In Saigon, where should you go to enjoy round pasta dishes filled with the quintessence of Italian cuisine?
When it comes to Italian cuisine, people tend to think of pizza or pasta first. In 2011, surpassing pizza, meat, and rice, pasta was voted the most popular dish in the world. Explaining this result, Mr. Jim Winship from the Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Association said: “With it, you can make many different dishes. It’s easy to eat and fill for a long time. It also has a long shelf life […].”
Affirming the position of “Queen” on large and small dining tables
Not only does it create sympathy for diners everywhere because of its extremely ‘comfortable’ characteristics, but the “Queen of the dining table” is also always a source of creative inspiration for many high-caliber chefs. At high-end restaurants, Pasta is made fresh using exclusive elaborate recipes. From there, they bring diners a ‘worth-the-money’ flavor experience.
So what makes a batch of fresh pasta perfectly delicious? That is, the texture of the pasta must be soft, smooth, less shiny, and more eggy than regular dried pasta. In addition, it must ‘harmonize’ with sauces, as well as side dishes.
In Saigon, where should you go to fully enjoy the quintessence above?
1. R&J Lounge and Restaurant
Located inside The Reverie Saigon Hotel, R&J Lounge and Restaurant is always a place to enjoy Italian cuisine that is hard to miss for Saigon gourmets.
The R&J restaurant menu includes many special dishes from Italian regions. The dishes here are prioritized for preparation based on tradition and ‘seasoned’ with contemporary creativity.
Coming to R&J, diners can choose for themselves Carbonara Tartufata (spaghetti in cream sauce with organic eggs, Guanciale ham, and truffle mushrooms). In addition, you can enjoy the fusion between European and Asian cuisine through Raviolo (Italian-style wontons filled with sea bream, stir-fried kale with garlic, chili, and salted egg).
Address: Basement B1, Times Square Building, 22-36 Nguyen Hue, District 1
2. Basilico – Trattoria Italian Restaurant
Basilico is famous as the ideal place to enjoy original Italian flavors. The chefs here appreciate the pure value of the ingredients. And they cherish Italian delicacies using traditional, artisanal preparations.
Diners can choose their favorite sauce combined with fresh pasta such as fettuccine, spinach tagliatelle, or gnocchi (potato cakes).
For first-time visitors, you can order Spaghetti alle rongole (spaghetti with clam meat, white wine, and spicy olive oil) or Tagliolini al Formaggio (fresh tagliolini noodles with whiskey-flavored cheese sauce), and salt pork served in a giant wheel of Parmesan cheese).
Address: InterContinental Residences Saigon, Corner of Le Van Huu and Nguyen Du Streets, District 1
3. ‘NAMO Italian
‘NAMO brings delicious diners dishes rich in aroma from the city of Naples, southern Italy. The ingredients here are carefully selected by the restaurant and imported directly from Italy. Therefore, the quality of experience at ‘NAMO is not a matter of further debate.
The dishes listed on ‘NAMO’s pasta menu all have their beauty. If you no longer feel the novelty of pasta-meat combinations, treat yourself to Crab tagliolini (black tagliolini noodles with spicy crab ragu sauce) or Linguine with spicy lobster (linguine noodles with spicy lobster sauce and tomatoes) when you get here.
The sauce is always a plus point that people mention when enjoying ‘NAMO’s dishes. The chefs here know how to skillfully balance the aroma and flavor of the sauce to maximize the complementarity and resonance of the overall dish.
Address: 74/6 Hai Ba Trung, District 1
4. Opera Ristorante
Coming to Opera, diners will enjoy premium fresh pasta dishes led by chef Alessio Nallino – who has experience working at 1 Michelin star restaurant, Terrazza Italian, and luxury restaurants and hotels in Italy, Switzerland, and Austria.
Dishes that you must try when coming here are Paccheri Pomodorini and Nduja E Origano. Paccheri is a large type of pasta that originates from the Campania region. It is often prepared with rich meat-based sauces. Therefore, at Opera, diners will enjoy this dish with spicy pork sauce, cherry tomatoes, and oregano.
Address: Park Hyatt Hotel, 2 Lam Son Square, District 1
5. Tavola
Tavola’s menu cleverly makes an impression on the Italian culinary enthusiast community in Saigon by its efforts to highlight modern details on familiar dishes from Italy.
Spaghetti Bottarga (spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, chili, basil leaves, and Italian caviar) is one of the bright names worth trying when you come here. The hard-to-mix bitter taste of olive oil combined with the spicy nature of chili will enhance the salty and fatty taste of caviar.
Not only does it create a reasonable culinary experience, but when you come here, Tavola’s layout will cleverly take diners on a walk around the poetic Sardinian island waters.
Address: Ground Floor, Petro Vietnam Building, 1-5 Le Duan, District 1
