Vietnamese Flavors in the Land of a Million Elephants

Quan ngon Ha Noi restaurant is designed according to the scenery of Hanoi's old quarter - Photo: TP

Located at 233 Sisangvone Naxay, Vientiane (Vientiane), for many years, Quan ngon Ha Noi Restaurant (Quan ngon Ha Noi) has become a familiar destination not only for Vietnamese people, but also for Lao friends who are passionate about Vietnamese cuisine.

The restaurant has a cozy, intimate style with the entire place decorated with conical hat-shaped lights; paintings of communal house roofs, banyan trees, and the old streets of Hanoi. In addition to the private rooms arranged separately to create privacy for guests, the restaurant also has an open space for customers to comfortably immerse themselves in nature. The owner, Ms. Tran Thi Thuy (born in 1987) from Quang Binh province, shared that the desire to spread Vietnamese cuisine abroad was one of the motivations that prompted her to start a restaurant business. "There are quite a lot of Vietnamese people in Vientiane, but the number of restaurants selling Vietnamese food is relatively small. Therefore, I want to open a restaurant so that Vietnamese people here have another choice when remembering the taste of home," Ms. Thuy confided.

With the advantages gained from graduating from a major related to restaurant and hotel management, after COVID-19, the couple started building Quan ngon Ha Noi restaurant. Currently, the restaurant has 2 chefs, one Vietnamese, one Laotian, to be able to cook a variety of dishes according to the tastes of different customer groups. Thanks to that, coming to Quan ngon Ha Noi, diners can not only enjoy dishes with strong Vietnamese flavors such as braised fish, sour soup, chicken pho, vermicelli with grilled pork, vermicelli with crab... but also typical Lao dishes such as sticky rice, sausage, fried fish...

Ms. Hue is busy preparing hot pho to serve to customers - Photo: TP

The owner of Quan ngon Ha Noi restaurant revealed that among the diners coming to the restaurant, about 70% are Vietnamese, 20% are Lao, and the rest are Westerners. Those who have tried Vietnamese food are especially impressed and have many compliments. Some customers regularly return and introduce their friends to the restaurant. "In the near future, we will continue to add more Vietnamese dishes to enrich the restaurant's menu. Vietnamese cuisine is really diverse, although not complete, I still hope that my restaurant will be a destination that many people come to when they want to enjoy Vietnamese food," said Ms. Thuy.

Compared to Ms. Thuy, Ms. Tran Thi Hue (born in 1968), originally from Nam Dinh, has lived in Laos for much longer. More than 20 years ago, she followed her husband to Luang Prabang City to start a business. This was also the time when she decided to open the restaurant "Hai Pho Viet Nam", bringing the traditional pho dish passed down through 4 generations to this beautiful ancient capital. A bowl of pho looks simple with pho noodles, beef/chicken and a plate of blanched bean sprouts, but it is especially delicious, leaving an unforgettable aftertaste for diners. According to Ms. Hue, the broth is the soul of Nam Dinh pho. "In addition to choosing fresh ingredients, mainly beef and pork bones, we have a way to process the ingredients to remove the bad smell, bringing out the fatty and sweet aroma of the bones. In addition to the bone being the main ingredient, we use vegetables and fruits to create a sweet taste and simmer for many hours", Ms. Hue revealed.

Besides the broth and bone broth, choosing beef for pho also requires attention. The meat must be fresh and delicious, with the right softness. When boiling beef, skim off all the foam that floats to the top so that the beef does not have a bitter taste. The cooked meat should not be taken out immediately but left in the pot for about an hour, then taken out and hung up to dry before adding spices to marinate. This will make the beef delicious, soft and not mushy.

Ms. Thuy warmly welcomed guests from Quang Tri - Photo: TP

Bringing her family's traditional dish to start a business in a foreign land, Ms. Hue is completely confident in the ability to "conquer" diners of Nam Dinh pho. In addition to the broth cooked according to a fixed recipe, each table has additional spices such as pickled garlic, soy sauce, chili oil... so that customers can adjust according to their personal taste. The restaurant is open from 6am to 11pm every day, and has attracted hundreds of diners over the years.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Noly Xaythideth said: “I have been a regular customer of the restaurant for nearly 2 years now. As a Laotian who is passionate about Vietnamese cuisine, I find Nam Dinh pho really delicious. I really want to enjoy more other Vietnamese dishes.” As for Ms. Trinh Kim Luyen, a tourist from Hai Phong, being able to enjoy the taste of her homeland right on a land thousands of kilometers away from Vietnam is a source of happiness.

“I have been in Laos for over a week now and I am very happy to eat delicious food cooked by Vietnamese people,” Ms. Luyen shared. The pho restaurant of Ms. Hue and her husband is truly a memorable destination for every Vietnamese person when they have the opportunity to visit the ancient capital of Luang Prabang.

In the Land of a Million Elephants, there are still many eateries and restaurants selling Vietnamese cuisine that we have not had the opportunity to enjoy during our short business trip. However, witnessing the expressions of delight of foreigners when eating dishes with the rich flavor and essence of their homeland right at Mrs. Hue's pho restaurant or Ms. Thuy's restaurant, we are filled with pride and emotion. Hopefully, when we return to Laos, we will see the development and stronger spread of Vietnamese cuisine in this land.

Truc Phuong

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/huong-vi-viet-o-xu-so-trieu-voi-192885.htm