O hi, Asia!

In response to one of my readers (a.k.a. friend since elementary school) complaining that I posted too much food while in Hong Kong, I’m kindly posting this 5-in-1 of food I’ve had here in Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon. It takes more effort, but if it makes her even 1% happier, then it’s worth it!

For each place, you’ll see a picture of the outside, the menu, of my food and from the interior looking outside.

Gamagol Korean Restaurant • 8A/D10 Thai Van Lung St • HCMC

My impression: I can’t believe I got all this food for around $6. And yes, that’s a beer with ice in it. What?! I didn’t ask for it that way, but once it came, it wasn’t bad. Why don’t we drink beer with ice in it?

Sozo • 176 D Bui Vien (backpacker area) • http://www.sozocentre.com

My impression: Nice atmosphere for hanging out. Great place to cure a western-type sweet tooth.

Sozo has a nice selection of Western-style sweets as well as a regular food menu. Recommended in my Lonely Planet guide, “A classy little cafe ideal for excellent smoothies, doughy cinnamon rolls and other sweet treats. The cafe trains and employs poor, disadvantaged Vietnamese.”

One of many pho places. (Pronounced “fuh”.) I can’t figure out the name of this place.

My impression: I like pho. It’s quite similar wherever you go;  can’t imagine having bad pho in Vietnam. Prices range from 45,000 VND to 60,000 VND for a bowl. (So $2.50 to $3.)

Din Y • 171B D Cong Quynh (backpacker’s area)

My impression: Lonely Planet is crazy – the food here was not “delicious”. I got spring rolls and mushroom porridge, out of curiosity for what that would be. It’s basically mushroom & rice soup. The spring rolls were mushy on the inside (cabbage-like) and maybe the worst I’ve ever had. The soup was nothing special. Sure, it was only $3 or $4, but I could have eaten someplace better instead.

Quan 94 • 94 Dinh Tien Huang • Dist. 1 (If you go here, make sure it’s the one on the corner. There’s one with the same name in the middle of the block – don’t go to that one.)

Just 2 blocks from by job, I went here for lunch one day after reading rave reviews on Trip Advisor. Like many reviewers, I got the crab vermicelli and it was pretty tasty. At $6, it was more than I usually pay for lunch, but the serving was large and I maybe should have taken leftovers home. Oh well.