Luxury Lunches

The perfect excuse to skip work and while away a Saigon afternoon For any foodies in Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll definitely want to check out Saigon Kitchen located in the beautiful Hôtel des Arts Saigon (76-78 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, D3; www.hoteldesartssaigon.com). Saigon Kitchen focuses on serving authentic, high quality dishes in an upscale, yet cozy atmosphere. Shortly after arriving I realized that this … Read more

Restaurant Review: Sushi Rei

At an unassuming square building, pleasures lie within Sushi, it’s both a magical and a terrifying word. In the past several years in Saigon sushi has risen to enormous heights where it has given birth to some bad sushi food carts and mediocre sushi chains popping up like weeds in places like malls. California rolls, … Read more

Lavastone BBQ and Cocktail House

If you think you’ve done tableside BBQ before, think again. Ever since Lavastone BBQ and Cocktail House (96B Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D1) opened its doors late last year, it’s been on a mission to elevate the GIY (Grill It Yourself) genre so popular in Saigon from what’s normally either a chain-restaurant or a slightly … 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

Spirited Away

A new Japanese whiskey bar & grill is home to some of the city’s best Kobe beef. Set in a pretty old manor just back from the main restaurant strip on leafy Han Thuyen, Monde (7 bis Han Thuyen, D1) has been the Japanese community’s best-kept secret since quietly opening its doors last October. The … Read more