Vietnam is the one of the countries with the best food in the world, starting from markets offering an astonishing variety of ingredients: spices, meat, fish, all kinds of eggs and most of all a variety of vegetables and fruits that would make even Italians envious. And the choice of excellent quality restaurants is very wide. One of the things gourmets dream of doing while in Vietnam is to cook using all the lovely products that are to be found in the streets. In fact, one of the cultural activities typical of a trip to Vietnam is, time permitting, a cooking class held by a local chef or even simply a housewife.
Cuc Gach Quàn, in Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon), makes it possible to personally experience some experiments with ingredients, though not directly in the kitchen. The restaurant is located in an ancient French colonial villa, wisely restored by the architect-owner who has decided to open the restaurant as a tribute to his grandmother. The atmosphere is lively, there are many rooms and lots of nice people; the staff is kind and quick and there’s a beautiful small room on the last floor which can be accessed via a very steep staircase.
What makes the experience at this restaurant truly special is that dishes can be composed following your liking. The menu is an elegant notebook made with recycled paper tempting you to choose immediately. Of course, for an inexperienced foreigner, finding one’s way through the menu is not that simple, since a great part of the text is in Vietnamese. The staff, however, is very helpful and competent. Ingredients are grouped in categories: vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, homemade tofu, rice and noodles.
If you don’t feel like struggling too much, you can always opt for the lovely Hotpot, the Vietnamese fondue made with already selected ingredients. It is served in a large earthenware pot heated with blocks of paraffin and each guest cooks meat, fish and vegetables on the spot, according to his liking. For experimenters, Cuc Gach Quàn’s research is extremely detailed in classifying vegetables and ranges from herbs and fresh salads to tubers, flowers, cucurbitaceous plants, and legumes. It is very stimulating. All the ingredients come from organic farms, of course.
After studying the menu for about half an hour, our result was very successful: clams in a stock made with lemongrass and coriander, a lovely and crispy fried fish, stewed zucchini flowers (quite different from the Italian version!), fried aubergines, rice with vegetables and the best
bok choy ever tasted in Vietnam. All this together with a good South African wine, not to lose those good wine-food pairing habits. You can dine at
Cuc Gach Quàn for a whole year, continuing to experiment with very fresh and constantly different ingredients, and experiencing a different emotion each time. The first time is only a short overture.
Cuc Gach Quàn
10 Dang Tat, Ward Tan Dinh
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
+84.(0)8.38480144
