Fanny's Ice Cream

Here is a place that you will absolutely love. Ever imagined eating as much ice cream as you want? Well, here is your opportunity! Fanny’s Ice Cream holds an ice cream buffet once each month, and you can eat as many scoops of ice cream as you want. For adults, it costs 110,000 vnd and for children it is 30,000 vnd. Definitely, this is a big deal. The buffet starts at 3.30 pm and ends at 11.00 pm. The shops in district 1 have the buffet every 1^st Friday of the month, and the shops in district 2 have it on the third Friday of every month. Do not forget this!!!! Fanny’s ice cream has such a wide range of different flavors so you will have a lot of fun choosing. When I visited the place, it wasn’t on a buffet day, so I ordered the ice cream fondue. This is another way to eat a range of different flavors. Basically, you get 14 flavors of your choice, wafers, fruits and a warm chocolate sauce. 1 fondue serves 3 people. I think it is a very fun dessert. It’s fun to choose the flavors and it’s also fun to eat the ice cream. One flaw would be that the ice cream fondue costs 199,000 vnd, which is more expensive than the buffet. So, if you have the time, I really recommend the buffet, but if you miss it, the fondue can be the alternative. Also, remember that there are many other types of ice cream that you can have instead of the fondue. Overall, the ice cream parlor is a cute and cozy place, where you can just stop by either for a quick treat or to fulfill your sugary desires with nonstop ice cream eating.

Address:  Vincom Center, Le Thanh Ton St, Dist 1/ Ton That Thiep St, Dist 1/ Pham Hong Thai St, Dist 1/ Xuan Thuy St, Thao Dien ward, Dist2

MOF

Ever heard of Ministry of Food or MOF? It's a small café but it is very welcoming and cute. However, bear in mind that the tables are a little bit clustered together. Some may find this too chaotic, but I personally thought it was nice to see different people enjoying their time. Officially, this café serves “Japanese sweets and desserts”, but there are a lot of other more well-known choices that are not necessarily Japanese. Although desserts are the main specialties of this place, you can also have simple meals like sandwiches, pasta or bento (Japanese lunch set). Anyways, back to desserts. You can have waffles, ice cream, cakes and everything else, but I wanted to try something a little bit different and uniquely ‘MOF’. I ordered the Kakigori, which according to the menu is: “Flaky shaved ice topped with homemade organic sauces and famous Hokkaido soft cream”. There was a choice of 4 flavors: green tea, chocolate, kinako (I don’t know what that is….) and mango. Literally, a mountain of ice shavings came to my table. It was topped with red bean sauce, green tea syrup and a generous amount of soft ice cream. You mix everything and eat all together. Strangely, all the different flavors combined very well. This dessert would be great for cooling down or satisfying your sugar cravings. I also recommend the milkshakes, which also come in different flavors. The one in the picture is green tea flavor. Overall, the food here is quite affordable. The ice thing was 66,000vnd and everything else is around that price, except the main meals, which are a little more expensive. If you want to try something unique, I suggest you go to MOF. There are some very different foods here that you won’t find anywhere else.  

Address: Vincom Center, Le Thanh Ton St, Dist 1/ 30 Le Loi Blvd, Dist 1

Pho 24

I bet most of you’ve all been to Pho 24 once or at least walked past it. However, I write this review, because there are many people who haven’t been yet and also, not many people ever thought of it as a place to go with their friends. Well, Pho 24 serves one of the most famous Vietnamese foods: pho, which is a hot beef noodle dish. Also, it is one of the biggest franchise restaurants in Vietnam, so you can find it anywhere in HCMC. For those who are still quite unsure, where to find it, there is one in Vincom Center and there is one in Dong Khoi Street, District 1. The restaurant is clean with simple interior. There isn’t anything unique or strikingly interesting about the place, but it is very welcoming and it is a place where you can just enjoy your food without any pressure. Furthermore, you can have a different cultural experience. Certainly, I feel that it is nice to experience the culture of your host country sometimes. Another reason why I recommend this restaurant is because the food is cheap. If you don’t have money, and it’s still a long way off until you get your next allowance, Pho 24 is the most suitable place to go. A bowl of pho costs 42,000 vnd and it really fills you up. 

NYDC

NYDC stands for 'New York Dessert Café' and it is literally a dessert café where you can eat cakes and cookies.  It is a franchise shop, so there are many places where you can find it, but the most common places are Vincom center and the Metropolitan building, across the Notre Dame cathedral. Inside the café, it has a very fun and modern atmosphere with colors of red, black and white. It felt like I was in some pop art gallery. I ordered the ‘big “O” cheese cake’, which is a chocolate and cheese cake. I really enjoyed it, because it was soft and very chocolaty. This cake was 65,000vnd. My main purpose was to introduce the cakes in this restaurant, but when I went there I found out that they served main meals too. Truly, there is a huge variety of things to choose from. But the main meals are mostly over 100,000 vnd so just be aware of that. The cakes are cheaper and cost from 49,000 vnd to 69,000 vnd. Also, there is a 10% VAT that goes with all your meals so be aware of that too. I personally think that this restaurant is a little bit expensive, but it is worthwhile going when you’re walking around town and you want air conditioning, or a sudden sugar boost. 

Address: Vincom Center, 72 Le Thanh Ton St, Dist1/ Metropolitan, 235 Dong Khoi St, Dist 1

Sushiya

Ok, I personally think there are two reasons why people don’t go to Japanese restaurants very often. Either they find eating raw fish disgusting, or they can’t afford the food. Well, I found a place that would solve at least one of these problems. In the Saigon Seaport area, district 4, there is a massive sushi restaurant called ‘Sushiya’.  It’s right next to the Saigon river and it is really really big. It is the complete opposite to warm and homey. Anyways, the reason that I’m recommending this place is that, you can really stuff yourself on a low budget. With only 110,000 vnd, you can have a sushi buffet. There are over 10 choices. You choose as many as you like and you can get nonstop refill. Plus, the food tastes good. I feel like each sushi has its own unique taste. There is one more feature to this restaurant and that is the free salad bar and dessert. So, you have a good cost, amount and taste. I think it’s a pretty good deal for teens, especially those who live off their pocket money.

If you don’t feel like buffet, there are plenty of one meal dishes too, but some of them can be a little bit more expensive than the buffet. I recommend 2 dishes: Udon and Chirashidon. Udon is a Japanese hot noodle dish with a strong and slightly sweet flavor. Chirashidon is basically sushi in a bowl. Instead of separate pieces, you are given one bowl with the rice and fish all together. Then, you make the sushi yourself. 

This is a really good place to fill you stomach at a very low cost, but remember that the restaurant is in district 4. It’s a little bit separated from the main center of town, so you’ll need a car to go there. Honestly the restaurant isn’t situated in the best location, because it is separated from the center of town (District 1), but I think it is a one and only unique place in HCMC.

Address: 5 Nguyen Tat Thanh, P.12, Dist 4

Alfresco's

I know Alfresco’s is such a common place that everyone knows and sorry for those who were expecting a more diverse. But I simply think it is a really good place for teens to go especially if you’re going with a large group of people. I was at a birthday party and I thought why not recommend this restaurant to other teens? Apologies for the bad quality of the pictures…..the lighting was so dim.

Alfresco’s is on Dong Du street district 1, across the Sheraton hotel.  The restaurant is quite busy but it’s a very easygoing place. There’s none of the expensive, luxury feeling going on. Also, you can draw on the tables. Where else in Ho Chi Minh City, can you find crayons next to the salt and pepper shakers? Anyways, the restaurant does all types of foods from Western to Asian to Mexican. It’s perfect for those who seek variety. The foods that I’m gonna introduce are pizza, the starters platter and nachos. These are all party foods that serve more than 5 people if you order one of each.

The pizzas are all very cheesy and there is a wide choice of toppings. I loved the thin crust. The starters platter is basically a huge dish with all the appetizers (ribs, wedges, onion rings, chicken wings, calamari rings). They’re all crispy and rich in flavor (especially the ribs). Plus, there’s the fun of choosing what to eat. If you’re very conscious of gaining weight, don’t eat this as it is a little oily/fatty, but I say who cares? It tastes good. The nachos were my favorite. The tortilla chips are really crispy and the salsa is cheesy, chunky, not very tomatoey and there is a little bit of sting, because of the chili. The cost for the pizza really depends on the type and size you order, but they range from 200,000 vnd to 210,000 vnd. The platter is 245,000 vnd and nachos are 160,000 vnd. I also recommend the BBQ ribs, which is the most popular dish in the restaurant.

Furthermore, this restaurant is close by all the main attractions in the city, so you can easily stop by. Most importantly, the place hosts parties and you can go with a lot of people, since the food is very plentiful, the price is reasonable and the service is good. I thought it was an easy way to please a large group of people.

P.S. you get a free brownie and ice cream if you have a birthday party. 

Au Parc

Next to the Notre Dame cathedral, there is a restaurant called ‘Au Parc’. From the name of the place, you automatically think ‘oh, it’s a French restaurant’. However, more specifically, they serve Mediterranean cuisine, like kebabs and wraps as well as the basic sandwiches, pasta and salads. When I first went there, I felt like I was in a small cafe in Europe. Well, the first floor was very French and I saw a little bit more Morroco on the second floor, with the draping and vivid colors. Unfortunately, they didn’t let me take pictures in the restaurant, so I don’t have a photo of the interior of the restaurant (I got in trouble for taking the ones I have). You’ll have to check out the place and see it for yourself. I guarantee you that it is very nice. 

Anyways, back to the food. I ordered a “mozzarella, tomato and rocket salad with pesto and fresh basil” and “chicken fettucine with roasted tomatoes, pesto and parmesan” (basically tomato salad and pasta). Unlike all the other typical food blogs, I’m not gonna describe to you what the food looks like. Just look at the photos. I say that the salad is really fresh and light. The pasta was also good. Apparently the pasta noodles are freshly made in the restaurant's own kitchen. I could feel the soft texture. Don’t immediately go “ughh!” just because it’s green, because you will be surprised that it tastes pretty good. If I have to be critical, I would say that it was a little bit salty for my liking (this is my liking, not yours).  The salad cost me 110,000 vnd and the pasta was 132,000 vnd. So, come prepared with a little bit of money. But if you want cheaper food, there are baguettes, wraps, bagels etc. Drinks and desserts are recommended too. Overall, I thought this place was a good place for people to just stop by and have a simple meal, chat with your friends, stay a little longer for the air conditioning….then they can go back to shopping or whatever else they were doing. Plus, all the foods are healthy.