When I aksed my colleagues to recommend the best French cuisine in Saigon, La Cuisine at 28B Ngo Van Nam in Disrict 1 was at the top of their list.
But the recommendation came with a warning...watch out for the Geisha girls!
I had driven down Ngo Van Nam during business hours and not batted an eyelid, but at 7pm this evening when the taxi turned off Le Thanh Ton Street I immediately understood the Geisha reference.
Lined with bright neon signs announcing the names of various restaurants and "spas" along the street I instantly had flashbacks to Amsterdam. The sight of 10 or more beautiful girls dressed in transparent traditional Vietnamese ao dai trailing a western gentlemen certainly raised my suspicions!
According to local media the services on this street are legit. The road is lined with Japanese, Korean and Chinese restaurants and the groups of beautiful young women who welcome VIP guests into the various venues are apparently there for "chit chat" only.
Geisha venues aside, this street is gaining a reputation for fine cusine. La Cuisine - a boutique French restaurant with an open kitchen and a resident chef who pays close attention to his diners - has gained quite a following since its soft opening in November 2009.
A brightly lit restaurant with no more than 10 tables in the place, this is the venue for you if you want Michelin star standard cuisine served in a relaxed environment. Wooden tables with low slung, pristine white camp chairs give the restaurant more of a casual deli feel.
For a boutique restaurant it has quite an extensive wine list, but being an ignorant Australian with no understanding or appreciation of the French wine regions, I bypassed the large French list for the somewhat cheaper cabernet sauvignon from South Australia.
For the two of us, cocktail starters (delicious mojitos!), entrees, main courses, desserts and a bottle of wine, came to a total of US$120. An absolute steal for food of this standard.
As a tourist, if you're visiting Asia the thought of tasting French cuisine may seem a tad moronic, but if you have a hankering for something other than Asian fare while you're in Vietnam, and don't have a strict street food budget in mind, this restaurant should be on your list.
La Cuisine - 28B Ngo Van Nam District 1, HCMC
Great review of "La Cuisine". The price is reasonable if the food is top quality.
ReplyDeleteCathy
French course