By Gia Linh

Breakfast is indeed an essential for almost every Vietnamese person, and it does not stop at a bowl of phở or a quick grab at a bánh mì kiosk. Vietnamese breakfasts have merged into different cuisines and customs to offer more diverse culinary experiences.

Irrespective of how enthusiastic you are towards the culinary world, I bet you may have once heard about the word "brunch", a combination of "breakfast" and "lunch". When it was first introduced is unknown, but the concept of "having brunch" has been gaining significant popularity among young Vietnamese or simply morning lovers who enjoy embracing a slow start of the day, hence the concomitant rise of brunch cafes and dine-ins.

Standing out from these emerging brunch places is Soko Cake Bake & Brunch (Soko Saigon), which is a perfect spot if you would love to stay in tune with the trend. Soko is more than just a cafe with modern interior design; it is famous mainly for the meticulous dishes that would probably make you gasp once you see them.

Soko Cake Bake & Brunch in HCM City’s District 1 is a famous, trendy brunch dine-in for friends and family. VNS Photo Gia Linh

Soko is nestled in quiet Hồ Tùng Mậu Street in the middle of the hustle and bustle of HCM City’s District 1 – a popping, brilliant white three-story building with glass-only windows. With Christmas coming, Soko is filled with pine tree strings and huge red, holiday-ish ribbons.

Be it on weekdays or weekends, tables are always filled with locals and expats alike. I must admit that it is a place for photographs that you have to add to your place-for-checking-in list for its minimalistic yet trendy, modern interior design.

The white tables and chairs, speaking in the tone of Gen Z, are an aesthetic, with different seating arrangements ready to serve any gathering size. On each corner of the second floor were two large Christmas trees, extravagantly decorated to welcome the holiday season.

As a person who loves anything that is beautifully designed and, again, aesthetic, I am surprised by how pretty Soko’s menus are. And yes, I wrote 'menu' in its plural form, since I was offered three different ones, including a menu for brunch dishes, one for regular pastries and drinks, and one for Christmas-edition baked goods.

My friends and I tried to focus primarily on the brunch menu, but still had a genuinely hard time deciding what I would order. From sweet to savoury, from western to Asian to even fusion options, reading their names and below-listed ingredients made our mouths water. Eventually, we went for three main courses and a Christmas dessert.

We were asked to wait for around 20 minutes, but it did not take that much time for all the dishes to be served. We were, honestly, in shock by how beautifully decorated they were, with edible flowers and sprouts and a variety of colourful spinach scattered around the main elements. How Instagram-able!

Soko’s brunch dishes are a combination of Western and Asian cuisine, with fresh ingredients and beautiful plating. VNS Photo Gia Linh

Our meal started with one of Soko’s must-tries, Sydney Rosti Eggs Benedict, with a huge portion. You can't go wrong starting off your morning palate with an eggs benedict, and Soko nailed it.

I was immersed in the creamy goddess of the poached eggs, fresh avocado, and hollandaise sauce. They were then balanced out by savoury smoked salmon and tangy cashew sour cream. The crunch from fresh sprouts and sprinkled sunflower seeds was a great twist in texture. We chose brioche bread as the base, but you can also opt for hash browns.

In contrast to a quite heavy egg benedict was a clean, refreshing Sesame Salmon Poke Bowl. This Hawaiian specialty was simple yet nutrition-packed, which is perfect for a morning meal.

It is incredible to have different textures and flavours bundled up in a plate. The chewy cubed raw salmon, the crunchy cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, edamame, the soft, fragrant brown rice, and the sweet corn, all merged in with the creamy, tangy sesame dressing. Highly recommended!

The Mentaiko Udon Carbonara was a fusion spotlight, being both a must-try and most-favourite on Soko’s menu. Although it was a cream-based pasta dish, we did not find it overbearing at all.

It was far beyond what we had expected in an udon dish. The chewy noodles were covered in the cream and mentaiko (pollock roe) sauce, and bits of bacon added a crunchy twist to the dish. This was our favourite dish, the ultimate blend between both western and Asian culinary charms.

The joke "Asians can not live without rice" is somewhat real for us, since we could not resist wrapping up the meal with a Hearty Bulgogi Rice Bowl. It was a standard option, with brown rice, bulgogi (Korean-style stir-fried beef), stir-fried mushrooms, carrots, and a sunny-side-up on top. The slightly sweet teriyaki sauce was a complementary element to the bowl. This dish is a must to order if you are looking for a filling, whole-hearted option.

Although we were so full from the four generous entrees, there would always be room for desserts. The waiters and waitresses were attentive enough to serve our pastry immediately after we finished our main dishes without us asking.

Thai milk tea flavoured Rondo, among the special Christmas menu items, is now available to celebrate the upcoming holiday season. VNS Photo Gia Linh

We ordered a Rondo, a Soko’s signature, which could be simply explained as a circular croissant filled with pastry crème. There were various choices, but we chose the Thai milk tea flavour, expecting to have another Asian-Western bombshell.

You could not deny that it was from the special holiday menu for its Christmas-y decoration, with vibrantly red chocolate ganache (a white chocolate and cream concoction) and a cute, Santa-shaped cookie on top. The Rondo was buttery and flaky, with a crunchy outer layer but soft and chewy inside. The amount of Thai milk tea flavour crème was so generous that it burst out as we cut into the cake, and we loved how the fragrance of the tea was accentuated.

Apart from the delicate dishes, what we enjoyed about dining at Soko was the friendly atmosphere that it provides, as well as the nice service and attentive servers. Ranging from VNĐ160,000 to 700,000 (US$7.8 to 25) per item, I would opine that this is a totally reasonable price considering the portion, quality, and service.

Hence, if you want to save time and combine both your breakfast and lunch into one, or simply to enjoy a place to meet friends and loved ones, visiting Soko should be on your list. Hurry, because the limited Christmas menu will not last long!

Soko Bake & Brunch

Address: 24 Hồ Tùng Mậu St, Nguyễn Thái Bình Ward, District 1, HCM City, and 27A Nguyễn Trung Trực St, Bến Thành Ward, District 1, HCM City

Opening hours: 9am to 4pm

Tell: 0901 109 880

Facebook: sokosaigon

Comment: A perfect spot for morning brunch dates with meticulously made dishes and instagrammable design.