Khôi Phạm

in Food Culture

This Tết, I'm Finally Learning Our Family Recipe for Candied Coconut 'Flowers'

Tết is the perfect occasion of the year to go ham on the sugar.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Hủ Tíu Mực Ông Già's Squid Game Is to Die For

It’s safe to say that one of the most authentic culinary experiences one could have in Vietnam is to sit on a stool, in an eatery that feels very much like someone’s house, and slurp on a bowl of piping hot noodles. The noodles here can be any dishes from the plethora of noodle dishes so dominant in Vietnamese cuisine, and this hủ tiếu mực, or squid vermicelli, establishment has got all of the above to offer.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Reading Cabin Sells Stationery, Serves Drinks, and Builds Friendships

If I had to describe Reading Cabin in one phrase, it would be “every cafe in Saigon all at once.”

in Food Culture

Meet the Hội An Family Making Cao Lầu Noodles From Scratch

Amid Hội An’s treat-filled culinary landscape, cao lầu emerges as something that’s both simple and one-of-a-kind.

Paul Christiansen

in Dishcovery

A Flaky Pâté Chaud That's Been a Saigon Institution Since 1930

It took me 37 years to have my first pâté chaud.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: It's Impossible to Resist Bún Riêu Cô Yến's Crispy Fried Tofu

A few years ago, my family’s Christmas Eve tradition of making gỏi cuốn was swapped out for a special competition, one that would decisively end a longstanding rivalry: who, out of the aunts and uncles, could make the best bún riêu?

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Wake up Early, We're Getting Hủ Tiếu Cá for Breakfast

When I used to live in Hanoi, I always knew that if an eatery only opens for half a day, the food is probably certified, at least by the locals, to be not only good, but excellent. There is something written in the local traditions that specific dishes should be served at particular times of the day.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: On Falling Head Over Heels (Literally) for Dũng Ký's Mì Xào Giòn

When Saigoneer’s office relocated from District 1’s downtown to District 3 earlier this year, one of the instantly noticeable changes was the increase in affordable eating options.

Back Eat & Drink

in Food Culture

A Feast for Your Eyes, Ears and Soul in Culinary Frank's ASMR Cooking

Based in Melbourne, a Vietnamese chef-turned-YouTuber has been cooking up a delicious storm of homey dishes and global cuisines imbued with ASMR, inspiring home cooks to go on culinary adventures in t...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In the Mood for Lẩu? A Ngưu Offers Hong Kong Vibes and Tasty Bites.

I visit Tiệm Lẩu A Ngưu on a rare wintry Saturday evening in Saigon, the perfect occasion to fill one’s stomach with warm broth, noodles, and a host of other tasty accouterments.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: A Salted Coffee in Gạt Tàn Is Not What It Sounds Like

Is it not just the weirdest combination ever, coffee and salt?

Paul Christiansen

in Food Culture

How a Vietnamese Food Stylist Puts 'the Bling Bling' on Bánh Chưng

“When people know what they are doing, they bring food to life,” says Thu Pham Buser, a New York-based food stylist of her profession.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: One Bowl, Two Noodle Dishes, and Heaps of Hometown Glory

On the slope connecting Binh Thanh and Phu Nhuan districts lives a small pocket of Quang Nam culinary spirits — in the form of “two-in-one” noodles.

in Ănthology

The Vietnamese Man Who Makes America's Most Sought-After Tofu

Twenty years ago in America, tofu was considered, at best, a bland, tasteless, hippie meat replacement, and at worst, a dangerous, highly processed food product that would allegedly cause men to grow ...

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: Kosmos Serves Carefully Made Drinks With a Side of Human Connection

“Do you know the difference between ‘Universe’ and ‘Cosmos’?” Linh, Kosmos' owner and barista, asks me.

Paul Christiansen

in Snack Attack

What's the Deal With Cơm Tấm-Flavored Potato Chips?

A quirky legend surrounds the invention of the potato chip, and its identity has only gotten odder over the years.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: At Đống Đa's Gác Miên Cafe, a Midsummer's Dream

“Gác" means attic, but “Miên,” on the other hand, is something almost untranslatable, simply because there is no word in English that can fully encapsulate its essence.

in Food Culture

Hanoi Allows Restaurants, Cafes to Reopen at 50% Capacity

Starting today, patrons can visit their favorite restaurants and cafes again.

in Food Culture

5 Hanoi Eateries to Try Today, the Saigoneer List

During the recent stretch of social distancing restrictions, we at Urbanist Hanoi felt like real adults because most of our money went to kitchen appliances, instead of eating out like before. Still, ...

Michael Tatarski

in Food Culture

'Đùm Bọc' Uses Vietnamese Food to Raise Funds for Covid-19 Relief in Vietnam

Residents of New York City are in for a treat.

in Ănthology

A New Generation of Vietnamese Chefs Is Shaking Things up in Prague

“Our parents met here in the Czech Republic after being invited by the government to work in [their] factories around 1983. They were one of the first Vietnamese here,” says Giang Ta, the front-of-house and fraternal half of Taro Group, a fine-dining restaurant group that currently consists of three concepts: Gao Den, Taro and Dian.

in Food Culture

A Shelf-Stable History of Why Vietnam Loves Mì Gói

Instant noodles are more or less a religion. They have widely spread to many lands, where they are adapted to suit the culture and people there. Most importantly, they offer us salvation in some of th...

in Food Culture

Europe Recalls Batches of Hảo Hảo Noodles Found to Contain Banned Substance

Vietnam's supply is said to be free of the pesticide that warranted the ban. 

in Food Culture

Triệu Thị Chơi, Cookbook Author Extraordinaire, Passes Away Due to Covid-19

Growing up in the 1990s, many Saigoneers must have gotten used to the sight of Triệu Thị Chơi’s name embossed in the author position of many cookbooks.

in Food Culture

Covid-19 Outbreak Dampens Saigon's Trung Thu Spirits as Bakeries Forgo Moon Cakes

It will be a Trung Thu like no other this year in Saigon, as the city undergoes the strictest movement curbs yet.

in Ănthology

From Saigon to Texas: The BBQ Pop-ups That Embrace Asian Flavors

If Crush the sea turtle from Finding Nemo took the form of a Vietnamese guy in his early thirties, he’d sound just like Andrew Ho, the co-founder and co-owner of Pinch Boil House andCurry Boys BBQ

in Food Culture

For Her Graduation Project, a Local Designer Turns Street Food Into Mobile Game

The game project, with its lusciously illustrated noodles and spring rolls, is tormenting us as we’re secluded at home not knowing when we’ll be able to feast on cơm tấm again.

in Ănthology

Christine Ha Writes New Food Stories From Her Parents' Culinary Heritage

“I was in a creative writing program for grad school at the time, and I thought, as an artist, going on MasterChef would give me something to write about.”