Michael Tatarski in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Grilled Chicken With a Side of Jet Fuel
In the pantheon of great street food locations in Saigon, many of my favorite places to chow down can barely even be considered restaurants. Is there really a need for four walls and real furniture wh...
Hẻm Gems: Beef and Booze at Lau Bo Co Thao
The alley where cô Thao has set up shop isn’t worth remembering. A high concrete wall runs down one side, reflecting the sun that’s sapping our energy on this hot, dusty Friday afternoon, while the ot...
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Refreshing Chè at Hiển Khánh, a 60-Year-Old Retro Hangout
Relishing a bowl of assorted chè at Thach Che Hien Khanh is more than just an afternoon spent shooting the breeze with friends, it’s also a trip down memory lane and an exploration into Saigon’s herit...
Hẻm Gems: Loriekot’s Filipino Fare in the Heart of Saigon
In Saigon, there are plenty of places you don’t see when you’re breezing by on a motorbike. If you are (hopefully) focused on the road ahead, the narrow shopfronts and modest quán lining most Saigon s...
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: A Perfect Plate of Cơm Trưa by the River
In Saigon, cơm trưa is more than just a meal: it’s also a cultural trait, a community and, at times, a serious business, all wrapped up in a plate of freshly cooked rice and perfectly caramelized chun...
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 ...
Saigoneer’s 5 Best Hẻm Gems of 2016
We’ve done a lot of eating this year.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Getting Your Fried Chicken and Noodle Fix in D4
“When in doubt, have chicken.” – Saigoneer proverb
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.
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.
Hẻm Gems: Striking a Balance With D10's Chè
If life is all about balance so, too, is food.
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
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.
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...
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Nguyen Thuong Hien's Quaint Corner Juice Heaven
In Saigon, when life gives you grapefruits, you create a thriving business to sell its juice to health-conscious locals.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: D1's Bún Mọc Assembly Line
We leave our office in search of District 1’s famed phở áp chảo only to find bún mọc in a hopeless place.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Nguyen Tri Phuong's Chicken Rice Paradise
We promise this will be the last Nguyen Tri Phuong-based Hẻm Gem…for now.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Conquering the Giant Bánh Canh Ghẹ Muối Ớt Xanh of D10
My uncle used to say that you haven't had real crab until you have to cook and dismantle one. For this week’s Hẻm Gem, Saigoneer takes you on a trip to do just that, relishing real crabs by break...
Hẻm Gems: Saigon's Original Bò 7 Món
Going to dinner at Au Pagolac is like going to dinner with family. That is, of course, provided your family spans several generations and also serves its meals in crisp, white button-ups and the occas...
Hẻm Gems: A Cuppa in Saigon's Oldest Cafe
One of the first things Co Suong does when we sit down in the back of her tiny District 3 cafe is bring out the newspaper clippings.
