An unusual name and motto are not the only surprises in store for diners visiting the Nau restaurant in HCM City, Xuan Hiep finds.
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Comfort food: With less than 40sq.m of space, Nau manages to offer a comfy ambience. — VNS Photos Xuan Hiep |
"They" seems like the most unlikely name for any business, far less a restaurant.
Unless you are from the central province of Binh Dinh.
It is a linguistically salient feature of the province that residents use the word "Nau", to address other people.
When locals refer to people in general, they say nau, explained Tran Trong Khoa, owner of the restaurant.
In fact, quite a few people know that the usage of this term is unique to the people of Binh Dinh, he said.
"That's why I wanted to name the restaurant 'Nau' When diners hear the name, they would think immediately that the restaurant offers Binh Dinh specialties."
A friend of mine, Pham Trang Kieu Nga, 28, who works in the city, has often told me how much she misses her hometown in Binh Dinh, especially its food.
Last week, because it was her birthday, I recommended that we give Nau a try, having heard that it was worth a visit.
We found out soon enough that it is worth much more than one visit, and for more reasons than good food. We returned from the restaurant full of interesting and meaningful stories, and I am confident that many customers would feel the same.
Although Nau opened only in September last year, it has lured quite a few regular patrons in the city.
One surprising aspect of the restaurant is its size. "This is the smallest eatery I have been to, but the ambience is so warm and cosy. I love it!" said my friend.
Nau, which is located on the busy Nguyen Van Troi Street that lies on the way from Tan Son Nhat International Airport to downtown HCM City, has an area of less than 40sq.m.
The restaurant is designed simply, and its lighting as well as color schemes create a cosy, warm ambience that helps diners overlook, without much struggle, the noise of other diners talking at tables placed quite close to each other.
On the two walls of the eatery are 11 wooden carvings made by popular artist Dzu Kha that display meaningful poems on the ways of life and human behaviour. Khoa's interest clearly goes beyond giving good food to his customers.
With moderate portions at reasonable prices, Nau is also great choice for those who want to enjoy many dishes at the same time. The menu offers around 20 specialties from Binh Dinh Province.
Menu highlights include: com ga xu nau (rice served with chicken. Binh Dinh style); goi da ca (salad served with fish skin); bun cha ca (vermicelli with fish cake); banh xeo (rice pancake folded in half and stuffed with shrimp, pork and soybean sprouts); muc ngao (spiced cuttlefish); and ca hap (steamed fish).
However, the signature dish of the restaurant is surely the banh it la gai (glutinous rice cake filled with green bean paste and coconut shavings), which Khoa said is the main source of revenue for his restaurant.
A particular feature of this cake is that the glutinous part is mixed with the ramie leaf, making its texture even softer, smoother and less sticky. The fragrance of the rice and the mixed texture of delicious green beans and coconut makes this a mouth-watering dish.
When I bit into it, it felt as though the fragrance and taste filled my senses, and not many dishes do that for me.
The cake is made and packed very carefully, in the shape of a tower that Khoa said was the traditional way to do it.
Nau also has many kinds of fresh seafood that has been carefully cleaned and prepared.
Customers have the choice of taking the prepared stuff home and cooking their own dishes or offering them as gifts to near and dear.
All the food, materials and spices used for cooking the dishes here are brought from Binh Dinh to ensure its authenticity, Khoa assured us.
Indeed, the restaurant gains regular patrons not only through its delicious food, but also because of the friendliness and enthusiasm of the owner.
While the staff of five waitresses provide good service, they do not speak English very well. Khoa, though, is there to fill that gap.
Like many eateries in the city, parking space is insufficient, so orbikes are usually parked on the sidewalk.
Awaiting reunion
The restaurant not only has a surprising name, it has an even more surprising motto: Tim ve nguon coi (Searching for the origin).
Khoa shared with us the sad story of being separated from his eight-year-old son two years ago. The longing, and the hope that he will see his son again, burns brightly inside him.
When his son returns to Viet Nam to see him here, he would have returned to his origins, hence the motto, Khoa said.
Khoa's pain and grief has had a positive side effect. In the effort to locate his son, he has set up a website, www.thatlac.com.vn, to help others who have lost contact with their loved ones.
Khoa said the website would be launched officially on the first day of the New Year.
Through the website, people can try to re-establish contact with their loved ones using many convenient functions, all of which are free, Khoa said.
He also said people who find their lost friends or relatives through the website will be welcomed to celebrate their reunion at Nau.
"I always think and dream of the day that I can welcome my son at my restaurant."
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