Luke Nguyen's Vietnam Food Tour: Day 5, lunch
A Very Special Off-The-Agenda Lunch
After a brief nap (who can sleep after a couple of salt coffees), a few of us slipped across the street to have lunch at a magnificent hotel, the Azerai La Residence, which was developed by Adrian Zecha, who was the original founder of the Aman Resorts.
The 122-room hotel is a former French colonial governor's mansion built on the banks of the Perfume River. And it's been perfectly restored down to the ceiling fans, dark-stained wood furnishings, and mosquito netting (not really necessary but a charming touch).
Of course, it has an elegant Vietnamese restaurant, Le Parfum.
And we wasted no time working our way through the menu. We started with a banana blossom salad with shrimp, Bánh cuốn, which are steamed rice flour rolls filled with seasoned ground pork and wood ear mushrooms, Bánh bèo, which are steamed rice cakes topped with shrimp, fresh spring rolls, and pancakes called Bánh Khoái Huế. This appetizer was like Hue's greatest hits.
It was a very tough choice for the main course, but we settled on Bún Thịt Bò Nướng, which featured fresh rice noodles, grilled Australian beef, fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, and sweet-and-sour fish sauce.
It goes without saying that a few bottles of chilled French Chardonnay passed our lips.
To finish, we couldn't resist three desserts: sorbet, an apple tart, and the Symphony of Crème Brûlée with a combination of durian, Vietnamese coffee, and hibiscus flavors.
At the end, the entire kitchen staff came out because, of course, they recognized Luke and wanted a photo.
After that, we really needed a nap.