Hoa Tuc, Ho Chih Minh City, Vietnam

If you happen to be in HCMC for a weekend or a night, there are two things I would recommend. One, to stay at the Park Hyatt Saigon - its the best hotel in town with food, drinks and service that rivals the best in Asia.  Two, cross the road directly opposite Hyatt's uber cool bar, Lam Son, go through a somewhat forbidding arched driveway and you will find yourself at the end of a cul-de-sac in front of Hoa Tuc, a self-described "Contemporary Vietnamese Cuisine Tea Garden".

After a full weekend in HCMC both in terms of activities and eating, we were looking for our last meal before boarding our flight.  This little gem was a lovely surprise providing a light tasty meal with a franco-viet cafe atmosphere.

The menu was full of interesting dishes and we made a valiant attempt to sample a range. Every dish was balanced and included lots of fresh vegetables and local herbs.  We ordered :

1. Fresh home made tofu pan-fried in light batter with fresh mint, salt, pepper and lime, 
2. Fish cake wraps with spicy cucumber fish sauce, 
3. Spicy char-grilled beef w/kumquat, mustard sprout, lemongrass and white eggplant, 
4. Traditional lotus stem salad with prawns and pork, 
5. BBQ fillet of Vietnamese snapper with spicy beetroot and ginger sauce, 
6. Clams with star fruit soup with tomatoes and dill,
7. Sauteed glass noodles with crabs and vegetables, and
8. Seafood fried rice.

Everything is highly recommended except for the seafood fried rice.  If you like lounging while eating, request for the sofa corner which can seat about 4-6.

Hoa Tuc

74 Hai Ba Trun, Quan 1, Sai Gon

T: 3825 1676 E: hoatuc@gmail.com

Japanese Restaurant Suju

I took my folks to Suju today, a Japanese restaurant I recently discovered on the fourth floor of the Mandarin Gallery mall down Orchard Road. It's not your typical run of the mill Japanese restaurant, if the prices on the menu are anything to go by. Their seafood was flown in direct from Tsukiji market in Tokyo, so I had high hopes for this place. It left a very favorable impression on my first visit a couple of months ago for dinner (food was exquisite, service was top notch), so much so that I decided my folks had to try it since they both love Japanese cuisine.

I ordered the chirashi don and the local daily special, which was raw squid with roe and okra. The raw squid was very fresh and tender, and my mom, who's not a fan of squid, actually liked it too. The chirashi don was excellent, and the fish was very fresh. My dad claimed his kurobuta pork tonkatsu was the best he's ever had. So I was glad to hear that they both enjoyed their meal as much as I did.

Anyway, this is not your typical Japanese restaurant. The meal was easily twice the price at any other Japanese restaurant in town. But you get what you pay for, and in this case, this is as close as you'll get to Tsukiji for fresh fish.

Japanese Restaurant Suju is at
333A Orchard Road, #04-05/07 Mandarin Gallery, Singapore
Tel: +65 6737-7764