DINING: Quan An Ngon, HCMC, Vietnam

Holidays seem to be the perfect excuse for excess. We’d save our money so we can afford to be buttered up and be deliciously sloshed overseas that when we come back, we’re almost always full of exotic cravings. There’s a shared unspoken belief where we consume a lot and feel half as guilty.

Lucky for our frail livers and cholesterol concerns, Vietnamese cuisine tips the scale on the healthier side. The Vietnamese are largely known and admired for their use of fresh ingredients with an abundance of fruits and vegetables and a whole universe of herbs. Most meats are only briefly cooked to retain their original color and grain. Fish sauce and soy sauce are used to season their dishes. As it is, every bite is a delightful mix and contrast of texture and a fusion of flavors.

Like any parts of Southeast Asia, you can get your fill of palate pleasers anywhere. There’s a wide range of places to eat at in the former city of Saigon and you can be spoiled for choice. From boiling pots of phos on the pavement, mobile food carts with roasts and banh mi, street side cafes to upscale restaurants - from local Vietnamese cuisine with French influence to international epicurean delights.

But Quan An Ngon hands down was a favorite; the food is undeniably good that we had to eat there twice. Housed in an old mansion located at 160 Pasteur Street in District 3, the menu offer an extensive range of international and traditional dishes on prices that won’t make quite a dent on the budget.

The 2 times we we’re there, the place is always full with a jolly mix of locals and foreign expats.

TIP: Try not to hit the lunch or dinner hour rush without a reservation, as you might not get seated right away.

Our distended bellies were satisfyingly stuffed some more with these.

Goi cuon or fried salad rolls with vermicelli noodles sprinkled with nuts

Pho bho or Vietnamese beef noodle soup.

Spicy grilled beef on skewers served with lime, pepper and sea salt on a bed of greens.

Fried fat chicken wings in fish sauce with a side dish of pickled vegetables.

Tart and sweet prawns in herby tamarind sauce.

Rounded up with seafood fried rice

and washed down with heart stopping ca phe sa dua

Good eats and vacations are inextricably linked.

CUISINE: International and Traditional Vietnamese
PRICE RANGE:15000 VND - 30000VND
LOCATION: 160 Pasteur, 8th Ward, District 3


HOW TO GET THERE: the restaurant is located at 160 Pasteur, 8th Ward, District 3and can easily be reached by a cab.


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