Diners can enjoy views of one of the city’s most vibrant streets from the outdoor seating at Xóm Chợ Cũ Restaurant. VNS Photos Thành Chương.

by Đình Nhi

A close friend of mine says when she craves the foods of her hometown, Quảng Ngãi Province, but cannot find time to cook, she goes out to eat mì Quảng or noodle with braised pork and shrimp and bánh bèo chén or steamed rice cake served in a small bowl.

On one such trip last weekend I tagged along when she went to Xóm Chợ Cũ Restaurant, and ended up having an amazing experience.

'Mì Quảng', or noodle Quảng Ngãi style, with braised pork and shrimp is a must-try at Xóm Chợ Cũ.

Located on one of HCM City’s central streets, one chock-a-block with eateries, Xóm Chợ Cũ stands out with its stunning design and interior decor inspired by classical country houses on the south-central coast, where Quảng Ngãi is.

My friend told me Xóm Chợ Cũ, the name of the restaurant, would translate to “Old Market Hamlet”, the name of a small hamlet that is renowned for its foods in her native Châu Ổ Commune in Bình Sơn District.

“I am sure that most visitors to the restaurant have relations with (I mean they have origins or parents from the place famous for the dishes) or are lovers of the traditional delicacies served at food stalls in the old market hamlet.”

For reasons known best to her, my friend does not want to be named.

Hồ Duyên Trang, the owner of the place said: “I named my restaurant Xóm Chợ Cũ to bring back to me and diners the sweet memories of our hometown and celebrate the delicacies originating in my home town of Quảng Ngãi.”

Stepping into Xóm Chợ Cũ on the first floor of an old building, visitors cannot help notice immediately its simple and lovely décor.

It has both indoor and outdoor seating with the latter much smaller but airy, green and cool. From there, diners can have a nice view down of the vibrant city street.

The menu only has selected authentic dishes of Quảng Ngãi ranging from starters, soups and salads to main courses, desserts, snacks, and drinks.

Though the weather has not been very warm recently my friend recommended the roasted black bean drink with ice (VNĐ35,000), a traditional drink in her hometown.

The restaurant tries to keep the taste and colour of the drink close to what is made by moms in Xóm Chợ Cũ in Quảng Ngãi.

We started our meal with baby jackfruit salad with boiled pork threads (VNĐ85,000), a stand-out at the restaurant.

Finely arranged, the dish was pleasing to the eye. It was a perfect combination of boiled pork, boiled jackfruit, roasted peanuts, deep-fried onion, and herbs with homemade fish sauce and rice crackers.

'Bánh bèo chén', steamed rice cake Quảng Ngãi style, served hot in a small bowl is among the stand-out dishes at Xóm Chợ Cũ.

We then moved on to bánh bèo chén or steamed rice cake (VNĐ12,000/bowl) served hot in a small bowl with minced pork, deep-fried onion and roasted peanut on top.

The steamed rice cake, my favourite, was best eaten with spicy sweet-sour fish sauce.

Two cakes each did not satisfy either of us, and I asked for four more though there were surely many other must-try items on the menu.

Mì Quảng, or noodle Quảng style, a typical noodle dish of Quảng Ngãi, topped with savoury braised pork and shrimp and served with pickles, lettuce and herbs, is another highlight of the restaurant.

Though I have tried mì Quảng at many restaurants around the city, the one at Xóm Chợ Cũ was truly spectacular, partially thanks to the fresh herbs. The broth was tasty and bold while the noodle was crunchy and chewy.

“You won’t believe it but the special flat and yellow noodles as well as the lettuce, herbs and mints are sent from Quảng Ngãi to ensure the dish is fresh and delicious,” my friend said.

When we were still confused with what to try next, the lady owner recommended the speciality don soup (VNĐ55,000), so called for the small river clams caught best in Quảng Ngãi.

It was the first time I was having the soup, and it had a wonderful aroma and taste.

The don was fresh as it could be, but the soup could only be such a uniquely fascinating delicacy if it was had with rice crackers, Vietnamese coriander, onion, and black pepper.

I really wanted one more of the soup, but decided to keep place in my stomach for a dessert.

'Xu xoa', a jelly served with ice and ginger syrup, a speciality dessert from Quảng Ngãi Province, was my favourite at Xóm Chợ Cũ.

My friend warned me that I could not afford to miss the restaurant’s xu xoa (VNĐ35,000), a jelly with ice and ginger syrup and a favourite in Quảng Ngãi.

Being a southerner, I love sweet soups and jelly with coconut milk, and so fully intended to pass that up. But I thankfully was convinced by my friend and discovered the xu xoa to be a magical mix jelly and ginger syrup.

I was almost full but found there was still a long list of delicacies to be tried, especially the fish cake rolled with herbs and spicy home-made fish sauce.

Maybe next time, which is unlikely to take too long. VNS

Box:

Xóm Chợ Cũ Restaurant

Address: Level 1, 35 Lý Tự Trọng Street, District 1, HCM City

Phone: 0908582482

Hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm

Comment: Specialty dishes from the south central coastal province of Quảng Ngãi, central location and lovely ambience