#1. District 1, Local Restaurant 5KU STATION Review
Local restaurant 5KU STATION is located on Thai Van Lung Street, where Le Thanh Ton Japanese Town is located in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Although it is located in the city center, it is relatively inexpensive compared to other bars in the area and offers a variety of Vietnamese food, making it a great place to visit with family or friends visiting Ho Chi Minh.
It is a typical Vietnamese local bar-style restaurant with a makeshift roof built on an empty lot between buildings on Thai Bang Rong Street. It is quite large in size and open until 4am, so it is a good place to visit for a second or third round after a meal in Japanese Town.
I visited with my friend on Saturday evening to have a beer after a meal nearby. They sell several beers, including Tiger and Heineken, but I ordered Saigon Special, the most delicious beer in Ho Chi Minh. They serve a glass of ice, but the ice is not hygienic and the beer is served cold, so if you are sensitive to it, I recommend drinking it from the bottle.
For the first dish, I ordered Rau Muong Luoc Xao Toi(Stir-fried Morning Glory with Garlic. It is a simple dish of stir-fried morning glory and garlic, and it is a popular with foreigners. It is a very familiar and delicious dish with a rich flavor and garlic aroma that everyone will love.
If you order a barbecue menu, they will prepare a small grill on your table. Similar to Japanese yakiniku, you can order seasoned meat, seafood, vegetables, etc. and grill them yourself.
For grilled dishes, I ordered Bo 5ku(Marinade Beef), Ba Roi 5ku(Marinade Pork), and Dau Bap Nuong(Okra). Grilled dishes are served with lettuce, shallot & papaya pickles, and wasabi sauce.
Bo 5ku is beef marinade in a seasoned sauce using nuoc mam, and tastes similar to Korean beef galbi. You can grill it yourself on a small grill.
I grilled the marinade beef and okra together. The center of the grill has very strong heat, so you have to quickly turn it over so it doesn't burn, and once it's cooked to the right degree, have to move it to the side with weaker heat.
The marinade beef is served in generous portions, but it is a bit tough because it is cheap. However, with moderately meaty flavor and a sweet and salty seasoning that is well-infused with the meat without any bad smell, so it is delicious beyond my expectations.
Ba Roi 5ku(Marinade Pork) is also marinated in a seasoned sauce using nuoc mam, just like the marinade beef or okra, and tastes like Korean marinade pork ribs.
Since it is more fat than beef, the grill burns more strongly, so have to be more careful not to burn it. The smoke from grilling meat is strong, and the smell of meat sticks to clothes, so it is recommended not to visit wearing nice clothes.
The beef was not bad, but I liked the marinade pork much better because it was soft and not tough. It went well with the stir-fried morning glory and okra I ordered.
#2. Local Restaurant 5KU STATION Menu
5KU STATION is a local restaurant in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City that serves a variety of Vietnamese dishes, including fried tofu, fried rice, stir-fried morning glory, and grilled shrimp, at a fairly reasonable price. The charcoal barbecue menu is particularly popular, but I recommend ordering meat rather than seafood, which is expensive and less fresh.
I visited with a friend on a Saturday evening to have a few beers and ordered as follows:
Bap Rang(Corn Snack): 28,000VND
Bo 5ku(Marinade Beef): 199,000VND
Ba Roi 5ku(Marinade Pork): 199,000VND
Dau Bap Nuong(Okra): 99,000VND
Rau Muong Luoc Xao Toi(Stir-fried Morning Glory with Garlic): 99,000VND
Saigon Special: 31,000VND x 6 EA = 186,000VND
Wet Wipes: 3,000VND x 2 EA = 6,000VND
Including 8% VAT, the price came to 881,300VND, which is a cheap amount. Compared to other restaurants around, the menu is quite cheap overall, but it is unfortunate that the prices have gone up a lot compared to before. Nevertheless, 5KU STATION is an attractive local bar that is cheap, has decent food, and is in a good location, so it is easy to visit without feeling burdened.
#3. Local Restaurant 5KU STATION Hours and Location
Local restaurant 5KU STATION is located on Thai Van Lung Street, where Le Thanh Ton Japanese Town is located in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It is one of the only local Restaurant in the area and is attractive for its accessibility. Click the Check Location button below to check the detailed location on Google Maps.
Address: 17 Thái Văn Lung, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Website: https://www.facebook.com/5kuStation/
Phone: 0907775487
Hours: 16:00 ~ 04:00
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