Saigon Saigon Bar @ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

HCMC Part VIII: This entry wraps up our Ho Chi Minh City series. It's been fun.

Caravelle Hotel's open-air rooftop terrace is wonderfully atmospheric, with an old-world charm that extends to its view.

The ninth-floor panorama is beautiful at night, with the Opera House, iconic post office, Notre Dame cathedral and other hotels all clearly in sight.

Good Morning Vietnam (grey goose vodka, lime juice, orange curacao, midori, cranberry juice, sugar) & Miss Saigon (grey goose vodka, rum bacardi, orange juice, cranberry juice).

Pineapple & Pepper Margarita (gold tequila, lime juice, pepper syrup, pineapple puree) & Saigon Breeze (grey goose, grapefruit juice, lime juice, triple sec).

I've run out of things to say, but I still wanna post a few more photos. Heheh.

Saigon Saigon Bar,

Caravelle Hotel,

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Signature @ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

HCMC Part VII: Resuming our Ho Chi Minh City series (no worries, only two more to go!).

With a pleasant 23rd-floor view of the city available, we couldn't resist snatching a table by the window at the Sheraton Saigon's impressive restaurant.

Customers can sit in air-conditioned comfort inside or dine out on a breezy terrace. We opted for the former, but the people outside looked reasonably comfortable too.

Amuse bouche of prawn tempura. Complimentary bites are an afterthought at many outlets, but these were rave-worthy. Crisp and freshly prepared, stuffed with plump prawn meat.

Vietnamese oysters, delivered daily from the coastal city of Nha Trang and shucked to order. Brilliantly briny and juicier than they appear.

Prawn mousse on sugar cane. Sweet and chunky. Pretty much perfect.

Beef wrapped in wild betel leaf. Tender and aromatic.

Pork spring rolls. Piping-hot and flavor-packed.

Scampi in rice paper roll. We could have scoured the streets to sample what bona fide Vietnamese stalls serve, but it's hard imagine anything that tastes much better than what we had here.

Kobe beef steak. Not sure what the marble score for this was, but we couldn't complain. Perhaps the best beef we've had all year.

Aussie Wagyu and U.S. tenderloin. Luscious slabs of sheer succulence.

Mango parfait with chocolate crunch & coconut macarons.

Prune & armagnac souffle with hazelnut ice cream.

Macadamia nut ice cream coated with Italian meringue & stewed raspberries.

Strawberry Oska (Grey Goose vodka, strawberries) & Pinky Kiss (Grey Goose, guava).

Green Point sparkling wine, Hazelnut Caipiroska (Grey Goose, hazelnut syrup, lime).

Level 23 Signature Restaurant,

Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers.

M Bar @ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

HCMC Part VI: This colonial-era hotel's eighth-floor bar boasts a brilliant view.

The Saigon river is a sight for sore eyes _ more entrancing than the city. It reminded us that truly terrific waterfront F&B outlets are sorely lacking in KL (the man-made lakes in Kelana Jaya, the Mines and Bandar Manjalara seem too ... artificial).

Afternoons here are idyllic; the crowds only come out at night.

Tie Me Up (vodka, triple sec, galliano, pineapple juice).

Majestic Martini (ciroc vodka, grand marnier, lime juice, cranberry juice) & Happy Saigon (vodka, malibu, triple sec, orange juice).

Customers who crave air-conditioning can retreat indoors to the hotel's lobby level, where the Cyclo Cafe offers calm and comfort.

M Bar & Cyclo Cafe,

Majestic Hotel,

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Pacharan @ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

HCMC Part V: Spanish cuisine might not be the first food that springs to mind when contemplating Ho Chi Minh City, but this multiple-story restaurant has carved a prominent place for itself in one of the city's main squares.

We headed here for light nibbles before the dinner crowd came. The rooftop lounge is particularly attractive, overlooking motorcycle-clogged traffic below (all the road users in this city seem to honk continuously for no apparent reason _ what's up with that?).

Octopus brushed with olive oil & paprika with potatoes. A simple recipe, but all the ingredients worked so well together. Soul food, in its own way.

Fabada, a bean stew with chorizo & pancetta. Slightly more watery than expected, but seemed authentic enough to have emerged from a grandmother's kitchen on the mountains of Asturias (what do we know though; we've never been to Spain _ yet).

Less traditional but equally satisfying were the cocktails: Gift of Melon (cachaca, sesame seeds, fresh watermelon, cinnamon) & Valencia Cocktail (apricot brandy, orange bitter, orange juice).

Sangria & Mojito. The classics, executed well. Viva el Espanol!

Pacharan,

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Wine Bar Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

HCMC Part IV: Perched on the 23rd floor for one of the loftiest views in Ho Chi Minh City. There isn't a truly dramatic backdrop though _ this could have been KL in the late '80s, without the Petronas towers and other skyscrapers.

We were fortunate to arrive here after a sudden downpour had ended; the balcony was wet, but the weather was comfortably cool and breezy.

Creative cocktails: Spiced Margarita (tequila, cointreau, peach puree, saffron spice mix) & Paddle-Pop Mojito (bacardi light, watermelon, lychee, mint, citrus).

Grassy Knolls (bombay sapphire gin, lemongrass, lychee) & Milano Martini (grey goose vodka, sugar syrup, watermelon, lime, Italian basil).

Wine Bar,

Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers,

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Opera @ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

HCMC Part III: A Sunday prosecco brunch at the hotel that hosted Brad & Angelina during their 2006 visit to Vietnam. Alas, neither of them was around on this recent weekend.

Not exactly the longest buffet counter ever, but quality trumps quantity here.

Parma ham with melons was a highlight. We gobbled up seemingly endless slices; it's an awesome change to enjoy a hotel breakfast spread that includes pork.

Pork sausage, beef tenderloin, and lamb rack & loin. Satisfyingly juicy and flavorful; carnivores will find plenty to keep them happy here.

Since this is basically an Italian restaurant, several items made to order include a selection of pasta and this saffron seafood risotto.

Wood-fired pizza & foccacia. We skipped these, since they looked too filling.

Desserts comprise the usual suspects, such as creme caramel, tiramisu, & ice cream.

The free flow of prosecco kept us brilliantly bubbly.

And no, we didn't stay here. But it seemed like an excellent hotel.

Opera,

Park Hyatt Saigon,

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.