Soothe your soul to the smooth sounds of live jazz in the bar. Cosy up at the restaurant counter and blissfully trip through the chef’s tasting menu. Or sip cocktails in the courtyard as the sun sets. The multifunctional Coco Saigon space caters to many moods with its bar, restaurant and courtyard-event space.

Nam Khi Khoi Nghia winds all the way downtown from the outskirts of the airport, taking in the frenetic activity of Tan Binh, through leafy District 3, right through to the intersection with Vo Van Kiet as that street winds around the river toward District 5 and beyond. Coco Saigon, which you pass on the way, in the romantic tree-lined mid-section, is equally eclectic. Depending on your feeling, it can offer an intimate dinner, a perfectly balanced martini, or a private party for a special occasion. Or all three. So we checked in with four of the Coco Saigon team – Chef Vuong, Winner of Top Chef Vietnam 2019, whiskey aficionado and bar manager Duc, Huyen the sommelier, and operations manager Daniel, who keeps the diverse elements of Coco Saigon together.

Nam Khi Khoi Nghia winds all the way downtown from the outskirts of the airport, taking in the frenetic activity of Tan Binh, through leafy District 3, right through to the intersection with Vo Van Kiet as that street winds around the river toward District 5 and beyond. Coco Saigon, which you pass on the way, in the romantic tree-lined mid-section, is equally eclectic. Depending on your feeling, it can offer an intimate dinner, a perfectly balanced martini, or a private party for a special occasion. Or all three. So we checked in with four of the Coco Saigon team – Chef Vuong, Winner of Top Chef Vietnam 2019, whiskey aficionado and bar manager Duc, Huyen the sommelier, and operations manager Daniel, who keeps the diverse elements of Coco Saigon together.

For his menu, he took inspiration from the elements – air, earth, fire, harvest – and incorporated lots of fermentation and other techniques and created dishes like his Japanese tuna belly, with tuna which is dry-aged and combined with watermelon and wasabi sorbet. Or his Ben Luc Frogs Legs, where the frog thighs are slow cooked, sous vide, in Parisian herb butter so the meat is wonderfully tender and served with lemongrass and potatoes. “The goal is simple,” Chef Vuong smiles, “it’s to break boundaries, and defy expectations. My philosophy is to create a contemporary cuisine that blends the best local products with techniques and ingredients from around the world.”

He’s particularly proud of the way the dishes are paced. “From cool and sour, to open up the tastebuds, to rich and salty as the menu delves into diverse regional produce, to varied spices, as the chef explores different continents. Then we finish with some heartwarming sweetness, with our desserts. And then there’s the 300 plus whiskies for afterwards…” he laughs.

Operations Manager Daniel’s Tip: “When you come to Coco Saigon, ask for the kitchen tour. Then, you’ll be introduced to a mysterious room, which is really the heart of our culinary activities – the fermentation room. The soul of our food comes from this room.”