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Course by Course, 10Eo Second Floor, St 51 Pasteur, Phnom Penh (2026)

14/08/2026

📍House of Irori, Saigon 🇻🇳

There is a particular comfort in finding stillness within a city that never seems to stop moving. House of Irori feels built around that idea, and is one of Saigon’s most captivating recent bar openings.

Tucked away from the bustle of Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, the Japanese-inspired bar takes its name from the irori, the traditional hearth around which households once gathered. It is an apt metaphor for a place designed to make you slow down, settle in and feel at home.

The concept draws from Japan’s Taishō era, when Western influences were beginning to shape Japanese urban culture. That history is present throughout the space without ever feeling overly theatrical, from the warm lighting and music to the central hearth itself.

It was difficult not to think of a personal film favourite, Lost in Translation: not because the two share much on the surface, but because both understand the quiet intimacy of finding a little refuge in the middle of an enormous, restless city.

Of course, finding solace becomes considerably easier when the food and drinks are worth staying for. House of Irori’s bar menu leans towards Westernised Japanese comfort food, with some particularly memorable interpretations.

The crab pizza might be a new contender for the city’s best, while the Japanese-inspired pastas were equally convincing, especially the scallop pesto.

The cocktails, however, were where the concept really came together.

The Ephemera, a gin-based cocktail with delicate floral notes and salted-sakura water mochi, felt almost weightless, while Lullaby of Life leaned into the comfort of chamomile and honey tea.

The standout though, may have been The Blue Hour. Built around bourbon, chocolate and truffle, it was deeper, smokier and perfectly suited to the idea of slowing down as the evening sets in.

The most memorable details came at the beginning and end. Welcome mochi set the tone, while a bowl of miso soup was served as we left, a small but fitting gesture that rounded up the experience fittingly.

Thank you to the House of Irori team for the hospitality.

House of Irori - Bar & Eatery
Pricing Tier: $$

12/08/2026

SAM Herbal Bar, Saigon 🇻🇳

For those already initiated into the culinary universe of Chris Jiahao & co through Oryz and NOM Dining, SAM’s arrival should come as little surprise. Yet even by those standards, the level of detail is remarkable, making history and innovation feel as though they have always belonged together.

SAM is an ode to Chợ Lớn’s traditional medicine halls, hence its self-description as a herbal bar. While that might sound ambitious, even gimmicky on paper, every detail of the space reinforces the concept.

Most importantly, gastronomy and mixology not only co-exist, but also offer a distinct character. Take Chapter 1 for example, born from “ROOT” and translated on the glass through woody aromas, botanicals and fine teas.

There is no cocktail that encapsulates that philosophy than the Inkstone Void, a very subtly flavourful mix of oolong, sesame and kombu that tells exactly the story of what SAM wants to become.

While sophisticated, artisanal cocktails might seem like enough, it was the bar snacks that completely flipped the script. Chinese in character, yet with fusion and local influences as well, they managed to honour Cho Lon’s heritage while introducing flavour-forward dishes rooted in novelty.

The male prawn potato salad (umami with a spicy kick) and the char sou platter (served with a memorable hoisin sauce) are just two examples of the heavy hitters, while the glutinous rice with Hokkaido scallops and mushroom pidan tofu are samples of the creativity abound in the kitchen at the moment.

As you can probably imagine, there are certainly plans for the future, including a rotating bar food menu and a dim sum omakase on the 1st floor, focusing on the craft, with “no gold dust or liquid nitrogen”, in the words of the creator.

There is one thing in certain. SAM, just like NOM and its predecessor Oryz, manages to pay tribute in all the right ways, while still looking outward and producing an innovative experience. That in itself, is worth applauding for.

Thank you to the SAM team for the exceptional hospitality.

SÂM Saigon
Pricing Tier: $$

10/08/2026

📍Coco Dining, Saigon 🇻🇳

Cultivation. Preservation. Synthesis. Heirloom. Sweet Memory. Five words that, at first glance, reveal very little. By the end of Coco Dining’s most recent tasting menu, they come to define everything the restaurant is trying to achieve.

Rather than anchoring the familiar narrative of a chef’s personal journey, Lưu Tích turns its attention to something much broader: the preservation of Vietnamese culture, traditions and collective memory.

And while that may seem wordy or theoretical, every single component of that philosophy was evident on the plate. The 12 course menu is divided in 5 parts, each one honouring one of the five aforementioned ideas.

Among the standout moments were the hot-and-cold bánh đúc, the deeply comforting eel soup reflecting Vietnam’s long-standing zero-waste philosophy, and an exceptional preservation chapter featuring fermented squid, Sa-Hu salt-cured grouper and a beautifully balanced sake pairing.

“Heirloom” was a tribute to inheritance, everyday rituals passed down from each generation to the next, with Coco’s signature family meal format being the ideal vehicle, albeit on the indulgent side with wagyu A5 and dried fish fried rice.

At the end of the day, it is often the smallest details that separate a great restaurant from a truly memorable one. Coco had plenty of them, from their homegrown honey beer, to tastings of original fermented sauces, while the storytelling aspect felt like a genuine part of the experience, unfolding naturally through each chapter.

While it would be easy to praise the technical precision expected of a MICHELIN Guide (official)-starred restaurant, the lasting takeaway was something far more meaningful.

Lưu Tích ultimately feels less like a tasting menu and more like a cultural archive expressed through food. It preserves, questions and reinterprets Vietnamese culinary traditions without ever losing sight of the people and stories that shaped them.

Thank you to the entire Coco team for the hospitality and dining experience.

CoCo Dining
Pricing Tier: $$$

07/08/2026

📍Ramen Kirimen, Saigon 🇻🇳

Few dishes have embraced reinterpretation quite like ramen. Richer broths, elaborate toppings and increasingly inventive combinations have become part of the modern ramen landscape. In that context, Kirimen’s philosophy feels refreshingly self-assured.

In this age of loaded bowls and “insta-worthy” presentation (a phenomenon we are certainly not immune to ourselves), it is refreshing to see a ramen opening where the focus is on simplicity and noodle supremacy.

Kirimen, a ramen chain from Osaka, has managed to stand out by focusing on noodles, treating them as the foundation rather than just another component of the bowl.

Kiritama, their signature bowl is the best representation of this philosophy. In what is essentially a bowl of noodles, a raw egg and a salt-based sauce lies perhaps the purest test of quality imaginable.

The absence of rich fancy broths, special cuts of meat or other toppings ensures that the noodles get the recognition they deserve, making the entire experience an exercise in minimalism.

There is after all something deeply satisfying in simplicity, even if it comes in a bowl of (high quality) noodles. In terms of texture, the raw egg really tied everything together, with the umami flavour notes coming out of the Kiritama being unlike any other bowl of noodle in the city.

It is also noteworthy that even their (equally must-try) soy sauce ramen follows the same philosophy, its clean broth existing to support the noodles rather than compete with them.

Overall, Kirimen is as much a delicious ramen meal as it is a statement. Rather than trying to reinvent ramen, it quietly reminds us that even the most familiar dishes can feel new again when the fundamentals are executed exceptionally well.

Kirimen Vietnam
Pricing Tier: $/$$

05/08/2026

📍Saigon Street Food Guide Part 10 🇻🇳

Two contrasting cơm tấm institutions, a fish noodle stalwart and one of the city’s most beloved bot chiên lunches make up the 10th edition of our Saigon Street Food Guide.

Starting with a true icon, Cơm Tấm Hồng Calmette almost spills into the busy intersection that bears its name. Loud, frantic and permanently bustling, it represents the kind of organised chaos that has become inseparable from Saigon’s street food culture. Every evening, a steady stream of locals arrives to unwind after work and, after tasting their generous plates of grilled pork over broken rice, it is easy to understand why.

Across town in District 10, Nguyễn Kim has built a loyal following around one thing: bot chiên. Crisp on the outside, soft at the centre and finished with pickled vegetables and soy sauce, it is a classic case of less is more, and rightfully so.

If Hồng Calmette is all energy, Cơm Tấm Mười offers the complete opposite. Hidden away inside a quiet Bình Thạnh alley, it feels less like a restaurant than being invited into somebody’s home for dinner. Meats are grilled to order over charcoal, with the grilled chicken proving an underrated alternative to the classic pork chop.

Rounding off this edition is Hủ Tiếu Gà Cá Hà Ký, a long-standing favourite for fish and chicken noodles. Set in a no-frills backdrop, there is little here beyond a comforting bowl of soup done exceptionally well, which is perhaps exactly why people keep coming back. If available, do not leave without adding one of their homemade pâté chaud pastries on the side.

03/08/2026

📍Best 5 things we ate in July 2026 🇻🇳🇸🇨

A truly intercontinental roundup sees July favourites spanning both Saigon and Mahé Island in the Seychelles.

True mastery is an elusive concept, especially in food. It is a testament to Dumakase quiet consistency that they have perfected not one, but two Vietnamese classics, with their cơm tấm deservedly earning this month’s place.

粵點 Yue Dian • Dimsum, Phú Nhuận’s newest Cantonese arrival left an outstanding impression, with a trilogy of fried bean curd, baked satay beef bolo bun and deep-fried taro still lingering in memory. Comforting, nostalgic and not easily found elsewhere in the city.

ZAO - Vietnamese Rooted Eatery continued the month’s theme of thoughtful reinterpretation. Their philosophy of Vietnamese roots meeting global ideas was perhaps best expressed through the tiger prawn pasta, a dish that balanced richness and remarkable freshness to become one of our standout seafood pastas in Saigon.

NORIBOI OMAKASE のり坊い more than lived up to its reputation. Its omakase, built around a dialogue between Japanese seafood and Vietnamese produce, delivered one of the most coherent tasting experiences of the year, with the golden-eye snapper and somen noodles particularly memorable.

Last but not least and representing the Seychelles section of our July, the tuna carpaccio at La Perle Noire in Mahé was a reminder that exceptional ingredients rarely need embellishment, setting the tone for an unforgettable week of seafood across the island.

31/07/2026

📍SON Vietnamese Kitchen, Saigon 🇻🇳

Saigon’s reputation as one of Southeast Asia’s most exciting dining cities is built not only on concept-driven venues and progressive restaurants. Beneath them lies a strong foundation of Vietnamese kitchens, taking recipes rooted in home cooking and presenting them in a more refined setting without losing their essence.

SON is one of the city’s finest recent examples. The space immediately sets the tone: contemporary and elegant, yet unmistakably Vietnamese through carefully considered design touches that avoid feeling performative.

As for the food, the eloquent interplay between tradition and creativity was striking. Dishes such as the Ô Thum chicken with fermented bò hóc sauce and the crab paste hotpot remain deeply rooted in home cooking, while creations like the fresh suckling pig spring rolls and rib-eye with weaver ant salt introduce subtle reinterpretations without ever overshadowing their origins.

Two dishes deserve closer attention. Their paddy shrimps & sesbania flower salad arrived with prawn crackers and a perfectly balanced flavour profile, managing to outshine even the heavihitters mentioned above.

The banana ice cream (kem chuối), meanwhile, was perhaps the most playful expression of the restaurant’s philosophy. Familiar enough to evoke childhood nostalgia, yet refined enough to feel entirely at home in its new surroundings, it was a fitting way to end the meal.

That is the most important takeaway about SON after all. Rather than reinventing Vietnamese cuisine, it simply gives it a different stage. The recipes remain recognisably home-cooked, the flavours reassuringly familiar, and that is precisely what makes the restaurant so memorable.

Thank you to the SON team for the hospitality.

SON - Bếp Nhà Đãi Khách
Pricing Tier: $/$$

27/07/2026

📍ZAO Eatery, Saigon 🇻🇳

Few neighbourhoods in Saigon are evolving as quickly as Thao Dien. With new openings appearing almost monthly, choosing a weekend dinner has become a genuinely difficult decision.. A relatively new Viet fusion arrival from Hanoi is further proof of the above.

Zao, a self-proclaimed “Vietnamese-rooted eatery”, and its Hanoi flagship outpost, recently earned Michelin Guide recognition for a style of cooking that pairs Vietnamese foundations with global technique. Saigon’s newest sister venue is of course no different.

The setting mirrors the food. A minimalist dining room centred around an open kitchen creates an atmosphere that feels both vibrant and intimate, with the contemporary ambiance never arriving at the expense of comfort.

If one word defines Zao, it is ambition. Take their oysters for example, which were served with shaved lime ice and jalapenos or their brioche, arriving with an indulgent honey sea salt butter.

If there was one dish that summed up the kitchen’s creativity, it was the tiger prawn pasta. Refined without overcomplicating itself, it captured the sweetness of the seafood while keeping the sauce remarkably light. Those leaning towards richer flavours, meanwhile, will find plenty to enjoy in the dry-aged duck, whose deep umami notes provided an equally satisfying counterpoint.

Perhaps most importantly and more than any individual dish, Zao feels representative of where Saigon’s dining scene finds itself today. Confident enough to draw from its Vietnamese roots, yet equally willing to reinterpret them through a contemporary lens.

ZAO - Vietnamese Rooted Eatery
Pricing Tier: $$

23/07/2026

📍Best 5 bites of 2026 (so far) 🇻🇳

A slightly belated 2026 half-year review shines a light on the five most memorable bites consumed so far, ranging from fine dining in Saigon to standout seafood dishes in Danang.

It would be fitting to begin with Elgin Saigon, visited during our very first week in Saigon. Their Indonesian-inspired chicken was unapologetically bold, layered with fiery spices and remarkably, managing to overshadow an evening where there was genuinely not a single weak dish.

Next comes Chef’s Peter Cuong Franklin newest venture, POT AU PHO 2.0, and perhaps a dish that perfectly encapsulates his cooking philosophy. Inspired by Saigon’s vibrant ốc culture, the escargot creation reimagined a deeply local tradition through fine dining without ever stripping away its identity.

Aiii House Saigon recent accolades felt entirely justified. With Chef Alain PHAM named Tatler Vietnam’s Rising Star and the restaurant receiving Best in Class recognition, expectations were understandably high, and comfortably exceeded.

While the king river prawn and silky chawanmushi-style custard were exceptional, it was a seemingly modest coconut onigiri that unexpectedly stole the spotlight.

A recent trip to Danang confirmed something we have suspected for some time: the city’s culinary scene is evolving at remarkable speed. At Si Dining, Chef Alessio Rasom Italian cooking embraced the Vietnamese coastline rather than competing with it.

The scallop linguine struck a beautiful balance between buttery richness and bright citrus, carrying just enough umami to deepen their flavour without ever masking their natural sweetness.

The final place belongs to Gụ Wine Bistro, one of Danang’s most exciting recent openings. Their beautifully cooked fish, finished with a classic beurre blanc with onion jam and rice, demonstrated the quiet confidence of one of the city’s top emerging kitchens.

If Hanoi laid the foundations and Saigon accelerated Vietnam’s contemporary dining movement, Danang now feels ready to write its own chapter. Judging by meals like this, that future may be arriving sooner than many expect.

Course by Course

14/08/2026

12/08/2026

10/08/2026

07/08/2026

05/08/2026

03/08/2026

31/07/2026

27/07/2026

23/07/2026

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