Chefs: Thinh Van Nguyen (captain), Quy Thi Nguyen, Giang Ngoc Nguyen.
Captain Thinh Van Nguyen was born in 1979 in Nam Dinh province. After studying the kitchen industry in Hanoi Tourism Secondary (now called Hanoi Tourism College), he worked in hotels and restaurant in Hanoi before moving to Vung Tau, and finally Ho Chi Minh City with a desire to learn various regional cuisines and gain more experience. With 14 years in the business he is now the head chef at Bai Dinh hotel.
Menu entered in the contest: Salad with deep fried pennywort and shrimp; goat tenderloin fired with Kim Son wine and served with mashed sweet potato; Soup made of grouper and cooked with kadam fruit, served with fresh rice noodle; fried sticky rice dumpling with sesame-fried banana and green nugget coconut jelly.
Bai Dinh hotel’s chefs entered the contest with concentration and confidence
Although this is the first time Bai Dinh hotel entered the Golden Spoon contest, the chefs showed their confidence by a clear and structured menu with modifications of rustic ingredients and specialties. The menu was a combination between the past and present. One was the salad made of deep fried pennywort and shrimp, which is modified from a rustic dish from childhood, such as pennywort soup or pennywort salad. In order to globalize pennywort for international diners with a diminished smell but still keep its freshness, chefs decided to bread it with flour and a bit of corn flour and pepper. The pennywort was then deep fried. This was served with passion fruit sauce and fresh shrimp. The dish was both nutrition and beautiful. When eaten the taste is slightly bitter, with an inviting aroma, crispiness from the batter, sour from the passion fruit and sweet from the fresh shrimp.
Meanwhile the dish made of goat tenderloin fired with Kim Son wine and served with mashed sweet potato used expensive specialties of goat tenderloin from Ninh Binh province and Kim Son wine. To eliminate the typical smell of goat the chefs used a new technique with the wine and heat. After the goat meat was seasoned it was sauteed in a pan with a little bit of cheese. It is also marinated with Kim Son wine and needs only be flash cooked before eating. The dish was served with mashed sweet potato
The soup made grouper and cooked with kadam fruit served with fresh rice noodle was a combination of seafood specialties and wild spices. The meat from the grouper is white and firm, and was cut into filets before being seasoned. The broth was made from the rest of the fish. Once it obtained the natural sweetness from the fish, the kadam fruit was added to add sourness to the broth. After seasoning, the fish meat was added, and cooked only five minutes. However, with such a short cooking time the ingredients do not fully blend in flavor. To improve the taste and smell piper lolot leaves were added. This dish was a successful test of the chef and it will soon be served in their restaurant.
Culinary artisan and professional judge Bui Thi Suong commented that, “The menu should receive compliments for the efforts used in exploring new values of rustic ingredients. Pennywort is commonly used make salad. Another common vegetable, morning glory, was also modified into a breaded dish. From this we have a new dish, which is pennywort deep fried with shrimp. However, the judge also reminded the chef to create good adhesion between the vegetables and flour. About the flour, the chef should have used tempura flour so as to be transparent and retain the green color of the vegetable. The goat was cooked well, but the meat needs to have strong seasoning to enhance the food. The soup tasted very good. The kadam fruit has a specific sour taste and the piper lolot added at the end did upgrade the dish to another level.”
Contestant team: Bai Dinh Hotel
Address: Gia Sinh Village, Gia Vien Commune, Ninh Binh province
Website: http://www.baidinhhotel.com
Bai Dinh hotel is located in Bai Dinh Pagoda campus which is one of the largest temples in Vietnam, and holds many records. The hotel was built with ancient architecture and elegant Asian features. The hotel is of 3-star standard with 55 rooms and a large conference hall that can accommodate 3,500 guests. While Bell and Chimes Cafe bar is the ideal place to relax in music and nature and enjoy a delicious drink then Bai Dinh hotel has a restaurant for 2,500 guests with two dining areas: one for vegetarians and one for common foods. The restaurant also hosts outdoor and natural buffet party with European style.