HCMC Restaurant List Updates: July 2023

Welcome back to an intended monthly and often unintentionally lengthy overview of my dining adventures here in Saigon. The regular updates include places I’ve newly added to my HCMC Restaurant List, mentions of ones I’ve returned to recently, and anything notable from places I visit enough to call my steady dates.

The list and these updates are for paid subscribers, and I hope adding colour to the list each month will make it both more useful and more interesting. I’m happy that I’ve moved the who/what/where/why of my eating adventures from Instagram to the newsletter.

Last month, my updates were published just before I left for a few days in Kuala Lumpur. I didn’t overextend myself in researching the best food in KL (which actually might be outside KL proper), so I don’t feel I have much to offer on hot tips. Roti telur instead of simple canai was a move I liked, and I did nasi lemak at Wanjo in the notable-to-see area of Kampung Baru. I couldn’t say no to Din Tai Fung, and I tried bak kuh teh for the first time—Malaysian dry-style FTsouplessW.

It should come as no surprise that my favourite was actually a DIY roti kaya bakur (kaya toast) at Tommy Le Baker in the must-see Zhongshan Building. Tommy Lee’s sourdough creations made it a stop I had to make. I passed on a sandwich and asked if I could have a serving of his pandan-forward kaya custard, butter, brie (because why not), and a hunk of the country sourdough to rip and slather as I pleased. It was everything.

Now on to this month’s updates!

List Newbies

A week of post-vacation penance means I didn’t try as many new places as I would have liked, but as for making a dent in intentions to try more soupless noodles, you could say that I did make one.