By Ann Wheaton in HCMC
Le Bouchon de Saigon restaurant is located at Thai Van Lung Street in HCMC’s District 1 - Photo: Ann WheatonLe Bouchon restaurant is located on the busy corner of Thai Van Lung and Ly Tu Trong streets in HCMC’s District 1. The night we visited I thought of the English translation of the word ‘bouchon’, one to mean a wine cork but the other used in France to describe a traffic jam. This particular Saturday night the second translation was very relevant as our taxi driver tried bravely to manoeuvre the car around the impatient, hooting vehicles so that we could descend.
The restaurant has a wide frontage and the large bay windows were all open to catch the evening breezes. Despite our early arrival (7 p.m.) there were already a number of patrons sitting dining at tables covered with red and white check tablecloths, the French theme was also noticeable in the minimal space between the tables, but this is not a restaurant for a romantic dinner, it is too vibrant and robust for that. Disappointingly the music was not French but rather more buoyant and boisterous.
A young French waiter, who spoke excellent English ushered us to our table and we were presented with a complimentary glass of champagne. The staff were very attentive, although at times we did feel a little bit overwhelmed and would have preferred a slightly slower pace. The menu is presented in the form of a Gazette with little news items and funny jokes on the one side and the selection of food on the other.
I just love looking at menus they are such an insight into the character and expertise of the chef. This menu was no exception it offered glimpses of a master French food lover in the kitchen with evocative descriptions of classic dishes and exciting accompaniments, it is not a hugely extensive menu but offers enough variety to ensure that all tastes are catered for.
The entrees and salads include (among others) the classic French onion soup (VND65,000), snails in parsley and garlic butter (VND140,000) for the more adventurous, and homemade Foie Gras Terrine (VND270,000). We were not hungry enough to be able to cope with three courses and I was determined to fit a dessert in, we therefore commenced with a main course. As we are great admirers of French duck we both opted for ‘Le Magret de Canard Sauce moutarde a l’ancienne, pommes de terre sautees’ (duck breast with a French mustard sauce and sautéed potatoes) with a side serving of green beans (VND320,000). For the customers preferring fish there is a good selection from seabass to mussels as well as other meat dishes.
Our duck was beautifully presented and cooked to perfection, medium rare as it should be! The mustard sauce a delicate sensual addition perfectly harmonized with the meat and the addition of the sautéed potatoes and watercress gave the whole plate color and texture. We matched this with a superb glass of Chablis and were in seventh heaven. Unfortunately our plates were whisked away as soon as we had consumed out last bite so our thoughts of lingering over the last exquisite mouthful were dashed. C’est la vie!
Our choice of dessert was equally as outstanding as the main course a ‘mousse au chocolat’ as light as a feather but chocolatey and delicious sprinkled with toasted slivered almonds to give a touch of texture. Teamed with a short black expresso (a la France) it was a fitting end to our meal.
Dinner for two costs VND1.24 million including VAT and service.
Le Bouchon de Saigon is located at 40 Thai Van Lung Street, District 1, tel: 3829 9263.
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