A week in Saigon-1/19- 1/25/2025

Day 5- Dinner at Cuc Gach-1/23/2025

In the evening, we had dinner at Cuc Gach Quán, a place that feels more like stepping into someone’s home than a typical restaurant.

The space is made up of old French-era villas that have been thoughtfully restored and combined. These villas date back to the colonial period, when Saigon was heavily influenced by French architecture, high ceilings, thick walls, wooden shutters, and open courtyards designed to keep the interiors cool.

Rather than modernizing it, the owner who is an architect chose to preserve and reimagine the space, filling it with vintage furniture, weathered wood, ceramic jars, and everyday objects that reflect traditional Vietnamese life.

As you walked in there is a courtyard, and stairs leading to the 2nd and 3rd floor.

The staircase leading up to the second floor is narrow and slightly uneven, adding to that sense of history and authenticity. Walking up, you pass textured walls, old framed photos, and small decorative details that make the space feel layered and personal.

This is like a atrium fulled decorated with lots of flowers and plants.

On the first floor, there is a courtyard like in every old house in Vietnam in the past. The courtyard  is next to a small pond with wildflowers bushes.

Entering the dinning room on the second floor.

The decor of the second floor bring guests the feeling as they came back in time to enjoy dinner in the house in the 1900s. The dinner tables and other items in the rooms are materials from nature and reused to protect the environment.

We had a large table and the ambiance was quiet and intimate. The rooms open up with wooden beams overhead, simple tables, and a gentle breeze moving through the windows. There’s a sense of calm and simplicity, nothing feels staged or overly polished, yet everything comes together beautifully.

The menu

We started the meal with two different kinds of fried rice, one rich with crab, and the other a striking purple hue, both flavorful in their own way.

From there, the dishes kept coming: delicate steamed zucchini flowers.

 A Refreshing papaya salad with shrimp.

 Fried tofu topped with shredded dried shrimp.

The meal grew heartier with a piping hot clay pot of braised pork belly with eggs in caramel sauce, deeply savory and comforting.

We also had fragrant stir-fried chicken with lemongrass.

Sautéed morning glory on the left and on the right, a quick view of all the dishes we ordered.

A dish of thinly sliced pork cooked with eggplant and okra.

Each dish felt thoughtfully prepared, full of bold yet balanced flavors, and it was our waiter who guided us through the menu, recommending what turned out to be an excellent selection.

Chi Be, George, Thierry, and Mai enjoying spending time together.

After finishing, we made our way back down the narrow staircase, stepping carefully as we descended into the courtyard below.

Surrounded by lush greenery and the soft glow of lights, the space felt even more magical at night, a quiet, intimate ending to a truly memorable meal.

As we waited for a taxi to pick us up, we realized how this area is really quiet.

NEXT... Day 6-Mekong Delta guided tour