Day 3 - Jom Makan Halal! @ Halal @ Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Friday, 1st January 2010)

Salam,

After we ended watching the Vietnamese Water Puppetry at 7.30 p.m we spent almost a good half hour hailing a cab. Finally when we managed to get a ride, our tummies urged him to send us straight to the Sheraton Hotel area so we could dine at a Malaysian-owned Halal restaurant located very nearby to the hotel.

The exact address is:

31 Dong Du, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Phone : +848 3824 6823.

It operates from 9 a.m till 11 p.m.





Halal @ Saigon, a name that is so to the point that it invites Muslims to try the food they offer. We have heard from a reporter friend of ours that this is a quite high-end Halal restaurant in HCMC and the food is awesome. However when we saw the prices they are still considered very affordable compared to the ambience of the restaurant, presentation and service. Anyway Ummi wanted to treat us tonight so we couldn't be happier. =D

Halal @ Saigon has just operated for 10 months when we came, so the place is brand-new and I was attracted to its modern and unique interior decor. Since almost all buildings in Vietnam are slim and not so spacious, thus Halal @ Saigon offers a 3-Level dining areas, and you may dine at the balcony to have your meal while enjoying the outdoors at the 3rd Level.

Nana checking out the menu.

My pretty pretty sister. =)

I love her outfit for tonight =)

The menu.

Halal @ Saigon offers a massive array of Vietnamese cuisine as well as some Malaysian favourites such as Nasi Lemak, Mee Goreng Mamak, Beef Rendang and Teh Tarik. =)

Can't wait! =)

The Halal Certificate displayed at one of the walls. I was informed by the waiter here that it belongs to a Malaysian Indian man, and not a Muslim. I just salute his business strategies though he's not a Muslim, he sees the good business prospect here to cater Halal food for Muslim tourists especially from Malaysia.

Alright, enough introduction about the place, now let's check out the food!

Cafe Sua Da (Iced Coffee With Milk) - VND 35,000 (RM 6.65)

Thick and wakes you up! =)

Cafe Sua Nong (Hot Coffee with Milk) - VND 35,000 (RM 6.65)

Super thick coffee is the first thing you should bear in mind when it comes to Vietnamese Coffee.

Tra Da Chanh Duong (Iced Lemon Tea) - VND 20,000 (RM 3.80)

Trung Chien Thit Cua (Fresh Vietnamese Shrimp Springrolls) - VND 70,000 (RM 13.30)

The size is huge! Fresh mint leaves wrapped the fresh and big sized shrimps. The peanut sauce is also thick and creamy complimented the springrolls just right. Hehe actually I did not try because I never liked the taste of Vietnamese Springrolls but Ummi and Nana just can't get enough of it! =)

Nana nomming.

Dip!

Oh yes, if you notice the waitress there, it's really cool that a waitress or waiter will attend you at your table the whole time you dine just in case you need their assistance. All the time so you may not need to call any when you need one. So cool and so nice, reminded me of the scene when Haji Bakhil's family eating dinner attended by the standing Labu & Labi =D

Ga Sa Ot (Lemongrass Chicken) - VND 90,000 (RM 17.10)

Spicy and yummy.

Dau Hu, Nam Rom Kho To (Claypot Tofu with Mushroom) - VND 60,000 (RM 11.40)

Strong mushroom taste, thick sauce which was lovely.

Goi Cuon Tom (Crabmeat Fried Egg) - VND 70,000 (RM 13.30)

Loved this one because the egg was very thick and the size of crabmeat chunks in it were huge.

Check out the crabmeat.

Ca Dieu Hong Hap Dau Hao Va Sot Ma Dai ( Red Tilapia Steamed with Oyster Oil & Malaysian Sauce) - VND 188,000 (RM 35.72).

This fish was so fresh! Generous size of fish and very well cooked with delicious condiments. A bit tad too salty but when you eat it with rice tasted really nice. Oh yes the rice was VND 5,000 (RM 0.95)

Ummi nomming.

Nana's hand finishing off the fish.

This is Salim. He is a Vietnamese Muslim. He's very friendly that he gave us many info about the restaurant and Vietnam when Ummi chatted with him. He said that he has family members in Malaysia and used to live in Malaysia. It was so funny that he spoke the Kelantanese dialect it's quite ironic because he used to live in Perak. Sometimes though when he spoke he would mix the Kelantanese & Perakian dialect it sounded amusing to us.

He informed us that the rental for the restaurant monthly is USD 15,000. Whoa that is a staggering amount I mean it's not in Vietnamese Dong but American Dollars! (please say it like a Texan). He told us that the body of the late Uncle Ho was preserved in Hanoi and anyone can visit to view his body looking as perfect as ever. What else, yes we asked him what was the speed limit in Vietnamese roads since everybody drives so slow. His answer was the maximum speed was 60 km/hour. 60 people! Haha he said that due to traffic accidents are very rare in Vietnam, and if there's any there would not be any injury but straight away to death. Haha the way he answered it was funny because he said in Perakian dialect, "Kalau ada pun, teghus meningge je." Oh so cute =D Anyway perhaps Malaysia should reduce the speed limit like this to settle the problems of too many road accident cases in Malaysia. Seriously when I returned home to Malaysia, initially I drove my car quite slowly compared to others since I had gotten very comfortable riding slow but smoothly moving transports.

Salim, the friendly and informative waiter.

Happy faces after enjoying a great dinner.

One thumb up from Nana while Ummi looking exhausted. =p

This is the Jamia Mosque just opposite Halal @ Saigon. Inside the courtyard of this mosque, there is place for you to eat Halal Indian food like Nasi Beryani, Curry and Roti Canai like the ones you can get in the Mamak restaurants in Malaysia. I tried that place once with the 3R Crew.

Sheraton Hotel.

A Halal Indian restaurant on the same row of Halal @ Saigon.