The taste of south east asia
It really excites me when my friends and I get together to eat outside. Well unlike before, we used to appreciate almost every dish, even when in fact, it is not that good at all. The fact is, the bad side of being a chef is you tend to criticize almost everything you eat, especially when you were able to make that dish at least once in your life, and it was successful. Imagine, several culinary arts major students dining at a place, criticizing and judging each dish, acting like 6 freaking food critics.
First stop is Pho-Hoa. Well, a famous Vietnamese restaurant. They're dish tends to be very healthy and fresh, for me, it's like the Mediterranean cuisine of Asia. What else would you order when you go to this restaurant? Of course, Pho! It was really refreshing, the mixture of ginger, star anise and green onions really strikes your taste buds. Plus the fact that it is warm, it really feels good when it reaches your stomach. There is a certain trait that Chinese people like, that is drinking warm soup. So this Pho really made a good impression to me. The first time we made Banh Mi at school, it really tasted amazing. However, for this restaurant, it wasn't what I was expecting. It was a bit dry, liver pate was not available, and they used a freaking hotdog bun instead of a baguette. There is this dish that has fried breaded mushrooms, and it tastes really good, it serves as a great appetizer, plus I really loved the sauce. These are just the few things I like to say about Pho-Hoa, for our readers, I suggest you try to dine at this place for a different experience.
Next and final stop is Banana Leaf. The place was good, cozy and the service was great. This is a Thai cuisine restaurant and what do we expect? Spicy food! We ordered several stuff, like beef curry, shrimp balls, and chicken satay. I have to be honest with you, but all of them really wasn't my type. I'm not a fan of the "Indian" taste (cumin, curry). So why am I even talking about this place? One thing, and one thing alone saved the reputation of this restaurant, well at least for me. It was the Pad Thai. One word to describe it: amazing. It had several dimensions which really tickled my palate. It was salty, sour, spicy and sweet all the same time! This dish made me crazy, and I want to be able to do this at home to serve my family and loved ones. If you are
planning to go to Banana Leaf, do
not forget to order Pad Thai, it is
really the best thing they can offer!
Magazine/ASIANC1 13
GERREMY DIONISIO
ERREMY DIONISIO