Pho goes upmarket
On any street corner in any city in Vietnam it is possible to see locals hunched at small plastic tables over a steaming bowl of pho, a herb-filled noodle soup with meat and vegetables, and the country’s unofficial national food.

Now one enterprising company has taken the dish upmarket with a fledgling chain of fast-food pho restaurants called Pho 24, named after the 24 ingredients that go into the dish. The restaurants are clean, stylish and, even at twice the typical street stall price, still costs less than US$2 per bowl. Pho 24 has six locations in Ho Chi Minh City: 134 Le Thanh Ton Street; 5 Nguyen Thiep Street in District 1; 89 Mac Thi Buoi Street, District 1; 67 Hai Ba Trung Street, District 1; Diamond Plaza, 3F/l, 34 Le Duan Street, District 1; and 100 Nguyen Luong Bang Street, District 7. In Hanoi, it has one outlet at 26 Ba Trieu Street, Hoan Kiem District.

Asashi offers sushi train
Hanoi’s first restaurant with a sushi train, Asashi Sushi, can lay claim to 130 different dishes and authentic ingredients imported from Japan. The restaurant also has three teppanyaki bars and an open kitchen so diners can view the chefs at work. The restaurant’s 10 Japanese-style VIP rooms are ideal for discreet lunch meetings.

Address: 288 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi.

New European eatery
Mesto is a new wood, stone and glass interiored Scandinavian-look restaurant that boasts a modern European style menu prepared by a Swedish chef. Highlights include salmon poached in tea and options for either a five- or seven-dish set menu.

The business lunch set menu is priced at just over US$14.

Address: 11A Pham Ngoc Thach Street, Hanoi.

Level 23 for best views
The Sheraton Saigon’s 23rd floor bar, Level 23, has some of the best views in Ho Chi Minh City, a town that already boasts at least another four rooftop bars. The views are especially spectacular at sunset. And that is the time to go if you want to rub shoulders with the city’s expatriate movers and shakers.

Address: Sheraton Hotel and Towers, 88 Dong Khoi Street, Ho Chi Minh City.

Excellent Vine
Vine has a reputation for excellent food and a world-class wine list. It is walking distance from both Sheraton Hanoi and the InterContinental (due to open at the end of this year) and three minutes by taxi from Sofitel Plaza. The US$10 three-course business lunch is great value.

Address: 1A Xuan Dieu St, Hanoi