The Blade Master

Hiroshi Takeuchi has quietly built a reputation as the knife-sharpening guru in the country Chefs and most food preparers working in the restaurant industry will regularly sharpen their knives using a metal rod. The rod’s surface is coarse, and rubbing the knife against it files a sharper cut into the blade. To save time (and maybe … Read more

Let Them Eat Cake

Combine your love of Japanese food and cooking in one place As students lined their cake pans and became familiar with ingredients neatly arranged in the middle of the large island-style table, the coziness of Star Kitchen (www.facebook.com/starkitchenvietnam) was evident. Warm lighting, crisp white walls, state- of-the-art ovens, and modern clear chairs fill the petite … Read more

Like No Other, This Sushi Is

The popular Chiyoda Sushi brand in Japan is now making its mark in Saigon Thanks to its sizeable Japanese expat population, Saigon is blessed with countless fine sushi restaurants, and it’s rare for a new one to power through the stiff competition, but with 25 years of experience behind various sushi restaurants across Tokyo, new … Read more

Restaurant Review: Ngon Asia House

It’s difficult to put into words the incredible amount of detail that went into designing and creating Ngon Asia House (99 Nguyen Hue, D1). From dark wood furniture and red curtains separating various dining spaces to exposed light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, the restaurant is like an interior design showroom. And with greenery and … Read more

Dine With A View

Innovative Japanese-Chinese cuisine at Saigon’s latest chic dining space Le Meridien’s Bamboo Chic (Level 9, Le Meridien Saigon, 3C Ton Duc Thang, D1; 6pm – 1am) may just be getting warmed up, but it’s arrived in Ho Chi Minh City at the right time. From the décor to the dishes, Bamboo hits classy, well-pitched tones … Read more

Restaurant Review: Sushi Dining AOI

Most everyone knows what sushi is and that it comes from Japan. What many probably don’t know is that the original sushi, called nare-zushi, originated in Southeast Asia somewhere along the banks of the Mekong. Nare-zushi is still prepared today in Japan, but bears little resemblance to what is recognized internationally as sushi. A man … Read more

Food with A Difference

A Japanese woman is fulfilling a dream of bringing Japanese food with a difference to  Saigon Images by Quinn Ryan Mattingly Fuji Ayako came to Ho Chi Minh City from Japan two years ago to help launch a Japanese restaurant, overseeing staff training, customer service and operations. It wasn’t long before she recognized an opportunity … Read more