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 ri...

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 a must-have in Vietnamese households. Try searching for an image of the Lunar New Year and there’s a high chance that you’ll spot the cakes amongst the first ten results.

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 matches with the ethos of what these crops are trying to do … show a different way of thinking, a different way of agriculture, a different way of using the land, and using the relationship that we have with the land to coexist.”

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 Chro...

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 well-wishing for my grandparents, after which they will give you a red envelope. In my experience, the cleverer and more sincere the wish, the thicker the envelope would be. Before you leave, she would pack up a bánh tổ for you to take home, and store in your fridge to tie you over for the rest of the Tết holiday, as she believes that the core values of Tết are connections and generosity.

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.”

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in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Lunch Hour Gone Rogue at Oc Thao

In the vast and complex world of Saigon street food, ốc is generally classified as a staple of the fourth meal: nhậu. Its various forms, whether doused in garlic, drizzled with mỡ hành or swimming in ...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Saigoneer’s 5 Best Hẻm Gems of 2016

We’ve done a lot of eating this year.

in Eat & Drink

Meet the Owner of Hanoi’s Secret Cafe

Vietnam has long been a coffee-drinking country, but over the last few years a growing number of enthusiasts have started to take the brew very seriously.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Getting Your Fried Chicken and Noodle Fix in D4

“When in doubt, have chicken.” – Saigoneer proverb

in Food Culture

Bánh Khúc Cây Giáng Sinh: A French Tradition Lives on in Vietnam

With Christmas around the corner, Saigon’s demand for Yule log cakes, a holdover from the days of French colonialism, has returned.

in Food Culture

Saigon Launches New App to Track Pork's Origin

From now on, Saigoneers can get to know their pork better via a brand-new app that displays the origin of the protein along with other useful information.

in Food Culture

Bottoms Up: Alcohol Consumption Exploding in Vietnam

While this may come as no surprise to anyone who has driven past one of Saigon's many raucous beer clubs, Vietnam is home to one of the fastest-growing alcohol markets in the world.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Cô Hong’s Killer Late-Night Cơm Tấm

In the 16 years she’s spent selling cơm tấm on the District 4 side of the Calmette Bridge, cô Hong has seen some things.

Brian Letwin

in Food Culture

[Photos] Rita Cafe, a Lush Oasis Under Saigon Bridge

Before it was added to Google Maps a few months back, Cafe Rita was nothing more, it seemed, than a green smudge along the District 2 side of the Saigon Bridge.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Phu Nhuan's Beef Inferno

It might take more than a few Hẻm Gem reviews to chronicle all the things I have gone through for good food in Saigon.

in Food Culture

[Podcast] Meet the Woman Who Introduced Denmark to Vietnamese Cuisine

Growing up in Nordjylland, Denmark’s northernmost region, chef Anh Le didn’t meet many other Vietnamese people.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Striking a Balance With D10's Chè

If life is all about balance so, too, is food.

in Food Culture

Saigoneers to Consume 40m Liters of Beer, 45m Liters of Soda This Coming Tet

This upcoming Tet holiday, Saigoneers are projected to down some 40 million liters of beer and 45 million liters of soft drinks.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: D1's Rainy-Day Cháo Mực

“A cháo a day keeps the cold at bay.” – Saigoneer proverb

in Food Culture

[Video] Watch This Japanese Competitive Eater Wolf Down 5kg of Vietnamese Instant Noodles

Hao Hao noodles have never looked so good.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: An Old-School Nhậu on D10's Bia Hơi Block

Any self-respecting Saigoneer has a certain reverence for the art of nhậu.

in Eat & Drink

Hanoi Launches Mobile Testing Labs to Promote Food Safety

Hanoi recently launched three mobile food testing labs in an effort to reassure consumers and promote food safety.

in Food Culture

[Video] Snoop Dogg Rolls a Mean Gỏi Cuốn

Cross this off the list of things to see before you die: Snoop Dogg trimming some, erm, cilantro and hand-rolling a perfect plate of spring rolls.

in Food Culture

How French Colonialism Brought Spring Rolls to Senegal

Thanks to a strange twist of colonial history, fried spring rolls have become a popular snack in Senegal, a West African country with no apparent connection to Southeast Asia.

Brian Letwin

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Crab Curry Fit for a King

At a glance, this week’s District 4 Hẻm Gem might appear like any typical ốc restaurant in Saigon. Quan Oc 63’s laminated menu offers up no less than 40 dishes within its sticky plastic pages. However...