On stormy wet season evenings in Saigon the simple possibility is to remain residence and order in pizza. However when chef Peter Cuong Franklin invitations you to dinner, you’d higher present up.
I’m at all times early to dinner events.
However tonight I’ve made certain I’m further early.
The ominous darkish clouds rolling in over Saigon recommend that not solely will the whisky be flowing tonight at Anan Saigon however so will the streets with floodwaters from the upcoming deluge.
I have to rapidly get to the small moist market the place Anan Saigon is positioned in District 1, wedged among the many road distributors, earlier than my night time is actually a washout.
I might simply flip again residence and have a pleasant quiet night consuming leftovers or order in a pizza however who no-shows to a US$400 per particular person dinner that includes black winter truffles, caviar and single malt whiskey? It’s not on a regular basis I get an invitation like this.
I push on and earlier than lengthy I’m taking my place on the bar within the cosy Nhau Nhau, the cocktail bar inside Anan Saigon.
Nhau Nhau, a retro-Saigon themed cosy of a bar with a drinks record as eclectic because the restaurant downstairs (suppose coconut worm photographs and cotton sweet Outdated Fashioneds) can be the brainchild of chef Peter Cuong Franklin who’s internet hosting tonight’s dinner.
Inside, wafts of an earthy pungent oil are already misting-up the air as resident mixologist Finn Le prepares an Outdated Normal with one in all tonight’s stars of the night, truffle.
“How outdated is it?”, I ask facetiously.
“The truffle is older than the whiskey,” quips chef Franklin who’s inside earshot. “Within the new world issues go by so quick. However our meals tonight has taken 10 to 30 years!”
Certainly, tonight’s chef tasting menu has taken its personal time to concoct, two months in truth, not fairly so long as the whiskey or the truffles have taken to age, however lengthy sufficient.
Whereas that’s all effectively and good, I’m hoping nothing else will take too lengthy as a result of I’m involved about these whiskeys taking maintain on my empty abdomen.
Off the menu
Tinkering with issues has develop into one in all chef Franklin’s signature traits, in any case he’s introduced us the US$100 banh mi, Da Lat pizzas and ice-cream served up with fish sauce in a Chanel No.5 fragrance bottle to spray in your dessert to style.
Tonight he’s tinkering with premium substances from the wild highlands of Scotland to the rolling hills of Western Australia and to town of lakes and flowers in Vietnam, Dalat, Franklin’s hometown.
This guarantees to be totally different from what’s often on the menu right here.
As with every foodie price their nostril (sure, a truffle pun), slightly than current the night with a quickfire bunch of Instagram Tales panels by no means to see the sunshine of day once more, I assumed I’d take my time and write a quick overview.
And given the merchandise featured this night have taken their very own time to mature, I believe it’s solely proper to take extra time to digest this.
Caviar and scallop paired with 12 year-old whiskey
More often than not, scallops don’t excite me. I discover them too small and rubbery, however tonight, the Hokkaido scallop is huge, fats and juicy. It’s charred simply how I prefer it, salty in flavour and balanced with a candy and tangy mango jus, lusciously topped with black caviar from Dalat.
In case I’d forgotten, chef Franklin leans in to remind me: “Two fingers, one chunk!”
This succulent appetiser tastes like the ocean, however I’m undecided if it’s due to the scallop or the caviar. I suppose each?
Both means, they showcase the flexibility of the 12 year-old whiskey in our welcome cocktails with simply the best notes of honey, oranges and winter spices.
Is it getting heat in right here already?
Truffle cháo paired with 18 year-old whiskey
With good timing, out comes a cool bowl of cháo rice foam, oyster, black winter truffle and an onsen egg.
Historically, onsen eggs (or scorching spring eggs) from the place they get their title in Japan, are poached within the scorching waters of an onsen making the egg white milky and gentle and its yolk agency however retaining the color of an raw one.
I don’t recall seeing an onsen wherever this facet of Da Lat, however this dish is an instance of the tinkering that chef Franklin will get as much as round right here.
Spoonfuls of this elevated savoury porridge are refreshing after just a few sneaky tipples of whiskey which can be warming my stomach.
Sometimes a consolation meals on this a part of the world, the cháo is accented with playful textures of froth with what look to be rice or corn pellets accompanying it.
The pungent truffle enhances issues ever so frivolously with out drowning out the subtleties of this intriguing dish.
I’d fortunately down it as a nightcap when out on a binge consuming session as an expensive full cease to the night.
Marbled lamb paired with 25 year-old whiskey
The opposite spotlight for me is the grain-fed Australian lamb with Da Lat mint, whiskey lamb sauce, broccoli and a spot of scorching sauce.
The tender meat is mellow, positively not gamey and the sauce hearty. I want there was a small baguette to assist mop up the plate, nevertheless.
Utilizing whiskey within the lamb sauce is an imaginative means of showcasing the night’s drink sponsor’s product, however I’ve obtained to say, you could possibly drown Aussie lamb completed chef Franklin’s means in Cholimex, an affordable native spicy sauce from a bottle, and it will nonetheless style good.
The final shot
I’ve observed lots of themed advantageous eating occasions throughout town since social distancing measures have ceased in Vietnam, every making an attempt to high the subsequent of their grandiosity.
Alcohol sponsors have been splashing the money placing on shindigs aboard yachts on the Saigon River, vogue reveals that includes Vietnamese supermodels, and even mid-morning soirees beneath domed tents with laser gentle reveals and pictures of sponsor merchandise projected on the ceiling throughout tastings.
Whereas tonight I too have been swept up within the ostentatiousness of all of it and, some may say, its tone-deafness given the final couple of years, I can’t assist however see the constructive facet.
Occasions like these backed by worldwide manufacturers with huge bucks permit geniuses like Peter Cuong Franklin to work with the very best merchandise and the very best seasonal substances harvested from far-flung corners of the planet permit me to pattern a few of the magic inside a small bar in a quiet moist market on a wet Saigon night time.
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