A healthy meal delivery service for busy people who don’t have time to cook
The idea behind Saigon Kitchen Club is simple: pair a nutritionist with a chef, use the freshest ingredients, put it on a motorbike and deliver it directly to the customer. Their menu is incredibly diverse, taking influences from global cuisines while adding creative touches to make their dishes unique. One of the most noticeable aspects of their food is the incredible freshness of the ingredients. As you bite into the vegetables and fruits, it’s as if they were picked that morning, nothing is frozen and defrosted, and nothing is thrown to chance. If you’re on a diet or just want to eat healthier, this is the kitchen for you. I received a full day package for four days, and with an emphasis on keeping calories low, freshness of ingredients and nutritional balance, Saigon Kitchen Club uses pure olive oil and premium sea salt (with lots of minerals) and no MSG. I was not disappointed with the results.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Day 1: A fluffy and decadent omelet placed in a nest of lettuce, accompanied by a bean smoothie. As I am a huge fan of eggs in all shapes and forms, this was a spectacular fusion of healthy and delicious; the bean milk smoothie although it sounds strange was a very satisfying trip down an unknown road.
Day 2: Fruit salad with chunks of banana, dragon fruit, watermelon coated in a befitting layer of yogurt. I’ll be honest, it was the healthiest start to any day I’ve had in months.
Day 3: The pumpkin soup was nutty, sweet and just the right amount of salt. Ever had pumpkin soup for breakfast? Me neither but I am now officially a fan.
Day 4: Unfortunately, I had to skip it because of an early meeting.
My lunch options were fusions of east and west with a touch of Saigon Kitchen Club ́s own variations on the different dishes.
Day 1: My favorite was the marinated and grilled slithers of pork served in a bed of crisp green lettuce and a pile of white beans. I am a huge fan of beans and it was a great combination of the three ingredients, reminding me of comfort food from Latin America. The pork was marinated beautifully and cooked to a tender conclusion.
Day 2: Saigon Kitchen Club came through successfully with an Indian style curry with pork cubes. The curry was rich and creamy with just enough heat, while the pork was soft and juicy.
Day 3: Pork strips with pumpkin and a side of beans and lettuce. This lunch was a slightly different variation from the day before because the highlight this time were the slices of beautifully cooked pumpkin and the strong Korean red soybean sauce, which complemented the pork, beans and lettuce well. This was accompanied by an interesting salad consisting of red, yellow and green bell peppers, thinly sliced and cooked, alongside slices of ham and a light dressing.
Day 4: Probably the healthiest of the four, as well as being the closest to Vietnamese cuisine, was an amazing vegetable and chicken soup in a very rich broth. The delicious soup was partnered with a spectacular mixed salad with grilled prawns, pomelo carpels, lettuce and mint leaves coated with a light layer of dressing.
My phenomenal dinners were:
Day 1: A carrot and cabbage Chinese influenced soup with crunchy carrots and green vegetables. This was accompanied by a healthy twist on the popular local staple, mi xao hai san (fried noodle with seafood), served with classic Vietnamese rice noodles, stir fried vegetables, succulent whole prawns and moist slices of squid. It was as if they had jumped out of the sea into my pile of noodles.
Day 2: I was pleasantly surprised by what would be my favorite dinner by Saigon Kitchen Club: brown rice served with sautéed onions and grilled fish with tartar sauce. I must emphasize the seasoned fish was grilled perfectly. Fish can be a tricky protein to cook, a bit too much and it becomes rubbery, not enough and the center is raw. This was a flaky and decadent.
Day 3: My favorite staple from Saigon Kitchen Club, brown rice, however, this time it was paired with pickled cabbage and beef cubes and vegetables, all well balanced with flavors to match. This was accompanied by vegetable soup that included my favorite type of mushrooms¬—oyster mushrooms—and it was spectacular.
Day 4: Marinated prawns with brown rice and sweet pickled radishes. It was a home run, the prawns were tender, the brown rice and pickled radishes complementing it in spectacular fashion.
To order simply go to www.saigonkitchenclub.com and follow the step by step ordering instructions. They have several packages to choose from:
1) For the working couple who don’t have time to cook, you can order five dinner sets for VND880,000 two people.
2) If you prefer just having lunch delivered to your office, you can get the five lunch sets for VND450,000 for one person. Ideal if you don’t have enough time to step out to a restaurant.
3) For a full week, three meals a day for five days it’s VND880,000 per person.
4) Family packages can save you a lot of time otherwise used for shopping, preparing and cleaning after a long working day.