Entree Kibbles: Ẩm Thực Quê Nhà Quận 3 - Amazing Fuji Beef @ District 3 in Ho Chi Minh City [Vietnam]

Sunday, December 18, 2022

Ẩm Thực Quê Nhà Quận 3 - Amazing Fuji Beef @ District 3 in Ho Chi Minh City [Vietnam]

Now that I think about it, the top two dishes from Ho Chi Minh City that the Great Kon always talks about are not the authentic Vietnamese dishes we are accustomed to hearing; one is the 4-cheese pizza from Pizza 4P's and another would be the Fuji Beef from Ẩm Thực Quê Nhà!

And obviously, the visit to Ẩm Thực Quê Nhà shall be the destination for our first dinner in Ho Chi Minh City! The name Ẩm Thực Quê Nhà might be a bit too much to stomach for foreigners but its original meaning is simply "hometown cuisine".

With five branches in Vietnam's economic capital, and with the restaurant at District 3 being filled with merry-making locals, I figured this restaurant has a reputable standing.

Interior of the restaurant.

Live seafood for sale; I don't usually have seafood when I am overseas unless they are much cheaper than Singapore, with great reviews. Anyway, I will follow the Great Kon's recommendation since he has been to HCMC so many times!

OMG, were these sturgeons??

Good thing about going with friends who are familiar with the city; they know exactly how to order and 'freeloaders' like me would just quietly sit at one side and take photographs! It helped as well that a friend brought his Vietnamese girlfriend along too!

I think this bowl of salad came with the Fuji beef; would you eat salad when you are overseas? I wouldn't purposely order although I wouldn't mind having it if it comes together with my main.

Within 20 minutes, here came our sizzling hotplates!

Fuji Beef - At 699,000 Vietnamese Dong, about S$40, we ordered three servings for our company of six persons as the Great Kon was confident one will not be sufficient.

With such thick cuts, and Alex's supposedly tiny stomach (and the fact that he doesn't quite like beef as much as I do), I am hesitant about Kon's confidence. Nevertheless, I thought it's quite a good deal as I couldn't never get such a generous piece of beef at S$40 in Singapore!

So enticing right?! Sadly for my friends, I think their "plates" were not heated long enough and ran out of steam pretty fast, resulting in beef that wasn't as sizzling juicy.

I like my beef to be medium-well doneness and hope this would impress so that in the event that Alex couldn't finish his share; I would definitely be able to assist. Turned out to be amazingly good; the beef was so tender in the inside and I got the bursts of meaty juiciness as my teeth cut across the meat.

The beef wasn't fancifully marinated and was just, simply put, a delicious slab of good beef that didn't even require any sauces. Alex was surprisingly happy with the beef and our serving was devoured in no time!

Fried Rice for King - with a name like this, commoners like us would no doubt want to experience what it was like to indulge in fried rice that would be fitting for a king. Visually, it didn't wow.

Taste wise, I must say the king must have a lousy chef in his royal kitchen. This was fried rice that couldn't have been more normal and in my opinion, it would require a few dollops of chilli sauce to enhance its palatibility.

Vietnamese Pancake - also known as Banh Xeo, I first tried it in Singapore (at Ăn Là Ghiền) and frankly, wasn't too impressed; it was healthy alright with a lot of ingredients but quite bland.

Version here at Ẩm Thực Quê Nhà was way better; it was bursting with ingredients, and I especially love the large amount of well cooked beansprouts hidden inside!

I still eat it like a popiah with the lettuce acting as the "skin" (you may also classify it as the Vietnamese style of the Korean 'Ssam'). The whole combination was healthy yet delicious. The Banh Xeo and Fuji Beef would be on my to-eat list in next visit to the restaurant.