Friday, June 12, 2015

Restaurant Review: Hanoi - A taste of Vietnam



Hanoi: A taste of Vietnam
1st Floor, Phoenix Market City,
Whitefield, Bangalore
Phone: 67266553
Even if you’re turned off by crowded malls, there’s a very good reason to go to Phoenix Market City.  Brave the traffic and the crowds and you can be assured of a hit-the-spot Vietnamese meal at Hanoi, tucked away into this sprawling mall.
Run by the hands-on husband-and-wife team of Nirav, who’s Indian, and Diep Vu, who’s Vietnamese, this restaurant is for anyone who enjoys the sharp, clean, refreshing flavours of Asian cuisine. It’s a good looking restaurant with some fetching prints on the walls. A high table running around an island kitchen allows you to watch the chefs at work, while they bring soup to a simmer and steam crabs.
At a chef’s table to introduce a new menu we dined on the most delicate Stuffed Cabbage Pillows bobbing in a clear broth, followed by Pho Cuon, rice noodle rolls with the Pho made in-house and steamed fresh. Bursting with the freshness and crunch of bean sprouts, mint and an occasional chilli hit, this is a delicious cold starter. There was also succulent chicken thigh braised with ginger.
The piece de resistance was the freshest blue crab steamed over beer, served unadorned with a fabulous dipping sauce of fish sauce, chilli seeds, lime and sugar. There was also a richer crab dish, tossed in a pungent tamarind-chilli sauce. The thing to do is abandon cutlery and dig in, with abandon.
They make an excellent Vietnamese hotpot here, which is great for sharing, as also Vietanamese style curry served with coconut rice.
For dessert there was the Vietnamese take on Tub Tim Grob, with coffee jelly, jack fruit, water chestnut jewels and pomegranate in thickened coconut milk. They also have an array of ice creams in oriental flavours from betel leaf to pineapple and basil.
And if you need to be shaken awake from the languor of such a meal, then some excellent Vietnamese coffee.

No comments:

Post a Comment