in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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.

in Food Culture

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.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

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.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

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.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

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.

in Vietnam Hẻm Gems

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 Ănthology

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 Eat & Drink

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!

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in Food Culture

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, ...

in Food Culture

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...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

[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...

in Food Culture

[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...

in Food Culture

[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...

in Food Culture

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...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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...

in Food Culture

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...

in Food Culture

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.

in Food Culture

[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...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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...

in Food Culture

[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.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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 ...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Thi Nghe's Gold Mine of Snacks

We found a hẻm gem goldmine.

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...