Vietnamese favourite pho is among items featured at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur’s dinner buffet. — Photos: SAMUEL ONG/The Star
Saigon chefs offer authentic flavours of country’s popular dishes at Kuala Lumpur hotel
VIETNAMESE dishes such as salads and beef noodles have been gaining popularity among Malaysians.
With this in mind, two chefs from Sheraton Saigon in Vietnam were flown into Kuala Lumpur to add authentic flavours to the dinner buffet “A Journey To Vietnam at Latest Recipe” being served at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur.
Chef Tran Dang Khoa, who has eight years of experience working in hotel kitchens, was inspired to cook from a young age.
He has mastered the art of making pho, the Vietnamese beef noodle which needs a long cooking time and is a buffet highlight.
“It takes 24 hours to boil the soup to perfection.
“Beef noodle is considered a traditional food in my country.
Expertly made sauce lies at the heart of Vietnamese salads.
“We boil the soup using beef bone marrow with herbs and cinnamon,” said Tran, who enjoys Malaysian nasi goreng.
He added that another popular dish is Bo Kho, which features beef slow-cooked for six hours.
The dish is a fusion of French and Vietnamese flavours.
“The ideal way to pair the stew is with a baguette. You could also eat it with rice.
“This dish has five different types of herbs,” said Tran.
Chef Le Huynh Nam, meanwhile, is an expert in Vietnamese salads.
He said the key to a good salad lies in its sauce preparation, which he described as an art not many can master.
“We generally have two types of spring rolls – a deep-fried version and one prepared with rice paper.
“As for the spring roll sauce, it is made with anchovies and is generally sweet and spicy.
Le (left) and Tran showcasing their speciality dishes at Latest Recipe.
“The sauce should not be too spicy, nor too sweet.
“I think we have a good tasting sauce here to go with the spring rolls which have prawns, cucumber, chicken and crabmeat,” said Le.
His other speciality is Stir Fried Crab with Tamarind Gravy.
It has a sticky coating of sweet and sour sauce.
I particularly enjoyed the dish which was unique as the tamarind offers a slightly sour tang.
Le said his interest in cooking began when he watched culinary shows such as MasterChef.
Video-sharing sites, he said, “opened my eyes to the world of cooking and I became interested in becoming a chef.”
At the buffet, the Steamed Rice Cake with Minced Prawn and Chicken – another Vietnamese dish – had a smooth texture while the rice cake melted in the mouth.
Vietnamese desserts such as the Coffee and Milk Jelly, Mung Bean Cake and Red Bean Tapioca Sweet Soup were also enjoyable.
Available until Oct 20, “A Journey To Vietnam at Latest Recipe” is priced at RM198nett for adults and RM99nett for children aged five to 12, from Monday to Thursday.
On Fridays and weekends, the buffet costs RM208nett for adults and RM104nett for children aged five to 12.
LATEST RECIPE Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, 2, Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Kuala Lumpur. (Tel: 03-2263 7888) Business hours: 6.30am to 10pm daily.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro
