Saigon Bar: Magnificently Vietnamese w/ a Samba Beat

Saigon Bar : Magnificently Vietnamese with a Samba Beat.
By: Aly Abaquin

Saigon Bar is one of the jewels of Old Saigon. It is located on the rooftop of this historic building of Caravelle Hotel which opened during 1959 and was the former home of the Australian Embassy & New Zealand Embassy, as well as the Saigon Bureaus of NBC, ABC & CBS. Journalist, Writers & Correspondents use this Bar as station to cover the end of the war. It is the centre of operations for international media back then.

Now with its five (5) star classification and the hotel offer rooms with magnificent view of vibrant, historic Opera House and the new shopping destination that is Dong Khoi St.
The site is all imbued with the charm of the historic building and beautifully appointed with contemporary style furnishings.

The cachet of the 60’s retro vibe, the warmth of the Retro black & white photos, the perfumes of history, every detail contributes to the refinement of the experience as you enter the enclaves of the Bar, in which you are invited to immerse yourself….

Saigon Saigon Bar promises you a memorable adventure in the heart of Saigon where the past meets the present. Come and see for your self as I did taste and seen .

Here’s my experience…..

Imagine….comfortable armchairs made of wood that invites you to settle in for that
lunch with friends or business executives for that informal business lunch…chopping away while discussing dollars & cents or just simple catching up with your loved ones is welcome treat in this Bar.

Happy people makes you at ease with their “Relaxed Conviviality” for an intimate talk and that contemporary décor within the enclaves of the historic rooftop makes you feel at ease.

The Place plays Latin Salsa Music and every Saturday & Sunday Hosts dancing classes of the Samba & Salsa…while the night Cuban songs are king here. Cuba is now in Saigon.

The cuisine is a fusion of Spanish & Mexican with a touch of Asian flavors as dishes of Tapas, Porklion wrap with Tacos, dip it in sauce of avocado guacamole,& finish it with deep fried meat rolls of Asian & its Vietnamese cousins are evident in the menu list.

The Lunch: I ordered the Prawn Mango salad & The Giant Meat Combo & the Peach Green Tea a smoothie..

The Taste :
The Prawn Salad: Prepared with savior-faire and showcasing the finest fresh regional products that is pleasing in the eye. The ceramic plate put a smile to your face as it evokes the sunny disposition of the bar. The yellow & blue colors of the plate did not distract your taste either as it compliments the dish.

As the chunky diced yellow ripe mangos goes well with the 4 different types of romaine lettuce and fresh cherry tomatoes drizzled with the mango cocktail sauce that melts in the mouth and that certain crunch of fresh lettuce makes that perfect Ummp that you get from every slice and bite.

The salad was just the beginning. The Prawns was not disappointing either that succulently pinkish fresh beheaded de-veined prawns was impeccably delicious as its
topped off with the cocktail mango sauce made it appear sweet and not tangy .
Each morsel is excitingly tasty. Second rounds please!!!!

The Great Meat Combo is an ensemble of:
Spicy Fried Buffalo Chicken wings, Barbeque Pork ribs & Tortilla Flour wraps w/
Peppered beef strips served with Tomato Salsa, Sour Cream & Avocado guacamole.

The BBQ pork ribs are tender & juicy topped of with sesame seeds and drizzled with
that divine barbecue sauce its marinate of course. While the Tortilla flour is topped with melted cheese and sprinkled with chopped green slick onions while inside it is embraced with green & red roasted pepper with julienne onions oozing with strips of beef.
The Buffalo wings is good with the sour cream and is crunchy to the bite.
The spicy corn tacos makes that the dish appealingly spicy with a twist once dip with avocado puree.

An original menu prepared by passionate artists, a warm atmosphere, perfectly fresh products and some of the most experienced artisan made this delectable dish.

Remember this is a laid back sort of lunch that will last till the late nights for cocktails
As this is originally a bar mind you as this eater outer foodie will socialize with other artist, writers, expat & foreigners who lived visited and liked Saigon.

Not your kind of Power lunch indeed but make me feel to relax with your newspaper in the shallow dream state as you admire the hustle & bustle that is HCMC. Or take a
Few of lesson of that Samba & Salsa dance as you can dance the night away.