The owner of Cuc Gach Quan restaurant also operates two cafes in the outskirts of District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. They are called, confusingly, Cuc Gach Quan Cafe (92 Thạch Thị Thanh, closer to the restaurant) and Cuc Gach Cafe (larger, the one I visited for this review). In both locations, throughout the day the offer a single lunch set with homemade Vietnamese food.
The visit
The entrance is nicely hidden by trees.
Similarly to the restaurant, the interior is smartly furnished with a decor mixing rustic and hipster elements. It has character. After all the owner is an architect. And I would say that it is proudly Vietnamese.
Ordering is not overly complicated since they only have a set menu changing daily. I guess there must be a menu with drinks and snacks, but I never got hold of it. English is not much spoken by the staff that is friendly and welcoming.
The food comes in a round tray and on my visit it included a soup, pork, vegetables, rice, and an iced tea.
The food was good. Simpler than the one I had in the restaurant, but made with the same philosophy to provide good homemade dishes. I ate (or I saw it eaten) in Vietnamese households.
The check
I do not have a check, but the lunch set was priced 80,000 VND (less than 4 USD) at the time of my visit. I think it is difficult to find such a beautiful place in Saigon where to have lunch at this price point. Sure, someone will say that you can find this food for even less, but you will seat on the street on a plastic stool.