Vietnam : Nhà Hàng Ngon

As you all may know from my previous post in Cambodia, I continue a short journey to Ho Chi Minh ( Saigon ) in Vietnam. It's my first time there, and fyi, going to Ho Chi Minh is already in my heart from so long. After a veryyyyy long bus trip from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh, I couldn't believe I finally step my feet in this city! 2 girls, no tour guide, doesn't speak any Vietnamese, you could imagine how our first day was ! :p
 
I didn't made a wrong choice, Ho Chi Minh definitely meets my expectation. I fell in love with the city immediately. I love how the 'Old Town' architecture mixes with the Modern building, I love how clean and pedestrian-friendly are the road ( well .... compare to Jakarta :p ), love the easy-breezy weather, love the food and .......... the list still go on :D One thing that is the problem is only the language. Not  like the people in Phnom Penh who had bettterrrr English, I found difficulties in communicating with the Vietnamese. If you watch the reality show of Bobby Chinn who opening a restaurant in Saigon, you know what I mean ! 
Yeah, thanks to those not-so-useful Vietnamese Dictionary Apps, I rather do body-language.


Thank God, the clueless lost-in-translation 2 Indonesian girls saved by an Indonesian living in Phnom Penh who had a Vietnamese friend living in Saigon ( how long that sentence was! haha ) It was last minute ! But after I meet this 2 beautiful young Vietnamese lady ( and very willing to take us anywhere ), I know my trip in Saigon would be a memorable one. So here it is.... the first lunch that I had in Saigon! Enjoy!

Atmosphere :
Nhà Hàng Ngon is one big restaurant that you will notice immediately. It's yellow wall color and tall building really stands out. The restaurant is spacious too! There's an outdoor and indoor seating, and it is packed with the tourist! If you had a really limited time and you wanna try all the varieties of Vietnamese food, this is the perfect place ! I've been told that Vietnamese food had 3 kinds of regions. Northern, Central and Southern. Each regions had their own character and in Nhà Hàng Ngon, most of the food here is a Southern one, which had many influences from the foreign countries like Chinese, French, Thai,etc.
Nhà Hàng Ngon gather all the best hawker food from the Southern in one place. So when you arrived here, you can go around and see there are many 'little' stall selling different kind of Southern food. You order, then they will deliver  it to your table. Appetizer, Main Course, Dessert, you name it!

Price  : 
150.000 - 200.000 VND/person ( 7 - 10 USD/person)

Food :
When talk about Vietnamese food I only know Pho and Spring Roll, that's it. haha... So I let my Vietnamese friend choose and here what they order.
First is Bánh bèo, Bột lọc, Nem Nướng - 50.000 VND. Bánh bèo is a steamed rice cake,  Bột lọc is a gelatinous cake with dried shrimp, Nem Nướng is grilled pork meatballs ( or sausage ? ), three of this dressed in some vinegar. I can see there's a Chinese influence in this dish. Like the steamed cake, usually we call it 'Talam' here in Indonesia. 
 
 Next is Banh Hoi Chao Tom Cuon Banh Trang - 135.000 VND. This is a grilled pounded shrimp paste wrapped on sugar cane and served with rice vermicelli, rice paper, and vegetables. Need certain skills to wrap the rice paper ! haha... Glad that my Vietnamese friend do it for me :p Since the rice paper is very stiff and dry, you need to dip in to Nuoc Mam ( Fish sauce with garlic, sugar, lemon, and chillis ), to soften it and get the moist spring roll textures. How does it taste? A boom of flavor in your mouth. 

For some fulfilling dish, they choose Com Chien Quan Ngon - 90.000 VND. This is a fried rice with mixes of sausages and veggies. You can see another Chinese influence here! This just taste like Chinese fried rice. It's good tho.


Next is Bun Mam - 54.000 VND. This is a Vermicelli soup with seafood that usually called as Vietnamese Gumbo. haha... The fermented shrimp paste are added to make the soup, also eggplant, shrimp, and silky, thinly sliced fish and spring onion. The soup is thick but savory. Not fishy at all, but rather sweet. The broth has a complex depth taste, and some of the herb like rau dang ( some variety of cress ), bong sung ( water lily root ), also beansprouts,basil and mint added to the Bun Mam.

For the dessert is Bánh chuối hấp - 20.000 VND. This is a steamed banana cake with coconut milk. When I taste it, it's still warm. Soft and creamy, and beautiful presentation.

Drinks? of course Ca Phe Sua Da. haha... Ice coffee with milk!

Nhà Hàng Ngon
160 Pasteur St, Phuong Ben Nghe, District 1
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Phone  : +84 8 3827 7131

Food Tasting Invitation : Alcoholics Bar

To be honest, I'm not actually called myself a drinker. I get 'red' so easily and suddenly sleepy after I drink. Lols ( You can judge ). But I do love to try any kinds of drinks, and I do like cocktails and white wine ( and moscato, and champagne, and ice wine lolsss ) ;D  I already knew about this place when a foodie friend Culinary Bonanza , asks me whether I can join the invitation or not. Of course I say yes, it's already gets my attention at the first place when I've seen some tweets about how all the menu are cooked with alcoholics drinks. 'The only place where you can "EAT" alcohol', that's what they said. Concept speaks!

Atmosphere :
Alcoholic Bar located in the hype Kemang area, with many bars and restaurants alongside the road. Even though the place not too spacious, but it has a great ambience. Modern and minimalist, combination of monochrome color, black and white, perfect for hangout. 

Price :
Around IDR 100.000 - 150.000/ person ( 10 -15 USD / person ).
They had ongoing promotion every Sunday which you can enjoy a 3 course meal ( appetizer, main course and dessert ) with free flow sparkling wine for IDR 250.000++.

Food : 
Kind of late that day, so I missed the appetizer which is Green Peas Cream Soup with Diced Pork Knuckle. But that's okay, as I enjoying my welcome drink which is a Champagne from Italy and Strawberry Sparkling Champagne from Chile.

Then, the brunch begin with Foccacia with Cointreau Gravlax Salmon, Scrambled Eggs and Rocket Salad - IDR 50.000,-. Well... I could eat this kind of brunch everyday haha... The cointreau gravlax salmon was quite memorable. A lil bit dense like smoked salmon, sweet, you still can taste the cointreau, but it's not that strong at all ( so it's definitely okay for you who allergic to alcohol :p ) 

What is brunch without Egg Benedict ? so here are Egg Hemingway Gravlax Salmon - IDR 50.000,-. The difference with usual egg benedict is, the Hollandaise sauce are cooked with white wine. Taste just ok for me, but I prefer the usual hollandaise which has a lemony flavor in it.  I also think the muffins, are too soft and fluffy. I prefer it is toasted like usual english muffins, so we still got some textures in this dish. The rocket salad itself, dressed beautifully in balsamic vinegar.

Portobello Benedict - IDR 45.000,-. Same ingredients but the difference is this one using Portobello Mushroom.

Eggs Blackstone - IDR 45.000,-. Egg & bacon, couldn't go wrong with that.

For the main course, first round is Crispy Amaretto Pork Belly with Baked Beans - IDR 68.000,-. First thing is, yes they're generous with the portion. Second, Pork Bellyyyyyy how could you go wrong with it? The Amaretto gives a nice sweet taste to it, tender and juicy, perfectly cooked with crispy skin on top. Maybe for Asian taste buds, this pork belly taste a bit lack of seasoning. But to me, sometimes it's good to enjoy the meats for what it is. The baked beans, oh my... it's been my favorite ! Not like usual baked beans with it's strong tomato taste, this one had less sauce, but taste sweet as well. Love how they combine the chick peas with red beans!

Next is Pork Ribs - IDR 180.000 ( whole )/ IDR 90.000 ( half ). I forgot how they marinate the ribs, it's with Jack Daniel's if I'm not mistaken. The meats are tender with sweet taste. Quite nice.

Then, Salmon Crepes with White Wine Mornay Sauce - IDR 40.000,-. Love the thin flimsy crepes, but too bad the abundant White Wine Mornay Sauce overpowered the Salmon itself. Need more seasoning on the sauce. Maybe cheese could make it better. And yeah... love the caramelized onion.

Last one is, Ocean Thermidor & Cheese Bruschetta served with salad and red wine caramelized onions - IDR 50.000,-. The lobster tasted fresh and comes in quite big bites. Mixed with the cheesy cream sauce...... Heaven ! One of my fave dish of the day!

We also been served with another champagne, which turns to be the most favorite champagne of the day. haha... Sweet and refreshing!

For the dessert we've been served with complimentary Champagne Jelly Shot and Home Made Vodka Raspberry Sorbet - IDR 28.000,-. The champagne jelly taste just okay, and the sorbet taste very refreshing but with strong Vodka taste.

I do had a great time there and I love their concept, thanks Alcoholics Bar for inviting! ;)

Alcoholics Bar & Grill
Jl. Kemang Raya No. 72N,
Jakarta Selatan 
Phone      : +62 21 719 5675
Facebook : www.facebook.com/alcoholicsbar
Twitter     : @Alcoholics_Bar

Jakarta Culinary Festival 2012 - Grand Opening Report!

If you are a foodie or food conscious people who live in Jakarta, I know you won't miss the annual Jakarta Culinary Festival that held in Grand Indonesia. Yes or Yes? :p The Grand Opening itself was held from 4th- 7th October 2012. Even though I got a free invitation for the 4th October 2012, but too bad I didn't get a chance to go there. So yes, I got a time to go at the 6th and & 7th, so I won't waste my time and here is the report for you guys!

Tiramisu Gelato by Pregel. Loveeeee the gooey creamy texture! Addictive!

Chicken Quesadilla by Social House. Love the spicy mayo

Passion fruit mini tart by Ismaya Catering & Co.

Free wine tasting by Dimatique. I'm trying Rose, Sauvignon Blanc & Chardonnay. Good price!

Bruce Bartholomew of Ku De Ta - Bali

Nitrogen Cocktail by Bruce Bartholomew of Ku De Ta - Bali. Very refreshing! and have a sorbet-like texture.

Isabella and Sophia Bliss - Masterchef Junior Australia

Chef Will Meyrick

Penang Curry of Wagyu Beef Cheek with chili, thai basil and crushed peanuts by Will Meyrick

Pomelo and Prawn Salad with white coral mushrooms, mint and salmon roe by Will Meyrick.

Michael Gibbons doing Latte Art

Latte Art by Michael Gibbons

 I also join a hands on cooking class with Chef Odie Djamil & Ray Janson. Here's the dish that I made :D

Herb Crusted Barramundi with Veggies

Tiramisu in a cup!

Sandra Djohan

Francis Mestre of L'atelier Du Chocolat

Ashton Hall of Potato Head & Rinrin Marinka

Ok that's all! Overall, I really have a good time there. Cheers to Ismaya Group who held this event. Big expectations to the upcoming year! I still wish Jamie Oliver or Heston Blumenthal or Gordon Ramsay or Nigella Lawson could pay a visit to Jakarta too someday ! :)

www.JakartaCulinaryFestival.com