Hẻm Gems: An Excursion to Tan Dinh's Secret Bún Hideout
Life is slow in the jungle of hẻms that branches out from Dinh Cong Trang Street. Here, a bún establishment offers noodles of northern heritage using recipes handed down through generations of family....
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: The Balanced Beauty of Bacon and Fried Rice
Our dining experience at A Lung was remarkably simple: there was no turning back when we saw bacon on the menu.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Chicken Noodles in Phu Nhuan's Flower Neighborhood
Located deep in the heart of Phu Nhuan District’s “flower” neighborhood, Mi Ga Lua Hong offers up a solid addition to Saigon’s host of chicken-centric dishes: a fried chicken drumstick with dry, green...
Hẻm Gems: An Expedition to D2's Hole-in-the-Wall Mexican Joint
On the modest patio in front of Simple Place, a charming little hole-in-the-wall in District 2, my Spanish coworker Victor launches into a stirring speech about tacos.
Hẻm Gems: A Bún Bò Breakfast in D3
Tucked away in a narrow storefront along District 3’s Nguyen Thien Thuat is a mean bowl of breakfast bún bò Huế.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Cô Khanh's Vegetarian Banquet and a Trip Down Memory Lane
On days when the thought of biting into a slab of greasy fried pork fills your gut with mild disgust, Saigon’s scores of vegetarian eateries are exactly what you need to cleanse your palate.
Michael Tatarski in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Grilled Chicken With a Side of Jet Fuel
In the pantheon of great street food locations in Saigon, many of my favorite places to chow down can barely even be considered restaurants. Is there really a need for four walls and real furniture wh...
Hẻm Gems: Beef and Booze at Lau Bo Co Thao
The alley where cô Thao has set up shop isn’t worth remembering. A high concrete wall runs down one side, reflecting the sun that’s sapping our energy on this hot, dusty Friday afternoon, while the ot...
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Refreshing Chè at Hiển Khánh, a 60-Year-Old Retro Hangout
Relishing a bowl of assorted chè at Thach Che Hien Khanh is more than just an afternoon spent shooting the breeze with friends, it’s also a trip down memory lane and an exploration into Saigon’s herit...
Hẻm Gems: Loriekot’s Filipino Fare in the Heart of Saigon
In Saigon, there are plenty of places you don’t see when you’re breezing by on a motorbike. If you are (hopefully) focused on the road ahead, the narrow shopfronts and modest quán lining most Saigon s...
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: A Perfect Plate of Cơm Trưa by the River
In Saigon, cơm trưa is more than just a meal: it’s also a cultural trait, a community and, at times, a serious business, all wrapped up in a plate of freshly cooked rice and perfectly caramelized chun...
Hẻm Gems: Lunch Hour Gone Rogue at Oc Thao
In the vast and complex world of Saigon street food, ốc is generally classified as a staple of the fourth meal: nhậu. Its various forms, whether doused in garlic, drizzled with mỡ hành or swimming in ...
Saigoneer’s 5 Best Hẻm Gems of 2016
We’ve done a lot of eating this year.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Getting Your Fried Chicken and Noodle Fix in D4
“When in doubt, have chicken.” – Saigoneer proverb
Hẻm Gems: Cô Hong’s Killer Late-Night Cơm Tấm
In the 16 years she’s spent selling cơm tấm on the District 4 side of the Calmette Bridge, cô Hong has seen some things.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Phu Nhuan's Beef Inferno
It might take more than a few Hẻm Gem reviews to chronicle all the things I have gone through for good food in Saigon.
Hẻm Gems: Striking a Balance With D10's Chè
If life is all about balance so, too, is food.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: D1's Rainy-Day Cháo Mực
“A cháo a day keeps the cold at bay.” – Saigoneer proverb
Hẻm Gems: An Old-School Nhậu on D10's Bia Hơi Block
Any self-respecting Saigoneer has a certain reverence for the art of nhậu.
Brian Letwin in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Crab Curry Fit for a King
At a glance, this week’s District 4 Hẻm Gem might appear like any typical ốc restaurant in Saigon. Quan Oc 63’s laminated menu offers up no less than 40 dishes within its sticky plastic pages. However...
