Eating My Way in Vietnam: My Foodie Explorations In Saigon Part III (Cuc Gach Quan)

Part 3 is the last installment of my Vietnam foodie chronicles and here I take you to another charmingly designed place in the heart of Ho Chi Minh’s District 1 area. Friend K told me and my friends that this restaurant had celebrity guests like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and with this I would think that they really have good food in store for us. Looking at their menu I am again amazed at how their pricing is but I have to remind myself that things were just really cheaper here in Vietnam than back home.

The interiors and entrance of the place appeared rustic and zen-like in design because there were actually 2 ponds located inside the restaurant. Rustic and charming at the same time is what I would describe it as a whole. The restaurant was another French colonial mansion redesigned with the Vietnamese touch. They had wooden and antique furniture and fixtures and it added to the charm. Upon research I discovered that Cuc Gach Quan prides itself on preparing food that is free of preservatives and pesticides.

They had a good mix of vegetable dishes proportionate to the meat/chicken offerings in their menu. We had some fruit coolers and they looked very fun and inventive because they were served in recycled square glass bottles and the straws we had to use were actually kangkong stalks. Talk about going native! It was surprisingly fun!

Friend K ordered one of her favorites, sauteed squash blossoms and they were really light and very good.

Again we ordered the fried spring rolls which we all agreed on was one of our favorite staples to order as well as a host of other dishes that I have not wisely listed down which I should have done so thereby I am just presenting to you a visual image and feast of that sumptuous lunch.

fried Vietnamese spring rolls

fish and chilies cooked in a claypot

kangkong with sauteed beef

The food was good and the company great!

XoXo

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