I shared this "feedback" with P and he affirmed our decision to switch from a budget hotel (Tan Hoang Long) to a more luxurious one (Intercontinental Asiana Saigon). Which was fine by me as the 5* hotels in Saigon were still somewhat affordable and we were only staying 3 nights. So off we went, P with zero expectations and me with negative expectations.
Verdict? Saigon managed to surpass my expectations, thus reversing a negative to a positive. It is probably not as exciting as Bangkok, but it has its own charms and quirks, and I would love to go back again!
Firstly, our hotel was awesome. Look at P, totally enjoying himself.
Secondly, the food is Saigon is top-notch. From the impressive breakfast buffet at the hotel, to the affordable and high quality French cuisine, to the local Vietnamese fare done modern, traditional or fusion style, and the quirky cafes serving aromatic coffee, one could just eat his way through this city.
1. Intercontinental Asiana Saigon Hotel
Lovely breakfast with the widest variety of fruit juices (dragonfruit, peach, pineapple, orange, watermelon, just to name a few).
Excellent French restaurant in a beautiful romantic setting. We had pan-fried foie gras, a medium tenderloin with salty roast potatoes and savoury tomato-based vongole fettucine. Everything was cooked to perfection and the service was impeccable. Only downside was the lack of airconditioning so I was kinda sweltering in the heat after some wine.
Recommended: French onion soup and foie gras escalope
A cosy French bistro we ate at on our last night. P ordered the osso buco (braised veal) and I had the seafood lasagne. Serving was huge, and the food tasted wholesome. However, for the same price, I would much rather go to La Camargue.
Plenty of opportunities to have Vietnamese food but none with an ambience so delightfully quaint as Hoa Tuc. Set in a corner street together with a couple of other restaurants including The Refinery (another restaurant under the same group), Hoa Tuc is the perfect place for an all-ladies lunch/tea. Food was OK though we did enjoy the starters (fried spring roll and fish cakes) more than the mains.
This restaurant opposite the Reunification Palace was recommended by every guidebook I read. So we went there for lunch before our visit to the palace. The restaurant contains a mish-mash of the best stalls serving local food in Vietnam. Somewhat like a food centre, only with table service and a very extensive menu.
The must-haves: Pho bo (thick, fragrant soup) and chilli marinated grilled squid (absolutely divine!)
Boisterous outdoor BBQ place at the rooftop playing loud retro dance beats. This restaurant shares the same building as Fanny's ice cream parlour (see below) and Temple Club, which we very much wanted to visit but didn't have the time to. The food was average but the experience was quite unusual.
Our favourite cafe in Saigon. We came back twice! The Vietnamese ice coffee is to-die-for and I had the best red velvet cupcake here! There is also a boutique attached to the cafe which sells rather trendy stuff (more on this later).
If the heat is getting to you and you need a place to cool off, this is the perfect place to rest your legs and have a pretty sundae or ice cream creatively shaped as sushi or dim sum. Highly recommended!
Bobby Chinh's restaurant is well-placed right next to our hotel. Though we didn't dine here, we did drop by on our last night to have dessert & drinks. It's a great place to hang out, have a drink or smoke a shisha.
1 comment:
you made hcmc look fun and modern!
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