Date night in Saigon #1 (Warda, K Cafe & O’Brien’s)

Liz / / 8 Comments


As promised (or at least vaguely conjured up) earlier, here’s the first in what could be a mini-series of ‘date nights’ in Saigon. Before you get all excited and think it’s some kind of Sex in the City-like analysis of Saigon’s single scene, said date and future dates are with my lovely husband!

So, first date on the record was not so planned in terms of venues – it was more of an on a whim, ”where shall we go next?” kind of thing. First up, we went to Middle Eastern bar and restaurant Warda for some drinks and mezze. The ground floor was busy but not too much so, and we were able to get a bench seat near the bar. Our shared mezze (dips, breads, olives, feta, tabouli…) was huge for a supposed pre-dinner snack and the cocktails (rose martini, favourite) went down well. Warda proved a fun place for people watching – the other patrons in the bar area were all Vietnamese, including a group of giggling 20-something girls in suits trying a shisha pipe for maybe the first time, and a businessman with his glamazon, modelesque girlfriend draped all over him. Don’t you just love people watching?!
Next, it was onto dinner at K Cafe, a Japanese restaurant with a not very Japanese-sounding name, but nonetheless a long running and popular spot. There are always lots of Japanese people there – an excellent sign! We decided to sit at the sushi bar (I have a thing about sitting at sushi bars) to see the chefs in action, and ordered beers and lots of dishes to share including spicy tuna rolls, soft shell crabs, scallop gyozas and salmon sashimi. A guy who was acting like the owner was sitting nearby and tried to insist we have dessert (“it’s free!”) but after a huge Middle Eastern spread then dinner we’d had enough.
But there was still room for more drinks! Next door to K Cafe is a bar called O’Brien’s, which for some reason neither of us had ever been to. We decided to check it out and found a small, cosy, exposed brick wall pub with a sports bar meets dive bar vibe. The air was a little smoky, the music very 90s and the crowd a mixed bag of young guys ordering burgers, old guys wearing shorts and t-shirts (so un-Saigon!) and generic people sitting at the bar. Not really my thing. Kind of boring. But we stayed for a drink anyway and it turned out to be a fun place to sit and talk – really unpretentious. And speaking of unpretentious I really should have ordered beer as they make the worst martini ever!

So…how did the date fare?
Romance factor: 6/10 (points deducted for non-dateworthy O’Brien’s)
Food factor: 8.5/10 (K Cafe has fantastic sashimi and I highly recommend the scallop gyozas. Actually pretty much everything we’ve ever tried there has been great)
Fun factor: 8/10 (definitely more of a casual night but lots of fun, conducive to good eats and good chats – even at O’Briens)

More from the market…

Liz / / 5 Comments


Ok, my latest market hauls are starting to get ridiculous! For what you get for the price I mean, and the freshness and tastiness of the produce. I posted a while back about what US$1 will get you at a market in Saigon and since then, I’ve been more and more overwhelmed at the amazing array of fresh food I can buy at such a great price – this despite the fact my local coffee shop owner insists I’m being totally ripped off!! The other day, I bought the following for the grand total of US$3.50:

  • 4 potatoes
  • 1 sweet potato
  • 5 passionfruit
  • 4 tomatoes
  • 1 green capsicum
  • bunch of shallots
  • bunch of coriander
  • 1 small pumpkin
  • 2 big carrots
  • 1 eggplant
  • 6 limes
  • handful of green beans
  • 1 expertly carved whole pineapple
Most have been devoured already – I roasted most of the vegetables in a dressing (olive oil, balsamic, dijon mustard, garlic, dried thyme/rosemary/basil, salt, Cambodian pepper and a squeeze of lime) and the fruit has mostly been used up in breakfast smoothies. Now why am I sometimes so lazy I order pizza for dinner I wonder…maybe I should print this out and stick it on the fridge!

Things I take for granted (Saigon vs. Sydney)

Liz / / 14 Comments

Living in another country means you’re constantly comparing. Living in Saigon (and in Asia in general) there are some things that are better than home, yet have quickly become a normal part of life (and totally taken for granted!). On the flipside, living here highlights all the things I miss about home. Here’s what I’ve realised I take for granted, both here (in Saigon) and at ‘home’ (in Sydney):


I take for granted in Saigon:

  • Metred taxis – yes, taxis exist in most places (except the Penh!), but in Saigon, they’re cheap enough to use as your daily mode of transport. Can you imagine catching a taxi several times a day in Sydney(!) – to work and back, to go shopping, to go out at night and back? Most mere mortals in Sydney use taxis for getting home from a late night out only. It’s a luxury, not a given. One day I’ll be living in Sydney again, schlepping to the train station to wait for my half an hour late train, wishing I could just flag down a Mai Linh or Vinasun and go somewhere for $2!
  • Hired help – without wanting to sound like a total expat w@nker, having people clean your house (or drive you around, cook your dinner, watch your kids, clean your pool and tend your garden, if you want to get really carried away as some do) is a definite perk of living in Saigon and one that quickly turns from novelty to normal (and it is a normal part of life here – most Vietnamese people have some form of domestic help too, it’s not just an expat thing). Anyway, have to remind self that one day, bathroom won’t magically clean self!
  • Things being cheap – in Saigon, most things are much cheaper than at home (except imported western things that can actually cost much more). Haircuts, pedicures and massages are all highly affordable. Eating out can be cheaper than cooking at home and DVDs can be had for less than $1. All kinds of shopping bargains can be found, and there are tailors on hand to whip up copies of whatever you like. All of this is something that makes living in Asia highly enjoyable and highly addictive – enough to make many turn their back on their home country in favour of their amazing lifestyle (tempting, but I know I’ll move home some day).
I take for granted in Sydney:
  • Drinkable tap water – I’m so used to bottled water now that it feels strange to drink out of a tap when visiting Australia. Until you travel or live in Asia you really do take for granted that you can trust what comes out of your tap.
  • Electricity – another bare basic but one that’s not always reliable in some parts of the world. I barely remember any power cuts happening in Australia but here they happen at least once a month. Most annoying is when it dawns on you that you’re totally reliant on the internet/tv/air-conditioner etc. and wish you were a simpler being that didn’t need such things.
  • Footpaths – specifically, clear footpaths you can actually walk along. Ones that aren’t covered in parked motorbikes and people sitting on stools and roosters in cages (not making this up, this was seen on the footpath round the corner a few days ago). I must admit that after living in Phnom Penh the footpath situation in Saigon is a major improvement, but it’s nothing like the sprawling oases of concrete found in Sydney.
  • Diversity and multiculturalism – sure, there are people from all over the world living in Saigon and there are restaurants of lots of ethnicities, but it’s just not the same as it is at home. In Sydney there are entire suburbs that feel like a ‘Little’ somewhere (favourites include Haberfield (Italian), Petersham (Portuguese), Auburn (Turkish), Bankstown (Lebanese & Vietnamese – hang on, I live in Vietnam…). My excursions to other worlds only a short train ride away are one of the things I miss about Sydney. Although I’m living in another world now. But it’s just one kind instead of a million different kinds, if you get what I mean.
I’m sure if I racked my brain I could come up with many more things I take for granted in both cities, but these are the ones that spring straight to mind. It’s interesting that the Saigon list contains luxuries, while the Sydney list mostly features necessities (if you call access to authentic Portuguese chicken burgers necessities, like I do!).
So…thoughts? Ideas? What do you take for granted where you live?

Hanoi Eats: Bun Cha Dac Kim

Liz / / 8 Comments

If you’re ever in Hanoi and looking for somewhere local and authentic to eat, I highly recommend Bun Cha Dac Kim! Crammed, cramped and crazy, the small but multi-storied eatery packs in hungry hordes all there for one reason – their fantastic bun cha!

What is bun cha you’re wondering? Think a clear yet tasty soup, to which you add rice noodles, piles of fresh green herbs, succulent pieces of grilled pork and flavoursome pork mince patties, plus chilli, garlic and other condiments galore, should it not be a tasty enough concoction. Together, the flavours and textures are simply amazing. A side of spring rolls are served with the bun cha, with the casing around Dac Kim’s version akin to pastry – think an Aussie sausage roll…but better!

Bun Cha Dac Kim’s open air kitchen
For more on bun cha, here’s a gushy ode to the delicious dish I just came across: The Bun Cha Obsession. I can see why all the fuss – it really is that good!
Bun Cha Dac Kim, 1 Hang Manh Street, Old Quarter, Hanoi

A couple of cool blogs

Liz / / 5 Comments

My Google Reader subscriptions are getting out of hand… I now have so many great blogs I subscribe to that I spend way too much time reading them all! I follow blogs on fashion, writing, design, food, media and travel, including some others of the ‘girl in Asia’ genre, like ‘Bali Beach Bunny’ and ‘Lost in Translation’ – two cool blogs I’ve recently become acquainted with.

Bali Beach Bunny is written by a girl in her mid-20s who is embarking on a very jealousy-inducing venture – opening her own cafe in Bali with her boss-turned-boyfriend (sounds like a novel in the making!). Her blog is a window into her new life and setting up a business in Bali from scratch. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes to be and following her adventures along the way.
Lost in Translation is by a girl named Viv from Montreal. She recently spent a year living in Seoul but is now living back in Montreal – remembering all the quirks and cool things about living in Asia, but also posting on her new life at home and pop culture bits and pieces. Lost in Translation is her favourite movie (one of mine too!) and her experiences in Seoul are very Scarlett Johansson’s Charlotte!
I wonder what else is out there I’m yet to discover?!

Barfly: QD Bar & Lounge

Liz / / 5 Comments


I’m sorry, Qing, but I think I have a new favourite wine bar!
On a night that involved a raucous dinner at 3T (or Quan Nuong – the BBQ place above Temple Club) feasting on bbq-your-own beef with 5 spice, marinated squid, still kicking prawns, wild boar(!) with lemongrass and chilli and much much more, we also checked out new wine bar QD.
From a loud and local venue to one that’s stylish and serene, entering QD Bar & Lounge post-bbq fun provided something of a shock to our overseas visitors. And to us Saigon residents, first glance at QD’s interior suggested the stylish Saigon bar stakes have definitely been upped. There are floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out onto Ton That Thiep’s trees, a display of backlit green glass winebottles behind the bar, velvet lounges, floorboards and moody lighting. Apparently the bar is owned by a famous Vietnamese pop star named Quang Dung.
In case you’re wondering about the prices – there are wines (from here, there and everywhere) by the glass from around 100,000 to 180,000 dong (that’s about US$6 to $10) and bottles from around 500,000 to 1,000,000 dong (about US$30 to $60). It’s definitely the kind of place you’d want to go on a Saigon date night (which gives me an idea for a future post….!).
*NB: Actually I still love Qing (red and white striped walled winey bolthole on Pasteur) – both bars offer distinctly different atmospheres with Qing cute, cosy and chatty; QD dark, mysterious and sophisticated…
QD Bar & Lounge, 138 Ton That Dam, D1, Saigon
Qing, 110 Pasteur, D1, Saigon

Cafe Crush (Hanoi): Sohot

Liz / / 4 Comments

Sohot’s dark, luxuriously decadent interior

Ice-cream sundaes featuring Fanny’s ice-cream
– unfortunate name but delicious all the same

Sohot is one of those places smack bang in the middle of touristville yet obscured enough from the street that only locals (and intrepid cafe seekers like moi) seem to know about, with nary a tourist in sight. It’s located right next to the cathedral on boutique-filled, could-be-in-Europe Nha Tho street – on the left hand side if facing the cathedral, down a narrow path, in a door and up some stairs.

The interior is gorgeous – decadent velvet lounges, patterned wallpapers and chandeliers give it a luxe Victorian theme. Head up one more level and the top floor is even more amazing than the first with its moody red walls. They serve the usual array of drinks (and then some – like ‘Italian’ style sodas), Vietnamese dishes and cafe fare, and my favourite – suitably decadent (and heat-busting) sundaes by local ice-cream brand Fanny’s. Try the one with Bailey’s but swap the vanilla ice-cream for coffee flavoured – delicious!

Sohot, 2 Nha Tho Street, Old Quarter, Hanoi

More love…this time it’s all of Saigon!

Liz / / No Comments


So now you that know why I love my neighbourhood, find out why I ‘heart’ my whole city – my contribution to National Geographic Traveler’s Intelligent Travel blogs’ I Heart My City series has just been published!

Own city aside, I love the sound of Portland, after reading the other profiles – farmers markets, cool cafes, independent shops…sounds perfect (except for all the rain). If your city has yet to be featured and you think it should, here is the questionnaire…

Why I love my neighbourhood

Liz / / 9 Comments

Noodle soup at Tan Dinh Market (the local)

I sometimes get asked by fellow Saigonites why I live where I live. Some choose to live in An Phu or Phu My Huong (expat enclaves outside the city centre), others, far-flung local districts (actually I don’t know too many people who live in Binh Tanh, Go Vap etc. but a scattering of expats do), and then there are those who choose the chaos and colour of centrally located Districts 1 and 3 (my hood!). I like living in District 1 as it’s close to the city centre (read – bars, restaurants, shops…). That’s the main reason really – it’s like preferring the inner city vs. the burbs – but here are a few more things that I love about where I live:
  • There’s a general store right next door to my place that I often refer to as ‘the world’s cheapest shop’. I’ll buy a whole heap of cleaning products and the bill will only be a few dollars. The best bit is that they sell ice-cream and chocolate bars (Mars, Snickers, M&Ms..). I actually feel embarrassed sometimes that I go in so often to buy chocolate.
  • The cheap, fresh produce for sale a short walk away at the local market, Tan Dinh. The walk is a bit of an epic – it’s not far but there’s a treacherous road crossing with an endless stream of cars, cyclos and motorbikes that never actually stops – I just have to do the Saigon road-crossing technique of walking out into the traffic and hoping it parts. The scary thing is that I’m pushing my baby in a stroller while doing this! The trek is worth the effort though when I come home laden with fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables that are so cheap they’re almost free
  • My local coffee shop – source of gossip, ad-hoc Vietnamese lessons and inside info on what anything and everything should cost. Also a source of a never-ending stream of gifts. I then feel compelled to give something in return, they keep giving me things, and the cycle continues…I think it’s gotten to a point now that it’s not going to stop as long as I live here (gift suggestions anyone?!)
  • Quirky neighbourhood characters – banana lady, pineapple lady, over-enthusiastic streetside hairdresser, tattoed-on make-up lady, friendly girl with a baby the same age as mine, sometimes bossy general store lady (‘don’t get that ice-cream, it’s for children!’) and the rest who either wave cheerily or stare like I’ve just landed in Saigon from another planet
  • Cool places to discover on Hai Ba Trung, a main thoroughfare nearby. It’s jam-packed with clothing shops mixed with Vietnamese restaurants and random places like Bud’s ice-cream, (all the way from San Fransisco to Saigon), a doughnut shop, a Chinese medicine place, underwear shops, toy shops, florists, hairdressers and a new Korean restaurant that looks intriguing
  • And finally, that you can actually walk to the centre of the city, if you can bear the heat and crazy traffic (ok, I’ve only done this once, but it’s nice to know it’s an option)
I enjoy living in a ‘local’ area that’s also close to Saigon’s centre – it’s like the best of both worlds (streetfood one night, Cepage the next!).