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L’Usine Journal is a round-up of our news and what’s going on in Saigon, published every other month.
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journal ISSUE #1
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elcome to the very first printed version of the L’Usine Journal, a round up off all that is happening at L’Usine, plus interviews with some of our favourite customers, stories about Saigon’s iconic buildings, recipes, fashion news and more.
In our maiden edition we nabbed an interview with gorgeous actress and director Kathy Uyen, who reveals where she makes a bee-line for when she lands in Saigon and lets us into a few dating secrets… We have a recipe for one of our most popular dishes – the shredded chicken salad, which iseven the most kitchen-phobic cooks can make and its good for the old bikini diet too. We also have a fascinating potted-history of one of Saigon’s most iconic landmarks, Ben Thanh market, from our friends over at Saigoneer, plus a take-home poster from long-time expat and local street-life photographer extraordinaire, Neil Massey, aka Mr Masseyman.
If you want to be featured on our L’Usine Journal or has any questions to ask please contact Lottie@lusinespace.com.
It’s been a busy few months at L’Usine HQ. We’ve been beavering away behind the scenes to bring your Camp L’Usine, our Spring Summer homage to the Great Outdoors. We’ve got loads of new products to bring back those old-school holiday memories, from duffle bags and Navajo-inspired iPhone covers and posters, to Girl Guide notebooks and teepees for the garden. Come and have a browse and take a trip down memory lane…
second story
My Saigon - An interview with Katy Uyen
third story Rain’s profile
fourth story
How to make Steam Chicken Salad - L’Usine style
fifth story
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How to make the perfect Flat White
m any more inside
L’USINE JOURNAL - May 2015
@amberwoon
@producecandles
@quangvinh
@herschelsupply
MY SAIGON RAINS’ PROFILE W
hen you live in a city that rains for almost half the year, a slick raincoat is an essential piece of kit. New to the stores this month is RAINS, a Danish outwear label that will make rainy afternoons soooo much more bearable.
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The rainy streets of the Danish capital, Copenhagen, is where the label was born. Modern city life with all its diversity and color and the need for practical outerwear, inspired RAINS. Their dedicated desire to combine style and function became the foundation of the now eponymous brand.
KATY UYEN
athy Uyen is a film actress/producer from Los Angeles currently based in HCMC, Vietnam for the last six years. She currently has a film titled “Triple Trouble”, Vietnamese title “Bo Ba Rac Roi” a women’s adventure comedy currently playing Vietnam theaters nationwide. www.bobaracroi.com for more information. What’s the first thing you do when you arrive in Saigon? When I arrived in Saigon six years ago, the first thing I did was eat. I remember there were so many yummy dishes to try everywhere. Interesting street food on corners and fresh fruit juice everywhere:) What’s your favourite street in Saigon? I like Thao Dien in District 2. I like the cozy district 2 vibe with all the flavorful restaurants, shops, delis. It’s my mini getaway from district 1. What’s the best kept secret about Saigon? Cute coffee cafes such as M2C, L’Usine and Khanh Casa Where do you go for comfort food? I like Quan Bui on Ngo Van Nam for Vietnamesehome-style traditional dishes and I also enjoy Kay’s Vegetarian Cafe on small alley named Cay Diep near Nguyen Dinh Chieu. What’s the best place for a date? I like the Deck in District 2, the nice riverview, nice breeze, relaxing atmosphere. Or Trois Gourmands French restaurant in D2 does a delicious set course meal with homemade cheeses. I also like Sorae Sushi. What’s the best meal you’ve had in Saigon? So many, can’t even begin to start! Best Dim Sum at Ocean Palace. Sushi at Hokkaido. Pho at Hoa Paster. Lamb loin sandwich-
es and vegetarian farfalle pasta at L’Usine for lunch.. I could go on! Where do you go to relax? Q Spa on 421/10 Su Van Hanh, District 10. It’s worth the drive, the facials and massages are the best! Also Dancenter for jazz and modern dance class. What’s the perfect night out in Saigon? If you are in large group I recommend Pizza4ps on Le Thanh Ton, then a drink at Glow skybar to check out the view, then partydownstairs at Play nightclub, followed by late night street food or Karaoke at King Karoke on Hai Ba Trung if you’re looking for a really fun late night out. Where do you shop in Saigon? So many unique Vietnamese designer fashion boutiques! I love sophisticated feminine at Valenciani on Mac Thi Buoi, traditional Vietnamese silks at Thuy Design on Dong Khoi, or vintage feminine looks from Selected Boutique on Ly Tu Trong. What’s your earliest memory of Saigon? First coming here as a newcomer, not knowing anything or anyone. Everything was so new strange, exciting, charming and at times challenging. But now, after reading this interview, seems like I uh..reallyknow my way around Saigon now, doesn’t it? :) Good luck to all those who are traveling Vietnam and HCMC, may you eat, play, shop and be merry.
In the world of RAINS, a rainy day becomes beautiful and inspiring and opportunity to produce a modern classic. Motivating people to take inspiration from the outdoors is the core value behind the brand, and one we wholeheartedly salute. Long live the rainy season!
MEET
L
uan Nguyen / Lukas Alexander is L’Usine’s graphic designer. He’s been working here for six months and is a key part in the L’Usine design process. What are you working on at the moment? The Spring / Summer collection for L’Usine including posters, notebooks, badges and much much more. The theme this year is Native American with a Coachella Gypsy vibe. What is the best bit about working at L’Usine? What I love about working at L’Usine is having so many opportunities to challenge yourself each time. Besides, being a part of an hippest
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TEAM coffee shop in Saigon, who doesn’t love that?! How does the design process work at L’Usine? We come up with a story and concept for the season, then we brainstorm products and ideas for the stores. Next we have to source and develop them all, which is the most challenging part, and then it is in to production! What would be your dream design project? I have an obsession with pop culture along with bright and fun colors. I would love to do a project inspired from these - imagine David LaChapelle meets Andy Wardhol.
INSTA CRUSH @district8
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uninspiring work spaces - new Le Loi co-working space is open
Summer is alway a good time for a getaway pack a L’Usine bag and go
Your mood is going down when your eletricity bill is going up
STEAMED CHICKEN SALAD Healthy doesn’t have to mean boring boiled veg. To give you a little inspiration, L’Usine chef Andy has shared one of his top salad recipes to ensure your dinners don’t disappoint.
METHOD
Prepare dressing by mixing together ingredients Prepare salad by mixing together all ingredients except for crispy shallot, peanuts & prawn cracker Add dressing to salad and toss well, garnish with crispy shallot, peanuts and prawn cracker
Sundresses
Lazy afternoon in the sun, rainy season is here.
Ice juices
Ingredients 80g chicken breast (steamed and shredded) 40g red cabbage (finely shredded) 40g white cabbage (finely shredded) 10g peanut (toasted & peeled) 20g carrot (finely shredded) 10g crispy shallot 5g Vietnamese basil 5g coriander 10g pennywort DRESSING 20ml kumquat 20ml fish sauce 20g red long chilli (finely chopped) 20g white onion (finely sliced) 5g Vietnamese coriander 2x prawn cracker
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L’ U S I N E L A D D E R
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT FLAT WHITE The perfect flat white is a mysterious thing. More kick than a latte, less froth than a cappuccino, smooth, short and delicious. So what’s the secret? Head barista Linh, shows us how it’s done.
LINH - L’USINE HEAD BARISTA
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1. The starting point is of course coffee. It needs to be short, strong and dark, a high quality espresso
FEATURED ARTIST
NEIL MASSEY Neil Massey is an award winning British documentary photographer currently based in Saigon, Vietnam. Before relocating to
Asia, Neil lived and worked in London for 14 years as an editorial photographer specializing in youth sub-cultures and music. During this time he photographed the likes of Pharrell, Kelis, Beckham and Noel Gallagher to name a few. Since living in Vietnam, he has been working on longterm photographic projects. In 2014 he won 1st prize with New York Magazine PDN for his 2 year project “Bloody Chunks”, a story of the Vietnamese Underground Metal Scene, culminating in a solo exhibition at Antiques Street Gallery, Saigon and a forthcoming show in London in August ’15. For the past 18 months he has been working on “Monobloc” Plastic Street Furniture – A Portrait. To see more of Neil’s work check out his instagram: mrmasseyman and his website www.neilmassey.com Neil is now selling Limited Edition Prints. For further info contact him directly at info@neilmassey.com
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2. The next stage is the most crucial, and what differentiates a flat white from its caffeinated siblings - the milk. It needs to be heated to creat a microfoam. Unlike Cappuccino where the milk is split to creat both foam and hot milk, the foam needs to be smooth and silky throuhout. 3. And lastly of course is the artwork - no flat white is complete without an artfully poured design floating on top. Et voila! The perfect flat white.
@ reywinterstuff How did you discover L’Usine? I were wandering to take some pictures for my concept then I found the stair that leads to L’Usine. Couldn’t take my eyes off it! @chritianmark If you were in charge of L’Usine for a day, what would you do? L’Usine is the perfect venue for community events! I would love to host themed socials and holiday parties at L’usine! @maisonandinh WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DISH AT L’Usine? Roasted beef salad - one of my favorite place to have this salad and of course Red velvet cupcakes - it’s a must when coming to L’Usine.
L’USINE JOURNAL - May 2015
The Remarkable Tale of Ben Thanh Market
Let’s start with the etymology of Ben Thanh. Before the arrival of the French, Saigon was a sleepy, river-side fishing town, centralized in the area around Nguyen Hue Street. It was here that traders from nearby hamlets would come by boat to sell their wares along the Ben Nghe (now Saigon) River. Around this time, Emperor Nguyen Anh, who founded the Nguyen Dynasty, was fighting a bloody war with the ousted Tay Son Dynasty for control of Gia Dinh (Saigon’s pre-colonial moniker). The town changed hands multiple times until Nguyen captured it for good in 1789. To solidify control, Nguyen successfully petitioned
French priest, Pierre Pigneau de Behaine, to help build the Citadel of Saigon (which we’ll get to in a later piece). It is the combination of words Ben (harbor) and Thanh (town/citadel) that the market gets its name current name. Originally built in the early 1800s along the Ben Nghe River, the market was extremely busy and hundreds of boats, bobbing around in the harbor, combined to create a floating market. Operations continued here through the Le Van Khoi Rebellion (1833 – 1835) but hostilities made the area unsafe, resulting in many fewer shoppers.
When the French began their occupation of Gia Dinh in 1859, the market was burned to the ground as was much of the city. After consolidating power, the French rebuilt the market on Nguyen Hue Street which, at the time, was a canal. This location, surrounded by canals on three sides, allowed small boats to easily pull up and drop off their loads. Unfortunately, the materials used to build the market were quite flammable and it burned down in 1870. Rebuilt with better materials, the market endured the French decision to fill in the surrounding canals (which became the major streets near the water) but eventually fell into a state of disrepair and was torn down in 1911.
FRIENDS EAT
Cuc Gach Quan - VN resto Classic Vietnamese home-style food, set in charming traditional Vietnamese house (+84)8 3848 0144 www.cucgach.com.vn 10 Đặng Tất, Tân Định Ward, District 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam Lubu - Mediterranean resto Excellent Mediterranean in the leafy suburbs of District 2 (+84)8 6281 8371 www.luburestaurant.com 97 Thảo Điền, An Phú, Distrct 2, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam Tib - VN resto Excellent Vietnamese serving specialities from the former imperial capital Hue. (+84)8 3829 7242 www.tibrestaurant.com.vn 187 Hai Bà Trưng, Ward 6, District 3, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
SLEEP
Alcove Hotel - Boutique hotel Off-the beaten track boutique hotel, for culture lovers www.alcovehotel.com.vn | alcove@alcovehotel.com.vn (+84)8 6256 9966 / 9977 Hotline: +84. 938 979 000 133A Nguyễn Đình Chính, Ward 8, Phú Nhuận District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Villa Song - Luxury hotel Set on a stretch of the atmospheric Saigon River, Villa Song is one of Saigon’s top boutqiue hotels (+84)8 3744 6090 www.villasong.com | info@ villasong.com 197/2 Nguyễn Văn Hưởng, Thảo Điền, Quận 2, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
PARTY Glow - Rooftop bar Killer roof-top views, mean
The French administration decided to build a new, sprawling market in the pond next to the newly constructed My Tho train station where it continues to stand today (the train station was moved to District 3 around 1975). The new market, built by French contractor, Brossard et Maupin, was completed in 1914. More than 100,000 people came out to enjoy the celebratory parade and fireworks. The market operated continuously until 1985 when it underwent a major renovation. While the market itself hasn’t changed much in the last 100 years, the surrounding environment has. Some of the more significant changes include the relocation of the train station, dismantling of the street car system and the removal of the pedestrian walkway. Another significant change could be around the corner as the city debates whether or not to continue the night market. Since the market is 100 years old, we knew it had a long history. We just didn’t expect it to be this interesting!
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arge markets have been the cornerstone of many Vietnamese neighborhoods for over a century. When Saigon was still a collection of small towns, central markets acted as vital commerce centers where locals sold everything from tomatoes to blankets. While the dynamics of shopping in Vietnam have changed a great deal over the last 20 years, these markets still serve as important commercial arteries, especially outside of District 1. In this series, we’ll take a closer look at the history of these important buildings starting with the big boy, Ben Thanh Market.
cocktails and a club called Play, downstairs to continue the party. (+84)9388 74569 www.glowsaigon.vn President Palace, Floor 13, 93 Nguyen Du, District 1, HCMC Observatory - Club If there’s a new act in town or cool kid on the block, the Observatory will know about it (+84) 8 3925 9415 www.theobservatory-hcmc.com 5 Nguyễn Tất Thành, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
EXPLORE Detoured Asia - Alternative tour agency To see a side of Saigon the guidebooks won’t tell you about, get in touch with Detoured Asia. (+84)168 597 6136 http://detouredasia.com/ detouredasia@gmail.com Les Rives - Boat Tour agency
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L’USINE
See Saigon in style, on one of Les Rives glam speedboat tours, or book the yacht for sundowners on the river (+84 ) 128 592 0018 http://lesrivesexperience.com/ bookings@lesrivesexperience.com sales@lesrivesexperience.com 10 Tôn Đức Thắng, Bến Nghé, 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
PAMPER The Hair Bar - Blow-dry bar For a little last minute pampering stop by Hair Bar for a pre-party blow dry and a glass of fizz 18001108 www.hairbar.vn | lienhe@hairbar. vn 68 Ngô Đức Kế, Bến Nghé Ward, District 1, Hồ Chí Minh City
SHOP District Eight - Furniture store An iconic modern industrial furniture store and factory in a restored
colonical townhouse in District 8. (+84) 8 39 516 467 www.districteightdesign.com | info@districteightdesign.com 343 - 345 Ben Binh Dong Street, Ward 11, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Saigon Art Book - Art shop / gallery Gallery and shop showcasing Saigon’s most exciting up-andcoming artists and illustrators (+84)8 3502 1559 www.saigonartbook.com | info@ saigonartbook.com 43 Đồng Khởi, Bến Nghé Ward, District 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam Mayhem - Vintage clothing store A fabulous vintage clothes emporium tucked away behind Ben Thanh. (+84)8 3824 4997 www.mayhem.vn | contact@ mayhem.vn 136/10 Lê Thánh Tôn, Bến Thành Ward, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam