!Besides Thailand, another Southeast Asian country that is popular in the western world for its cuisine would have to be Vietnam. During my trip to the US last year, I noticed so many Vietnamese restaurants, particularly in the West Coast. These restaurants not only cater to the Vietnamese immigrant population, but also to other nationalities who have already heard of Vietnamese food or have already tried it before.
Normally, my family is more drawn towards Chinese, Japanese or Filipino food, but this time we decided to sample cuisine from our neighboring country, particularly at Zao Vietnamese Bistro at the East Wing of Shangri-la Plaza Mall.
Just as we were about to enter the restaurant, there was a sudden power outage at the mall and all the lights went out! It was really dark and it stayed that way for the next fifteen to twenty minutes or so. Thankfully, the staff at the restaurant were quick on their feet and opened the doors to the balcony area to let some air in and placed candles at the occupied tables.
During the power outage the staff at the restaurant were reassuring some concerned customers that the mall management was already working to restore power at the East Wing (apparently only the East Wing was affected). Sure enough, power was restored after several minutes, but not too long after that the lights went out again, but only for a few seconds this time. Oh boy.
First up: Pomelo Salad. I wasn't really so drawn towards it, but then again it could be because I'm quite picky when it comes to fruits.
I give these Crispy Spring Rolls a two thumbs up! The filling is very flavorful, made even better with the veggies that you roll it with and the sauce that comes with it. Strongly recommended!
I found the Saigon Pork Chop a bit bland, although the veggies and the sauce does help enhance the flavor.
As you would have noticed by now, this restaurant is quite generous with their vegetables. Every single dish we ordered had a generous helping of lettuce and other veggies! This Vietnamese Fried Chicken is no exception. The Vietnamese really do love vegetables on their dishes (come to think of it, I think one reason why Filipino food isn't so popular in the west is because Filipino cuisine looks--or rather is--quite unhealthy in general, with dishes like sisig, bagnet, lechon, and crispy pata. While the food we ordered were mainly fried dishes, the vegetables somehow manage to make it less "sinful".). Moving on, the chicken, while a bit on the dry side, is actually tasty even without the vegetables and the sauce.
If you've read my previous blog posts, you would probably know that I'm not that much of a seafood fan. I barely touched this Deep-fried Catfish, and it's probably for the best, too--I don't think anyone should be eating that much fried food in one sitting!
Our total bill--still quite "affordable" by Shangri-la East Wing standards.
The food we ordered had some hits and misses, but I guess our unfamiliarity with Vietnamese cuisine may have played a role. I'm pretty sure Vietnamese cuisine has a lot more to offer--it's just a matter of knowing which dishes to order. The staff here are very helpful and efficient, and stayed composed despite the power outage.
If you're looking for a restaurant at Shangri-la Plaza's East Wing that is fairly reasonably-priced, Zao Vietnamese Bistro is the place to go.
Zao Vietnamese Bistro
East Wing, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City
Other branches: Serendra, Eastwood Mall
Facebook: Zao
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