Stella Restaurant

The quest for halfway decent food in the Pham Ngu Lao area in HCMC continued yesterday. The town was heaving with the up-coming "Liberation Day" (North Vietnam "liberated" South Vietnam on this day in 1975) on the 30th of April; followed by May Day. All I wanted was a quick bite to eat so the first stop was at a "Subway" on Pham Ngu Lao proper. The conversation went something like this:

Young male sales person that would rather have been somewhere else (YMSPTWRHBSE): Good evening.

Yours truly (YT): Good evening.

YMSPTWRHBSE: What do you want?

YT: (looking around a branch of Subway): a sandwich I guess.

YMSPTWRHBSE: What bread?

YT: Rye?

YMSPTWRHBSE: Finished.

YT: Wheat?

YMSPTWRHBSE: Finished.

YT: Right, what do you actually have?

YMSPTWRHBSE: White bread (which I do not like).

YT: No choice, I guess.

YMSPTWRHBSE: (pointing at the displays behind him) Which sandwich?

YT: I'd like to build my own.

YMSPTWRHBSE: Cannot.

YT: The sign here says I can?

YMSPTWRHBSE: If you insist (unhappily).

YT: Bye-bye.

This little chat set the tone for the evening. Next stop was the Boston Pizza and Sports Bar on 175/6 on Pham Ngu Lao. I was getting hungry now but the visit here was short-lived too. What appeared to be the owner/manager was sitting at the bar working very hard to dislodge something from his teeth. This one I could have ignored, but I was not so happy with the waitress doing the "what do you want" bit. How about parting with my hard-earned cash to get some food and less questions? Whilst waiting for my Strawberry smoothie I took a couple of picture. Now the waitress got really rude; giving me the 3rd degree as to why I was taking pictures. So up I got and continued looking for food (yes, I did pay for the smoothie even though I did not actually have it.

Next stop a branch of Wayne's Texas BarBQ on Bui Vien. I hear the steaks are pretty good here, but I never got that far. Asked for an OJ: finished. Asked for fresh coconut juice: finished (in Vietnam, a country with more coconut palms than motorbikes).

Menu has a good selection without being worryingly large.

I was ready to go to bed and cry myself to sleep when I walked past the Stella on 121 Bui Vien. I had walked past this place a few times before, noting that they are not exactly bashful, with a big sign proclaiming they have the "Best coffeein town" and also thinking they should find someone to correct their sign.

The interior is not much to write home about, but I was greeted by a couple of very friendly waitresses. A clean and fairly extensive menu was presented in no time at all and once again the waitress was on the ball, quickly taking the order.

The interior does not exactly scream "Italian".

I ordered a Beef Carpaccio which at USD 5.00 was not the cheapest starter available. However, the Chef was not miserly with the beef, there was heaps of it. The color was a little strange, a bright pink, but the quality was very good. The lettuce the beef was on was fresh and the Parmesan was better than what many Italian restaurants serve. I would change the vinegar used in the dressing though. It was obviously a cheaper vinegar which was sour in a not so nice way.

Plenty of meat and yes, the color did look a tad strange.

I ordered Saltimbocca as a main dish, like most dishes it was around USD 5.00. Beers go from just over USD 2.00 with milk shakes and juices from USD 1.50 to USD 2.00. As this came with either vegetables or mashed potatoes, I ordered the potatoes and a "Insalata Stella". The Saltimbocca arrived after about 20 minutes and both meat and mashed potatoes were piping hot, the way it should be. The meat was excellent, though obviously not veal which is hard to get in Vietnam (and the menu did say that the meat was pork loin); well grilled without being dry. The sauce was great as well, though I did miss the sage. Not sure what the herbs were but they had little taste.

Excellent meat.

The salad was pretty good with decent Olives and Feta cheese; once again many Italian restaurants use awful Olives and plastic cheese; I'd go back for the salads alone. I will also have to go back for a coffee and verify their "best coffee in town" claim. Whilst I was having dinner a number of patrons came in just for the coffee, so maybe the owners are not exaggerating.

Massive salad and not stingy with the cheese.

The restaurant has an air-conditioned area; not common on Pham Ngu Lao but a welcome relief as it was stinking hot yesterday. Inside and air-conned also means some respite from the ever-present touts and trinket sellers that prowl the back-packer ghetto.

I saw some comments on the web that the Stella is too expensive. It might be a little bit more expensive than some of the dives in the Pham Ngu Lao area, but both service and quality of food are also considerably better. My total bill was less that USD 20.00 and I was close to bursting as the portions are certainly not small.

Update 18/05/2011:

The "best coffee in town" could not stand unchallenged so I went back for lunch today.

The Mozzarella salad was OK; the tomatoes were fresh and tasty but the Mozzarella was a little "blah".

The Tagliatelle al Funghi on the other hand were excellent. The sauce was expertly seasoned with the taste of the mushrooms really coming through. I'll go back for that one.

The coffee: couldn't order one last time as I went for dinner; if I have a coffee after 16:00 I'll be dancing the jitterbug all night. Today all I had to look forward to was a tedious meeting in the afternoon; perfect to try a coffee. I ordered a Cappuccino but I am still not sure if it is the best in town; haven't had enough coffee in HCMC yet.

One thing is for sure though, it has to be one of the friendliest coffees in town; first time a Cappuccino wished me a "Happy Day":

Service: **** Friendly and attentive.
Food: ****
Ambiance: ***
Value for money: ****

Recommended: Yes.

La Volpaia

A fairly recent addition to the Italian restaurant scene, this place is not far from the museum. It certainly has potential as it is set in a garden, well away from the road. As with a previous visit, we were the only guests when we arrived and we had to rouse the staff. I sympathize though, the town is completely dead at the moment and the location that far from Pub Street can't help. However, once up and running the staff were extremely courteous and efficient, certainly an asset to the restaurant.

The restaurant is well set back

As the garden wasn't really set up, we decided to sit inside. A mistake really as the air conditioning was not working and there was a very musty smell because of that. I suspect that the A/C does work but staff have order to switch it off to cut costs. The restaurant interior has all the charm of a railway station waiting room ca. 1950; the atmosphere was not helped by Kenny G coming over the loudspeakers at full blast. Not sure where Kenny G's elevator music fits in with an Italian restaurant?

Please hire an Interior Designer!

Starters range from USD 3.50 - 8.00, Pasta goes from USD 5.50 to 8.50, and Pizzas go for anywhere between USD 6.00 and 8.50. They only have 3 meat dishes and one fish dish; the meat starts at a whopping USD 16.00 and the Salmon Steak goes for USD 14.00. Soft drinks are USD 1.50 and beers are USD 2.00 - 2.50. There is no wine list (in an Italian restaurant) though they did have house wine on offer. The beer was also a little too warm, can't be because the restaurant was that busy/

The missus had what she always has in an Italian restaurant: Carpaccio. This was supposed to come with rocket leaves, but they were out; so it came with a mixed salad instead, this for USD 6.50. I am no big Pizza fan, but as I was not too impressed with the meat the first time I went there, I ordered a Pizza "With four different kinds of Cheese" at USD 8.75.


Just like during our first meal there, our orders came well apart; amazing considering we were still the only people. The first time my wife had Carpaccio in this restaurant, it was quite good. However, whilst the meat the first time round seemed to come from (imported) fillet, this time the source must have been a water buffalo that died of old age; the Carpaccio had the consistency of chewing gum. Fair enough, but if the owner decides to downgrade the meat, he should do the same with the prize. On a positive note, the shaved Parmesan cheese on top of the Carpaccio was very good.

Nice presentation, tough meat

Not much to say about the Pizza. After all, it is not easy to mess up a Pizza. The cook certainly wasn't stingy on the cheese, which I like. He was a tad stingy on the baking time, which I like less. Now I know that some people like a thick base, I prefer Pizzas (if I eat one, which rarely happens) with as thin a base as possible; if I want a slice of bread, I'll ask for one. At the La Volpaia the bases are paper-thin, which is fine with me. The spicy oil they had as an optional topping was excellent and packed a good punch.

Pizza and Beer, staple diet world-wide.

Conclusion: Yet another restaurant with wasted potential. Great spot if you are taking out the secretary and don't want anyone to see you, not the best spot in town for good Italian food. I think the owner has a problem positioning the restaurant: the menu is that of a cheap Pizzeria, the prizes on the other hand are anything but. Get that right, work on the interior design, and this could really become a first-rate place, especially if he can keep the same staff.

Rating (out of 5):

Service: *****

Food: ***

Ambiance: */**** (Inside/outside)

Value for money: **

Recommended: No/Yes (Inside/Outside)