Food Review-Halal Foods in Ho Chi Minh City-Vietnam

Im grateful that i managed to sample 3 different venues which offer halal offerings in Ho Chi Minh (HCM). Needless to note that i found it harder to find halal eateries compared to Bangkok maybe due to the fact that there are lesser Muslim communities here than in Bangkok. I hope this post will lead some way and will be of help to Muslims who are planning to visit HCM.

i) Punjabi Indian Restaurant

 

the menu:

 

 

the foods offered are predominantly Indian foods. I didnt see any local Vietnamese foods stated in the menu. Price is of higher range if you based on the conversion rate of Dong 50,000 equivalent to almost RM 10.

I ordered the Cheese & Garlic Nan accompanied with Vegetable Curry

 

foods served piping hot. I love the nan as it was crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.The curry was exceptional. It was a mixed vegetable curry consisting of carrot, cauliflower, potatoes and beans. The curry spices are mild but distinctive enough to taste. It really complimented my nan very well. Note that this is a dry curry with thick gravy and not the watery type such as dhal or korma.

ii) New Delhi Indian Restaurant

beautiful wall decoration

the menu

 

 As i was feeling quite hungry that night, i ordered the Pulau Vegetarian Briani. It was quite pale in colour compared with the normal briani that ive had before. It was also quite bland in taste and there's no distinctive taste of Indian spices which you would usually taste in briani.

I also ordered Chicken Curry to accompany the briani. Mildly spiced, the chicken meat literally fell off the bone.I requested for more gravy as the briani was quite dry. Taste wise the curry was okay, it tasted almost similar to chicken korma.

My friend ordered a plate of Omelet and it turned out to be my favourite dish of the night.It was lightly spiced with Indian spices and was not salty and there was a slight crispiness in it. Definitely a must try.

iii) VN Halal

On my last day in HCM i finally got to taste the most famous local dish-Pho, Vietnamese beef noodle soup. They eat Pho literally anytime of the day be it breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper. I sampled mine at VN Halal restaurant. This restaurant can easily be located as it is situated in a shop row directly opposite the New World Hotel.

 

As you can see from the menu, they served extensive local Vietnamese dishes and also Malaysian dishes. I ordered Pho and ice lemon tea.

and finally the Pho, im so happy and excited to have the chance to taste it as ive watched it being featured in food channels many times previously.

 

After tasting I know why it was no surprise that this dish is so popular. The meat broth is so tasty, fresh and hearty with minimum oiliness. The fresh vegetable and herbs sprinkled on top nicely complimented the beef broth by giving it extra taste and crunch to the texture of the noodle and the taste of the soup. If you want it to be more spicy you can add in chopped bird's eye chilli to give it extra kick. No visit to Vietnam will be complete without a taste of Pho.

Apart from the above eateries, i also had the chance to taste famous local coffee joints-Highlands Coffee. You can find this modern-almost Coffee-Bean like establishment in most parts of HCM.

 

When we wondered around the night market outside Ben Thanh Market, i saw this small stall selling sticky rice. It was interesting to see varieties and colourful sticky rice being sold from this stall. 

Happy eating in Ho Chi  Minh!-Kay 2011.