good quality beef in ho chi minh

Hi,

You can check here: http://thitbonhapkhau.com/TrangChu.aspx or Metro An Phu

Good luck.

Regards

Thanks @Dajavu.dot. I bought from both of them a few times but I am looking for a bit more quality.

Last night, my friends told me to check out Kim Hai (D1), Travy (D2) or Dinh Phong (D2). Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations out of those three? I am currently in Cambodia but will be back tomorrow and will check them out then. Cheers

Justin, Im same as you and couldnt find any good beef. The various animal parts used in soups dont qualify as good beef to me in the way we are talking here. I always wonder, ok here are cow parts, i see them right here in this beef bowl but where are the good steaks, etc? What happened to the rest of the animal? I dont get it.

As an aside, I saw exactly the same problem in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China and Indonesia. Im perplexed.

Then I realized that being perplexed was exactly the same as forcing ones self to remain ignorant about Asian culture. Rib-eye steaks, etc, are not in the cuisine here, there is no market for the items and thats why they are absent. The butchers are not even trained to cut meat in the western style. In Malaysia they hack the cow into strange and unidentifiable pieces and in the most grotesque fashion and thats where the cow disappeared to.

Markets take care of themselves. When there are enough expats in VN who desire steaks and such, someone will be supplying them. Evidently, we're not there yet.

If you want to have a laugh, a large market in Malaysia hangs a giant poster of a complete cow, showing where all the steaks are, with arrows pointing, here is the rib-eye, here is the top-sirloin, here is the filet mignon, but not a single cut of said meat is available to buy. What was the point?

Australian beef is flown in to VN by the Halal stores.

There are now herds of Australian strains of beef cattle in VN so the quality should be improving. US beef is available here, at a hell of a price, but who knows of it's safe given the milt-thousand recalls of meat in that country. VN beef was banned by the VN government when imports were found to be tainted.

There are a number of posts on this web site listing Halal stores (a system of killing animals) - some of which deliver to your home. Use the SEARCH function to locate them.

@JustinAussieinVietnam: I  know about Dinh Phong. It just delivers products if the bill is over 500 000d. There are 2 types of Australian beef: one is imported from Aus and the other one is Aus-Vietnam beef. If you want to try Aus-Viet beef, you can search bosach cos they have a Aus cow farm.

American beef is better. You can go to New York steakhouse to try it.

@

Jaitch wrote:

Australian beef is flown in to VN by the Halal stores.

US beef is available here, at a hell of a price, but who knows of it's safe given the milt-thousand recalls of meat in that country. VN beef was banned by the VN government when imports were found to be tainted.[/u]

American beef is just higher a bit than Australian meat but many places import American buffaloes and cheat customers.

Dejavu.dot wrote:

@JustinAussieinVietnam: I  know about Dinh Phong. It just delivers products if the bill is over 500 000d. There are 2 types of Australian beef: one is imported from Aus and the other one is Aus-Vietnam beef. If you want to try Aus-Viet beef, you can search bosach cos they have a Aus cow farm.

American beef is better. You can go to New York steakhouse to try it.

@

Jaitch wrote:

Australian beef is flown in to VN by the Halal stores.

US beef is available here, at a hell of a price, but who knows of it's safe given the milt-thousand recalls of meat in that country. VN beef was banned by the VN government when imports were found to be tainted.[/u]

American beef is just higher a bit than Australian meat a bit but many places import American buffaloes and cheat customers.

@cvco, Regarding different parts of the cow, I have asked my parents the same question (since they are Vietnamese and grew up here). I couldn't really get my head around it but their response was along the line of "because there aren't meat cows in Vietnamese. All cows here are used for rice farming purposes and slaughtered at an old age so their meat is very tough. Apart from the offals, all other cow parts are treated the same i.e. sliced into small pieces for stir fry or soups. Whereas, in Australia/ America, specific types of cow are bred for meat purposes and different parts have different tenderness and flavour i.e. price differences."  In addition, my guess is that the western meat industries are much more advanced than here so western farmers/ processors are more equipped (both in knowledge and technology) to make the most of the animals.

@Dejavu.dot, I have tried the Aus-Viet beef from Nissan. It's a hit and miss, and some days are good, others aren't. But their prices are very reasonable. I looked up Travy's butcher and they seem to have been around quite sometimes and the owner is an Aussie too I also searched for Dinh Phong on the net. The site is in Viet (luckily my Viet is not too shabby), they seemed ok and only sell fresh not frozen products. I also went to their facebook page and saw nice photos of meats, but you know what businesses are like these days, photos are good but products may not look the same in real life. But I am going to check them out this week since they claim to also have Aus Wagyu products and CHERRIES (I miss cherries!!!). I will let you know then. (p.s they say on the net that they deliver for free in the metro area without charges regardless of the quantity/ spending. If what you're say is right then they may be false advertising

@Jaitch , thanks for the pointer. will do so

There are many many many reasons why cows in Vietnam do not have the same flavor profile as their cousins do in the states. I'll only explain the major ones. For one, look at what the Vietnamese cows here eat; the dried up grass they are eating looks as if at any second it could start a forest fire; void of many nutrients. In the states, cows are normally fed a diet of corn, which in turn makes their meat more tender, juicier, and better and richer tasting. There are also grass fed cows in the states, but the vegetation these cows consume is nothing like the vegetation the cows here in Vietnam consume; the cattle ranchers ensure the vegetation is packed with nutrients and vitamins to enable the meat to taste better. Have you ever seen Vietnamese beef compared to American beef? There is absolutely no marbling on Vietnamese beef (marbling defined as streaks of fat within lean sections of meat; but not to be confused with gristle or muscle). It's those streaks of fat that give meat better flavor, which they get from their diet. (Anyone who is interested can google a picture of prime grade ribeye if they want to see marbling)

Another big big reason why cows in the western world taste better is that ALL meat slaughtered in the western world is aged; yes every single piece. Once a cow is slaughtered it is left to hang for a minimum of 7 days. If the cow or certain part that is hanging has more fat, it can be left to hang for over 2 weeks. What aging does is improves the flavor of meats by allowing the natural enzymes in the meat to break down the connective tissue which is really tough and chewy. This is the reason Vietnamese beef does not have any flavor and more importantly is extremely chewy. The reason is that Vietnamese beef is sold within hours if not minutes of the cattle being slaughtered. The notion that fresh beef is better could not be any more false. When you go to a grocery store in the western world and buy beef, that beef was slaughtered over 2 weeks ago. Ever go to a fancy restaurant that serves 40 day dry aged Ribeye? What that means is that after they have boughten beef from the ranchers, they age it an additional 40 days which means you are eating 2 month old meat. And if anyone knows what I'm talking about, it could not taste any better.

As a beef connoisseur who dry ages his own beef at home back in the states, the quality of beef here is just lacking. Even the so called Australian cattle that are brought and raised here and sold at supermarkets is only marginally better then local beef because they are in essence eating the same diet and raised the same way. It will take some time before Vietnam catches up with the rest of the world in raising cattle. I stopped eating local/Australian beef long ago. I just bring back 2 whole Prime grade Ribeyes everytime I fly home. It's actually alot cheaper than imported beef they sell here which is usually a crappy choice grade and at a fraction of the cost.

JVo, good post and all true!

BUT....as I have noticed in markets around Asia, even if the package says US or AU beef, even if that package indicates a steak, they CUT it all the same, in thin slices suitable for sushimi or chunks for stews, thats it. You know very well that in the butchering you get the right taste from the right cut and that includes thickness.  They hacked the poor animal to pieces with a Chinese chop-chop knife and who'd want to eat it?

Some meat can pass for rubber blocks commonly used in parts of automobiles and require endless time in a slow-cooker, drowning in beer to knock those tough muscle fibers down. And then you still dont have a steak. And I have yet to eat a really good piece of meat in any restaurant claiming to offer it, no matter what the price.

Two things:
1) I DID see a pic online of a restaurant offering steaks and such before I came to VN in October but I didnt write anything down because I thought it may be common. I lost the info. So there may be one!
2) I DID eat in HALAL restaurants in Saigon, like opposite Ben Thanh, and their beef was the same as anyone else--only double the normal price.

Thanks for the info guys. Really appreciate your effort in explaining in so much details. I just wanted to know if there was a good butcher in Saigon but now I and getting a lot more information. Once I have found a good butcher with good beef and lamb, I will let you know.

Cheers.

JustinAussieinVietnam wrote:

I just wanted to know if there was a good butcher in Saigon but now I and getting a lot more information. Once I have found a good butcher with good beef and lamb, I will let you know.

There are very few true butchers here. Don't believe me - go to Giants and look at the meat counter - looks like they hack a cow to bits in the loading dock.

Lotte, on 3 THANG 2, in Quan 10, has a butcher and he will actually drag a side of beef out of a freezer for you so you can select your cut.

Right, like I said they hack the poor creature to smithereens. Im calling PETA!

Oh I forgot its very possible there are viet kieu butchers who were trained in the west. Maybe its just a matter of time and continuing to search.

Previously when Ive asked butchers to cut the way i want they wanted me to buy the whole side of beef (or whatever they had) first.

This brings up yet another idea for a business. In USA in the old days there were "meat lockers." Youd buy the whole cow or side, the butcher would prepare all cuts, pack/wrap each piece and keep it in their shop in your section of the freezer (which was basically the entire building). When you wanted steaks, etc, youd just hop down to the locker and withdraw the items and go home and cook them. A side could last a family 6-12 months. Maybe its time to bring that back.

Still another idea is for a butcher to sell you the cut and cook it for you as well, then you just take the finished product home and youre ready. There can be call-in and home delivery but all of this is beside the point which is to first have the cuts somehow available by a knowledgeable butcher!

Hey Justin,

I haven't tried it personally, but all the Aussies I know in HCMC buy their meat from Tra Vy Butcher, their main shop is in District 7 (http://www.travysbutchershop.asia/). They will deliver orders over 500,000d too.

I'm also starting to crave some decent lamb (especially for Australia Day), if you find anything can you let me know?

Cheers

Hi guys,

So I went to a butcher, Dinh Phong, near home in D2 yesterday and bought steaks and lamb cutlets. The display wasn't like any normal butcher stores we have back in Australia but, I gotta say, the meat was fantastic! The staff there told me they're all chilled products not frozen and  are imported from Australia (not Viet/Aus meats). I even saw whole pieces in vacuum packs (I used to buy meats like this at wholesale stores when I had big parties back in Australia) I was a bit skeptical when I bought it plus it wasn't cheap (410K/ kg for my porterhouse steaks and the scotch fillets range from 550k to 650k/kg, but on the other side, that's how much I paid for steaks in Australia anyway). I also bought some lamb cutlets (they call it Lamb Rib Chop there which was strange).

Anyway. I had my steaks last night and they were probably the best I've had since I've been here! I am saving the cutlets for tonight. Definitely will check out their scotch next time and if the cutlets are nice, I know what I am gonna have on Australia Day

I've attached a link to some photos of my steaks sorry the lamb photo looks a bit funny, my phone was playing up. their website has a price list of all their products but it's in Vietnamese so not sure if that helps. (http://www.dinhphongits.com.vn/)

@ErinViet, thanks for your advice, I will check out Tra Vy Butcher as well for comparison. and will let you know how I go with the Lamb Cutlets tonight.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hmhor6niw8r3 … xWwqa?dl=0

Hi Erin,

As promised to get back to you about the Lamb from Dinh Phong Butcher, they were as good as what I got in Melbourne! Very juicy and tender! Not cheap though (495.000 vnd/kg for the Rack).

Hope you will enjoy Australia Day in Vietnam, not long to go. Cheers

Justin, ok thats really great news and please continue to post any progress and eventually we can add to a solid list of butchers. Great news!

I was reading a post about aging beef before it is sold to improve consistancy. I worked for a couple of years on cattle stations, one up near Fitzroy Crossing as well as one near Mt. Isa and we always went out every couple of weeks and shot a cow and butchered it on the spot. We then went back to the station and put some in brine, some in the fridge and some to the cook. We always had a big meal of beef after a kill and then the next morning had steak and eggs. It was always very good with no aging.

idobelieve, actually, aging or not, i never met a cow i didnt like.

Kim Hai trading company
73 Le Thi Hong Gam, Nguyen Thai Binh ward Q1
0839144376   0838216057

Our family buys most of our beef here. It's a bit pricey but great cuts of all meats. They don't speak fluent English however the prices per kilo is displayed next to the cuts in the glass display case so it's a point and nod system.
Also ask them for the price sheet for future reference which also tells you what country the meat is from.
I strongly urge you..... no I actually "implore" you to try the US rib eye steaks.

I suspect cvco has met a few cows in his time.................

I think we've all met a few cows in our time!

Thanks for a very informative thread People, I am craving some lamb so will check out the places mentioned.

Have tried the Aust beef from METRO and it was "OK", nothing special. By contrast I went to the BLT steakhouse in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong just before Christmas and had a stunning 24 ounce steak. Wish we could get steak like that here!

eodmatt wrote:

I think we've all met a few cows in our time!

Thanks for a very informative thread People, I am craving some lamb so will check out the places mentioned.

Have tried the Aust beef from METRO and it was "OK", nothing special. By contrast I went to the BLT steakhouse in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong just before Christmas and had a stunning 24 ounce steak. Wish we could get steak like that here!

I enjoy BLT as well and generally eat it while im in HK or in the states. They are reasonably priced given the quality of beef (my USDA Prime dry aged ribeye generally sets me back roughly $50 USD which I think is well worth it)
If you really wanna treat yourself try The Steakhouse inside the Intercontinental on Salisbury Road (Kowloon) the next time you are in Hong Kong. Its a 1 star Michelin Star steakhouse. It will set you back quite a bit more than BLT but the panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island alone are nothing short of breathtaking. If I remember correctly, my 24 oz dry aged long bone-in USDA Prime ribeye was around $150 USD so it's not cheap by any stretch of the imagination but outside of the pure A-5 BMS 11 Wagyu that I had in Tokyo, it was probably one of the best steaks I've ever had in my life.

If you absolutely MUST buy beef at Metro, opt for the USDA Choice over the Australian. It's only a little bit more expensive and the quality is better

It's a pity that beef isn't brought in here from Vanuatu.  They have the best beef I've ever tasted, anywhere in my life, and I've eaten beef all over Australia and the USA (IMHO the best Australian beef is much better than the best American beef, but the best Australian beef isn't exported as commonly).  it's all locally grown and they have so few endemic disease issues that it's nearly all 100% organic (although I'm highly sceptical about that label, just someone find me an inorganic carrot).

I'm wondering whether it might be worth trying to convince one of the local smaller butchers to bring some in.