Where: 42 Nguyễn Huệ, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Type: Indoor Café
Offer: Drinks and cake / biscuit
Price: $$$
This tea house is located on the 7th floor in the probably most distinguished building along the walking street Nguyen Hue – the very old looking complex with a lot of different shops, restaurants, bars and café. I must admit, heading into the building itself actually led me to Orientea.
You can walk up this very old, small and not clean staircase (again – I would do that) or take the lift to the 7. floor, though you have to pay a small fee. However, I think you can get the redeem against your bill.
Orientea is on the 7. floor, turning left from the staircase. As the name might give away the setting here is towards the oriental far east – you can see this straight away after entering the place. After the entrance you can find the place to order the counter to order drinks or cakes. The décor is lovely here, and the staff here is very friendly and provide help to choose one of their many teas on offers.
After ordering you can go to one of the two rooms. Both rooms offer similar settings, with small tables and cushioned seats or small wooden benches with a table in the middle of the bench. With the paintings and other decoration it has a lovely vibe and it all looks very tasteful and not tacky at all. Great atmosphere. They also have a small balcony overlooking the Walking Street – though during the day it might be too hot to sit outside. But at night the view from the building is lovely.
As it is a teahouse they have a huge range of different teas, so it can be actually quite difficult to make a decision. I must admit I cannot remember which teas we had (I assume it was something with lemongrass), but I do remember that they were very nice. We also had small biscuits with jam – they were amazing. Really good and went well with the tea.
So décor – great. Tea – great. Location – great. Price – not cheap, but considering the previous three points it is not overpriced. So coming here on a weekend afternoon or in the evening to relax and enjoy the atmosphere is a good idea. I would certainly recommend a visit to this lovely tea house.
Rating: 9/10
(First visited January 2019)
