Saigon restaurants
 

I've decided to stay at the Park Hyatt. Could anyone give me a recommendation for a Vietnamese restaurant nearby? Looking for something on the more upscale range.

Mandarin seems to be one of "the" upscale places and it is nearby. I did not eat there, however, because they would not take a reservation for a single diner. Their sister place is Hoi An, which looks nice and is nearby as well. Nam Phan got a good review from R.W. Apple but I did not eat there, either. Each of these is well known and the hotel concierge can advise and give you the addresses. I am sorry I cannot give you first-hand reports. Next time!

The hotel is superb.

My husband likes both Temple Club and Mandarin, names which seem to spring to everyone's lips. Like ekscrunchy, I have not yet been to Mandarin but did go to Temple Club once in late July.

As I wrote in my trip report, Temple Club's decor -- exposed brick, high ceilings, tasteful accent pieces -- is very attractive. The service was very professional in the way of any big-city upscale restaurant. We ate in the more formal dining room although they seemed to be serving in the cosy back lounge as well. I did not order well though (cha ca) so would advise more care in that regard. A delicious meal in that distinctive atmosphere would be a treat. Note that it is on the second floor, above Fanny's. They offer an alternative dessert menu of -- you guessed -- Fanny's ice cream. Don't let that dissuade you from going to Temple Club though...the simple flight of stairs puts you into a very different environment from that of the ice cream parlor.

Xu, which is popular, was too youthful for my taste and seemed on our one visit to emphasize drinks at the expense of cuisine. One visit can be misleading though.

The food that we had at the less rarified Lemongrass was superb.

All of these are well-known -- perhaps someone else can propose a clever alternative that will delight you.

I understand your question to be directed specifically at Vietnamese cuisine. There are many recommended upscale French, etc., restaurants.

I've eaten twice at the Mandarin. In '02 I wrote: "papaya and grilled beef salad was delicious, the shrimp in tamarind adequate" but I liked it enough to go back in '04. Both times I went (solo) without a reservation, and had no difficulty getting seated.

Thanks, everyone. I'm in Singapore right now, will leave for HCMC shortly. I'll report back.

I think the problem I had was that I was there right before Tet and the city was totally packed.

I did eat at Temple Club and while the place is most attractive, I did not think the food was stellar... I think that is geared more to westerners than to Vietnamese, but I could be wrong as I ate there only once..

Anyway, Saigon is a great food city!!

Also the Lemon Grass was my favorite restaurant in Saigon. Also enjoyed eating on the top of the Rex Hotel for the experience more than the food. Ate on a riverboat out on the Saigon River one night-not sure of the name.

Hi,

see this links for more information

http://travelindochine.net/index.php/page/index/26

For upscale range restaurant. I advise Nam Kha restaurant. You could see it: www.namkha.com. I believe you will love it. If you have dining there. Please advise me your experience.

Well, we survived crossing the street in HCM City and had a good deal of good food (though I never did find the "perfect" restaurant.)

My husband is allergic to shrimp/prawns which seems to knock out about 99% of the menu. We learned that we tended to prefer the appetisers and salads to the main courses and next time would load up on the front end of the menu.

Our favorite by far was Bun Ta, which was bright and airy and had wonderful rolls, noodles and pho. Bun Ta is right next to Quan An Ngon which was actually our destination, but we found it (Quan An Ngon) to be too frenetic. Fascinating, and I'm sure a culinary experience, but we just wanted a good meal in a serene place.

We had some good food at Madarin and Lemon Grass, no complaints, but I thought the hygeine and housekeeping could use some sprucing up. Same for Temple Bar, which we looked at but didn't choose.

Xu was in a totally different catgory. The food was VERY good, but the atmosphere more urban chic than was suitable for us stodgy oldsters. Would be good for entertaining.

We ran out of nights (will be back, though) and didn't get to try the Vietnamese restaurant in the Park Hyatt. It was well reviewed and looked lovely.

Thanks again to all for your suggestions. I hope this thread keeps going for my next trip.