I still remember when Quan Ut Ut opened in March 2014 in Ho Chi Minh City taking over a multi-story building previously occupied by a seafood restaurant. It was an instantaneous hit. Locals would queue for an hour outside the restaurant, defying the heat and the rain, to get a table. At that time you could see the head cook Mark Gustafson grilling ribs and sausages on the walkway in front of the entrance.
For this reason, it took me a while to try it. I truly enjoyed all of my visits (usually early in the evening to avoid the big crowd… you probably do not have to wait one hour nowadays, but it can get full pretty quickly). And when I think of Quan Ut Ut I cannot avoid marveling at the fact that while one restaurant can become crazily successful others, even if very similar, cannot pass the one-year mark.
I have recently been back and learnt that a minority stake of Quan Ut Ut (that meantime expanded to include a second location and another brand, BiaCraft) was recently acquired by a investment-fund backed Vietnamese restaurant operator, Red Wok Cuisine. This means that the brand is likely to expand in other cities and locations. Hopefully, they will be able to maintain the same standards. For sure, it makes a great entrepreneurial story.
The visit
I visited the original location in Vo Van Kiet street and headed to the first floor. Two big changes: first, now they are open for lunch; second, now the upper floor has windows and air conditioning. This is truly appreciated. The rest was the same: spartan park-style seating, pork miniatures and silhouettes everywhere to remind the core business (“ut ut” denotes the onomatopoeic sound of the pig in Vietnamese, like oink oink in English), the menu printed on a paper cover. The staff speaks English and was very professional (they even tried to talk me out ordering a big platter all for myself… very nice of them).
I ordered one of their combo platters, named the Meat Sweats, including 4 Memphis style ribs, one big pork sausage, 300 grams of brisket, corn, green beans and slaw.
The brisket was good, very tender and I could taste the smoke (if it is even possible). I still prefer the one at TNT BBQ however.
This was the first time I tried Memphis ribs. This is a type of dry rib that is treated with a “rub” powder in which paprika is the most distinctive flavor. I am not able to judge whether they were authentic or perfectly executed, but I appreciated that the ribs were tender, well cooked and meaty. I did not enjoy the paprika flavor that much.
The sausage was ok.
In the past I enjoyed more another of their big platter, the BBQ Sampler that includes rib tip, pork shoulder, smoked chicken. Also, their signature cashew smoked pork ribs that I had in the past would have been a better choice.
Their menu keeps expanding and they also sport cacao-smoked ribs and pineapple smoked lamb shoulder.
The check
The platter was 600,000 VND. In total I spent 630,000 VND (including an iced tea) as their prices are inclusive of 10% VAT and service (chapeau). That’s 27 USD for a lunch that could have satisfied two people. I call this very reasonable.
By the way, Quant Ut Ut is definitely a place to try in a group where you can share multiple dishes.
While the involvement of a restaurant group worries me a little bit, what I found in July 2018 was still the old Quan Ut Ut and as such has my recommendation. Also, I cannot disagree with them:
Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
168 Võ Văn Kiệt.
Pro-tip I: They do not take reservations. Go early! Go for lunch or be there before 6pm to enhance your chances to get a table right away.
Pro-tip II: They have some very reasonably priced lunch sets. Check their Facebook page for updated information.
