Hai and I have a nightly ritual concerning where we will eat dinner. Each evening after work and after our respective workouts at California Wow we hop on Hai’s motorbike and head down Le Lai Street off to dinner. But where? Immediately, Hai will ask, “Where do you want to eat?” He’s driving, so a [Read on …]
Place to eat

I’m not sure exactly why, but it seems that food always costs a bit more in Districts 5, & 11, the “Chinese” areas of Saigon. Of course, by western standards, its not expensive at all, but by Saigon standards, I’d say it is. But once in a while, I just feel like eating something different [Read on …]

Quan Ốc Hương 70 436 / 70 Tran Van Dang District 3 ************************************* I can’t believe it’s already been 6 years since I first tried eating hột vịt lộn. I remember the place and time very well. My friend Thang and I were only on the first day of what would be a 7-day motorbike [Read on …]

It’s true! I think Mì Vịt Tiềm serves Saigon Street Food at its best. Tonight, the weather in Saigon was beautiful. After a heavy rainstorm this morning, the air was clear and clean. A few stars were bright, even in the city’s lights. And a steady, balmy breeze made it clear that we had to [Read on …]

About 9 o’clock last night, I met Hai in front of Saigon’s California Wow health club. My usual first question as we get on the motobike, “How was your workout?” His usual first question, “Where do you want to eat?” More often than not, we him-n-haw and debate and suggest and reject where we should [Read on …]
Đông Hoa Xuân 49 No Trang Long Binh Thanh District ***** First, my legal “potential conflict-of-interest” disclaimer 🙂 Đông Hoa Xuân is Hai’s restaurant. Therefore, you might think I would be pre-disposed to give him a great review. And you might be right. BUT, the truth is in the eating! I speak from my tastebuds, when [Read on …]