Saigon doesn’t locate next to any sea or ocean but thanks to the booming economy, it attracts more people come to live and some of them bring their own culture and cuisine into this city. This week, follow Venturology and discover an extract of this beauty of diversity in Saigon: Mediterranean cuisine.
l’Usine
Already well known among gourmets and stylish youngsters for its French influenced dish and colonial styled interiors basing on old buildings of Saigon. However, the menu also features a fine Greek dishes from the popular Greek salad to Filo pie full of veggies.
If you haven’t known, the Mediterranean cuisine is inclusive of a wide range of cuisine that evolve through time by the shore of the sea separating Europe, Africa and Asia.
Price range: $5 – $15
Opening hours: 8:00 – 22:30
Address:
- 15/1 Dong Khoi St., Dist. 1
- 70B Le Loi St., Dist. 1
Saffron
Saffron has always been in the top 10 of TripAdvisors’s top restaurants to eat in Saigon. The bistro’s menu has a wide range of dishes from Middle Eastern, Greek to French, Italy and Spain.
The themed deco of the restaurant is strongly influenced by Greek islands, Santorini.
Price range: $5 – $20
Opening hours: 10:00 – 22:30
Address: 51 Hai Ba Trung St., Dist. 1.
PASHA
Tired of Greek and Western cuisine from the Mediterranean Sea? Switch to this Turkish restaurant and dine here for the most fulfilling meal of your lifetime. I didn’t expect it to be so much on the table when I order 4 dishes for 2, but the Turkish do eat much, the portion was huge.
Don’t forget some Turkish delights like Turkish yogurt, salty but rich.
The interior of this restaurant is also a highlight that differentiate itself from other rivals.
Price range: $5 – $20
Opening hours: 10:00 – till late
Address: 25 Dong Du St., Dist. 1
LovEat
Finally, this Mediterranean restaurant wraps up the list. Totally inspired by the original recipe, the restaurant’s Italian duo chefs recreate Mediterranean dishes in their own Italian mastery. The highlights of these dishes are the imported ingredients. However, there is little difference between the local and the imported one. I ordered imported mussels and scallops but they were not as fresh besides the slightly bigger size of them.
Mussels and french fries is the restaurant special dish and a must try.
Price range: $7 – $25 (depends on the imported or local ingredients)
Opening hours: 10:30 – 24:00
Address: 29 Hai Trieu St., Dist. 1
This list might not include enough Mediterranean restaurants in the vibrant city of Saigon. However, these are the top restaurants that fulfill my stomach so well. Let me know if there are others, I’ll give them a try next time.
Lý Thành Cơ 