Edit 1: new address -> Sc3-1 My Khang, Nguyen Luong Bang, District 7, HCMC
Finally, Vietnam’s first authentic halal Turkish restaurant has opened up in Saigon’s District 2. Berru Turkish Coffee & Restaurant is run by the Turkish chef from the Horizon International Bilingual School, where I worked at IT Director last year, and his family. If you love kebabs, Turkish meatballs or just want some strong Turkish coffee, then come visit Berru in An Phu.
Mr. Cem, the owner and chef from Berru, invited me over today to visit his restaurant. It was actually open for a month and already caters to the An Phu Turkish community plus some Expats from Thao Dien. I was a bit surprised when I pulled up to the front entrance, it looks and feels like a Turkish restaurant I visited in Istanbul.
First of all, this restaurant is halal, you will not find any alcohol here. The halal meat comes from the Chau Doc Muslim community (beef) and District 7/8 Muslim community (chicken). All of the ingredients and food items at Berru are halal. This is something you will not see at the “certified” halal restaurants in Saigon.
Before ordering, I started out with a strong Turkish Coffee. As usual, this cup of Turkish coffee, which is normally quite grainy, woke me up. If you had not ever tried Turkish coffee, I highly recommend but be forewarned, you will not sleep for a week.
After I finished my coffee, Mr. Cem served me my favorite doner kebab dish, Iskender. Normally doner kebab is only served daily from 6:30 PM but luckily Mr. Cem was making some for HIBS’s two dormitories today. Iskender is sliced doner kebab served on top of bread with yogurt. I highly recommend it for those who have not tried it. This dish is about 120,000 VND and my proportion was a bit bigger. The Iskender dish was served with some french fries.
After I finished my Iskender, Mr. Cem brought me some kofte (meat balls) with cheese. Oh this was so good. A kofte is like a small hamburger. You can eat this with rice and/or french fries. It is served all day as well.
After I finished this small meal, I was quite full. Mr. Cem then next brought me some dessert. Sorry, I forgot to take the picture but it was good. It was a mango-type pudding.
Normally I would have some Turkish tea but after about 3 hours, I could not eat anymore. I do not normally spend this much time at a restaurant.
Berru has WiFi so you can bring your laptop there. Sorry, no aircon at this time. Do plan to spend more then one hour here, Turkish food is not fast food so it will take time to make your dish if there is a large crowd. It is well worth it though. Drink some Turkish coffee while waiting.
Berru is located in An Phu Ward in District 2. Those who live in District 2, Thu Duc and around The Manor are roughly 5-10 minutes away. It is about 15-20 minutes away from District 1 but well worth the trip. Muslims can pray here as well, just ask.
Berru Turkish Coffee & Restaurant
Sc3-1 My Khang, Nguyen Luong Bang. Q7, HCMC
Phone: +84.932.467.798
Foursquare / GoHalalPlanet
nice posting.. thank for information..