Nizrhane Abdallah
Vietnamese cuisine has found its way through our gastronomic metro via their Vietnamese coffee and their banh mi. Recently, I’ve had the chance to score delightful dining at a very busy restaurant on Perea Street, Makati: Ba Noi’s Kitchen.
Ba Nois Kitchen Makati
I visited their Makati restaurant for lunch and boy, they were almost packed! Oh well, you cannot blame such occurrences – it’s lunch, what do you think? I sat down and ordered a bowl of dry noodles with fried spring rolls and grilled pork, and a plate of G?i cu?n (prawns, lemongrass, and pork meat wrapped in rice paper).
Dry Noodles
My main meal is called Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong. It’s a fairly huge bowl of dry noodles, meat and fried spring rolls. Definitely a mouthful of goodness! Personally, I never had fried spring rolls on my noodle bowl, but since I had, it was an experience. It was as if eating a rice meal, except that rice became noodles.
Also Read: Bun Cha and Nem Cua Be: Eat in Hanoi like a Local
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
As for the Vietnamese spring rolls, this one’s quite simple and delicious. I like the fact that this stands out from the rest of the spring rolls family because of its wrapper being transparent. I am very glad that I came across this because I used to see it on TV and food magazines. Goi cuon is a dish that borders on simplicity and cleanliness. Lovely dish to behold, really.
Peanut Sauce
Of course, they were condiments that came with the meals that I ordered. There was the peanut sauce which reminds me of peanut butter, only less oily and less bread spread-like. Really perfect with the spring rolls. The peanutty taste complements the lemongrass and clean flavours of prawn and pork. With the dry noodles came the Nuoc Cham, a dipping sauce with vinegar and chillies.
Dipping Sauce
If you happen to come by their restaurant and would like to try their coffee, you must do so. Vietnamese coffee really is a thing because it is strong and uses condensed milk to balanced the flavour. To even extend the coffee experience in the comfort of your own home, you can also purchase their Phin brewer and their coffee beans or grounds.
Overall, my experience at Ba Nois Kitchen was 4 out of 5 stars. You must come here if you crave Vietnamese food in the metro!
