Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon- the city still happily goes by both names- is a surprisingly advanced city, a modern Asian Tiger. Wide boulevards, generous public spaces, landscaping, cleanliness and well designed buildings feature prominently in District 1, the central and oldest quarter of HCMC. It’s a relief to find wide footpaths that are pedestrian friendly, one way streets, traffic lights, at least in District 1, which makes walking a pleasure.
The restaurant scene here is undergoing a renaissance. Many expensive restaurants offer refined versions of Vietnamese cuisine, alongside the usual internationally acclaimed restaurants you would expect to find in a modern Asian capital city. Leading the way, in terms of modernising Vietnamese classic cuisine at an affordable price, is the restaurant Quán Bụi. The goal of the owner, Danh Tran, is to provide casual dining ,offering high quality Vietnamese food, with daily sourced healthy ingredients, in a stylish environment. Quán Bụi opened in 2011 and now has four branches around the city. We lunched at the relatively new branch at 39 Ly Tu Tong, district 1. It is situated on the second floor and is a little tricky to find.
Goi (salad) is a popular starter in Vietnamese cuisine. Goi generally consists of one main ingredient such as cabbage or morning glory and is topped by fried onions or peanuts then mixed with meat or seafood and herb leaves. The composition is then gently tossed with a dressing made from vinegar, sugar, spice and seasoning, as well as the all important ingredient, fish sauce, the ‘invisible enhancer’. Fish sauce is either incorporated in the dressing or comes as a side dish.
We begin with a mango and dried shrimp salad, a huge serve and a little different from the Thai version. The mango was grated, as in Thai papaya salad, but the fruit was riper, then tossed with rehydrated dried prawns, mint, nuts and jellied fish, the latter an intriguing element.
An unusual version of deep fried tofu arrives topped with crispy fried fresh coconut. The overall flavour is sweet, an unusual sensation in a main course, providing a counterbalance to the other bitter or spicy dishes. Mr T shoved some fresh chilli in the middle of his tofu cubes, a habit he picked up in Java, Indonesia.
The eggplant dish was described as chargrilled, and I was hoping for a smokier flavour in this dish, similar to the Thai version. Stripped of skin, the young green eggplants were grilled, then topped with fried nuts, herbs and dressing.
White or brown steamed rice are offered as an accompaniment. Washed down with a few beers, five Saigon beers to be precise, the total came to around VND 500,000/ AU$30. Expect to pay more for fish or meat based meals. Wine is by the glass or bottle and is imported. The serves are generous and the setting is stylish with enough ombra to suggest a hint of Graham Greene.
The chef is Thanh Cuong who won the Masterchef Vietnam series in 2015. I hope to try at least two more branches of Quan Bai before leaving Vietnam. This food is clean, beautifully presented and traditional with a modern twist.
Header photo taken from a wall in Quán Bụi, First Floor, 39 Ly Tu Trong, District 1, HCMC
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Just recommended your blog to a friend who is thinking of travelling to Vietnam. I’m sure she’ll enjoy your posts as much as I have. If I hadn’t just eaten lunch, I would be salivating.
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Beautiful photos Francesca. I had no idea HCMC was so modern.
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Like Ardys I’m surprised to see such a modern city. Great looking lunch too….
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I didn’t realise it was such a modern city either. What lovely, lovely food and eaten in surroundings with a hint of Graham Greene – romantic as well as delicious.
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Hi Jan, I plan to do a bit ore strolling around HCMC tmw. As far as big modern Asian cities go, it is quite appealing. Mr T is always trying to be Graham Greene in the quiet American… dark room, fan, smoke…
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Great post Francesca .. Travel is all about food ( well my stomach thinks so). Love Mr T’s chilli addition. Wonderful images Miss 😃
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My stomach too. Always looking for that special treat.
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So many positives about this post. The pics, the mood, the narrative and of course the location. Still slumping and sighing even though HCMC wasn’t on my top 10 list. You however, always seem to project a vision of things I missed and make them so appealing.
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I am now down in Can Tho but heading back to HCMC tomorrow for more strolling. As far as monster Asian cities go, it’s not to bad. I do like it ( district 1 that is).
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I’ve only been back from SE Asia for a couple of days and I am really missing the food so much. We have some green papayas here to make some salad to fill that gap.
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The food at HCMC looks wonderful and that restaurant seems to have a wonderful ambience and decor. Must get there soon Francesca – will do north and south when we go. The only thing I don’t like is fish sauce so would want that put on the side. The peeled eggplants with nuts atop look inviting in the pics.
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The food looks so fresh and colourful. Lovely photos!
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The food at this restaurant is really fresh and tasty- a great spot in Saigon, if you are there, or good food to copy at home.
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So glad to see that Ho Chi Minh City is thriving and so modern. Those dishes do look appealing, definitely Master Chef worthy.
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The food was sensational- I went back 4 more times , trying to work my way through the menu. Yes, things are developing rapidly at HCMC. Many of the old buildings are coming down, as the city begins to go high rise. The centre has retained old French buildings and/or facades.
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Người nam có câu ” Ăn bắc mặc nam” Hy vọng mọi người sẽ tới Hà Nội 1 lần
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I am not sure that I could translate this very well but thankyou Vantu for your comment.
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