In the rich world of Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese corn is a humble and familiar ingredient. Found in street vendors’ baskets or family meals, it’s a nostalgic flavor that generations have enjoyed. But at Tales by Chapter — a plant-based dining restaurant in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City — Vietnamese corn is given a completely new chapter: refined, creative, and rooted in sustainability.

When street food enters the world of fine plant-based dining

Inspired by stir-fried corn — a street snack tied to many Vietnamese childhoods — the chefs at Tales reimagine this dish in a modern, plant-based form. Instead of savory lard or dried shrimp, three types of corn are delicately processed and blended, resulting in something both new and comfortingly familiar.

What makes the dish special is not only the flavor, but the way it tells a story. Within the warm and elegant space of Tales by Chapter in downtown Saigon, the “bắp xào” dish invites guests to taste not just with the palate, but with emotion, discovering the narrative behind each ingredient. It’s where tradition meets creativity, and sustainability meets culinary artistry.

From familiar ingredients to refined organic experience

Tales sources indigenous varieties of Vietnamese corn, grown organically without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Each cob is harvested at peak ripeness to preserve its natural sweetness, crunch, and nutritional value.

But the story doesn’t stop at the kernels. Tales utilizes the cob, husk, and silk parts often discarded to craft a fully sustainable journey:

• Cobs are used to prepare flavorful broths for appetizers in the menu.
• Husks are dried and repurposed as kitchen fuel.
• Silks are brewed by the bar team into herbal tea, served as a welcome drink.

Each byproduct continues its path: after use, husks and silks are composted into fertilizer for Tales’ rooftop organic garden. There, fresh herbs and edible flowers are grown, contributing to the next generation of plant-based dishes.

This closed-loop cycle exemplifies the restaurant’s deep commitment to a zero-waste philosophy and its mission for sustainable plant-based cuisine. Every element is honored, ensuring that nothing goes to waste and everything serves a purpose.

Vietnamese corn – A refined choice for thoughtful gatherings

More than just a favorite of plant-based diners, Vietnamese corn at Tales is a refined option for client meetings and business meals. With its crisp-soft texture, gentle sweetness, and elegant plating, the dish is approachable for all guests, even those new to plant-based food.

Highly versatile within the menu, it pairs well with both mains and appetizers, making it ideal for light yet polished meals. Combined with the calm, intimate setting in central Ho Chi Minh City, the dish offers more than taste — it creates a moment where tradition and modernity meet.

That’s why Tales has become a trusted destination for professional gatherings that value thoughtfulness, detail, and sincerity.

A green lifecycle from corn to plant-based cuisine at Tales

At Tales, every dish follows a circular journey where nothing is wasted. Once Vietnamese corn completes its role in the main dish, its husk, cob, and silk continue their purpose: transformed into compost for the rooftop organic garden.

From that very garden, new herbs and edible flowers are grown to craft future plant-based creations. It’s a cycle of care, rooted in Tales’ belief that nature gives endlessly when respected. Vietnamese corn, then, becomes more than an ingredient — it becomes a symbol of the Tales philosophy: use everything to its final chapter, waste nothing, stay close to nature.

From a simple street snack, Vietnamese corn at Tales opens a new perspective on modern plant-based cuisine, where kindness to ingredients, creativity in technique, and sustainable values converge in a space for thoughtful dining in the heart of Saigon.

Each meal is more than nourishment — it’s an invitation to reconnect with nature through the most humble of beginnings.

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Tales by Chapter

The first zero waste plant-based dining in Vietnam

Add: 10 Nguyen Thanh Y, Tan Dinh, Ho Chi Minh City

Hotline: +84 368 150 125

E-mail: reservation@talessgn.com - Reservation

Opening hours: 7.00pm – 11.00pm (Closed Sunday)