelves.  Employees in Dalat walked off with seeds and seedlings and even produce, selling them on the black market.  Vegyy's' owner couple decided that the best way to get control of their product was to scale down production and gain a tighter rein on distribution, place emphasis on building a trustworthy team over increasing sales, and open their own retail outlet rather than selling through other retailers in Saigon.  For the most part, it's worked.

What I like about Veggy's -- besides the excellent products and the nice people who own and operate the business -- is that they don't take advantage.  Right now Veggy's is the only place in Saigon to nab a bit of rocket or a bulb of fennel, and, especially since they are selling primarily to expats and the hotel and restaurant trade, they could guage a bit.  But they don't; locally-grown produce, whether it's foreign-origin or Vietnamese, is priced accordingly.  Imported produce, from Australia and California primarily, is more expensive to cover shipping costs (for example, in July a pint of perfectly ripe black Mission figs from California will set you back $5 -- about double what they'd cost in San Francisco).  French cheeses are about what they'd cost in the States (a fresh goat cheese croton for $3), and American cheeses are, I'd imagine, about what they'd cost in France.

Regular customers can sign a bill at checkout and pay the balance at the end of the month.  If you're looking for something in particular, the Veggy's folks may be able to order it for you.  Saturdays is a good day to pop in at Veggy's --- new shipments usually arrive on Friday.  And Veggy's delivers as well.

I miss Veggy's a lot, and I wish these friendly, honest, hard-working folks all the best -- especially with their still-young Hanoi and Phnom Penh outlets.

18 Thai Van Lung, District 1, Saigon. Tel 8-823-8526; 99 Xuan Dieu, Quan Tay Ho, Hanoi. Tel 4-719-4630

Comments

[Kalyn]

Loved reading this. Vietnam is definitely on my list of "must travel there soon" places. There is a Vietnamese restaurant in SLC that has fantastic coffee with sweetened condensed milk which I love. My other favorite is sour tamarind shrimp broth. I assume these dishes are pretty authentic since the owners of the place (Cafe Trang) are first generation immigrants. Anyway, I have learned to love Vietnamese food by eating there.

[mumu]

Excellent pictures! my fave's the roast pork. looks yum.

[Sticky]

I'm going to read this in stages. Coffee is one of my passions, so have already noted down the address for my next trip to Saigon. Thanks!

[GigoloKitty]

I want to go. I really want to try out all the bun mam.

I tried making it myself. It was all right. I even shredded water spinach/striped morning glory/rau mun for it. If anyone has ever done it, you know the only right way is with a razor blade for really fine strands. If anyone has a better way, my poor fingers would appreciate the tip.

Anyway, if I can sample it at the source, I can see if I got it even close to right.

:(

GK
http://gigolokitty.blogspot.com/

[Robyn]

Hi Kalyn -- if you do make it to Vietnam I think I can guarantee the food will blow your mind. There's so much on offer there that never shows up Stateside. In the meantime -- enjoy your local restaurant!
Mumu -- glad you enjoy the photos! Can't take credit -- my "official" photographer for the site is Dave Hagerman.
Sticky -- honestly I can't even be sure if that coffee spot is still there, the way construction is booming on Han Thuyen St. But if you go, and it is, drop me a line and let me know. Some really nice folks, those coffee gals.
GK --- curious, how did you make the bun mam broth? I've never attempted it, myself.

[foodcrazee]

Vietnam is truly a food heaven...not like Malaysia but really DIRT cheap GOOD healthy food. Was there in Saigon for near 4 yrs and i didnt put on a single ounce.

Not HANOI but in SAIGON or in CENTRAL like Danang, Nha Trang or even HUE. Hanoi food is lacking in texture and flavour.

Gigolokitty - to cut thinly, roll the vege tight and then slice them . Thats how the chef's cut them or like what i did...learn from the vendor. Trust me.. roll them and then slice.

[Robyn]

I agree with you foodcrazee, about food in Vietnam ... and it's low-fat without even trying! I'm having to put in a few extra hours on the treadmill every week to keep the pounds off here in KL.
One thing KL has the upper hand in though -- variety in cuisines. I'm sure the situation in Saigon will improve in time, though. There's already a great Malaysian restaurant (Satay House on Mac Din Chi in Dist 1, if any locals are reading this. Go for the soto ayam pedas or the housemade curry laksa, Saturday lunches only).

[pieman]

More tips to follow up - cheers. Don't think I've visited Van Thanh market. That's one to swing by.

I didn't know the story behind Veggy's - thanks - have always found them a very pleasant bunch too. Didn't know they were opening overseas either.

Must admit I got a bit of a shock when I bought rhubarb there for the first time. I think it was around 200,000VD and just enough to make a crumble for four. Well worth it though when the British pudding pangs set in. Cheesehead noodlegirl always scores something obscure, French & stinky whenever she pops her snout inside that vast fridge.

As for fennel. I'm sure I've seen that elsewhere in town, but maybe I'm mistaking it for soemthing completely different. Pretty hooked on this weekly organic veggy delivery service at the moment and so it's just weekend salad we need from Veggys these days.