June 2009

Saigon Surprise

To find the best eating and drinking spots in Ho Chi Minh City, you need to leave the main streets and head for the alleys

Saigon Surprise

WORDS NELL MCSHANE WULFHART
PHOTOGRAPHY PETER STUCKINGS

Chi Minh City has world-class dining spots on every street, from gourmet Vietnamese and elegant French to Asian fusion. But some of the city’s best restaurants are not immediately visible — and rarely discovered by visitors. The city’s hems (alleys) are uninviting at first glance. They’re often grubby, narrow, crowded and filled with people selling coffee and motorbikes forcing pedestrians to the walls. But if you look beyond all these, you’ll find top-notch fare served in cosy environments.

Street entrances lead to dingy stairwells with not an elevator in sight, which may end in a mouthwatering filet mignon and a glass of robust red. A look beyond the obvious reveals some top spots — the hidden treasures of Saigon’s dining scene. Our advice? Don’t give up too soon, walk until the end of the alleyway, and never be put off by modest entrances.

Off the beaten track in District 3 is the Hideaway Café, tucked down a long alley away from the sound of traffic. This is an ideal place for relaxing and lounging, thanks to excellent food, stellar service and couches just begging to be snoozed upon. Standouts on the mostly European menu include the flash-roasted tenderloin beef with garlic, rosemary and mushrooms for dinner, and the smoked salmon and wasabi sandwich at lunchtime. Popular brunch dishes include an excellent eggs Benedict and french toast flavoured with cinnamon, orange and vanilla. Dessert-lovers should not miss the sticky toffee pudding.

Hai Ba Trung is one of the city’s noisiest and most touristy streets, but immediately across the road from the Park Hyatt Hotel is a quiet sanctuary where you’ll find Hoa Tuc. Nearly invisible from the road, it’s entered by walking under a stone archway. The building was formerly an opium refinery — hoa tuc means opium flower in Vietnamese. The modern Vietnamese restaurant specialises in mixing fresh ingredients in new ways, often healthier and with more inventive presentation, like the locally made baguette, which is sliced, toasted, and spread with a ‘pesto’ of Vietnamese ingredients. The wine list is designed to complement the Vietnamese combination of flavours including lime, fish sauce and chilli. Although the space itself is small, the outdoor section, when candlelit at night, is very romantic.

An Vien, perhaps more than any other place in town, is a restaurant you’d never find if you didn’t already know it was there. Off one of the busiest sections of Hai Ba Trung Street, it’s down an alley beside the large Tous Les Jours bakery. Inside is a warren of small rooms decorated in gorgeous art deco and Vietnamese styles. The food is traditional Vietnamese — some dishes are bright and simple, others are hearty, warm and bursting with flavour. The lotus salad, fried spring rolls and pork cooked in a claypot are popular choices.

Located one storey above street level in a slightly out of the way part of the city centre, L’en tête is one of the best — and best-hidden — in a city full of great French restaurants. Part art gallery, the spacious dining room is full of comfortable velvet chairs, intimate tables and artfully draped curtains. Popular with the city’s French population and Francophiles, L’en tête serves classic dishes with panache, accompanied by an excellent wine list and thoughtful service. Our menu picks? Grilled seabass fillet with tomato fondue followed by chocolate fondant.

La Fenêtre Soleil has perhaps the most incongruous entranceway in the city. Enter around the corner on Nam Ky Koi Nghia Street. There’s a tiny sign on the actual doorway indicating the café upstairs, which is found only after climbing several flights of stairs. Enjoy the beautifully prepared coffees, juices and light dishes in the day. In the evenings, the room becomes more crowded with foreigners and locals sipping wine and practising salsa dancing. A true refuge from the busy city life, La Fenêtre Soleil is the ideal spot to take a break either during the day or at night.

FIND IT

Hideaway Café
41/1 Pham Ngoc Thach St, District 3, tel: +84 (8) 3822 4222, www.hideawaycafe-saigon.com

Hoa Tuc
The Courtyard, 74 Hai Ba Trung St, District 1, tel: +84 (8) 3825 1676

An Vien
178A Hai Ba Trung St, District 1, tel: +84 (8) 3824 3877

L’en tête
1st floor, 139 Nguyen Thai Binh St, District 1, tel: +84 (8) 3821 4049, www.lentete.com

La Fenêtre Soleil
2nd floor, 135 Le Thanh Ton St, District 1, tel: +84 (8) 3822 5209






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