Savour the food in Vietnam

Savouring food in Vietnam has been one of the best experiences so far. Not only the Vietnamese cuisine but the other cuisines here are great as well. A lot of foreigners settle here with some of them (especially the Koreans) opening small F&B joints, hence some foreign cuisines here are rather authentic. However, not all restaurants are a must-try but it pays to do extensive research and explore around from time to time in getting to know restaurants newly opened and lousy ones closed down.

Below is a list of those which I've been to in the past year and they are highly recommended.

The famous Pho2000 with great beef noodles and spring rolls
- even Bill Clinton thought so when he visited Vietnam years ago.
His photos can be found every where in this outlet.

Highlands Coffee - the 'Starbucks' of Vietnam.
This is Vietnamese coffee served in Vietnam/French style

Highlands Coffee has a huge chain of outlets all over HCMC and each outlet has great ambience

Quan An Ngon - a local cuisine joint in colonial settings, very popular with tourist and locals.

My all time favourite Vietnamese restaurant - An Vien.
It's actually a rich man's house converted into a restaurant, hidden in a side alley.
Never fail to ask those who are there for the first time to take
a tour of the restaurant - each floor & room has a different theme.

Deep fried soft shell crabs

One of my favourite dish - deep fried pumpkin flower stuffed with fish paste

The famous Vietnamese pancake - Ban Xeo

Very unique dish - Roast chicken served with deep fried rice cake

Fried vermicelli with crab meat

Stir fried vegetables with beef

Another of my favourite Vietnamese restaurant - Bun Ta
Another restaurant in colonial settings with very nice ambience

I enjoy looking at the water streaming down the windows

A traditional Vietnamese cuisine - Pork Chop Broken Rice

Beef noodles (dry style)

Vietnamese popular dessert - taste rather similar to desserts we have in Singapore

Read about Quan 94 Cua (where everything is crab) on another blog.
A local joint with fantastic crab soup, crab vermicelli and crab fried rice.

Huong Lai Restaurant - Vietnamese cuisine managed by a Japanese couple (great set lunches)

Lerk Thai - one of the best Thai restaurant around

Seafood Tom Yam Soup

Phad Thai

Beef Red Curry

Fried Fish

Corriander - another great Thai restaurant at cheaper price

The place to eat beef steak - Wild Horse Saloon

Private dining in the barrel

Fanny Ice Cream palour - very popular with locals and tourists

Temple Club next to Fanny Ice Cream - drinking lounge popular with foreigners

Mojo (next to the Vertu mobile phone shop) - a cafe / lounge that is popular with foreigners

Inside Mojo Cafe

X Cafe - another great ice cream joint (very popular with local youngsters)
with daily movie screenings and live band on Saturday nights

MGM - hangout music and drinking lounge popular with the locals

Upstairs of MGM

Windows Cafe - another good hangout location to do people watch

Upstairs of Windows Cafe