All dressed up
With a hint of bordello style, Au Manoir de Khai is luring well-off
diners in Vietnam
HO CHI MINH CITY - modesty is not one of Hoang Khai's chief virtues.
"Nothing happens in Saigon unless I do it," declares the 39-year-old
Vietnamese entrepreneur, best known for tantalizing tourists with beaded
silk evening gowns and delicate lingerie at his 14 pricey Khai Silk
stores.
Recently, Khai decided that the next thing that needed to happen in the
city
was an elegant dining experience with a dollop of exclusivity. His main
goal: "To build the Khai image." Having taught tourists how to dress
(and
undress) to impress, Khai envisaged a restaurant that would appeal to
the
growing local coterie of well-off Vietnamese, along with high-end
travellers
and resident foreigners.
And so was born Au Manoir de Khai (Khai's Manor), which opened in March
in
an imposing yellow villa on Dien Bien Phu Street. Advertisements give
the
new French restaurant no less than five stars--all bestowed, of course,
by
Khai himself. Khai is creating a buzz in other ways, too: In a departure
from Vietnam's turn-up- and-eat tradition, callers looking for a table
are
warned that they face a two-week wait, even though recent visits
revealed
some empty tables.
But never mind the pretence, what about the food? The good news is that
the
menu yields a number of delicately flavoured delights. For businessfolk
luring new clients, or tourists yearning to write home about some
appetizing
French cuisine in this former French colony, Manoir won't disappoint the
taste buds, even if it might upset the wallet. At around $40 a head
(excluding wine), a meal at the restaurant would easily buy a few weeks'
eating in a more proletarian Vietnamese establishment.
Still, at least all that money buys a grand entrance. When the villa's
massive gate swings open, guests stroll through a genteel garden, at
night
lit by red candles. They're led into an intimate sitting room and bar
area
with decor that has just a touch of bordello style about it. Antiques
include a lamp moulded from the torso of a naked woman, and a table
draped
with a leopard-skin patterned cloth.
After a mandatory and somewhat mysterious wait, guests are then escorted
via
the wine storeroom. The blast of cold air is startling--as is the
1.75-million-dong ($115) price tag on the wine displayed on each table.
It's
a Wolf Blass 1977 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon.
Up the carpeted stairs, past the still-life oils, waiters garbed in
green
silk jackets seat guests. Overhead is a gold-lacquered ceiling--glowing
with
real gold. The attention to detail extends to the ladies' room, where
flower
petals float in the toilet bowls. As guests emerge, an attendant darts
in to
delicately sprinkle more petals.
Moving on to more appetizing subjects, the menu features plenty of
temptations. One recommended starter is grilled duck served over a
garlic-laced salad. In contrast to the tough birds normally served in
Vietnam, which have a disconcerting resemblance to beef, Khai's version
is
tender and moist. Another favourite is the artichoke salad with
exquisitely
creamy duck's liver terrine.
For their main course, diners can choose from the veal dish of stewed
osso
bucco in tomato sauce, pan-fried duck's liver with grapes and Armagnac,
or a
variety of fresh fish. It's hard, though, to resist the roast rack of
lamb,
to be eaten as slowly as possible.
Surprisingly, for a fashion fiend who specializes in exquisite final
touches--glittery beads, striking embroidery--Khai seems to have given
little thought to the all-important denouement of any fine meal:
dessert.
Manoir fails to rise above the standard choices: chocolate mousse, cr?me
bržlée or a cheese platter. But that could be a saving grace for diners
worried about their waistlines--especially if they plan to wriggle into
Khai's slinky styles any time soon.
Au Manoir de Khai, 251 Dien Bien Phu Street, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel.: (8)
933
0583.
Hours: Lunch 11 a.m. -2 p.m.; dinner from 6 p.m. until at least 11 p.m.
Prices: Starters range from 85,000 dong for soup to 270,000 dong for
foie
gras, while main courses run from 180,000 dong to 270,000 dong
By Margot Cohen - The Far Eastern Economic Review - July 25, 2002.
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