Cafe: Bonheur

Bonheur is a new cafe that was recently opened by one of my coworkers.  The cafe is cute and cozy, and the WiFi seems consistent.  There is also a good Thai restaurant next door.

Bonheur has some common Vietnamese tea, coffee, and snacks.  However, its top feature is a better selection of flower teas than most cafes have.  I like a combination of rose with butterfly pea flowers.

The orange-peach-lemongrass tea is also a nice option here.

Rose + Butterfly Pea Flowers

Bonheur is, conveniently, adjacent to Vi Thai.

Tea: Tea Land

Tea Land is a small new tea shop located in central Thu Dau Mot.  They have good variety, mid-range quality, below-average prices and a pretty good location.

The most noteworthy selling point is their fruit teas.  Tea Land charges below average prices for fruit teas, but they give out quite a bit of real fruit (and the teas taste great).  I've ordered teas here that are half the price of RoyalTea (across the road) with twice as much fruit.

They have a stamp card system, they deliver, and they usually have a "buy 5 get 1" program.

This has become a popular place for big orders from my coworkers, mainly for themselves but also as a gift for class parties.

The house special fruit tea--kumquat, lime, orange, strawberry.

They have a cute little seating area.

Menu

Location

Services: Hoang Trang haircuts

This is an update for a previous entry about haircuts.  The woman here is very friendly and she can do a great job without a lot of instructions, the latter being important because she doesn't speak English.

Furthermore, she uses clean blades for shaving, which is certainly not assumed in Vietnam.

The side road with her new location is on the highway, across from a large school.  The business itself is on the south side of the side road.  GPS data: Here.

She opens around 9:00 AM.

Google definitely doesn't know this place (although Maps.ME does).

Shopping: Thuy Van Fabric Shop

Fabric shops are extremely common in Vietnam.  Parts of Ho Chi Minh City are famous for their fabric shops, but good fabrics are available in Thu Dau Mot as well.

I had trouble finding a good local shop until my tailor recommended "Cửa Hàng Vải Thúy Vân" (Thuy Van Fabric Store), centrally located near the big cathedral.  There's a good selection for both men and women, and the staff are much more knowledgeable than average.

Thuy Van is one block west of CMT8, two blocks south of the Yersin roundabout.

Restaurant: Gia Đình Đậu (Bean Family)

Bean Family is a new vegetarian restaurant with a very interesting menu.  They have a number of dishes with fresh vegetables (unlike some restaurants that are nearly all fake meats).  The food is good and the menu is quite diverse.

They have a number of traditional and modern desserts in a variety of flavors, many of which use soy milk instead of cow's milk (uncommon for Vietnam).  As with the food menu, the quality is high.  I love their blended ice drinks, and the black sesame dessert (che me den) is a rare treat!

Bean family is located in the southeast part of the city.  It's a bit out of the way unless you live at the new Tiamo apartments (in which case it would be extremely convenient), but they got themselves registered with Google, so you can map it.

It's worth the drive.

Here is their website: http://beanfamily.vn/

The ambiance is nice.

Business card.

A feast!

It's a bit out of the way, but not too hard to find.

Tea: M!x Tea & Some More

M!x is a nice new tea shop with a lot of fresh fruit.  (The "more" is simple sandwiches and dessert toast.)  They have some basic green, dark, and oolong milk teas, but they don't have many add-ins like other tea shops.  (They don't have pudding, jelly, yogurt balls, etc.)

The focus here is on fresh fruit.  They have a variety of fruit blends to put in their tea, all blended from fresh fruit when you order.  The tea seems to be good quality, some of the fruit blends are quite good, and their upstairs area is a very pleasant space for work or relaxation.

They have a frequent customer bonus program, too.

M!x is on Thich Quang Duc ("snack street") and Google Maps does have the correct location.

Fresh fruit.

 

Nice seating.

Easy to find.

Street Food: Takoyaki

Takoyaki is a Japanese treat with octopus and vegetables fried in rice flour and topped with sauces.  Many Japanese and Korean restaurants serve it, and it is also a common street food.

I don't have much to say about takoyaki, but I recommend it if you haven't tried it.  Just be careful--the inside stays hot for a while, it's easy to burn your tongue.

The map shows the three carts that I visit.  They open in the late afternoon.

It usually has mayo too, but I don't like mayo.

Coffee in Thu Dau Mot

I don't drink coffee, so I can't say much about it.  Still, it's popular enough to mention--this list is based on the coffee-drinking habits of my friends and colleagues.

This list does not include relaxing garden cafes, as those are interesting enough to get a separate post.

L3 Coffee

My boss recommends L3 for both the coffee and the atmosphere.

Apparently it's a good work/study space.

Milano

The official coffee of ILA Binh Duong.

They focus on coffee.

Mosquito

They decided "Mos" wasn't a trendy name, so now they are "Mosquito."

They also have excellent baked goods, seafood pizza, and sherbet.

Delicious.

Passio

Passio has good sandwiches and grilled paninis.

There aren't many other places selling sandwiches at lunchtime.

Their cookies are overpriced, though.

The Nanny

The Nanny has awesome cakes, flans, sherbet, and matcha.

I eat here even though I don't drink coffee.

(My colleagues do go for the coffee.)

The pumpkin flan is awesome, especially with adzuki beans.

Location Map

Google actually has the right locations for these.  How odd.

Milano, Mosquito, and Passio are all pretty close together.

Street Food: (nameless) sticky rice cart

Many street vendors sell xôi, or "sticky rice."  It can be sweet, savory, fancy, simple... The varieties are endless.  This particular vendor, located across from Citimart on Waffle Street, has a good selection of both rices and toppings.  Her presentation is more professional than most, and her products are above average.

I became interested in this vendor when I noticed she was selling out around 7 AM (despite having a well-stocked cart).  That's quite early, even for Vietnam.

If you're looking for authentic Vietnamese culinary experiences, this business is a nice example.  Just make sure you get here early!

I had to arrive at 6:15 AM to catch her with this much on hand.

She wraps the rice in a cute little leaf.  Classy.

Mr Cuu does not exist, but Ms Sticky Rice is near the map pin.

Thai Food: Vị Thái

Vi Thai is a Thai restaurant with great food and reasonable prices, AND it is open for lunch.  One of my colleagues found it recently, and we have all been eating here quite often ever since.  Local office workers frequent it as well.

They mostly serve noodle dishes and rice dishes, but they recently added a couple of soups and curries.  You can order most dishes with seafood, chicken, beef, or tofu. They also have drinks and desserts, including some very good tra da (Vietnamese iced tea).

They will sometimes deliver if you place a huge order.

Current phone number as of July 20, 2017:

091 888 4089

Pad Thai and Papaya Salad (a personal favorite)

Thai Sukiyaki, a yummy tomato-based dish, in two forms: Soup and stir-fry.

It is on the north side of the road, close to the displayed map pin.

Street Food: Bánh Mì Kebab Táo Đỏ

This sandwich stand serves pork meat from a kebab.  It has the traditional round baguettes available, but there is also the option for grilled flatbread.  The available vegetables include cabbage and lettuce, making the sandwiches taste a bit more "western" than some.

The sandwiches are pretty good here, and the business is popular with both locals and expats.

Banh Mi Kebab Tao Do is closed between 10 AM and about 3:30 PM, which is a normal schedule for sandwich stands in Thu Dau Mot.

A yummy sandwich.

The business is on the southeast corner of the street, near the market area.

Street Food: (nameless) fruit cup cart

This is the fruit lady.  There are many like her, but this one is ours.

It is easy to find carts selling fresh fruit in Vietnam.  This cart is directly across from Mos coffee.  My colleagues and I frequent her because she is friendly, her fruit is fresh, and her cart is clean.  (The man who is two storefronts east of her is grumpy, has older fruit, and lets his cigarette ashes get on the fruit while he prepares it.)

She is open for most of the day, although she may run low on some fruits later on.

Papaya, my personal favorite.

She is across the street from Mos.