Falling in love with Vietnamese cuisine, Indian man brings Vietnamese dishes back to his hometown
Báo Dân trí•19/10/2024
(Dan Tri) - After many trips to Vietnam, Indian Sahil Sambhi fell in love with Vietnamese cuisine. When he returned home, he decided to open a Vietnamese restaurant there.
"Pho, banh mi and goi cuon are the dishes I enjoyed when I visited Ho Tram in Vietnam in June 2023 on a short business trip. When I learned that a Vietnamese restaurant had just opened in Mumbai, I quickly arranged my time to come here to experience whether it had the same taste as I had enjoyed before or not," said Ms. Isha Mayer - a diner at Sahil Sambhi's restaurant. According to research, the restaurant owner is Mr. Sahil Sambhi. Having traveled to Vietnam many times and fallen in love with Vietnamese cuisine, he decided to try his hand at opening a restaurant to bring Vietnamese culture and cuisine closer to the Indian people. This is also one of the few Vietnamese restaurants in Mumbai. A corner of the cafe space in Mumbai city (Photo: Instagram). Sahil Sambhi started his business after a thorough research process. He had the opportunity to connect with Mr. Pham Sanh Chau, former Vietnamese Ambassador to India from 2018 to 2022, to consult and send his team of chefs to Vietnam for apprenticeship. Thanks to this introduction, Sahil Sambhi was able to connect with raw material suppliers, learn about raw material sources and import spices directly from Vietnam. Meanwhile, the chefs had time to study at two local restaurants, talking to locals to better understand the culture and eating habits of Vietnamese people. The first restaurant opened in 2019 in New Delhi, receiving many positive feedbacks from diners. After that, Sambhi continued to open the next restaurant in Mumbai in July. The restaurant is designed with 2 floors with a bar on the ground floor and a cozy dining space on the mezzanine. The two spaces are connected by an artwork on the staircase featuring a Vietnamese woman cooking. Chicken pho is adapted to suit Indian tastes (Photo: Elle). Upon entering the restaurant, diners are immersed in a cultural space with interior designs imbued with Vietnamese culture. The restaurant uses many natural items made of bamboo, wood, rope and conical hats with warm yellow tones. Ms. Mayer starts her meal with a cup of Vietnamese iced milk coffee before ordering an appetizer. The avocado and salmon spring rolls give guests a fresh feeling but still explode with flavor when drizzled with a little sweet and sour sauce. After that, the guest enjoys a small portion of a sandwich and a bowl of chicken pho. The way pho is cooked has changed in ingredients to suit local tastes. "The tender chicken is eaten with fresh pho noodles, immersed in hot broth. For me, this is probably the best dish on the menu today," the guest commented. Bread is also a dish chosen by many Indian diners (Photo: Elle). It is known that the dishes on the menu are designed by Indian chefs for vegetarians. The restaurant also has chicken curry with mango, which is also one of the dishes that have been modified. The fish cake dish is inspired by La Vong fish cake in Hanoi, prepared by the chef from flounder fillet combined with coconut milk, shallots, dill and served with fresh noodles. Some appetizers also include papaya salad, lotus root salad and grapefruit salad, all of which are tropical dishes with fresh fruits. The restaurant is open from 12:00 to 23:30 every day with an average price per person from 2,000 rupees (about 600,000 VND).
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