Union Jack's Fish & Chips — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

Tonight Monday 20th Feb 2018 I went to Unions Jack's Fish and Chip shop with friends for dinner. Firstly let me say that I am from England and have been living in Saigon for over 7 years and yes I love Vietnamese food but there is only so much rice and noodles that one can eat month after month, year after year. There comes a time when I just crave food from HOME.

Union Jacks fill's that carving. Like the Old Ronseal Tin adverts "It does exactly what it says on the tin" Unions Jacks is everything British from the moment you walk in. Union Jack tables, British classic songs playing in the background, proper Sarsons Vinegar, to Yorkshire and Tetley tea being served.

Union Jacks was busy and we had to wait about 10 mins for a table. As we waited I looked around the restaurant the atmosphere had a laid back buzzing vibe. Groups of friends chatting away, families with children and romantic couples snuggled up feeding chips to each other. It made me smile as I felt I was actually back home in my local chippy!

The waitress apologised for keeping us waiting and informed us that the kitchen was busy and we may have to wait around 20mins for the food, which was fine, and we fully understood.

The Food menu has a good selection to choose from. The food arrived and it was worth the wait. The chips crispy, the sausage roll delicious with proper puff pastry. The Fish a good size portion and covered in crispy beer batter, home made tartar sauce and mushy peas, all washed down with big mugs of tea and bottles of beer!

Union Jacks in run by Matt Ryan who is British and his wife Huyen. What Matt and Huyen have achieved in the short time it has been opened is amazing.

As soon as one table emptied it quickly got filled. Word is spreading fast about the Union and not just because of the great food, the staff and atmosphere but because Matt and Huyen are such lovely, kind and down to earth people and they REALLY DO CARE about the FOOD and THEIR CUSTOMERS. Plus they both personally do a lot of fundraising for charities here in Saigon.

So please don’t just take my word for it, (even though I am a qualified chef and when I tell my friends I have found a great restaurant they know I really mean it!)

Yes there are restaurants in Saigon that serve fish and chips but if you want the real deal THE PROPER British fish and chips then there is ONLY ONE PLACE to go the Union and they deliver as well.

So enjoy the best of British at the Union and I can assure you, your be back with your friends asking them if they want one lump or two in their tea and can you pass the Sarson’s...

Went for the full English. Very solid. Had everything you’d want on there and nothing missing. Hash browns were great and cooked in the frying oil so they had a bit of a ‘chippy’ taste which I liked. Sausage was coarse and had a good flavour. Fried bread was perfect. Heinz ketchup and HP sauce. Yorkshire tea not included. Black pudding lovely.

The only two downsides were the back bacon which just tasted like fried pork and had no bacon flavour. Would recommended you go for streaky. Also they charged us 25k for water which wasn’t listed on the menu. Really feels poor when you’re paying 250k for a fry up and they can’t even give you a glass or water.

Big portion. I felt very full afterwards and gf didn’t stand a chance.

Went for the full English. Very solid. Had everything you’d want on there and nothing missing. Hash browns were great and cooked in the frying oil so they had a bit of a ‘chippy’ taste which i liked. Sausage was coarse and had a good flavour. Fried bread was perfect. Heinz ketchup and HP sauce. Yorkshire tea not included. Black pudding lovely.

The only two downsides were the back bacon which just tasted like fried pork and had no bacon flavour. Would recommended you go for streaky. Also they charged us 25k for water which wasn’t listed on the menu. Really feels poor when you’re paying 250k for a fry up and they can’t even give you a glass or water.

Big portion. I felt very full afterwards and gf didn’t stand a chance.

Edit: Matt has replied justifying the price for the water but I must disagree. This is a UK restaurant called Union Jacks. In the UK you are required by law to serve free potable water in any licensed establishment. This is also customary in our nation. I don't think having water with your meal is a special experience worth paying a premium for, as you suggest, regardless of the environment.

A 19L lavie water jug costs a mere 66,000 VND. If a customer were to drink 1 litre of water it would cost the restaurant 3,500 VND. We can double that to be generous. That is 7000 VND. A price I would be happy paying.

The meal was worth the price and I do recommend this...

It has always been an amazing experience in Union Jack. We started from ordering for a delivery to D5. The owner has been super nice and quickly confirmed our order while offering some free drinks since it was the first time they did delivery in such far distance. They weren't sure if the food would keep it texture and qualify. However, i and my husband were stunned on how quick the delivery was and how good the food was. My husband, as a cook, was amazed by the qualify and then quality of the meal.

After that, we came to the restaurant personally right at the next day, and the food was wayyyyy better than the deliver. The food came out super script but not greasy at all. The homemade tartar sauce and the beautifully cook gravy were sumptuous. I was speechless, and my husband totally became their fan. At up to the goodness, the restaurant got a really laid back environment. It feels just like home. It was like you came in to your friend's house who happened to sell fish and chips. Then the Irish tea just killing it. Matt, the owner, is the best host I have ever seen. That was the first time I got nothing to complain about service since I'm super picky about customer service. He makes everyone feels special, he can make friend with just everybody, and never make his customers feel like they're alone. That's what a great host supposed to be. (Tbh, I'm not saying all of this because he let us on tab one time cause my husband forgot his wallet and we didn't have enough cash to pay for the meal. The man was so kind to let us pay the bill the next day) Well after all of that, we kept coming back, and kept experiencing their menu with other food beside fish and chips. The soup eased me when I was sick, scotch egg and pork pie are not my most favorite cause they are served cold, I just don't like cold food in general, but the sausage roll is to die for. Anyway, to end this long ass review, Matt, you did a great job, and yes we're coming back this Wednesday. Oh, and the price ain't bad. Only about 500k for both me and my husband. We left full and satisfy. We always want more, but don't need...