Hẻm Gems: Trứng's Divine Flan Is What Happens When Saigon Dreams of Japanese Desserts
My slight obsession with Japanese-style flan started in Tokyo, but it’s taken on a new life here in Saigon.
Hội An Reports 91 Food Poisoning Cases Linked to Famous Bánh Mì Phượng
Bánh Mì Phượng, Hội An’s most famous bánh mì eatery, recently made national headlines again, but for unfortunate reasons.
Ngõ Nooks: The Quiet Intimacy of Tree Bar, Where Strangers Become Fast Friends
A group of patrons gossip in thick, fast Japanese. They might all know each other or they might just speak to anyone at the bar as if they already know them. The wizened “master” joins in from his perch beneath the liquor shelves, as salarymen shuffle in and out of back rooms.
Ngõ Nooks: Hanoi's Long Waits Jazz Club Dreams a Little Dream of Jazz
Long Waits, a self-proclaimed “modest jazz club,” is the culmination of many dreams that merged and shifted before finally giving Hanoi a modern yet quaint jazz experience.
Ngõ Nooks: Nourishment for the Soul at Canh Bún Nguyễn Siêu
Eating canh bún is akin to going for a walk on a clear day as sunset melts over the city; it costs almost nothing yet nourishes the soul.
Hẻm Gems: Đà Lạt's Nomadic 'Cafe' Has No Menu, No Store, and One Table
During a recent trip to Đà Lạt, a friend invited me for coffee at 5:30am. The frosty climate of the Central Highlands mornings concerned me, but upon hearing the pitch about a whimsical cafe that operates on a “now you see me, now you don’t” basis, I immediately said yes.
In Massachusetts' Cicada Cafe, a Marriage Between New England and Vietnamese Flavors
“I don’t like the term ‘fusion,’” Vinh Lê, the chef of Cicada Coffee Bar, tells me. “You need to adapt. You need to adapt to the new environment, new life, when you move from Vietnam to the US. And to do that, food is one of the important elements.”
In Search of Quy Nhơn’s New and Traditional Delicacies
When asked what one should do when visiting, Quy Nhơn, one of Saigoneer’s favorite cities, the answer is simple: eat!
Interactive Book 'Art of Phở' Brings Saigon to Life One Click at a Time
When foreign visitors arrive in Vietnam, one facet of local culture that tops every must-do list is cuisine. Since the outside world has only recently been introduced to the magic of Vietnamese food, ...
Archaeologists Discover Roman Fish Sauce off Italian Coast
In Vietnam, you can't swing a dead cat without finding a bottle of fish sauce. The stuff is everywhere: on dining tables and in street food stalls, on supermarket shelves and in kitchens across the co...
Hẻm Gems: The Universal Truth of Fish Sauce Fried Chicken
There are few indisputable facts upon which good, reasonable people the world over can agree. Here are three: the sky is blue, the earth is round and fried chicken, in any form, is delicious.
[Video] The Story of Saigon's Classiest Street Food Restaurant
While the city is a cut above when it comes to delicious outdoor dining, most local streetside restaurants stick to traditional Vietnamese and opt for low-cost ingredients, passing on those savings to...
[Video] Thai Chef Gives Stink Face to Gordon Ramsay's Pad Thai
You may know Chef Gordon Ramsay from his role on the popular reality show Hell's Kitchen, where he spends an hour each week crushing the dreams of aspiring chefs. Whether you love him or hate him, the...
[Photos] The Ultimate Guide to Chinese Dumplings
From savory bowls of sủi cảo and steaming hoành thánh to the delightfully chewy há cảo dispensed by street vendors, Vietnamese have borrowed both the terminology and flavors from a wide array of Chine...
Six Reasons Why You Should be Slurping Your Noodles
Has anyone ever judged you for slurping (húp) your noodles? Well, Vietnam Coracle has come up with a list of six reasons why you shouldn’t be ashamed for showing an elevated understanding of soup inta...
Hẻm Gems: Golden Bún Bò Huế
Walking into this temple of bún bò Huế, I was surprised the lady recognized me from my last visit from quite a while back. Even with my attempt at growing a beard for no-shave November, god has blesse...
How One Company is Turning Trees into Noodles
With all the talk of tainted noodles in Saigon, we’re always on the lookout for alternative sources of bún. One Japanese textile company is experimenting with a technology that may provide such a...
Le Dîner en Blanc Comes to Saigon Next Month
If your fantasies involve droves of white-clad socialites showing up to a secret location to dine and drink, Le Dîner en Blanc should be right up your alley.
[Video] Ben Tre Man Shows You How to Perfectly Husk a Coconut
Husking a coconut is one of those things that looks deceivingly easy. But if you’ve ever tried to remove its thick green shell, it quickly becomes obvious that is a task of precision, one mastered onl...
Hẻm Gems: District 1's Delightfully Decrepit Bia Hơi
UPDATE: It is with heavy hearts that we inform our readers that the Thi Sach bia hơi has permanently closed. We will miss its regular crowd and grimy, beer-stained walls. In a city that pretty much r...
[Video] Nosh Food Week Kicks off at GRAIN
Over the next week, Luke Nguyen’s Grain will be home to Nosh Food Week Saigon, a week of food events centered on collaboration between local chefs.
Hẻm Gems: Bánh Căn and the Elixir of Life
In the world of hẻm gems, gritty is a good thing. The more battered the tables, the more precarious the seating, the more dubious the location, the more we feel at one with the chaos of Saigon street ...
Hẻm Gems: We Found Xôi Gà in a Hopeless Place
Stand outside a market at closing time and you'll bear witness to the daily routines of its swift, unceremonious demise. After sunset, Binh Thanh District's Ba Chieu Market transforms before your eyes...
Hẻm Gems: Tan Dinh's Hue Food Heaven
The area around Hue O Xuan is pretty busy, making it easy to miss the address amid its neverending traffic. Though the local chain that takes up two storefronts opposite Tan Dinh Market at 18 Nguyen H...
Hẻm Gems: An Assembly Line of Bún Thịt Nướng
After warming up our tastebuds with last week's bột chiên, we continued exploring the wonders of Thi Nghe's evening street food scene. Amid the sinh tố shops, snack carts and rice stalls, my nomming c...
Hẻm Gems: Thi Nghe's Gold Mine of Snacks
We found a hẻm gem goldmine.
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...
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...
