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Issue One | April 2016

A NEW CHAPTER AHEAD A TOUCH OF GOI [10]

WHY CANH CHUA IS SO IRRESISTABLE? [15]

When LEMON meets LEMONGRASS [16]

Chef ’s Specials

[12]

Quán Bụi Garden [21]

Our Story

[22]

OP C EE FR

Y

QUÁN BUI.

JOURNAL’S NOTE

Dear readers, You are holding in hand the inaugural issue of Quán Bụi Journal, an initiative that aims at enhancing your culinary experience with the most appealing news and thoughtful insights on food and local community from the journal team here at Quán Bụi Restaurant.

This journal is launched at the same time with the opening of Quán Bụi Garden, marking a defining moment for Quán Bụi as a whole. Started out as a small restaurant with the purpose of serving the best of Vietnamese cuisine, Quán Bụi has grown tremendously for the past five years. Every day, we come to work with the mission of perfecting our craft, even the smallest details.

As we have been thinking of what we can do to elevate your dining experience at Quán Bụi, the idea of keeping you informed of what goes on in the community and sharing with you our knowledge on food and living a good life sparked. With comprehensive research, fine print, and elegant design, we believe that this journal will enhance your total dining experience here at Quán Bụi, in turn illustrating clearly our commitment to our customers.

While turning the pages, you will find a special message from Danh Tran, our founder, and the story of how he has turned Quán Bụi from its humble start into what it is today. Our Chef, Thanh Cuong, who championed Masterchef Vietnam in 2015, will be sharing his secret recipes on page 8. If you are fond of making Vietnamese cuisine yourself, turn to page 11, 14 and 15 on which the aesthetics nature of Goi (Salad) and the irresistible temptation of Canh Chua (Sour Soup) will be explained in details. We also include our list of Brunch dishes and Chef ’s Specials right here in this issue for your convenience.

We hope nothing but a pleasant and enlightening read that you find from the papers in your hands. Thank you again for your support.

Cheers to a happy, healthy, good life!

Quán Bụi

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Dear valued customers, Eating well, of course, is arguably the most essential part of living a good life.

Yet, here in Saigon, the pace of modernization has increased rapidly, making a tasty, home-cooked meal with friends and family now a luxury. But it shouldn’t be that way, should it? I started Quán Bụi in 2011, hoping that this humble place can help solve that problem.

Ever since day one, I wanted Quán Bụi to be a casual place where customers like you could enjoy high-quality Vietnamese food. Every day, our kitchen rises up early to source freshest ingredients from local markets; our chefs continuously refine our recipes so that every dish is the finest and healthiest taste of Vietnamese cuisine without adding any artificial flavour enhancers like MSG; and our entire staffs make sure that you leave the restaurant with a fulfilled smile.

We are very happy to see the ecosystem of Quán Bụi grow strong gradually.

The second Quán Bụi, which is located at 17A Ngo Van Nam, District 1, was born not long after the first outlet at 8 Nguyen Van Nguyen came to existence, offering a combination of both Vietnamese and Western delicacies. In August 2015, at 39 Ly Tu Trong, District 1, the third location opened its door to serve foreign visitors’ need for an array of great Vietnamese food.

I am incredibly excited to announce that we will be welcoming the newest member, Quán Bụi Garden, to our family in late March 2016. To launch this branch, we have worked long and hard to refine more than ever our menu to make it simpler, lighter, yet still traditionally Vietnamese. Additionally, the evergreen setting and cultural ambience of the interior design promise that you will feel like home the moment you step in.

The past five-year journey will be impossible without your continual support.

After all, the most common thing that we all share is the love for food and the love for life. We thank you very much again for allowing us to do what we love the most every day.

With gratitude,

Danh Tran 5

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A Chef’s

Confidence Thanh Cuong Nguyen

1. In your opinion, what are the indispensable elements that a perfect dish needs to have?

A so-called perfect dish, in my opinion, needs three elements: great ingredients, great cooking and great love. Firstly, fresh ingredients are essential because freshness makes all the difference. Secondly, how the food is cooked and presented matters - that means texture, color and flavor all have to be pushed to the maximum by incorporating four key elements of sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Lastly, of course, you have to cook with your heart.

2. Why do you choose to collaborate with Quán Bụi?

Most customers who come to Quán Bụi have one thing in common: they desire authentic Vietnamese dishes that bring back sweet childhood memories. I’m not an exception!

I miss my grandma and mom’s food a great deal when living far away from home. Quán Bụi serves its customers tasty, visually enticing and affordable Vietnamese cuisine that allows me to relive my own childhood.

3. What are the cooking secrets that make your Vietnamese dishes unique?

I follow the existing recipes, but do add my own twists here and there. All of my dishes are made with fresh ingredients, minimal use of dairy and oil, and few complementary textures.

Herbs and vegetables are important too: they make things more colorful and appealing.

4. Name of your most favorite ingredient?

I personally think fish sauce is a staple ingredient that makes Vietnamese food so special. It is almost impossible to think of any dish where fish sauce is not used - marinades, soup broths, salad dressings or spring roll dips. Fish sauce is like air: you do not really see it, but it is the invisible enhancer that no authentic and great Vietnamese dish can live without.

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A HOME

AWAY FROM

HOME

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A touch of

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goi

Being sweet, sour and spicy, Goi (Salad) is the most popular starter dish in Vietnamese cuisine. Though varied in terms of ingredients, Goi generally consists of one main vegetable such as cabbage or morning glory while is topped by fried onions or peanuts, and mixed with thin-sliced meat or seafood and (just) enough herb leaves. The composition will then be gently tossed up and turned over until all ingredients are well coated with vinegar, sugar, spice and seasoning. The indispensable companion of this dish is its dipping salty sauce which balances the extreme combination of sweet and sour, making the dish gallantly delicate as a result.

Quán Bụi offers various kinds of Goi. Each has its own unique taste. If you are not sure which one to start with, our Quán Bụi Special Goi has never ceased to please any visitor.

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Quán Bụi Mixed Platter of Starters

Quán Bụi Salad with Seafood, Fresh Palm Hearts and Lotus Stems, Peanuts and Fried Shallots

Roasted Chicken Skin, Fish Paste, Sesame, Onions, Corriander and Tangy Sauce

Quán Bụi Rolls

Tangy Prawns Soup with Chopped Tomato and Dill

Beef Casseroled in Fish Sauce

Tiger Prawns Wrapped in Bread Fruit

Fried White Fish Fillet with Passion Fruit Sauce

Tangy Tiger Prawns Soup with Jasmine Flowers

CHEF’S SPECIALS

Sautéed Eel with Banana Shoot and Betel Leaves

Grilled Pork Meat Served with Pickles

Soft Shell Crab with Tamarind Sauce or Salted Egg Sauce or Passion Fruit Sauce

Sautéed Tiger Prawns with Bell Pepper and Cashew Nuts

Braised Mackerel in Coconut Water with Pineapple

Braised Pork Meat with Coconut

Sauteed Chicken Breast with Local Honey Sauce

Braised White Fish Fillet with Black Pepper

Stir Fried Pumpkin Flowers with Garlic

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Ca Kho To A Pot of Childhood

When it comes to representing Vietnamese culture and cuisine, few dishes can beat Ca Kho To (Braised Fish in Clay Pot).

The dish consists of mainly fresh fish slices simmered carefully with a mix of ginger, garlic, chilly, fish sauce and seasonings.

The end result is a savory temptation that embodies many “hot� elements of Vietnamese cuisine - and in some way, figuratively represents the burning sun of Southeast Asia.

Why clay pot? It retains the heat much better than modern inventions such as stainless steel. For generations, clay pot has been used in building houses and making potteries by our ancestors. It is not just an ordinary material but is an inherent part of Vietnamese culture and a symbolic present form the past. Being cooked in clay pot, Ca Kho To has become a dish of nostalgia that reminds almost everyone of the days when life was hard, simple, yet full of family love.

A pot of Ca Kho To, coupled with white rice and a bowl soup like Canh Chua, will bring many people on a trip down the memory lane.

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The seduction that Canh Chua (Sour Soup) possesses stems from the freshness of fish only available in the Mekong Delta region, the sourness of tamarind-flavored broth, and the deliciousness of various kinds of herbs such as basil or coriander. The distinctive sour flavor is balanced by the sweetness of pineapple and enhanced by the fragrances of vegetables. Due to that, every spoon of this soup is the essence of Vietnamese cuisine and can be summarized in two words: delicate freshness.

During the cold days of winter, a bowl of Canh Chua, accompanied by Fish Braised in Clay Pot and white rice, is the simply the best life can offer.

Why

Canh chua is so irresistible?

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Truly Southeast Asian and health-conscious, lemongrass lemonade is a special drink that blows you away when it touches your taste buds.

Combining the pleasant aroma of lemongrass and the distinctive sourness of lemon, this drink brings not only a unique zesty taste but also multiple therapeutic effects, especially invigorating a tired body. At first glance, you might think that the mixture is just lemonade with a simple twist, but bring it close to your nose and you will be hit immediately by a subtle, yet revitalizing scent that blows away any exhaustion of a long day at work. By the time the scent touches the nerves, you will feel a gentle stream of refreshness flow in your body. Before realizing it, you will be drowned in a feeling as if you were bathing underneath a calm spring, forgetting all the heat and hectic stress of life here in Saigon.

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Lemon Meets Lemongrass

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Lemongrass Simple Syrup - 1 cup water - 1 cup sugar - 4 stalks lemongrass, root removed, stalk bruised and cut in half peel of 05 lemons

1. Place water, sugar and lemongrass in a pot.

2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, add lemon peel.

4. Allow flavours to infuse for 15 minutes.

5. Strain simple syrup into a pitcher and cool in refrigerator.

Lemonade Garnish Assembling Lemongrass Lemonade Lemonade - Juice of 05 lemons from Lemongrass Simple Syrup recipe - 2 cup cold water 1. Once simple syrup has cooled, add lemon juice and water to pitcher, stir.

2. Pour Lemongrass Lemonade between 4 glasses.

Garnish 3. Garnish with lemongrass stalks and lemon - 1 lemon, sliced into rounds rounds.

- Reserved lemongrass stalks from Lemongrass Simple Source: www.foodnetwork.com Syrup recipe 17

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Quán Bui. Garden

When it comes to choosing the location of Quán Bụi Garden, we are totally convinced by the vibrant community of foreign and local connoisseurs in District 2. Their love for nature, great food and good life is something that we wholeheartedly share.

The latest branch will occupy an area of nearly 1000 square meters, providing us sufficient space to create a total dining and relaxing experience for guests. The all-glass design opens up the space and allows guests to enjoy warm sunlight during the day and be soaked in a cool summer breeze at night.

When dining at Quán Bụi Garden, prepare to be greeted with friendly attentiveness of our staff and snug lightning.

All is aimed to come together as a perfect background for your romantic meal with friends and family.

After the meal, we invite you to our bar upstairs where you can enjoy a nice casual drink while watching the last thread of sunlight receding to the horizon. Alternatively, roll your sleeves up and get into the action with our Vietnamese Cooking lessons guided by real experts. In addition, indulge yourself with our contemporary art works and cultural performances while your kids get busy making friends in their own playground. All in all, whatever your family seeks for a second home away from home, think of Quán Bụi Garden first.

We are very excited and cannot wait to open the doors and welcome you at our newest house.

More information at www.bui.restaurant

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Our Story In September, 2011, in an effort to realize my long-time entrepreneurial dream, I quit my comfortable, corporate-world job in order to open my first restaurant, Quán Bụi. In Vietnamese, “Bui” means “affordable, casual, and quick”. Like the name suggested, Quán Bụi offered affordable, authentic Vietnamese cuisine to a small crowd of 60 at maximum at the time.

Our restaurant operated on three main principles. Firstly, our affordability was mostly stressed. Secondly, the food had to be fresh, healthy and authentic, so we made the commitment of sourcing fresh ingredients from local suppliers and saying no to artificial flavor enhancers like MSG. Lastly, we invested heavily in making sure that every guest had the best customer experience when choosing to dine with us.

Aside from food and customer service, interior design played an important role at Quán Bụi. Inspired by the design of Vietnamese traditional houses, we decorated our space with chic black tables and Vietnamese earthenware plates and bowls while the lighting was cozy and warm. The result was an inviting ambience full of culture and home-like spirit.

The hard work paid off. The first Quán Bụi took off fairly quickly and we broke even within the first year. This proved that our strategy was working, and that there was still a strong demand for what we have to offer in the market. Seizing the momentum, in June 2013 Quán Bụi opened its second branch right at the heart of the District 1 (17 Ngo Van Nam St). This time, we wanted to take things to the next level while remaining true to our core principles. The new venue was a four-floor (including a rooftop) upper scale dining restaurant that specialized in serving authentic Vietnamese dishes from all regions of Vietnam: North, Central and South. Our clientele were both Vietnamese and foreigners, ranging from 150 to 200 people a day. We broke even within the first six months.

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The success of our second location gave us confidence to expand and bring our unique offerings to a much wider audience. In August 2015, our third location was launched at the crossroad of Ly Tu Trong and Hai Ba Trung, two busiest streets of Saigon. The venue was the second floor of a building that had housed the American expatriates during the Vietnam war. However, unfortunately, due to under-maintenance, its condition was nearly ruined. We spent a significant initial investment in renovating the entire space and re-building things from the ground up. With the two-sided facade being well kept, we transformed the inside from a mixture of abandoned remnants into an industrial, modernist wonder that radiated friendliness to those who enjoy fusion style. Coupled with tasty food and excellent customer services, this location now proudly serves as a gathering place for the busy bees of the city, including business and government officials, expats and tourists who love to meet and greet.

March 27th 2016 will be an historic date for Quán Bụi. Our newest location, Quán Bụi Garden, will be opening its doors to the community of expats and locals who love food and culture in the the up and coming District 2. This time, things will be taken to a whole new level. Thanks to its design, the nearly 1000 square-meter project is very much like a gemstone tugged in the inclusive and beautiful neighborhood of District 2. We want this to be not just another restaurant, but rather a community place where families and friends come closer via enjoying an authentic meal, learning how to cook, viewing contemporary art performances and watching kids making new friends.

The history of Quán Bụi does not end here. The road ahead is still full of challenges and opportunities, but for sure none will be possible without our beloved customers. Thank you very much for choosing us and we always look forward to greeting you in person at our Quán Bụi houses.

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Traditional Vietnamese Dining - 8 Nguyen Van Nguyen, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, HCMC Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine - 17A Ngo Van Nam, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, HCMC Vietnamese Bistro - First floor 39 Ly Tu Trong, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, HCMC Bui Garden - 55 Ngo Quang Huy, Thao Dien Ward, District 2, HCMC Tel: +84 836 02 22 41 | +84 838 29 15 15 | +84 941 75 70 07 | +84 838 98 90 88 Email: info@bui.restaurant | Website: www.bui.restaurant

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