Vietnam?  Didn’t we already do Vietnam? Why such an interest? WHY NOT!

Where else is there such a variety of fresh flavors, subtle complexity, unique preparations & native east-west fusion?  Vietnam is hot stuff in the culinary world; and pho soup houses, casual banh mi spots, family style Vietnamese sit downs & upscale high end eateries are opening up all over the Bay Area. And I have a special attachment to Vietnamese cuisine, having spent a large part of my life closely attached to two special Vietnamese families.  Flavors while nu˜c maam (fish sauce) is by far the most common flavor element in Vietnamese cuisine, conscientious use of ginger, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, mint, rau ram, cilantro & coconut create a flavor mosaic with breadth to handle bright tropical seafood dishes to rich, complex claypot stews.  Complexity rice is used in an astounding number ways(steamed, fried, sticky, flour, noodles, paper, you name it!) to accompany the amazing variety of tropical fruit, abundant seafood, aromatic vegetables & native seasonings of Southeast Asia. Yet subtle, blended flavors are almost always preferred to sharp, jarring contrasts, resulting in a cuisine which pairs beautifully with wine, beer or sake.  Unique Preparations  meat, herbs & thick rice noodles cooked in hot broth; rice flour crepes griddled with sprouts & onions; water softened rice paper filled with vegetables, noodles & seafood in summer rolls; rich curries thickened by sitting out overnight; sticky rice steamed in a banana leaf; & the national dish of "Beef 7 ways." Highly regionalized specialities reflect a poor populace’s historically creative use of its resources while maintaining a traditional feel to the preparation & flavors. But I’m afraid we will once again eschew the ever popular fertilized duck eggs!  Fusion Vietnamese cooks have a long history of blending Chinese (sausage, noodles & fried rice), Indonesian (lumpia & satay), Indian (coriander & turmeric), Thailand (coconut & pineapple), and Philippine (durian & jackfruit) ingredients and concepts into their native cuisine. But the 19th century French colonization has left a long-lasting national fusion of southeast Asian flavors with distinctly French inspired approaches. B‡nh m“(patŽ & cold cut soft bread sandwiches with mayonnaise), shaking beef, and flan are obvious everyday Vietnamese classics with strong French roots, but don’t overlook the tasty Pate chaud (meat pie) and five spice quail.  All these intriguing factors, paired with strong local interest & close personal experience has led me to believe this is the time to revisit Vietnam. I hope you agree. Vietnamese cuisine in Pleasant Hill. Eat here. Save the airfare.