By Laura Rancie.
From tip to toe the Landmark 81 building stands at just over 460 metres tall in Vietnam’s most populous city, Ho Chi Minh (formerly known as Saigon).
With a population of around 9.3 million this year, the ‘restaurant around the corner’ idea has shifted to the ‘restaurant in the clouds’ motion as land is just unavailable making the hospitality industry and diners, look upwards.
Australia has no shortage of great Asian
food and certainly very good Vietnamese in every state. Here at the AGFG
office, we could name 30 across the country that we have visited and loved.
(Just type ‘Vietnamese’ in the AGFG search bar and it will pop up
with ‘Vietnamese Restaurants Near Me’).
Let’s imagine we are actually in Vietnam! By August the wet and humid
season has started which will last into November; while humidity is almost at a
climax, the temperature has cooled slightly to an average of 28 C.
Vietnam is a compelling culinary destination where world-class cuisine can be
discovered nationwide, from sizzling roadside stalls to fine-dining
restaurants. So where would you go for an unforgettable Vietnamese meal if you were in Ho Chi Minh for a day? Up the Landmark 81 tower.
With a flagship five-star hotel, Vinpearl Landmark 81 Autograph Collection, on
the upper floors, the restaurant within it, is quite literally elevating
Vietnamese gastronomy to exciting new levels of excellence by reimagining the
country’s iconic street food and presenting it in truly spectacular settings,
high above the city.
Just as exciting is that there are actually two dining options on floor 66,
above the Saigon River; The Oriental Pearl pairs exquisite Vietnamese and
international cuisine with breath-taking views, and The Cloud, a chic café and
bar which specialises in premium coffee, handcrafted chocolates and organic
wines.
Within these sky-high venues, a talented team of Chefs led by Executive Chef Le Trung, peel back layers of culture and heritage to offer a new perspective on Vietnamese street food. By sourcing high-quality local, seasonal and imported ingredients and blending the country’s time-honoured culinary traditions with modern epicurean artistry, Vinpearl Landmark 81 has crafted new versions of three national dishes: pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), co'm su'o'n (pork with broken rice) and ca phe (traditional Vietnamese coffee).
Unfortunately, we won’t be jet-setting off to Vietnam this month, but we’d love to know – where is your favourite Vietnamese place to eat back home in Australia, wherever you are reading from? Jump on the chat on our Facebook page. #AGFGatHome.
