Culinary Adventure
With its opening in 2015, The Reverie Saigon changed the game for the city’s luxury hotel scene, bringing a unique style of design, a wealth of on-site facilities, and an beyond-five-star level of service to the region. Among its highlights are its variety of on-site restaurants, which range from fine dining Chinese to contemporary Italian, and which have helped make The Reverie a destination dining spot for guests and locals alike. Building on its popularity with foodies, the hotel is now offering an upgraded take on the city food tour, partnering exclusively with celebrity chef / TV personality Luke Nguyen for a six-to-eight-hour adventure that will reveal some of Ho Chi Minh City’s best culinary experiences.
As the host of shows like Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam and Luke Nguyen’s Street Food Asia, and a judge on MasterChef Vietnam, Australian-Vietnamese chef/restaurateur/cookbook author Nguyen has helped viewers discover the flavours, techniques and traditions of Vietnamese cuisine. He also does the same for diners eating at his restaurants around the world, which include Red Lantern in Sydney and Vietnam House in Ho Chi Minh City. This exclusive experience will continue to showcase his passion for the cuisine, taking you deep into one of Asia’s burgeoning foodie capitals—while also highlighting cultural and historic sites along the way.
The tour begins in the late-afternoon with quick visits to District 1 landmarks like the Notre Dame Cathedral, the historic Central Post Office and the colonial French Opera House. Then, it’s all about food, with stops at chef’s favourite places for banh mi and Vietnamese coffee, a walk along back alleys where home-cooking is served right out of residential kitchens, a short boat ride to riverside lounges for cocktails and small bites at sunset, and a visit to a hidden-away rooftop in the old market to enjoy drinks and street food staples. Following a stroll along bustling Nguyen Hue Boulevard, you’ll then settle in for dinner with the Chef at his signature Vietnam House restaurant. If you’re up for more after the meal, there is the option to extend the tour for two additional hours for an exploration of the city’s nightlife—armed with a list of the Chef’s favourite insider drinking spots.
Chef Luke’s private tour starts at US$810 (about RM3,388) per person, for a minimum of two people and a maximum of ten; adding on post-dinner bar hopping brings the starting price to US$1,150 (around RM4,810).
