A taste of the north in the deep south

Foodies: Thuan Viet restaurant has lured quite a few regular patrons with its tasty food and affordable prices. Fried to perfection:Nem ran (Ha Noi fried spring rolls) is a skillfully presented dish. — VNS Photo Xuan Hiep Eat your greens: Goi hoa chuoi tep rieu (banana inflorescence and tiny shrimp salad) is one of the restaurant's specialties. Thuan Viet Restaurant Address: 58/03 Pham Ngoc Thach St., Ward 6, District 3, HCM City Phone: (84 8) 38222125 Prices: VND10,000 – VND120,000 (US$0.5 – $6) Hours: 10am – 11pm Comments: authentic northern Vietnamese cuisine, reasonable prices, cosy ambience, attentive staff.

Most of my foreign friends who have visited the capital city usually tell me that one of the special features of Ha Noi is its cuisine.

Despite being HCM City-born and bred, I am especially fond of Ha Noi food for a special reason. It recalls my unforgettable memories of the 1,000-year-old capital, where I have visited many times.

Last week my family and I dined out at a restaurant that offers Ha Noi cuisine in HCM City.

If anyone is looking for a middle-end eatery that serves a variety of delicious northern dishes at reasonable prices, Thuan Viet Restaurant would top the list.

Thuan Viet, which means authentic and pure Viet Nam, was only opened in May last year, but it has lured quite a number of diners.

Located in an alley off Pham Ngoc Thach Street in District 3, Thuan Viet looks more like someone's home rather than a formal restaurant.

The two-storey eatery is furnished with dark wooden chairs and tables and is lit by ceiling lights, creating a warm ambience that's fantastic for a family get-together.

The eatery, which is only 4m wide and 18m long, can accommodate up to 60 people.

An attentive staff of 18, two of whom can speak English, added much value to the service at Thuan Viet. The staff refilled my glass of water before I even noticed it was empty.

The photos on the walls featuring images of Ha Noi in the last century during the French colonial period, depicting the Old Quarter and Buoi Market, inspire diners to compare the old and modern Ha Noi through its thousand years of evolution.

It was to my surprise that the restaurant's manager, Do Thi Thanh Thuy, was only 22 years old. She is in her final year at the HCM City-based University of Economics.

Because of her enthusiastic attitude about the food, we were eager to let her design a family meal for us.

The recommended meal included thit luoc cham mam tep (boiled pork served with special tiny shrimp paste), ca chep kho rieng (braised carp with galanga), thit rang chay canh (stir-fried pork), goi hoa chuoi tep riu (banana inflorescence and tiny shrimp salad), canh rieu ca chep (sour carp soup in Ha Noi style).

We were able to sample many different dishes during the meal, for the servings were moderate. In fact, it was one of the biggest meals my family has ever eaten at a restaurant.

I realised that for the first visit, diners might be confused about choosing from a wide variety of dishes displayed on the Vietnamese-only menu, which included dishes of vegetables, soup, eggs, tofu, salad, chicken, pork, beef, fish and seafood.

All of the food is cooked by two northern chefs to ensure authenticity, and even the spices and herbs are brought from Ha Noi.

It was interesting to learn that the chefs use white wine from the central Nghe An Province to enhance the flavour of many sauces that are rarely found elsewhere in the country.

I sampled one of the most special sauces in our first dish, thit luoc cham mam tep (VND55,000 or US$2.8), which was a good start to the meal.

The boiled pork itself is a standard dish, but it became especially flavourful when used with mam tep, which is brought from Ha Noi.

Whenever I think of the sauce, my mouth begins to water. It was especially tasty when mixed with chili and lemon.

We all loved it so much that we shared three full portions of boiled pork.

Another dish that we also found we liked was thit rang chay canh (stir-fried pork; VND55,000 or $2.8) that can be served alone or with rice.

We ordered a separate bowl of rice because we wanted to sample the special taste of the fried pork.

Although Thuy discouraged me from pairing the mam tep paste with the stir-fried pork, I still gave it a try.

I found it to be a perfect match. Mam tep not only combined well with the boiled pork but also the stir-fried pork.

"Many diners have asked for some mam tep to bring home because we don't sell it," Thuy said with pride.

Mam tep is made according to a secret recipe, she told us.

Next up was the Goi hoa chuoi tep riu (banana inflorescence and tiny shrimp salad).

I can vividly remember the special tastes of the salad – the hot taste of chilis, the acrid flavour of green star fruit, the delicious peanuts and the tiny shrimp.

The salad is among the eatery's specialties, but costs only VND45,000 ($2.3).

We were also pleased with canh rieu ca chep (sour carp soup, Ha Noi style) that was also reasonably priced at VND55,000.

Although I love this dish, it was not as tasty and spicy as the one that my mom usually cooks for me.

Because we were so full after such a big meal, Thuy recommended we try the ca chep kho rieng (braised carp with galanga; VND60,000 or $3) on our next visit.

Thuy told us that the carp is braised for 12 hours so that it can thoroughly absorb all the flavours of the spices and herbs.

That already sounds impressive to me, and I can't wait to come back.

After such a fabulous meal at such reasonable prices, we vowed to return again. I am already looking forward to the next gastronomic experience at Thuan Viet! — VNS

A taste of the north in the deep south

Foodies: Thuan Viet restaurant has lured quite a few regular patrons with its tasty food and affordable prices. Fried to perfection:Nem ran (Ha Noi fried spring rolls) is a skillfully presented dish. — VNS Photo Xuan Hiep Eat your greens: Goi hoa chuoi tep rieu (banana inflorescence and tiny shrimp salad) is one of the restaurant's specialties. Thuan Viet Restaurant Address: 58/03 Pham Ngoc Thach St., Ward 6, District 3, HCM City Phone: (84 8) 38222125 Prices: VND10,000 – VND120,000 (US$0.5 – $6) Hours: 10am – 11pm Comments: authentic northern Vietnamese cuisine, reasonable prices, cosy ambience, attentive staff.

Most of my foreign friends who have visited the capital city usually tell me that one of the special features of Ha Noi is its cuisine.

Despite being HCM City-born and bred, I am especially fond of Ha Noi food for a special reason. It recalls my unforgettable memories of the 1,000-year-old capital, where I have visited many times.

Last week my family and I dined out at a restaurant that offers Ha Noi cuisine in HCM City.

If anyone is looking for a middle-end eatery that serves a variety of delicious northern dishes at reasonable prices, Thuan Viet Restaurant would top the list.

Thuan Viet, which means authentic and pure Viet Nam, was only opened in May last year, but it has lured quite a number of diners.

Located in an alley off Pham Ngoc Thach Street in District 3, Thuan Viet looks more like someone's home rather than a formal restaurant.

The two-storey eatery is furnished with dark wooden chairs and tables and is lit by ceiling lights, creating a warm ambience that's fantastic for a family get-together.

The eatery, which is only 4m wide and 18m long, can accommodate up to 60 people.

An attentive staff of 18, two of whom can speak English, added much value to the service at Thuan Viet. The staff refilled my glass of water before I even noticed it was empty.

The photos on the walls featuring images of Ha Noi in the last century during the French colonial period, depicting the Old Quarter and Buoi Market, inspire diners to compare the old and modern Ha Noi through its thousand years of evolution.

It was to my surprise that the restaurant's manager, Do Thi Thanh Thuy, was only 22 years old. She is in her final year at the HCM City-based University of Economics.

Because of her enthusiastic attitude about the food, we were eager to let her design a family meal for us.

The recommended meal included thit luoc cham mam tep (boiled pork served with special tiny shrimp paste), ca chep kho rieng (braised carp with galanga), thit rang chay canh (stir-fried pork), goi hoa chuoi tep riu (banana inflorescence and tiny shrimp salad), canh rieu ca chep (sour carp soup in Ha Noi style).

We were able to sample many different dishes during the meal, for the servings were moderate. In fact, it was one of the biggest meals my family has ever eaten at a restaurant.

I realised that for the first visit, diners might be confused about choosing from a wide variety of dishes displayed on the Vietnamese-only menu, which included dishes of vegetables, soup, eggs, tofu, salad, chicken, pork, beef, fish and seafood.

All of the food is cooked by two northern chefs to ensure authenticity, and even the spices and herbs are brought from Ha Noi.

It was interesting to learn that the chefs use white wine from the central Nghe An Province to enhance the flavour of many sauces that are rarely found elsewhere in the country.

I sampled one of the most special sauces in our first dish, thit luoc cham mam tep (VND55,000 or US$2.8), which was a good start to the meal.

The boiled pork itself is a standard dish, but it became especially flavourful when used with mam tep, which is brought from Ha Noi.

Whenever I think of the sauce, my mouth begins to water. It was especially tasty when mixed with chili and lemon.

We all loved it so much that we shared three full portions of boiled pork.

Another dish that we also found we liked was thit rang chay canh (stir-fried pork; VND55,000 or $2.8) that can be served alone or with rice.

We ordered a separate bowl of rice because we wanted to sample the special taste of the fried pork.

Although Thuy discouraged me from pairing the mam tep paste with the stir-fried pork, I still gave it a try.

I found it to be a perfect match. Mam tep not only combined well with the boiled pork but also the stir-fried pork.

"Many diners have asked for some mam tep to bring home because we don't sell it," Thuy said with pride.

Mam tep is made according to a secret recipe, she told us.

Next up was the Goi hoa chuoi tep riu (banana inflorescence and tiny shrimp salad).

I can vividly remember the special tastes of the salad – the hot taste of chilis, the acrid flavour of green star fruit, the delicious peanuts and the tiny shrimp.

The salad is among the eatery's specialties, but costs only VND45,000 ($2.3).

We were also pleased with canh rieu ca chep (sour carp soup, Ha Noi style) that was also reasonably priced at VND55,000.

Although I love this dish, it was not as tasty and spicy as the one that my mom usually cooks for me.

Because we were so full after such a big meal, Thuy recommended we try the ca chep kho rieng (braised carp with galanga; VND60,000 or $3) on our next visit.

Thuy told us that the carp is braised for 12 hours so that it can thoroughly absorb all the flavours of the spices and herbs.

That already sounds impressive to me, and I can't wait to come back.

After such a fabulous meal at such reasonable prices, we vowed to return again. I am already looking forward to the next gastronomic experience at Thuan Viet! — VNS