Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [74]
Sawasdee 102–104 Le Lai. Authentic Thai food in this classy restaurant just a few steps away from the budget district. Relaxing ambience, friendly staff and yummy curries at around $5–8. 10am–11pm.
Tin Nghia 9 Tran Hung Dao. Mushrooms and tofu provide the backbone to the inventive menu in this friendly vegetarian restaurant. 7am–2pm & 4–8.30pm.
Zen 185/30 Pham Ngu Lao. One of the few really authentic vegetarian options around De Tham. Cheap and tasty dishes such as burritos, wild red rice and Chinese mushrooms; delicious fruit shakes too. 6.30am–10.30pm.
Ho Chi Minh City and around | Eating | Restaurants |
Greater Ho Chi Minh City
The following are all marked on the map "Ho Chi Minh City".
An Vien 178a Hai Ba Trung. Tucked away from the main road, this place is extremely intimate, with many different alcoves and corners on three floors, all sumptuously decorated, and with high-quality food to match. 11am–11pm.
Au Manoir de Khai 251 Dien Bien Phu 08/3930 3394. This is the nearest you’re ever likely to get to feeling like a colonial of consequence, though the experience isn’t cheap. Stunning surroundings, tranquil atmosphere, sensational French food, such as grilled lamb tenderloin with Dijon mustard sauce ($29), and an extensive wine list. 11am–2pm & 6–9.30pm.
Banh Xeo 46a Dinh Cong Trang. Vietnamese pancakes, stuffed with a mixture of shrimps, pork, beans, bean sprouts and egg are the speciality at this streetside eatery off Hai Ba Trung. At around 30,000đ a throw, they’ll fill you up for most of the day, and there’s also an English menu. 9am–9pm.
Café Central 4th floor, 18 An Duong Vuong. Located in district 5 a couple of kilometres west of De Tham (in the same building as the Windsor Plaza Hotel). Fantastic lunch and dinner buffet (around $10 and $20 respectively), featuring Vietnamese, Japanese and Western culinary treats that will have you re-filling your plate time and again. 11am–10pm
Camargue 191 Hai Ba Trung. A colonial-style modern villa with rattan furniture and wooden ceiling fans, sets the scene of a bygone era for this expensive French restaurant. It’s set back from the main road down a narrow lane. 6–11pm.
Cha Ca Hanoi 5a Tran Nhat Duat 08/3848 4240. Very smart cafe-style restaurant serving a variety of tasty Hanoi specialities, including grilled, marinated fish with noodles. 11am–2pm & 4–10pm.
Orientica Equatorial Hotel, 242 Tran Binh Trong, District 5. Super-stylish restaurant on the second floor of the Equatorial, specializing in seafood prepared in a variety of ways, plus steaks and hotpots. Main dishes cost between $15–30. 11.30am–2.30pm & 6.30–10.30pm.
Pho Binh 7 Ly Chinh Thang. A must-see for all war buffs: a wartime safe house for Communists, it was from here that the command was given to kick off the 1968 Tet Offensive. Don’t make the trip for the soup alone, though. 6am–10pm.
Pho Hoa 260c Pasteur. High-quality pho shops proliferate along Pasteur, none better than Pho Hoa. On offer are huge bowlfuls of soup complemented with chunks of chicken or beef and plenty of fresh greens on the tables to add yourself. You’ll pay more than the usual but it’s well worth it. 6am–midnight.
Spice 27c Le Quy Don 08/3930 7873. Stylishly furnished Thai restaurant with menu that looks like a magazine, featuring classics like tom yam and som tam, but also some unusual dishes such as “volcano chicken”. 11am–2pm & 5.30–10.30pm.
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Ho Chi Minh City and around | Eating | Restaurants | Greater Ho Chi Minh City |
Buying your own food: markets and supermarkets
With baguettes, cheese and fruit in such abundant supply in Vietnam, making up a picnic is easy. All the basics can be found at any of the city’s markets, though if you’re homesick for peanut butter, Vegemite or other such exotica, you’ll need to head for a specialist supermarket or provisions store.
Ho Chi Minh City and around | Eating | Restaurants | Greater Ho Chi Minh City | Buying your own