The Bếp Rơm journal
Journal from the kitchen and the floor
Notes from the four people at Bếp Rơm: booking and deposits, eating out with three generations, reading a menu when vegetarian, spice-averse or allergic.
- Start here · 8 min read · Mai Thanh Vân
Reading a Menu When Vegetarian, Avoiding Heat or Allergic
How chay differs from vegan, why fish sauce is fish, where fermented fish and dried shrimp hide, what to tell staff. Our 31-dish table is the example.
- Start here · 7 min read · Nguyễn Đức Thịnh
Family Restaurants in Saigon: Grandparents, Parents, Kids
Round or long table, soft dishes for older guests, mild dishes for children, high chairs, quiet hours, parking. Booking for 6 to 12, with a sample menu.
- Start here · 8 min read · Nguyễn Đức Thịnh
Booking a Vietnamese Restaurant in Saigon: Five Things
Tables held 15, 20 or 30 minutes, deposits from how many guests, parties of 8 or more, private rooms. Numbers from restaurants we read, and our own rules.
- 24 Sept 2026The 0 to 3 Spice Scale at a Vietnamese Restaurant: MediumLevel 0 no chilli, 1 mild, 2 medium, 3 hot. Which dishes can change level and which carry the chilli in the broth. The twelve dishes with heat at Bếp Rơm.Vegetarian, spicy, allergies · 4 min
- 10 Sept 2026Vietnamese Restaurant Prices in Saigon 2026: Dish, HeadMain dishes roughly VND 90,000 to 360,000 and about VND 150,000 to 330,000 a head, from the pages we read. A source table, dates, and where Bếp Rơm sits.Booking and groups · 5 min
- 14 Aug 2026A Family Birthday at a Restaurant: How Far Ahead to BookHow far ahead for 12 guests, bringing a cake, round table or private room, how the bill works. Example: a 12-guest dinner at VND 3,712,000 for Ngọc Hân.Booking and groups · 4 min
- 30 Jul 2026Shellfish, Fish, Peanut Allergy in Vietnamese FoodFish sauce is fish, mắm tôm is crustacean, the roll dip has peanut, satay can carry dried shrimp. Telling the kitchen, the 31-dish table, what we cannot do.Vegetarian, spicy, allergies · 5 min
- 24 Jul 2026What Is Cá Lóc Nướng Trui: Six Stations, Pond to TableNướng trui means grilling the fish whole, scales on, in burning straw. Six stations: pond, straw, fire, peeling, wrapping, dipping. Why the skin burns.Food and the menu · 4 min
- 12 Jul 2026Vegetarian Lunar Days in Saigon: When to Book, What to OrderVegetarian restaurants fill on rằm and Vu Lan. Booking early, the 4-seat vegan mâm at VND 570,000, and what Mrs Sen's family ordered with a peanut allergy.Vegetarian, spicy, allergies · 5 min
- 19 Jun 2026What a Southern Vietnamese Meal Is: Grill, Braise, SoupHow to order for 2, 4 and 6 so the table stands on three legs: a grill, a braise for rice, a soup, greens. Pair mâm VND 440,000, family mâm VND 890,000.Food and the menu · 5 min
- 18 Jun 2026A Private Room for 10: Minimum Spend, Menu, How Long You SitWhat a minimum spend is and why few restaurants print it. The 10-person private room mâm is VND 2,440,000; Hân's 12-guest birthday priced dish by dish.Booking and groups · 5 min
- 12 Jun 2026Restaurant Deposits in Saigon: VND 100,000 to 1,000,000 EachSi Dining asks VND 500,000 a guest from 5 guests, An's Saigon VND 1,000,000. What a mid-range place should ask, refunds, and why Bếp Rơm asks 100,000.Booking and groups · 5 min