Food & Booze HCM

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Food & Booze HCM I am an expat and have been living in HCM for 6 years. If you're looking for FUN, I'm your guy! You'll get the best deals in HCM as I speak Vietnamese.

Food, Fun & Booze, is what I love! Let me share my passion with you as I show you around to a couple of "Must Try" eateries and bars. Eat, drink, and relax at the best places as the locals would. If you fancy some after hours fun, we'll explore "Hidden Gems" of HCM and really find out what this city is really about! ;)

Drop me an email at [email protected] to find out more about my services.

11/03/2016

I have left Vietnam for good so there will not be any updates

Banh Mi 37 must be famous now. Be prepared to see a long que the minute she arrives with her push cart stall !!! I made...
31/12/2015

Banh Mi 37 must be famous now. Be prepared to see a long que the minute she arrives with her push cart stall !!! I made small talk with a Brit and asked him how he knew about this place....he said by word of mouth. For backpackers, it is the street behind Vietnam Inn..... walk towards Ben Thanh Market or New World Hotel until you see shop No 37 on the right.

Lil Sago. & Lau : No 299 Vo Van Tan St Dist 3 is a local favourite due to the reasonable prices. Lau means hot pot.....
22/12/2015

Lil Sago. & Lau : No 299 Vo Van Tan St Dist 3 is a local favourite due to the reasonable prices. Lau means hot pot.....so appropriate for the chilly nights in December. The prices in the menu is for one person....Usd3 ....try find that in Malaysia or Singapore.! Just point to order as menu decription in English is available. Yummy and value for money. !

17/12/2015

I will deviate from food and booze today to give valuable info on custom made products. No pics....just info on location. For those too lazy to find from the internet, I list the addresses for

1 ) Suits, shirts and pants
Dung Tailor
221 Le Thanh Ton, Dist 1

2 ) Jeans ( yes ! Jeans ! )
Huong Tailor
48 Ly Chinh Thang, Dist 3

3 ) Shoes
Tran Quoc Lan Shoes
97 Le Thanh Ton, Dist 1

4) Dresses
Lan Vy
217 Le Thanh Ton, Dist 1

5) Swimwear ( surprised ? )
Ly Ly
185 Ly Tu Trong, Dist 1

Happy Hunting !

Ca Phe Soi Da is a garden in the city for you to have a meal or a drink during the day. You can sit under the sun or und...
04/12/2015

Ca Phe Soi Da is a garden in the city for you to have a meal or a drink during the day. You can sit under the sun or under the shady trees or under the roof for complete shade. It is siituated at No 6 Ngo Thoi Nhiem in Dist 3..By night it becomes a romantic place with classical music and songs from 8pm. Lovey dovey !

For a 360 degrees' change of tempo, turn left as you leave the premises until you see a Volkswagon Beetle displayed at the entrance of Acoustics Bar. This is a place where locals hang out. Western and Vietnamese pop music by different bands give this place a good vibe. The crowd is into the music and many will sing along ! Catch a glimpse of Chu Monkey who is above 60 years of age. His clever mix of English and Vietnamese songs will get your feet tapping and you may even sing along ! The prices are the only negative points here. A Corona is 150,000 and most beers are at 100,000 so you will see many youths clinging to their bottles until they leave. By 8pm this place will be packed, even on weekdays. You should try this place at least once !

Lau De shops are all over HCM. Lau means hot pot and De means goat. Unlike the soup kambing in Malaysia and Singapore, t...
03/12/2015

Lau De shops are all over HCM. Lau means hot pot and De means goat. Unlike the soup kambing in Malaysia and Singapore, the Lau De in Vietnam is served with lots of vegetables, noodles and tau foo. In the broth , you will see mini yams which thicken the broth. Every Lau De outlet you go, you will see many locals enjoying the BBQ version and drink beer too. This has frequently attracted westerners to try without knowing what they are eating ! This is because it is so well cooked with herbs that you do not get the goaty aroma. Some locals will add the testicles or the p***s as side orders in the hot pot. The norm would be ribs and breast for the BBQ. Cheap by Malaysian standards....cheaper for the Singaporeans.

MZ Restaurant and Bar is a place to drink and listen to live music with frequent change of singers to break the monotony...
30/11/2015

MZ Restaurant and Bar is a place to drink and listen to live music with frequent change of singers to break the monotony. Ambience is cosy and the sound system is superb. The restaurant downstairs comes with live piano and violin music for a romantic dinner. This is one of my favourite joints to relax with friends. If you are a lone traveller, do not despair as the bar has hostesses to sit and chat with you for a 500,000 vnd tip.

MZ is located at 55-56 Bui Thi Xuan in District 1. Another bar with the same concept is Napoli which is at No 7 Pham Ngoc Thach.

Have fun. Ladies, their cocktails are strong so go slow okay !

I have always been a cheesecake lover and will always ask around every time I am in a different country. This one is the...
29/11/2015

I have always been a cheesecake lover and will always ask around every time I am in a different country. This one is the BEST !

Cheesecake Ngon ( means yummy ) is at 44 Truong Quyen in Dist 3. A slice costs vnd 50,000.

The texture is so smooth and creamy. I will kill for another slice.

This one is for bacon lovers. I stumbled on this little gem when I was caught in a downoour !To take a break from Vietna...
29/11/2015

This one is for bacon lovers. I stumbled on this little gem when I was caught in a downoour !

To take a break from Vietnamese food and you want your good old sandwich with good bacon, then go to The Hungry Pig at No 144 Cong Quynh, Dist 1 near Pham Ngu Lao.The bacon cheeseburger is the best ! Normal sandwich is 50,000 vnd but the jumbo Pig in a baguette is 125,000vnd. Fridays will get you 50% off for TGIF !

The following items can be found in Nha Hang Ngon. The street version is much cheaper but the contents are much lesser. ...
29/11/2015

The following items can be found in Nha Hang Ngon. The street version is much cheaper but the contents are much lesser. You get what you pay for.

Banh Khot is a mini pancake with a crunchy exterior and topped with a prawn

Banh Xeo is a large and crispy crepe filled with vegetables and meat or prawns

Spring rolls, whether fried or in its original see-through form is not to be missed.

I have ignored mentioning other restaurants as Ngon is so centrally located.

Ben Thanh market transforms into a night market ( pasar malam ) at night with street food.Bot Chien ( pan fried rice flo...
28/11/2015

Ben Thanh market transforms into a night market ( pasar malam ) at night with street food.

Bot Chien ( pan fried rice flour ) is similar to the fried carrot cake in Singapore and Malaysia but the ingredients are only rice flour and tapioca starch. It is pan fried and topped with beaten egg and chopped spring onions

Chui Nuong means grilled bananas .....some serve it plain, some serve with glutinous rice and coconut milk

Rice cake rolls in leaves with assorted fillings will tease your
tastebuds....different textures and tastes. Try them all.

Order a ca phe sua da ( ca phe is obviously coffee, sua is milk and da is ice ). The combination of the caramel sweetness of the condensed milk with the aromatic coffee and ice is heavenly ! It is a Vietnamese past time so sit and watch the surroundings so don't be shy to ask for a glass of tra da normally served with your coffee.
Tra is pronounced as chah for tea.

The national dish of Vietnam is Pho, a soup made of beef stock and spices to which noodles and sliced beef are added. I ...
28/11/2015

The national dish of Vietnam is Pho, a soup made of beef stock and spices to which noodles and sliced beef are added.

I would be murdered if I did not mention Pho 2000 as Allan, the proprietor, is a personal friend. Allan told me that President Clinton ordered a second bowl when he came in 2000. Other items are also served. Pho 2000 is at 1-3D Phan Chu Trinh just next to Ben Thanh market.

Pho Hoa is at No 260C Pasteur. It is a family business passed down from generations.

Pho24, a franchised chain is all over the city. I was told that the name was derived from the 24 ingredients required !

Pho Thin Hanoi serves the northern version. It is located at 170 Nguyen Dinh Chieu in Dist 3

Pho is so much loved by the Vietnamese that it would be an insult if you have not eaten pho while in Vietnam. Have a bowl TODAY !

For homesick Singaporeans, there are a number of Singaporean restaurants in HCM, the most famous ( and pricy too ) of wh...
27/11/2015

For homesick Singaporeans, there are a number of Singaporean restaurants in HCM, the most famous ( and pricy too ) of which is Lion City. I was annoyed that they serve roti prata without curry for which you have to pay extra !
Imagine that the car salesman tells you that the wheels are excluded.....would you accept it ?

Geylang Lorong 9 Frog Porridge Restaurant is located at No 35 D**g Du St., a short walk from Sheraton Hotel.

The frog porridge was superb. The kangkong sambal belacan was delicious and the coffee ribs was something out of this world !

Snails and shell fish is sold everywhere in Vietnam. The snails we see in the padifields in Malaysia is a favourite here...
27/11/2015

Snails and shell fish is sold everywhere in Vietnam. The snails we see in the padifields in Malaysia is a favourite here. Oi...one of you should start collecting and export to HCM !

I once went with a friend to Oc Ken located at 43 Pham Ngoc Thach. I was told they have a branch at 158 Ky Con St.

We ordered crabs, mussels, frogs, scallops and clams and 10 tiger beers and the bill was only Vnd 580,000. ( Usd28 ) ......we were so full....not sure if it was the beer or the food...perhaps a combination.
Note that the shells with spots like a leopard are expensive. The mong tai (bamboo shaped clams) are really huge. I was spoilt for choice as the menu has so many pics of snails and shells

Food was cooked to perfection and was delicious !!!
snails and shell fish

iKem sells local ice cream with a twist.....you choose your ingredients and it is made right in front of you. If you hav...
26/11/2015

iKem sells local ice cream with a twist.....you choose your ingredients and it is made right in front of you. If you have kids, bring them to 53B Nguyen Du St, Dist 1
They operate from 11am to 10pm
Cost from Vnd 54 to 74k depending on the ingredients. Happy Hours are from 11am to 1pm with a Vnd 20k discount.

If you visit Vietnam without eating Banh Mi ( means bread ) then your visit is incomplete. It is a crusty baguette fille...
26/11/2015

If you visit Vietnam without eating Banh Mi ( means bread ) then your visit is incomplete. It is a crusty baguette filled with
1) pork ham or
2) grilled pork patties or
3) grilled pork meat

My apologies to muslims.

The best of each category above
(accordingbto tastebuds ) are

1) Banh Mi Huynh Hoa located at
No 26 Le Thi Rieng in District 1
Opens at 4pm. Cost is Vnd 32k
2) Banh Mi 37 located at No 37
Nguyen Trai in District 1
Opens at 4pm. Cost is Vnd 17k
3) Banh Mi Nhu Lang located at
No 64 Ham Nghi ( Pasteur
Junction ) Opens at 10am. Cost
is Vnd 25k

No visit to any country is complete without trying streetfood. However, if you have time constraints and would not like ...
25/11/2015

No visit to any country is complete without trying streetfood. However, if you have time constraints and would not like to risk food poisoning, I suggest Nha Hang ( restaurant ) Ngon located at No. 60 Pasteur St. in District 1.

As it is frequented by tourists, locals and expats, you may see a que waiting to be seated. Be patient and you will be seated in a few minutes as the premises is large and it has upper floors too.

The menu may overwhelm you as you will be spoilt for choice. I suggest you walk around the stalls and point out to the waiter what pleases your eyes. Staff are helpful and are always eager to please. Vietnam hospitality is really something ...... makes you want to come again !

100,000 vnd Drink all you can 5.00 to 7.30pm...Tiger DraftVinyl is a small bar with fantastic staff who keep your glass ...
24/11/2015

100,000 vnd Drink all you can 5.00 to 7.30pm...Tiger Draft

Vinyl is a small bar with fantastic staff who keep your glass filled until you stop them!!! Located at No 70 Pasteur, it can get cramped with big bellied expats during happy hours. I know of other more spacious bars but that is my trade secret. I can even get you into a pub crawl for 100,000vnd and throw in a free cap to show that you participated in a pub crawl.

By the way....if you are a lady, Pub Crawl is only 20,000vnd. The first pub, unlimited beer! Pub No 2 to 5.....one beer/pub is FOC. Some.of you may drop off after the 2nd or 3rd pub ! It is a great way to meet new people ! You only live once....get on the crawl !!!

Email me at [email protected] for more info.

Craft Beer ....local ingredients but with more hop!Pasteur St Brewing Co is located at No 144 Pasteur. Next to Rex Hotel...
24/11/2015

Craft Beer ....local ingredients but with more hop!

Pasteur St Brewing Co is located at No 144 Pasteur. Next to Rex Hotel. Open from 11am to 11pm. This is for REAL BEER lovers as it will set you back 95,000vnd a glass. The Jasmine and Saigon Saison is excellent. The IPA is vibrant and well balanced. Try the fried chicken balls with your beer ( no genetials here )

Bia Hoi outlets can be found in abundance in Bui Vien Street. It actually means gas beer ! The gas is not from the ferme...
24/11/2015

Bia Hoi outlets can be found in abundance in Bui Vien Street. It actually means gas beer ! The gas is not from the fermentation of yeast but from carbon dioxide to pressurise the cylinders. With only a 3% alchohol content, it is known as Ladies' Beer or Watery Beer among expats.

You may encounter a local who will toast you to "MOT HAI BA YO" to show appreciation to expats for trying local beer. It is brewed in the morning so some locals start in the morning !

24/11/2015

Food, Fun & Booze, is what I love! Let me share my passion with you as I show you around to a couple of "Must Try" eateries and bars.

Eat, drink, and relax at the best places as the locals would.

If you fancy some after hours FUN, we'll explore "Hidden Gems" of HCM and really find out what this city is really about! ;)

Drop me an email at [email protected] to find out more about my services. If you are on Mobile, just click "more information" and drop me an email, or send me a message directly.

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