Ho Chi Minh City Restaurant Tips by saracen

Chen: Hotpot Restaurant Chain

Another of these cook-your-own restaurants, but this one was more confusing than any I had been in before, compounded by the lack of a common language between us and the waiters. Certain things we wanted they wouldn't give us, but we never quite discovered why.

I did manage to explain that I didn't eat fish or seafood and they seemed happy to recommend the beef hotpot. They then supplied a bot of boullion and a couple of dishes of the ingredients, including fishcakes and crabsticks. Still, the thought was there.

Favorite Dish: I guess one of the factors in such restaurants is that you are responsible for the output - but in this case the food was so bland and uninteresting I refuse all responsibility. There must have been something fundamental that never managed to transcend the language barrier that would have saved our meal, but it was dull and boring - a real chore.

Address: 152 to 154 Nguyen Trai

Comparison: about average

Directions: not far from Zen Plaza

Phone: 832 2352

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 1

Theme: Local

Pacharas Tapas & Bodega: Spanish - But Not Tapas...

Located in a multi storeyed building that reeks good design taste, this busy, bustling restaurant was just what I was looking for - a decent bit of Spanish nosh.

The menu was not huge but contained all the things I expected - patatas bravas, tortilla, chorizo etc. However on seeing a special of oxtail, something not seen in Britain since the days of government with backbone, I chose that.

As is my way when eating tapas, I like to order some now, some later. My group was happy with that. We ordered a few starters and then some mains (is that how tapas works?) and a few nibbles. We had some great manchego cheese, although $6 for 4 thin slices made it taste particularly precious.

However the oxtail, which was full portion sized rather than tapas sized was without bone - all sanitized and cleaned up just as the politicians back home had decreed. That said, it was very tasty.

The service was first class - we had an awkward, constantly complaining person within our company, and the staff never once were anything less than professional, where I would have throttled her within 5 minutes if I was them.

Music was cool and relaxed, and their balcony seating brought a pleasant releif to the city stuffiness.

Address: 97 Hai Ba Trung

Comparison: more expensive than average

Phone: 825 6024

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 3

Theme: Other

Website: http://pacharan.fcccambodia.com/directions.php

Gallery Deli: Nice, Relaxed Deli Restaurant

Located right in the middle of Dong Khoi, close to the waterfront, this relaxed, well decorated and modern looking deli has a very interesting menu with lots of Vietnamese and international meals available.

I wasn't particularly hungry so never experienced the food but it all looked very good, generous portions and well presented.

They have a set lunch menu (changes daily - see second pic) with both Asian and Western fare for $5 which looked great value.

In general prices seemed reasonable at about $4 or so per main course and about $1.50 to $2.00 for drinks.

Favorite Dish: My carrot and apple juice was very fresh and tasty. The virtuous points that earned me allowed for a piece of passion fruit cheesecake which was seriously cheesy, sweet and good.

Address: 83 Dong Khoi

Comparison: about average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Local

Ali Baba's: Beware The Ice

I am having a bit of trouble writing this tip – I am in two minds how to portray it as the following explanation will reveal…

A strange name for an Indian restaurant, hiding behind a rather unassuming frontage of pink stucco, and proclaiming itself the most authentic in town. When we entered the restaurant there were 2 other tables occupied. We were met by a very pleasant women who seated us and handed us a very reasonable menu containing all the usual Indian staples one would expect, and at very reasonable prices.

It was quite late when we arrived so we decided not to order much – just a dish of chicken jalfreizi, a chicken kebab with spinach and mint, some naan bread and special fruited rice. I stuck to coconut juice while my friend had a whisky on the rocks.

The food arrived reasonably promptly, piping hot and very succulent. The rice was superb – tasty, sweet and plentiful, as were both chicken dishes. We were very satisfied, especially then bill came in around $15 in total. I even had the VT tip of glowing praise semi-composed in my head. Then…

Next morning my friend reported some stomach pains. As we were due to depart for a cruise to Chua Doc it was pretty hectic getting organised, but his condition was getting worse so we went to the ISOS clinic (see my general tip!) where he was swiftly seen to and eventually diagnosed with gastroenteritis. As we had, the previous day, eaten the same food all day, the only thing different was the ice in Ali Baba – we are 100% convinced that this was the source of the food poisoning and the cause of the $550 medical bill and 2 days late on the Cambodia leg of our tour.

And this is the source of my quandary – I wanted to write about how good the food was, how cheap the prices were and how efficient the service was, but the ice is rotten.

Address: 60 Le Thanh Ton Str

Comparison: about average

Directions: Just along from the Spring Hotel

Other Contact: alibaba@hcm.vnm.vn

Phone: 823 3594

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 2

Theme: Indian

Hanayuki's: Good Japanese Restaurant

A busy, pleasant Japanese restaurant that has both conventional seating and tables, and private booths with low tables and, thankfully, a pit to swing your legs in.

The service was very attentive, with many friendly young waitresses eager to please, although English was limited amongst them. That said, they did get our order correct.

The menu is pretty extensive, with many authentic Japanese dishes. Crucially they also had ice cold sake for $6 for a 200 ml bottle.

The miso soup was very good – as good as any I tasted in Japan, as was the chicken yakatori and the curry with rice was excellent. My friends reported that the seafood and sushi was first class.

Prices were very reasonable – for 4 of us, with lots of sake, sushi etc, the total bill came to just over $74.

Address: 74/1A Hai Ba Trung Street

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: District 1

Phone: 8 242754

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Japanese/Sushi

Givral: Overpriced! Givral Review

First impressions of this stylish looking café/restaurant were good – well decorated in a sort of retro classy wood look, excellently located across from the Opera House on Don Khoi and providing a great opportunity to snoop on the multitude of passers by.

The menu was a bit disappointing in that there seemed to be a bit of confusion as to what they were serving – my guess was that they were trying to achieve some sort of fusion type menu, but its mix of strange unconnected foods was really quite disconcerting.

I decided to try and stay native so chose spring rolls and what was described as a regional speciality, caramelised pork with rice. My companion, still suffering the effects of Ali Baba’s Indian restaurant (see my other HCMC restaurant tips) settled on the safer option of pumpkin soup with croutons, and the chef’s salad.

Service was quick, but very Russian in that the starters and main courses were delivered together, although they took my pork away again after a few minutes to keep it warm while I ate the spring rolls. I think I am quite a modest person, but I have to say that the spring rolls I made earlier in the week (see my Vietnam Cookery Centre tip under Things to Do) were far superior – I should have offered some tips. Also, the salad with the spring rolls tasted rather unpleasant. The pork, upon its return, was really quite strange to taste. If I had made it, I would have put it down to a mistaken enthusiasm and never made it again, let alone serve it to strangers.

As for my companion, the pumpkin soup was lacking the croutons, and the chef must have been having an off day as his salad was really a pile of onions with lots of processed cheese and processed ham, topped off with a very sorry looking olive – hardly a delicacy.

All in all, for the relatively high price for our meal ($25 USD) I was wholly disappointed – if it were not for the location, they surely couldn’t survive such poor quality for such high prices.

Favorite Dish: The Vietnamese coffee was very good, but not good enough to leave me anything but disappointed.

Address: 169 Dong Khoi St.

Comparison: more expensive than average

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 1

Theme: Local