in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Chè Lâm Vinh Mậu Anchors the Last Remaining Hoa Vestiges of D1

Whenever I come back to Vietnam, it is a personal ritual of mine to visit locales of the past. As clichéd as it sounds, as I have been abroad in Singapore for six years, returning to Vietnam is almost synonymous with returning to places that once shaped my past selves, whose presence has been fading in my mind.

Khôi Phạm

in Dishcovery

A Tale of Three Chè Bột Lọc Heo Quay, Central Vietnam's Unique Savory Dessert

Why am I so obsessed with chè bột lọc heo quay?

Xuân Phương

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: Bodacious Bún Riêu Ốc Bò at Hanoi's 25-Year-Old Bún Bình Huyền

On the transient days when Hanoi’s weather morphs from winter to summer, the monsoon winds carry with them the drizzles of an in-between time. This cool climate evokes within me a yearning for some warm steam from boiling vats of soup stock, so on a rare chilly morning, I wandered around and stopped by Triệu Việt Vương Street for a distinctly morning treat in Hanoi.

in Snack Attack

Xu Xoa, the Sweet, Gingery Dessert Soothing the Heat of Central Vietnam Summers

If Saigoneers often turn to sương sâm (leaf jelly) or sương sáo (grass jelly) as refreshments on hot days, the choice of residents of provinces along the central coast is xu xoa. Chunks of translucent, lightly umami jelly swim in the sweetness of a ginger-flavored sugar syrup — a perfect snack that cools the body.

in Food Culture

Opinion: Anthony Bourdain Made Me Proud to Be Vietnamese-American

I landed Friday night in Saigon just in time for the news of Anthony Bourdain’s passing lighting up my phone in a jumble o...

Govi Snell

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: In One of Hanoi's Tiniest Shopfronts, a Phở Chay With Big Flavors

Tree-lined Lò Đúc street is home to Phở Chay: a restaurant so small it could fit in the palm of your hand. 

in Snack Attack

Bánh Ú Tro Wraps the Childhood Joy of Tết Đoan Ngọ Within Its Green Leaves

Since the beginning of our festive history, Vietnam’s special occasions have always been closely associated with traditional dishes. Lunar New Year is the time to enjoy bánh chưng and bánh tét, while the arrival of Trung Thu is foretold by the appearance of moon cakes and bánh pía. In the case of Tết Đoan Ngọ, revelers eat bánh bá trạng and bánh ú tro to get a taste of festivity.

Khôi Phạm

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Cleopatra Restaurant Adds Egyptian Flairs to Saigon's Dynamic Food Scene

As of 2024, Saigon remains Vietnam’s most densely populated metropolis, playing host to 9.5 million residents . In the qua...

Back Eat & Drink

Khôi Phạm

in Food Culture

How Cá Cắt Khúc Becomes My Personal Touchstone of Vietnamese Cuisine

It was 13 years ago when Christine Ha auditioned for and eventually won the third season of MasterChef US. Christine was a grad student from Texas then, and her victory was a watershed moment in the h...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: A Night of Love, Poetry, and the Pursuit of the Sublime at Emme Bar

“So what makes Emme House different?” the head bartender Dũng asked during our earlier conversation with Trực, the bar’s owner. “Emme House is not a bar,” he explained. I further inquired then about t...

in Dishcovery

Fried Floating Rice with Dried Cá Chốt and Lotus Tells a Complete Vietnamese Narrative

Chef Peter Cường Franklin shared a powerful narrative to introduce the dish he prepared for Saigoneer. Rice symbolizes the nation’s most important carbohydrate and its agrarian culture; cá chốt repres...

Uyên Đỗ

in Dishcovery

A Light Bánh Cuốn Quảng Đông to Break Your Fast the Chợ Lớn Way

Meeting up for a Chinese-style breakfast often means gathering around stacked baskets of dim sum or diving into hearty bowls of wonton noodles. But if you're looking for something lighter, a serv...

Khôi Phạm

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: Miến Lươn Is a Classic Hanoian Breakfast for Cold Rainy Days

I am Hanoi’s hungriest tourist; and the capital welcomes me into its flavorsome, umami-rich warmth with open arms.

in Dishcovery

Cua Cà Mau Consommé Evokes Nostalgic Summer Beach Holidays

Seafood reminds chef Nghiêm Minh Đức of childhood vacations to northern beaches with his family. But since moving to Saigon, he has been exposed to southern products including cua Cà Mau’s which inspi...

Thi Nguyễn

in Food Culture

Tết Tales: The Many Folk Stories Behind Vietnam's Bánh Chưng, Bánh Tét

To me, there's nothing that screams Tết as much as sticky rice cake. However one wants to spice up the usual celebration by replacing some dishes with something new each year, sticky rice cakes remain...

in Dishcovery

Tôm Sú Kakiage with Floating Rice Noodles is a Crisp, Cool Dish for Steamy Saigon Afternoons

Phở, bún, hủ tiếu, cao lầu and bánh tằm are stand-outs in Vietnam’s impressively diverse portfolio of noodles made with rice. The ones Saigoneer tasked Anaïs Ca Dao van Manen to create a dish with wer...

in Dishcovery

Re-imagining a Streetfood Staple with Sustainable Ingredients: Cơm Tấm Ốc Bươu with Floating Rice

Cơm tấm is “all about utilizing, minimizing food waste and, basically, not giving anything away,” explains Chef Trụ Lang of Mùa Sake, as he stands in front of ingredients from the Mekong Delta. “That ...

Tâm Lê

in Ănthology

Charles Phan's Bánh Mì Is Not Here to Take You Down Memory Lane

“Charles Phan had more impact on Vietnamese food than any other chef in the country.” — Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Cô Chi Creates a World of Northern Noodles Right in Her Living Room

Bún Cô Chi offers a great introduction to the wonderful world of northern noodles.

in Snack Attack

From Sticky Rice and Sugar, Bánh Tổ Binds Me With Tết and My Hoa Vietnamese Roots

This Tết, you’re invited to my grandma’s house for a true-blue Tết meal of Hoa Vietnamese, comprising char siu, khâu nhục (braised pork belly), cured duck meat, etc. Then, you can think of the best we...

Khôi Phạm

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: At D5's Sủi Cảo Đại Nương, a Song of Chives and Fire

One night after my meal at Sủi Cảo Đại Nương, I find myself in a mystifying dream about chives.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In a Hẻm, on Plastic Chairs, One of Saigon's Best Pizzas Beckons

“The leopard spots. They hate them,” Hiếu Trần explains to me. “They think it means the pizza is burnt.”

Uyên Đỗ

in Snack Attack

A Shelf-Stable History of Why Vietnam Loves Mì Gói

Instant noodles are more or less a religion. They have widely spread to many lands, where they are adapted to suit the culture and people there. Most importantly, they offer us salvation in some of th...

in Snack Attack

How to Know You're in Mỹ Tho? The Sugarcane Juice Has Roasted Peanuts.

In Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, when the protagonist tastes a piece of tea-dipped madeleine, the flavor combination immediately transports him back to the childhood memories he’s buried dee...

Khôi Phạm

in Dishcovery

Sấu, Mơ, and Lotus Tea: The Delight of Freezedom Hanoi's Creative Gelato Flavors

Apart from a rather ambitious list of Hanoi-specific dishes to sample, my itinerary for the capital includes three personal wishes: ride the Hanoi Metro, visit Sonder Coffee Bar, and try out Freezedom...

Thi Nguyễn

in Food Culture

History in a Tin: The Colonial Past of Vietnam Through Popular Canned Food

Whether it is fish placed neatly inside rectangular tins or uniform meat slabs stored in cylindrical cans with colorful packages, eating canned food is a strange experience. Unlike sitting in street f...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: CAM Coffee Serves up a Chill Ambiance With a Side of Bánh Cam

Bánh cam, or sesame doughnuts, has been my beloved snack since childhood.

in Snack Attack

From Abroad to My Favorite Bún Riêu: A Brief History of Trứng Vịt Lộn

I pride myself on being a child of Hanoi, but only after nearly 20 years, did I realize that trứng vịt lộn is not exactly an authentic topping in Hanoi-style bún riêu.