Vietnamese food is one of my favourites in the Mekong region and so getting to one Michelin-listed restaurant for a tasting is one that I often do either alone, or with my family. This time in Ho Chi Minh City, I chose two Bib Gourmand restaurants from the list. Big Gourmands are restaurants recognised for their good quality, good value cooking, and of course delicious.
Vi Que Kitchen is a Vietnamese vegan restaurant with a selection of the best dishes in the country, offered in a vegan variation. The place is well-decorated, warmly-lit, and is a perfect for a romantic date or a group of not more than 6 people for intimate conversations.
The menu is extensive – and you have to take note that the portions are a little bit filling for one person that I ended up having half of my main course for take-away.
I got an iced blue pea flower tea lemonade and a King Salad for starters. To be honest, it was a meal in itself – very delicious and filling. It consists of ‘jelly’ (gong cai) vegetables, roasted cashews, carrots, abalone mushrooms, tofu, red horn peppers soaked in passion fruit sauce with basil and cilantro. The salad is served on top of a plate-sized rice crisps. Very good taste, and visually a stunner.
It was so filling, that I did not have room anymore for my main course – which is the vegan taken on the classic Ban Xeo. It was also delicious, but if you have to choose between the King Salad and the Ban Xeo, the salad will definitely be the winner.
For meat-eaters, this will definitely be a go-to. The place is tucked in a quiet alley in Than Dinh Ward, and boasts a farm-to-table concept with a diverse range of fresh produce. So don’t forget to order vegetables witn your meat -as they are really guaranteed fresh.
The menu is extensive, very long, and the waitress was kind enough to tell me that if I get confused, I should just ask her so she can make recommendations. I opted for okra suited in oil with garlic, pork stewed with egg in a claypot, and seafood fried rice. I did not get starters anymore as I learned my lessons from Vi Que Kitchen. I can guarantee that the food is fresh and delicious, definitely worth a visit.
The restaurant is inside an old colonial house with Vietnamese trimmings. I opted for a table on the first floor. It was a good decision because it was less crowded and the conversations were in hushed tones.
Overall, both trips were worth it. The restaurants are within 4 km radius from the hotel I stayed so getting on a grabbike (or car) was not a problem.
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