Promotions and News in HCMC…
Food Promotion
Sample Market 39’s new extensive selection of the world’s favorites on different days of the week. Daily themes are: Monday – International cheeses and charcuterie, Tuesday – Churasscuria, Wednesday – Mexican Fiesta, Thursday – Sushi and sashimi, Friday – Select cuts of meat from around the world, Saturday & Sunday – Seafood medley. Prices are VND899,000++ per person from Monday to Thursday, and VND980,000++ per person from Friday to Sunday and includes free flow of selected house wines, Tiger draught beer, soft drinks and cocktails.
At Yu Chu, Chinese dining takes on a whole new perspective. They use only the finest ingredients and meticulous preparation to create a range of traditional dishes. Do not miss their popular Peking Duck, priced at VND510,000++ per whole duck, which reflects a 50 percent discount from the regular price.
Both restaurants are located at InterContinental Asiana Saigon on the corner of Le Duan and Hai Ba Trung, D1.
Ben Style
Former Canadian bodybuilder Ben Dell is the man behind Ben Style. “Ben Style offers what I’ve eaten for years as a professional bodybuilder,” says Ben. “There has never been salt or sugar or oil on my shopping list and there never will be. I have personally calculated and designed every
single sandwich on the menu, because I have to count what I eat every day in order to keep fit.”
Every sandwich comes wrapped with a label that displays its calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates content. A 544-calorie cheesy tofu meatballs sandwich costs VND 80,000, while a 281-calorie chicken salad sets you back VND50,000. The chicken jumbo sandwich comes with a massive 638 calories, 59 grams of protein, and 62 grams of carbohydrates, but only 16 grams of fat. Ben also offers meal plans for those who want to get fit and bulk up.
Formerly delivery-only, Ben Style has opened its first dine-in location at 302 Co Bac, D1 or call 090 691 2730.
Villa Royale
Villa Royale (8 Dang Huu Pho, D2; www.villaroyaletreasures.com) introduces antiques, art, vintage furniture, and objets d’art from Europe, North Africa, Argentina, Australia and the US to residents of HCMC. Items include 100-year-old clocks, vintage Louis Vuitton posters, vintage trunks, framed original paintings, sculpture, crystal chandeliers, porcelain ceramic tea sets, and dining services. Furniture items include French salon chaise lounges, marble-top commodes, French inlaid wooden dressers, Tiffany-style leadlight lamps, cowhide rugs from Argentina, and much more.
As part of their unique offering, Villa Royale also serves morning tea, lunch, and high tea furnished by luxurious artisanal tea brand TWG. Served in elegant surrounds, the villa presents a tranquil ambiance among beautiful treasures imported for sale to Vietnam by David J Campbell. The villa is complete with a tearoom, outdoor sipping salon, antiques, and collectible goods of the fine, fun and fanciful for the needs of opulent modern living with great respect for the past.
Third ABRSM High Scorers’ Concert
Hosted at BIS and sponsored by Erato and Klavierhaus, the top 25 scoring candidates in HCMC shared their achievements with a wider audience in a celebratory setting on September 21. ABRSM is the world’s leading music examination and assessment body.
Golf Promotion
Angsana Lang Co is teeing up a promotion for players. Measuring a tick under 7,000 yards from the pro tees, the course winds its way through a natural amphitheater that comprises forests, cliffs, natural streams and rice paddies to present players with a picturesque golfing challenge unrivaled in the country.
The par 71 Laguna Lang Co Golf course designed by six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo represents the golfing legend’s second foray into Vietnam’s golf-scape. In keeping with its links-like characteristics, the Lang Co layout also offers a traditional out-and-back routing, presenting a host of varied shot opportunities along the way.
The Stay & Golf package starts at VND8,400,000++ on weeknights and VND10,080,000++ on weekends and includes, 2 nights stay in a Deluxe Room, daily breakfast at The Market Place, round-trip transfers from Danang International Airport, one 18-hole round of golf including green fees, caddy fees and caddy booking fees, and many more, along with additional club facilities.
The offer is open for stays until December 19. For more information, contact (54) 3695 800 or email reservations-langco@angsana.com.
Dine Viva
While Dine Viva (195 Dien Bien Phu, also accessible via Hai Ba Trung, D3) is new to the Saigon culinary landscape, chef/owner Vinh Ton That certainly isn’t. Previously head chef at Bobby Chinn’s Hanoi, Shri, and An Lam Saigon River, Dine Viva is Chef Vinh’s first restaurant of his own. Naming the restaurant after his daughter, Australian-Vietnamese Chef Vinh has clearly put his heart and soul into the two-story villa’s elegant yet cozy decor, creating the unique wine bottle light fixtures himself. His true passion, though, shines through in the French/Italian menu which features innovative items such as blackened sesame scallops with green pea puree, pan-seared fois gras with star fruit compote, and vanilla panna cotta with passionfruit jelly. In addition to lunch and dinner, Dine Viva tempts the breakfast crowd with dishes such as omelet with asparagus, shaved Parmesan and beurre noisette, and coddled eggs with flying fish roe.
OnTop
To celebrate its grand opening, OnTop bar at the Novotel Saigon Centre (20th floor, 167 Hai Ba Trung, D3) is offering daily special drinks promotions: Monday: Martini, all you can drink at VND299,000++ from 8pm-10pm. Tuesday: Toss The Boss on all drinks by the glass – call heads or tails; if you win, the drink is free; if you lose, you pay – from 8pm-10pm. Wednesday: Mojito Madness, all you can drink at VND299,000++ from 8pm-10pm. Thursday: Ladies’ Night, free cocktails for ladies, a bottle instead for groups of four or more. Friday: Free Flow, open bar for VND299,000++ from 5.30pm-8pm. Saturday: Each bottle of wine gets a small platter of cheese and cold cuts. Sunday: Retro Movie Night from 6pm, free flow wine at VND299,000++ during the movie.
Chuck’s
Good ol’ American diner fare comes to Saigon at Chuck’s (27/27 Tran Nhat Duat, D1). Owner Charlie Ta wants the “customer to feel like Chuck’s is theirs. A place where they are always welcomed. You can come and just relax without needing to ‘be seen’ at a fancy venue.” On the menu are pancakes, French toast, omelets, hot dogs, chili, and wings. “I love sauces so we do wings with traditional sauces like buffalo, BBQ, spicy fruit, and extreme hot,” says Chuck. “We want to give value to our customers; our prices are very reasonable at VND39,000 and top off at VND 139,000. Our pricing strategy gives our customers more bang for their buck while giving them a quality product.”
Indochina Spa
For October, Indochina Spa (69 Thu Khoa Huan, D1) is offering a promotion where guests who buy a warm stone therapy (80 minutes/ VND630,000) will get a 15-minute free massage (your choice of either hands, neck & shoulder, or head).
Indochina Spa is centrally located near Ben Thanh Market with skilled therapists who can speak Cantonese, English, French, Japanese, and, of course, Vietnamese.
Clubhouse Saigon
Clubhouse Saigon (Sang Tao Street, Tan Thuan Ward, D7) is the latest all-in-one sports, catering, and dining venue to open in District 7. The chef and owner, Christophe Oswald, comes from a French Alsatian family with a long cooking tradition behind them. In 1949, Oswald’s grandfather Marcel opened the successful French restaurant Maison des Tanneurs “Gerwerstub” in a former tannery in Strasbourg. Christophe formerly ran La Fourchette in District 1 before opening Vietnam Traiteur (Vietnam Catering Service), delivering dishes for many well-established places in town.
Located within a villa, the open-air bar and restaurant overlooks the tennis court (with a swimming pool scheduled to open soon) and serves mostly Gallic dishes that include French onion soup (VND 85,000), peasant salad with poached egg, bacon and croutons (VND140,000), shank of lamb confit with Provencal sauce (VND 350,000), and many more.