Foodie Berlin: Chao Pure Vietnam

After my glorius foodie experience at Good Morning, Vietnam, on the Eastern side of the city, I did not find any similar high-appreciation, although I did my best to find. Things changed completely a couple of days ago, when not too hungry, but exhausted after too much walking around Ku'damm and Savigny Platz hunting for subjects, I stumbled upon the newly rebranded and renovated Chao, situated on the already famous fodie avenue of Charlottenburg, at the no. 33 of Kantstrasse. It was around the lunch time, shortly after the opening, at 12 o'clock, in the middle of the week and for more than one hour I was the only guest. The ambiance was relaxing, with some soothing house music in the background, with fast and friendly service and menus written in both English and German.The toilets are not extremely stylish, but very clean. 

 Besides the service, I really apreciated the interior design, with big beautiful pictures from Vietnam, bushes of natural bamboo and small natural flowers and romantic candles on the table. I repeated 'natural' on purpose, to make the difference  with many Asian restaurants where the dusty and kitchy plastic flowers are the queens of the table. The furniture looks a bit unmatched and not that modern, but the glassware looks authentic, with some beige variations and bamboo chopsticks. The prices are moderated and regularly there are special lunch offers.

I started my lavish lunch with a Mekong Mystery drink - a delicate smooth combination of mango, coconut milk and mint. Naturally sweet, creamy and brought cold, made on the spot. The mint brings some sparkling accents, while the mango fits perfectly with the coconut to whom it brings discrete sweetness.

 My favourite choice were the summer rolls, with tofu, coriander and many vermicelli, accompanied by soy sauce. The tasted are coming along together very well, and the light fried tofu makes a difference among the many fresh vegetables and the neutral vermicelli.

Curious to taste as many meals as possible - although there are at least two more choices, plus some tempting desserts that I would love to try a next time - I continued with dau phu sot lac: a mountain of veggies soaked in peanut sauce accompanied by a pyramid of rice. The rice was very good, but somehow found that some of the veggies were not well cooked - the carrots - or not necessarily at their place there - the tomatoes, for instance. The slices of tofu were welcomed, but did not always complement the abundant cooked and fresh vegetables.

At the end of the meal, the traditional cold Vietnamese coffee. The long spoon is for mixing hard the milk and sugar.

The overall impression was good - except the last minutes spent there when I felt some cigarettes smoke coming from the direction of the kitchen and did not enjoy it - with good prices and enough interesting meals on the menu that may bring me back very soon.

Foodie Berlin: Good morning Vietnam

Our journey through Kreuzberg took some time and especially energy, and a foodie stop was more than welcomed. Out of too many calls, we decided to stop at Good morning Vietnam, hidden in a small interior yard near the busy Bergmannstrasse. It was name after a famous American war comedy at the end of the 1980s.

The restaurant has a simple Asian-inspired design, with big black and white pictures from Vietnam on the walls and luxuriant outdoors vegetation that bring a note of friendliness to the metal construction. It has outdoor places, as well as a terrace, a good idea for the summer meals.

I got in touch with the Vietnamese cuisine relatively late in my foodie life, and I am still on the way to discover its meaning. Compared to the Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese menus, with whom I am more used with, it involves a lot of fresh vegetables, less oil and frying. But as most of the names on the list did not tell me too much, I needed more time to think. Till a final decision, I ordered a Mekong Jules Mojito: a delicious and very cold combination of: Mekong Rum, Lime, soda, sugar, many mint leaves and a lot of ice cubes. Not too strong, not too sweet.

One of the Vietnamese specialities that I am in love at first sight with is the cold coffee, the perfect treat for the summer days, and after the mojito, it helped me to come back to the ground for finally ordering the proper meal(s).

The first guest: Nem Hanoi Dau Phu - veggie summer rolls, with Vietnamese rice cold noodles, salad and carrots, coriander, plus tofu, packed in transparent rice wraps. The rolls did not have a special taste in itself, but the nutty sauce brings it and makes it unforgettably tasty.

Next on the list: Dau Phu Saté: various veggies slightly boiled, with white rice, tofu and a special sauce. It might look innocent at the first sight but it was hot, way too hot.

The spicy veggies only brought even more appetite and I kept trying something new: Banh Kem - coconut pudding with honey caramel sauce. Very creamy, not too sweet, good for a slow food ending of the menu. As I was still left some cold coffee, the tastes went very well together. 

Was it too much gluttony, or just my curiosity to learn more about the Vietnamese cuisine. I felt a bit embarrassed when the lady in charge with our table asked me - twice - if all the food is only for me, but the ambiance was too pleasant - slow Vietnamese music and the smell of fresh red lily - to feel bad. Maybe the 'irreverent tendency' that made famous the main protagonist of the original movie was part of the customer service training. But right now, I couldn't care less, as I am more than ever interested to come back and order even more than that first time.