Paul Christiansen

in Dishcovery

Bored of Mundance Date Spots? Try Tân Sơn Nhất's Romantic Star Cafe.

I know a little place. 

in Food Culture

The 50 Shades of Cháo on the Palette of Vietnam's Regional Cuisines

Cháo, or congee in English, is a diverse genre of Vietnamese dishes in both executions and flavor profiles — from humble versions like pandan congee, red bean congee to more substantial and complex meals like offal congee, chicken congee and catfish congee. Each dish is a different variation, but they all share a reputation for being nourishing and a richness of regional culinary characteristics.

Brian Letwin

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Kura Bar, a Veritable Treasure Trove of Rare Japanese Sakes Amid Saigon

Saigoneers are spoilt for choice when it comes to Japanese eateries in the city. Dozens, if not hundreds, of sushi, ramen and izakaya spots dot its districts. And if you're in the mood for something special, more obscure delicacies like tsukemen, Tokyo abura soba and Okinawa taco rice are readily available. Over the years, the epicenter of such eateries, especially those run by Japanese owners, has been slowly shifting from the upper stretches of Lê Thánh Tôn to Bình Thạnh District’s Phạm Viết Chánh neighborhood.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Go Back in Time to Chợ Cũ's Golden Days via Cô Chánh's Hủ Tiếu Mì

In the memory-scape of children growing up in the countryside like me, there always exists the familiar sight of old wet markets and the mornings we spent there, toddling behind our moms on the hunt for snacks, CDs, and lollipops. In the afternoons, I often tagged along with my grandma to buy meat and veggies, sneaking a toy or two inside her basket. Sometimes, if I was particularly sweet, she would allow us to have lunch there instead of at home.

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. Then a grad student from Texas, Christine’s victory was a watershed moment in the history of reality TV in the US and even globally. She’s visually impaired, a daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, and has a palate that even established chefs would envy. Back then, everything about Christine’s MasterChef run left an indelible mark on me, a budding food enthusiast from Vietnam, but as I grew older and embarked on my own cooking journey, there’s something about her audition that has always tugged on my heartstrings.

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 the layers of storytelling embedded into every detail, to which he replied with a smile, “I’ll tell you the whole story.”

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 represents the ubiquity of local seafood and vital waterways; and lotus provides a metaphor for Vietnamese resilience because it grows in the mud and produces a beautiful, useful flower. 

Back Eat & Drink

in Eat & Drink

This D5 Restaurant Serves Up 7 Bowls Of Noodles For 49k

Sometimes choice can be overwhelming. Do you go with the phở or the hủ tiếu? The bún chả or the bánh canh? For all the good food Vietnam has to offer, eating requires far too many decisions in this co...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: The Best Bò Kho in the Business

This week, there was a rumor going around in our office about the best bò kho in the city. Because we take food very seriously at Saigoneer, I took it upon myself to determine the accuracy of this sta...

in Eat & Drink

Phở Is Vietnam’s Best Dish: Business Insider

Perhaps in an effort to balance its more serious content, American publication Business Insider has taken to producing Buzzfeed-style lists (yes, we’re all guilty of this). Stemming from a&n...

Dana Filek-Gibson

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: The Lunch Lady You Haven't Met

In Saigon, there is no such thing as a one-stop shop. It's part of the city's charm: coffee in one place, lunch in another, dessert three blocks down and two alleys away. You can turn a single outing ...

in Eat & Drink

[Infographics] 6 Of Vietnam's Most Dangerous Foods

From duck fetus to pork intestines, food is nothing short of an adventure in Vietnam. But if you're not careful, it can be more of an adventure than you bargained for, depending on what and where you ...

in Eat & Drink

[Video] Kinh Do Makes Mooncake Sexy In New TV Commercial

Love 'em or hate 'em, mooncakes are one of Vietnam's most visually attractive holiday treats. Featuring beautiful, intricate designs and packed with a range of both sweet and savory flavors, there's a...

in Food Culture

Cambodians Are Cooking Iron Fish To Combat Anemia

In Cambodia, where nutrient-rich food can be hard to come by, nearly half of the population suffers from iron deficiency. While this is an easily curable condition, many rural residents lack the acces...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Hủ Tiếu With A Side Of Attitude

You know those vendors who are so good at what they do that no matter how rotten they may be to their customers, people still turn up in droves? Fickle as the world of street food may be, at the ...

in Food Culture

Pork Guts as Donuts, a Delicious Breakfast

Vietnam is a country of culinary excellence. From phở to bánh xèo, bún riêu to bánh mì, local cuisine is a wealth of culinary creativity. And in a country where food is not always in abundance, Vietna...

in Food Culture

[Photos] What Citizens Of The World Eat In A Day

Most of us don't give a second thought to what we eat in a day. According to National Geographic, the average person consumes 2,870 calories from morning to night, but what you eat can change dramatic...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Bánh Bao Chiên @ Lý Chính Thắng Street Cart

Imagine it's around 4pm and a sprinkle of rain is just starting to fall outside. You sit in the office thinking about how wonderful it would be to have a small snack by your side.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Bún Thịt Nướng Bà Tám @ 299 Võ Văn Tần

Though this indoor hem gem loses a few points for the bland, sanitary, air-conditioned environment, it starts to make up for the snooze fest in design with excellent renditions of some of Saigon’s mos...

in Food Culture

[Photos] 15 Strange Snacks From Around Asia (But Mostly Japan)

Snack food, once ubiquitous with Western culture, has become a global phenomenon. When entering new markets, multinational corporations often introduce products tailored to the palates of the local po...

in Food Culture

[Video] Following A Hột Vịt Lộn Vendor Through The Streets Of Saigon

We often take for granted the immense diversity of foods found on the streets of Saigon, in addition to those that sell them. This short film profiles Vinh, a hột vịt lộn (fetal duck egg) vendor who h...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Mì Vịt Tiềm @ Mì Gia Tân Tòng Lợi

You can tell Mì Gia Tân Tòng Lợi has been around for a while by the faded hủ tiếu cart greeting you at the entrance. The eatery specializes in Chinese-style egg noodle soups and fried duck dishes...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Chocolate Coconut Smoothies @ Le Thi Rieng Smoothies

On a hot night of street food hunting, it was time for a pit stop, one that would not only satisfy our thirst, but also our sweet tooth.

in Food Culture

Da Lat Coffee Now Sold at Starbucks Stores Worldwide

Starbucks is now offering up bags of single-origin Da Lat coffee at its stores in 56 countries, the first time the company has stocked an Arabica coffee from Vietnam.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Meet Saigon’s "Other" Lunch Lady

Following years of international coverage from food bloggers and personalities such as Anthony Bourdain, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, Saigon’s “lunch lady” has officially gone mainstream.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Legendary Coconut Milk @ Sữa Dừa 8 Tin

After a visit to Sữa Dừa 8 Tin, you’ll quickly find that not all coconut milk is created equal.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Bò Nhúng Dấm @ Anh Ba

At Anh Ba, it’s all about the beef. This eatery offers up four bovine dishes - lá lốp (beef wrapped in lolot leaves), mỡ chài (beef quasicrepinettes), nhúng dấm (vinegar based hot pot) and tái chanh (...