Pho the love of Vietnam
It’s pronounced Fuh, the uh being soft. Once you get that out of the way, the rest of Vietnamese cuisine is easy; kind of, sort of, maybe. So naturally, we must go to the source. The Vietnamese Embassy Canteen, much like secret passages, is only accessible at certain times; to wit, Wednesdays and Fridays (11:30 am-2:30 pm).
Located unobtrusively at the back of the Vietnamese embassy is a small wooden door, which belies the official-looking sign of Embassy Canteen affixed to its right. Upon entering, you may well rear back, as it’ll seem you’ve directly broken into someone’s dining room. The eatery is tiny and intimate, in the sense that it has a few crowded communal tables crammed into a small space, with one side dominated by a counter and affixed display case/warmer. Visitors (comprising staffers from nearby embassies, the occasional hipster, and determined foodies) are expected to jostle in together in that confined space, so those with social anxiety might well eye the outside seating area.
After ordering at the counter, a process that comprises ticking off the things you want on a checklist, we sidle outside. This has mixed success as we have relative calm, but are also forgotten as having existed. After seeing six other diners inside being served without nary a noodle coming our way, we step inside as a reminder.
No one can say that the service isn’t fast, because less than two minutes later we’re served with a large steaming bowl of buff Pho, Fresh Noodle Rolls, and a Bun Cha. The menu is as limited as the portions of the dishes on it are bountiful.
The pho is Vietnam’s national dish, a rich broth fortified with flat rice noodles, broiled meat, and a smattering of vegetables. Piping hot, with decadently oily bubbles floating on its surface, the pho is a meal in itself. The meat is tender and smoky, the noodles porous and slippery, and the broth as strong yet gentle as a grandmother’s secret recipe, provided that buff is kosher for your grandma.
On the other end of the texture/flavour spectrum are the Spring rolls. Eschewing any liquid leanings, the rolls make their intentions clear from first glance. A medley of salad shoots and roots come slivered and wrapped in a transparent rice sheet, and while fresh and crunchy, are devoid of any other embellishes; season at your own risk.
The Bun Cha is the final of our ordered triumvirs; the only item to come segmented in two separate dishes: a plate piled with white vermicelli, and a small bowl filled with pork meatballs in broth. The delicate vermicelli noodles are an ideal vehicle for the full-bodied, umami-infused pork and broth. That’s perhaps the most stand-out thing of Vietnamese cuisine: there are no thick gravies and chatoyant curries that are so beloved of so many other places in Asia. Instead it’s all about light broths, whether clear or cloudy, which are mercifully bereft of too many chefs.
In eclectic company
Visitors (staffers from nearby embassies, the occasional hipster, and determined foodies) are expected jostle in together in that confined space, so those with social anxiety might well eye the outside seating area.
Meal for two: Rs 500 (inclusive of all taxes)
At: Vietnamese Embassy, Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri