Le Garçon Saigon

Le Garçon Saigon is an upscale Vietnamese restaurant in Star Street that celebrates the vibrant flavors of Saigon's cuisine in a gorgeous setting. The price points are definitely on the higher side but the food and drinks were delicious! I only wished that they had a lunch option because as of when I went a month back the dinner and lunch menu was the same. 

Fried Spring Rolls Cha Gio - Lettuce, Fresh Herbs, Nuoc Mam Dipping Sauce
The spring rolls were a little denser than usual but the filling was very flavorful and tasted really good! 

Banh Xeo - Chorizo, Prawns, Bean Sprouts, Lettuce, Herbs, Nuoc Mam Dipping Sauce
Mmmm this was my favorite dish! The crepe-like layer was incredibly thin and crispy and the filling was fresh and perfectly seasoned. I loved the contrast of textures with the gooey insides, crispy lettuce, and light pancake. 

Lemongrass Chicken Skewers 
Juicy and well grilled chicken skewers. I liked the addition of fried shallots on top.

Overall I really enjoyed my meal here but don't think I would always come here for Vietnamese food given that other places in the city offer similar items at a lower price point. However, they do offer larger format meals that I don't see on regular Vietnamese restaurants such as whole snapper and wagyu steak so maybe I will come for dinner sometime and try those! 

Le Garçon Saigon

12 Wing Fung St

Wan Chai

Hong Kong 

Republic

Republic has been around for ages and is always a safe bet for a yummy and inexpensive meal. It is also conveniently located right at Union Square.

Chicken Skewers 
The chicken was very flavorful and juicy. I loved the scallions and peanuts on top. 

Crispy Wontons 
The filling was yummy and the skin was fluffy and crunchy. I felt that these were a bit too deep fried for my liking but I liked the sweet and sour sauce that came with it. 

This was L's and I did not try it but she said it was good! 

Curry Chicken Noodle Soup
I loved this dish! The soup was very fragrant and flavorful. I loved how it was creamy with the sweetness of the coconut but also had a nice tangy touch. The chicken and noodles were cooked well and made for a hearty and delicious bowl of noodle soup. 

Grilled Pork with Cold Noodles and Picked Veggies
A Vietnamese classic. The pork was very well marinaded and I loved the tanginess of the picked veggies. 

Republic isn't a must visit for tourists but a great spot for a easy and delicious meal in a prime location!

Republic

37 Union Square

New York

NY 10003

Chôm Chôm

I love vietnamese food and I love chicken wings so when I heard that Chôm Chôm had excellent wings I instantly put this down on my list of "To eat this winter break". Unfortunately the food was only ok and I was not in chicken wing heaven. They weren't bad for any means but they just weren't living up to the hype. The rest of the food was also decent but not good enough for me to be yearning for a round 2. The fish was quite delicious though and I think I would be willing to dine here for that if I was in the mood for it.

"VFC" - Vietnamese Fried Chicken Wings, Garlic, Coriander, Mint
The flavors are quite prominent on the wings and they were hot and crispy but I felt that the coating was a little too hard and while they were good they were just missing that wow factor.

Pho Rolls - Grilled Beef, Fresh Rice Noodle, Pickled Daikon, Purple Basil
I felt that this was a very interesting take of the classic favorite of beef pho. The flavors were exciting and the idea was fun and unique. However, I would prefer having a normal bowl of pho over this. 

Beef in Betel Leaf - Beef, Curry, Shallot, Peanut, Spring Onion
The betel leaves had a very unique flavor and the beef was juicy. However the flavor was a bit too much for me after a few bites. 

Cha Ca Hanoi - While Sole Fillet, Turmeric, Dill, Vermicelli 
This would probably be my favorite dish of the night. The fish was super tender and seasoned perfectly. The vermicelli was the perfect accompaniment to the fish. Yum! 

Chôm Chôm is a nice spot for a quick bite and for some interesting new takes on traditional vietnamese staples but I don't think it is somewhere you must go if you have limited time in Hong Kong. If you do enjoy vietnamese cuisine it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. The food is made well and you can tell that the chef has given thought and effort into creating these dishes.

Chôm Chôm

G/F Block 2

58-60 Peel Street

Central 

Hong Kong

Tamarind

Ugh once again I have been lazy with keeping up to date with my blogging, now there are a HUGE amount of backlogged restaurants! Be ready for an influx of reviews in these upcoming weeks and I try to get back on track with all my food reviews!

I was meeting J for a long delayed catch up dinner and we decided to try out Taramind in the Sun Hung Kai center which serves Indian, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine. Reviews of Tamarind has been generally quite favorable so I was eager to try it out for myself. When I told H that I was eating at Tamarind, he seemed very skeptical and commented that he did not think a restaurant that offered three different cuisines would be able to deliver quality food as the focus is scattered. I understood what he meant but still had high hopes for Tamarind. Unfortunately H's doubts were correct and I will not be returning to Tamarind again!

Grilled Pork Neck with Tamarind Sauce
The serving was very generous and the pork neck was quite decent. Although this dish was fine, the flavors could be a bit more interesting and it was only just ok. 

Chicken Makhani 
This curry was quite flavorful and went well with our garlic naan which is not pictured. The sauce could be a little thicker and although this dish was probably one of the better dishes of the night the chicken makhani is far better at Bombay Dreams.

Tamarind Black Cod
This was a dish that was praised in many reviews and I truly do not know why this was the case. I usually LOVE black cod yet this dish lacked that delicious buttery flavor that is the signature of black cod. The texture was also a bit off, it was overly oily and just too soft. The sauce was also a bit overpowering and too sour and sweet.

J and I were thoroughly disappointed with this meal and was going to cheer ourselves up by ordering a mango sticky rice but then was let down again when they waiter told me that they only had indian desserts. This is quite shocking as you would think that a restaurant that wanted to dabble in different cuisines would at least include this very popular dessert. It is possible that some of the other dishes are good and the curry wasn't BAD, but there are other places with better choices that I would rather go to.

Another special note is that the service left much to be desired. When I first arrived at the restaurant the waiter could not hear that I already had a reservation and was EXTREMELY rude. I was about to give him a piece of my mind but his brain suddenly functioned again and he realized I made a booking (not that having a reservation or not should have any effect on one's attitude towards a customer) and suddenly became much more polite and also tried to offer some sort of explanation about his behavior earlier. Although he reverted back to acceptable behavior, the damage was already done as this type of customer service is absolutely unacceptable.

Tamarind I will not be returning again!

Tamarind

2/F

Sun Hung Kai Centre

30 Harbor Road

Wan Chai

Hong Kong

Delicieux Bistro

I absolutely love vietnamese food, but am not well versed in the art of vietnamese sandwiches, or banh mi, at all! I believe the first time I've had a banh mi was at Super 88 in Boston, and I only had a bite of my friends. My best friend C said she heard good things about Delicieux Bistro therefore we decided to try it out for lunch. We got a lemon grass beef baguette and a deluxe baguette which included pork knuckle, meat floss, and pate.

The bread was warm and crunchy. The insides were soft and went perfectly with all the delicious filling. The pickled radish and carrots were tangy and definitely perked up my appetite. The meat was marinated well and contrasted with the pickled vegetables and coriander. Very good sandwich! 

Vietnamese dripped coffee
Very strong and sweet. Yum! 

Delicieux Bistro

Shop B, G/F

41-43 Graham Street

Central

Hong Kong

Nha Trang Vietnamese Cuisine

Nha Trang has been one of my favorites since a good friend of mine introduced it to me a long time ago. Since then it has gotten more and more popular and now there is always a wait for a table. It serves delicious Vietnamese food and is in Central which is really convenient for me. The prices are very reasonable and the atmosphere is also comfortable. The wait usually looks a lot more intimidating than it actually is, the line may look long but I would usually be seated in around 15-20 minutes because the turnover rate is quite fast with people bustling to go back to work and such.

Soft shell crab roll
The delicious crunchy crab is wrapped in a soft paper thin rice sheet along with some fresh crunchy radish, lettuce, and cucumber. The crab is seasoned perfectly and also has a good amount of meat. Delish! 

Beef brisket curry
The curry is very flavorful and the beef is tender. I also love the eggplant because it soaks up all the flavors of the curry. The dish is topped off with some crispy shallots and scallions. 

Raw beef pho
A classic. The beef is thinly sliced and cooked in the simmering broth which is packed with flavors. The noodles have a nice bite to them. This is the perfect comfort food. 

Feast :D 
We ordered some other things but I did not get a picture of each dish. Everything was delicious though

Nha Trang Vietnamese Cuisine
88-90 Wellington Street

Central

Hong Kong