 |
| Tib's tofu skin rolls stuffed with mushrooms |
Up next on my food tour of Ho Chi Minh City, I bring to you the best vegan / vegetarian Vietnamese cuisine in Da Kao ward, District 1!
You're in luck today, because all three of these options are absolutely, undeniably excellent, and in three different and unique ways. In my opinion, these are three of the best veg spots in the city, so there's no clear frontrunner... you'll just have to try them all and choose for yourself.
If you haven't yet, read about finding and ordering vegan food in Vietnam. If you're looking for more vegetarian nearby, check your vegan options in Tan Dinh ward. Otherwise let's rock!
Da Kao ward sits just north of the major tourist and financial centers of District 1, and is full of big companies with hungry office workers, and thus excellent food at every price point and of every kind. Here's the area I'll be covering in my next few food posts:
As usual, I try to avoid the chain restaurants and focus on independent places that I think are unique and extra-delicious.
Tib Restaurant
89-91 Phan Kế Bính, Đa Kao, Quận 1
 |
| Sour and spicy vegetable soup |
 |
| Stewed tofu with mushrooms in a clay pot |
 |
| Lotus fried rice with vegetables |
Tib is pretty well-known around town, and they have a non-vegan branch over on Hai Ba Trung street, but what makes both branches interesting is the regional focus: Tib specializes in cuisine from the Center of Vietnam, including Da Nang, Hoi An, the ancient capital of Hue, and surrounding areas. It's a distinct cuisine all its own. You'll find several dishes here that can't be normally found in HCMC's vegan restaurants, and they're all served in a very elegant atmosphere with utterly perfect service and presentation.
San May Cafe & Vegetarian Restaurant
155 Nguyễn Văn Thủ, Đa Kao, Quận 1
 |
| Grilled Mushrooms with Poro oil |
 |
| Seven Treasure rice with fried vegetables and tofu |
 |
| Beef saitan wrapped in betel leaves |
 |
| Deep fried cheesy cauliflower bites |
This place is a total homerun: it's got everything, and it's all exquisitely prepared with fresh ingredients - not too salty, not too oily, and featuring a hugely varied menu. If it wasn't for the last option on today's list (scroll down), this would be my favorite veg food in the city, hands down!
The prices are a bit higher than your corner veg place (you know the one, with the metal tables and the plastic stools, and an old woman pulling your vermicelli out of a pot with her bare hands), but every dish is worth it. The place is luxurious in comparison: comfortable chairs, impeccable service, and excellent drinks... all of which you are paying for, of course. They also have another branch, which I haven't been to, but which I assume is just as stellar.
Phước Duyên Chay
95 Đường Mai Thị Lựu, Đa Kao, Quận 1
 |
| Fried Wantons |
 |
| Nem Vuong with woodear mushrooms |
 |
| Grilled sliced oyster mushrooms |
This place is CRAZY in all the best ways, and is currently my favorite go-to vegetarian restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. The dishes are very reasonably priced and a lot of them are quite creative - whoever is putting together this menu has an eye for beautiful presentation and a certain amount of willingness to think outside the box, which is something that a lot of Vietnamese cooks are not very good at.
Particularly unique and delicious are the wantons, shown below, which come package-style and covered in an onion/pineapple/bell pepper chutney that complements them perfectly. Anything involving mushrooms is also a fantastic bet, including the sliced and grilled chicken leg mushrooms, the spring rolls, and the mushroom fried rice. Another standout is the spaghetti (or so my dining partner raves; I don't care for spaghetti noodles).
And those are my three top choices for vegan in Da Kao, one of Saigon's most luxurious and loveliest districts. With its leafy trees, one of the city's biggest parks, and plethora of excellent dining, there's a lot to love about this ward, so I hope you'll come back as I explore the area's cheap eats, regular restaurants, and best cafes.
As always, while I enjoyed a few of the other vegetarian eateries in the area, these are the best. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Feel I missed something that deserves to be on this list? Drop it here, please!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Hi! Thanks for speaking up! :) - Ben