january-2011

T URNING JAPANESE IN HCMC
Dragon Noodle mixes Japanese restaurant
interiors with Vietnamese art on the wall.
Bottom left: Owner Hoshi Katsuya is
constantly creating new ramen items.
Dragon Noodle
“Noodle culture is very important to
Asians,” says Hoshi Katsuya, the
owner of Dragon Hotpot and now the
new Dragon Noodle. “I personally love
noodles, so I decided to fi nd a way to
explore the new taste”.
Like many of his friends, Hoshi
worked for a Japanese trading
company when he fi rst came to
Saigon. After starting his family with his
Vietnamese wife, he sought a way to
stay close to home.
Hoshi serves
16 different kinds of
ramen (and counting)
at Dragon Noodle
{ 61 }
29 Dong Du
“I didn’t want Street, District 1,
to travel all the tel/fax: +84 (8)
time and leave 3521 0008
my family,” says
Hoshi. Thus came
the highly successful
Dragon Hotpot, which offers sets like
The Sumo, a vegetable- and proteinbased
selection that you cook at your
own table.
After enjoying the success of Dragon
Hotpot, Hoshi decided to open Dragon
Noodle just three months ago with a
menu that offers 16 different kinds of
ramen and counting.
There’s no telling what new item
he’ll be inspired to create, and he has
no plans of leaving Ho Chi Minh City
anytime soon.
“This is my home. I remember that
I’m Japanese, but this is my home now.
We have a small Japanese community
so we must stay honest. Anything I do
or say will be found out the next day.
We have to stay nice.”