Tag: District 1

Italian fine dining at its best at Romeo and Juliet (R&J) in Ho Chi Minh City

For years I had a recurring line with friends asking me to comment on Italian food in Saigon: “In Ho Chi Minh City there are a lot of Italian restaurants, but not really Italian food”. The joke illustrated the problem. Even the places run by Italians would be plagued by problems with personnel turnover and I found them very inconsistent and not going beyond the level of everyday cuisine. I can now confidently say that there is an exception to this trend and it is Romeo and Juliet (R&J) lounge and restaurant. And it is not just run-of-the-mill Italian food, but bona fide high cuisine fine dining (a rarity with Italian food in Asia). If you ask me what is my top pick for Italian cuisine in HCMC, R&J is now my answer.

R&J is one of the eateries of the luxury Reverie Hotel located in Times Square, one of Saigon’s iconic buildings, towering on two of the main central thoroughfares, Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi. It features a heavily baroque dining room, but it is still intimate, with some booths for parties requiring privacy and the furniture is very comfortable.

Behind R&J, The Long and the other eateries of the Reverie and some sister properties there is a team mainly comprised of well-seasoned Italian chefs. Over the years I spoke, more than once, with their director, Giovanni, and I had a chance to speak to the new head chef of R&J, Enrico, that at the time of my visits had just overhauled the menu. Enrico hails from Capri, where he was working in a Michelin-starred restaurant.

The visit(s)

I visited R&J twice in July 2018. On my first visit I opted for one of their two set menus, Juliet. This was a five-course menu and provided a good introduction to the venue. On my second visit, I tested one of their lobster-based seasonal dishes. On both occasions, food and service were outstanding.

Let’s see what I got during the first visit. The service started with the bread basket and an amuse bouche. The bread basket alone is worth the visit! They have half dozen varieties of bread, all based on the Italian tradition, including delicious fritters with seaweed called “zeppoline” in Naples. The amuse bouche was also inspired by the flavors of Naples, admittedly one of the culinary capitals of Italy, and consisted in a bite of amberjack (“ricciola”) surmounted by zucchini and lumpfish roe, cooked in olive oil. Just delicious.

The first dish was a burrata, on a base of tomato jelly and a piece of roasted tomato. Olive oil, oregano and basil completed the presentation. The burrata was imported from Italy and retained all of its flavor.

The second dish was an oyster on crème brûlée and salmon roe in a creamy and succulent fish soup. I wish soup was always so good.

With the third dish, the meal reached its seafood climax with a seafood risotto. This is a traditional Italian dish and there was a lot of seafood including prawns, squid, razor clams, a mussel and a clam.

The fourth dish was a slowly cooked piece of brisket (a cut that is not so common in Italy and it is a favorite of mine). The brisket came with a very rich dressing whose core element was mushrooms.

Finally, a very Italian dessert, a chocolate tortino and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This kind of cake is served hot and comes with a heart of melting chocolate. I could not ask for a better ending.

The gallery below shows the individual dishes.

On my second visit I ordered à la carte. I wanted to try one of their seasonal dishes based on lobster from Nha Trang, a Vietnamese coastal city. I ordered three dishes.

The amuse bouche was an interesting combination of white asparagus, beef, a quail egg and sea grape. With my first dish, I sampled Vietnamese and French oysters. The French oysters were more meaty but the Vietnamese oysters did not disappoint. If you are hungry for oysters in Vietnam, go local. Then I had their octopus, imported from Japan and pan-seared, enriched by a lemony potatoes salad, salmon roe, and tarragon. Then, my main course was a special type of pasta, called “scialatielli“. This fettuccine-like pasta is typical of modern Campanian cuisine and became popular in the Eighties. Its main characteristic is that is is made with milk instead of eggs and with the addition of basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil and Parmesan cheese. The result is a velvety texture and a melt-in-your mouth effect. Apart from the half lobster, the pasta was prepared according to a modified Nerano recipe (Nerano is a city in Campania, an Italy’s region): basil, zucchini and shallot confit. All in all, this was a majestic lobster pasta dish.

Finally, during my visits, I was offered a chance also to try two other dishes: their lamb and their brand new fagottini. The lamb chop, coming from a fee range farm, was juicy and tasty and came with two potato mille-feuilles and spinach. It is a must-have of the Italian culinary tradition. The fagottini was a brand new dish. Fagottini is a type of filled pasta. In this case filled with lobster meat, dressed with caviar and sea grapes and enriched by asparagus and an extract of prawn. It was an incredibly rich and satisfying dish.

The check(s)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first five-course dinner cost me 1,370,000 VND (around 60 USD), the second dinner with the lobster pasta cost me 1,492,000 VND (around 65 USD). I only had water, the cost of course can sensibly rise if you like a good wine pairing.

I found the pricing more than reasonable for what I got. In Vietnam this price point can be considered as luxury, but if you look at the wider region (Singapore, Greater China, etc.) this is actually great value for money. All the elements of a great dining experience were there: excellent service (with an Italian professional, Michele, overseeing the staff), comfortable environment, an optimal mix between local and imported top-notch ingredients, an equally optimal mix between creativity and respect for the tradition, masterful presentation of the dishes. This is fine dining at its best.

I have been in many Michelin-starred restaurants around the world. I can confidently say that R&J is on a par with many of the best restaurants I have experienced in my travels. I have to say that luckily the Michelin Guide has not come to Vietnam yet: as a result you can still find a team of chefs like the ones at the Reverie and at R&J that care about a great culinary product and are not just about getting stars from the Guide.

Needless to say, I highly recommend R&J for true high cuisine Italian style, something that you won’t experience anywhere else in Saigon. If you are looking for something more casual, The Long upstairs is also a great option (I recommend their original Naples pizza).

Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
The Reverie Saigon/Times Square Building (level B1), 22-36 Nguyen Hue Boulevard, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1.
You enter through The Long, the bar and restaurant between Times Square and Lucky Plaza (you can access it both from Nguyen Hue and from Dong Khoi).
Check R&J webpage to consult the menu and see what is going on.

The Japanese samurai that built a pizza empire in Vietnam: Pizza 4P’s

I still remember when in one of my first visits to the original location of Pizza 4P’s in Ho Chi Minh City I had a brief chat with the founder Yosuke Masuko. It was back in 2011 if my memory is correct (but I see sources that say that the first venue opened in 2012). Pizza 4P’s (Pizza for peace) was an instant hit. It is and it has always been one of the few restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City where a reservation is necessary. I remember that in our quick conversation Masuko was showcasing his mozzarella cheese that they were producing locally and even selling to other restaurants. They continue to make their own cheeses, not only mozzarella, but also burrata, Camembert and many others. I also remember how they enlarged their first venue taking over the adjacent coffee shops. But was only around 2015-2016 that the expansion took off and they started to open new locations in Ho Chi Minh City, and then in Hanoi and Da Nang. According to a profile published on the Japan Times, they have plan to go international and open outlets in Thailand, Japan and USA.

This is the type of entrepreneurial stories that I like: someone animated by passion delivering a superior product and customer experience, after many trials and errors. Masuko and his wife showed the tenacity and consistency of real samurai. And it is probably not a coincidence that actually Masuko’s wife family had bona fide samurai in her lineage and their symbol is now part of the logo of Pizza 4P’s.

The visit

I have dined at Pizza 4P’s so many times throughout the years, usually in their flagship location on Le Than Ton street or in the one in District 7. In my latest visit, I had a dinner with friends in their District 7 location and I tried for the first time their branch near Ben Thanh Market on a lunch by myself.

Since my last visit, the menu has kept expanding and now it features a number of collaborations. For example they have a number of new dishes created in collaboration with chef Takuto Nakamura (shrimp ricotta ravioli, mushroom and chicken miso sauce spaghetti, squid and orange whey fettuccine). They now have some desserts featuring Marou chocolate and they have Onibus coffee from Tokyo. One thing that I noticed is that there are some minor differences in the menu according to the location. For example the menu in District 7 contained some additional pasta items, while the menu in Ben Thanh had a larger selection of spirits.

During the first visit I ordered an anchovy pizza with burrata, another pizza with ham and Camembert and a pasta dish (spaghetti bolognese with Parmesan cheese). We also had some ricotta cheese wrapped in ham (reminiscent of the Vietnamese wraps).  During my solo lunch I took advantage of the possibility to have a pizza with two toppings and I went for salami-chorizo and 3 cheeses (mozzarella, Parmesan, Camembert) and also had a caprese salad (tomato and mozzarella cheese).

All the food was fantastic as always. Pizza of course is their forte. The pizza is soft, with a slightly crispy crust and you can taste the freshness of the tomato and mozzarella sauce. Even if the toppings can be “heavy”, I would describe this pizza as light; never had problems digesting it and going about my day after a lunch at Pizza 4P’s. I am less enthusiastic about their pasta; it is not really Italian original pasta, I guess it is more appealing for the international public, but they do have some interesting dishes. Is this Italian pizza? I would say that the pizza actually is pretty consistent with the Italian tradition; where they add their originality is of course in the selection of toppings (from salmon sashimi to ginger pork or calamari seaweed, they certainly have a number of options that you will not find in an Italian pizza place).

Some recommendations based on my experience:

  1. Use the option to have two toppings to try more varieties.
  2. Try to have a pizza with burrata, especially if you have never had burrata (the one with anchovy is probably the cheapest option, otherwise go all in with their massive margherita pizza with burrata and Parma ham).
  3. Try their cheeses. There are some interesting sampler platters listed among the appetizers.
  4. Among the desserts, try the tiramisu (by no accident, since tiramisu is based on mascarpone, another cheese).

The check

The dinner for 3 cost 829,000 VND (about 36 USD, that’s 13 USD per person) and included drinks and an appetizer. My solo lunch cost 334,000 VND (about 14,50 USD). This prices are a good illustration of the value for money offered by Pizza 4P’s: quick service, nice ambiance and, what is more important, unique and delicious food very reasonably priced. Desserts could add another 4 or 5 USD per person to the bill. The only pizza that would cost you much more is the famed Burrata Parma Ham Margherita that costs around 20 USD, but it is totally worth since it comes literally covered in Parma ham (actually I would recommend it). So these are the reasons that keep luring me back to Pizza 4P’s.

Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
Please check their website for un up to date list of locations and for online reservation.

The best chocolaterie in Vietnam: Maison Marou in Ho Chi Minh City

I am hardly unveiling anything new. Chocolate Marou was covered by The New York Times a few years ago. Still, I feel compelled to write about it since their Maison Marou in Ho Chi Minh City is, in my opinion, is one of the best dessert experiences in Vietnam.

Chocolate Marou was founded by two French gentleman, Samuel Maruta (also of Japanese heritage) and and Vincent Mourou back in 2011 (now you can guess where the name comes from). They were not chocolatier by trade, but they did learn fast and had the brilliant idea to exploit local coco bean varieties, each with its own unique texture and aroma depending on the place of origin (the so called terroir).

But this review is not about the chocolate itself, rather it is about Maison Marou, a chocolaterie that is a coffee shop, but also an atelier, but also a miniature chocolate factory, but also a shop, but also a learning center and now even a tourist destination.

The visit

I have patronized Maison Marou since its opening. It is just a great place where to meet friends or just have a solitary dessert. It is quite busy on weekends; weekdays in the early afternoon is probably the best time to go.

At Maison Marou you can shop for Marou chocolate bars, pralines and other souvenirs. You can see the machine roasting the coco beans in action (you can even taste a raw coco bean).

But the star of Maison Marou is represented by their chocolate pastry creations. In my latest visit I tried the tiramisu that was excellent and certainly not an easy dish. In the past I also tried their opera cake, eclairs (love the hard slide of chocolate inside, instead of the regular soft cream), tarts, and other seasonal treats. I have never been let down. One comfort food that I strongly recommend is their giant chocolate chips cookie. It is a great blend of chocolate and cookie paste. They also serve coffee and hot/iced chocolate (and a few other drinks) to complete the experience, otherwise iced water is complimentary (as customary in Vietnamese coffee shops).

In my last visit I also tried one of their new products, a sort of power bar called Ironbar. The balance between the chocolate and the various grains and fibers was good.

The check

For a tiramisu and the chocolate energy bar I spent 210,000 VND (or around 9 USD). The eclair is 70,000 VND (3 USD), but most desserts are priced around 150,000 VND (6.55 USD). By Vietnamese standards, it is not cheap. However, it is difficult to quibble about the price if you take into account the quality of the ingredients and the attractiveness of the venue. For reference, a sampler with 6 bars of their chocolate costs 600,000 VND (around 26 USD). It is pleonastic, but yes, good chocolate is not cheap nowadays.

Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
169 Calmette, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, District 1
Open daily from 9am to 10pm (11pm on Fridays and Weekends).
Check their website and facebook page for updated information.
They also have a Maison Marou in Hanoi.

Learning the difference between Gelato and ice cream at Ralf’s Artisan Gelato in Ho Chi Minh City

One of the pluses of Ho Chi Minh City’s food scene is that it still leaves room to compelling personal stories. Sure, international chains are already everywhere, but if you are patient enough you can still find self-motivated individuals that just want to do the right thing. The owner and artisan behind Ralf’s Artisan Gelato has one of these stories to tell. For him gelato was a destiny, Vietnam is probably an accident. He first tried to take over a gelato parlor in Germany when he was in his mid-twenties, but the Italian owner called off the deal. So he went on another professional trajectory for 30 years or so. Finally, he was able to acquire a gelato parlor in Germany and spent the past 10 years learning and perfecting his trade. Finally, life brought him in Vietnam where all what he learnt finally came together.

The visit

I was introduced to this gelato parlor (you will see why I cannot write ice cream in a moment) by a good friend of mine in 2017. Now, every time I visit Ho Chi Minh City a stop is mandatory. My latest visit dates back to July 2018 and on this occasion I had a chance to speak to Ralf and I was even given a tour of his laboratory.

Certificate of membership Gelatieri per il Gelato

Ralf’s Artisan Gelato is a representative of the Italian tradition, but using the Italian term “gelato” to designate its creations is not just an homage to Italy. Rather, gelato indicates a distinct production process that leads to something different from ordinary industrial ice cream. The key is that gelato contains less fat (less cream and more milk is used) and less air than ice cream and it is served at warmer temperatures. This results in a more organic, intense flavor and a richer texture. The association Gelatieri per il Gelato (Ralf is their only Asian member) also stresses the use of fresh, natural, high quality ingredients and the production in small batches.

But there is more. Even in Italy, the vast majority of gelato parlors use semi-finished products to quickly produce their gelato. Ralf is among the few artisan that produces his gelato from scratch. This means that he picks the best ingredients and turns them into gelato step by step. For example, producing a batch of passion fruit may involve a week-long process that starts with letting the fruits mature to the right point, harvest the pulp and so on. This is not a process that can be easily scaled and, not surprisingly, real gelato artisan operates small shops.

These points were optimally illustrated by my choice, a scoop of coffee ice cream and one of Marou chocolate (Marou is a Vietnamese brand of chocolate… more in another review). The coffee flavor was intense, but not pungent like in some industrial ice cream I experienced elsewhere and the texture of the chocolate was closer to a mousse than regular ice cream.

Before leaving I also tasted a few of the more exotic flavors available. Ralf created a fish sauce flavor that is scoring very well with locals (not my cup of tea, but fish sauce is so intimately part of the Vietnamese culture that I am not surprised the flavor can have a lot of admirers). I liked another Vietnam-inspired flavor, yogurt and black rice (a typical Vietnamese dessert). Finally, I would recommend trying the pumpkin seed oil that has a nutty back-taste and is made with pumpkin oil imported from Austria.

The check

One scoop currently sells for 60,000 VND (2.62 USD). Two scoops like in my order make a good portion, so you will spend between 2.60 and 5.20 USD to taste this labor of love. I find the price point more than reasonable considering all the work and dedication necessary to get to the finished product. Besides, industrial ice creams sell for around the same (sometimes even more). I am not even comparing these prices with Shanghai or Hong Kong where prices are higher, but the quality is spotty. The gelato can be tasted in a cup or in a cone (I prefer the former). The shop also has tables and I and a friend enjoyed the gelato indoor with complimentary iced tea, but, of course, it also makes sense to enjoy it as a street food (in this case cone is the right choice!). So, all in all, I want to say thanks to Ralf for teaching me something new about food and for having brought this tradition to Vietnam. I hope to visit him again and again.

Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
39 Đặng Thị Nhu, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, District 1
At the time of posting it is closed on Mondays and opens at 1pm during the week, at 11.30 on weekends and keeps open till 10pm. Check their Facebook page for up to date information.

UPDATE
I also would like to share this gelato drink popular in Germany and Austria that Ralf has on his menu:

It is basically a chocolate drink with two scoops of gelato (also the coffee version is available). It is an extremely rich drink highly recommended to chocolate lovers.