At the Cafe Saigon, breakfast is a true buffet and a la carte experience. The space offers five separate stations, each serving a different type of food or drink: Vietnamese cuisine is in its own corner of the restaurant; the juices and condiments are on the left, with hot waffles and cereals behind them and a range of cold cuts, breads and cereals adjacent; and at a station in the center of the space a smiling chef will cook you your own combination of hash browns, eggs, bacon, sausages and other hot breakfast foods, including their signature omelet from your own choice of fresh ingredients. Ask for tea or coffee, and check your menu for the Cafe’s a la carte breakfast options.
The range of food at the Cafe Saigon is impressive, and the standard largely matches the range. A la carte menu is available from 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., with an additional lunch and breakfast buffet seven days a week and a dinner buffet from Friday to Sunday. The kitchen team puts an emphasis on using natural, nutritious ingredients in food, believing that over-seasoning and using chemical products only smothers the taste of a good dish. If food is designed, prepared and served well it will speak for itself, and a good chef knows the potential of simplicity.
At both breakfast and dinner you can choose from a range of freshly baked loaves and rolls, traditional sliced toast and French baguette, croissants and sponge cakes. Gluten-free options are on offer at the buffet, and in all the menus there are a number of options that don’t contain gluten simply because it is not an ingredient. This is especially true for the Cafe Saigon specials at the grand dinner buffet, which focus on light, aromatic seasoning and tender juicy seafood.
The grand buffet itself, open from Friday to Sunday, offers a very wide range of cuisines and is definitely worth a visit. For VND 799,000 per adult you can expect an almost overwhelming variety of cold cuts, bread, salad and a range of canape from sushi to a cheese platter, delicious stir-fries and grilled pork crackling, traditional Vietnamese noodles and a wide variety of seafoods, not to mention over 10 different types of dessert! Bellany ice cream is available at every meal, though most popular for breakfast, and can be combined with fresh fruit or a number of Vietnamese and Continental style cakes.
But it is the Cafe Saigon’s unique combination of magnificent buffet and a special a la carte menu that really sets this restaurant apart. The concept is that guests can order from the signature a la carte menu, and whilst they wait they can enjoy the canapes, cold cuts, breads and other foods from the buffet. There is no rush for the a la carte dishes, and guests are never left waiting for their food to arrive.
Though it is an intrinsic part of the Cafe Saigon buffet concept, the a la carte menu is in fact served all week and its signature dishes alone bring customers from all over Ho Chi Minh City. It is a combination of a select range of succulent dishes, each quite small and using only fresh ingredients. All seafood is on display for your reference, and on the weekends while you wait for your a la carte food you can nibble at the complimentary buffet. From the a la carte menu we would recommend the Sauteed Garlic and Sweet Chilli Lobster for its juicy meat and light, tangy sauce. Every dish on the a’la carte menu is carefully spiced so that the natural flavors of each ingredient can be tasted. Another favorite of ours is the Deep-fried Sesame Salmon Fillet, served with char siu sauce. The leaf holds all the fish’s natural oils in the flesh, and keeps it moist and soft - it melts in your mouth.
Lunch comes in the form of an a la carte menu, with a range of delicious signature dishes to choose from. Why not enjoy a glass of crisp sauvignon blanc with your meal, or perhaps a fresh coconut fruit juice. Cafe Saigon has a comfortable feel to it, and its low lights and smiling staff will make you feel at home. Classified as “casual dining”, the restaurant combines impeccable service with a relaxed ambience to bring you a pleasant combination of class and comfort.
We recommend the lobster bisque for VND 249,000 to start your meal. Inspired by the classic French-style soup this brand of lobster bisque is Executive Chef’s own elaboration. It takes the soup’s traditional creamy broth and combines it with a succulent lobster tail, the crunch of exquisitely thin vegetable curls, and a garnish of aromatic garlic flowers. The dish relies on a careful balance of fresh, simple ingredients, and is as light on the stomach as it is appetising.
Second, try the signature lamb cutlet lollipops, for VND 429,000, named ‘lollipops’ for its unique approach to the traditional cutlet. This dish balances palate cleansing vegetables with the rich, succulent flavor of tender lamb. Following the recipe of their Executive Chef, the chefs at Cafe Saigon take a five-rib lamb rack, remove the two lesser ribs, and use them to coat the three remaining ribs with a delicious herb-filled mincemeat. These are then doused in a tangy gravy and served with a little mound of vegetable ratatouille, standing on end like 3 juicy lollipops. Slice a cutlet right across its middle to see the layers of rough meat and mince, and try combining ratatouille with both types of meat for a taste of the full range of flavors that this dish offers. Again, made with fresh vegetables and meat, and rich in protein, natural minerals and nutrients, this dish is also nice and light on the stomach.
Finally, do not leave without dessert. Among a range of delicious and original choices, the Cafe Saigon’s Mousse Duo for VND 139,000 is our company favorite. The dish is served on a long, rectangular plate and is arranged into two lovely sections - a mound of Bellany mango sorbet is nestled on a bed of crumble at one end, while layered slices of coconut and pandan mousse, garnished with a toasted coconut wafer, sits opposite. The mousse is light and fluffy, and its creamy texture is directly complemented by the coconut wafer and a dab of fruity sorbet. A garnish of pandan sauce connects the sorbet and mousse, and we would definitely recommend combining this with a bite of mousse and wafer to really grasp the flowery flavors of the dessert’s core ingredient, pandan.
The Cafe Saigon is deliberately designed to cater to international palates. It not only offers a very extensive variety of cuisines and variations, he also emphasises natural, carefully balanced flavors and a lack of over-seasoning in his food, which allows for a wider range of appreciation and appeals to the majority of palates. Guests can adjust the seasoning of their food as they wish, but the dishes do have integrity in themselves.
In-room dining is available, but uses a specific menu. Please see “Rooms & Amenities” for more information.
