Magnificent Seven: An outstanding beef selection on the Ru menu.
There
is nothing outstanding about this restaurant’s location, tucked away as it is
in a quiet District 1 alley, but once you have gotten here, the odds are that
an invisible hand will keep guiding you back to this place time and again.
The
calm, soothing décor marked by soft colours and tasteful designs put you at
ease as soon as you enter the place. You feel immediately that whoever runs
this place know what they are doing.
The
impression is deepened as you pick up the menu, which is different from the
usual, very artful and passionate. I say passionate, because there is a genuine
ring as it invites you to eat healthy, nutritious food, like brown rice noodles
and veggies, “good food for a good life”.
Then
you have the food. Sets you back by a few decades, which means, you are
transported to the seventies or so, to an era when food was clean, fresh and
very tasty.
The
restaurant offers a wide selection of over 90 authentic Vietnamese dishes for
lunch and dinner, including imported premium beef and pork, chicken, seafood
and vegetarian fare.
Every
dish is prepared in a truly traditional southern style and stays faithful to
classic family recipes, not using monosodium glutamate.
“Our
food should be truly enticing and healthy. A beef dish should be made
exclusively with beef, no other protein or additives or strong spices,” said
Nguyen Thi Xuan Nga, Ru owner and manager who is very partial to the
traditional Vietnamese kitchen.
On a roll: Deep-fried spring rolls are crisp and uniquely flavoured.
“We
are trying to make a difference by going back to what Vietnamese people ate
over 40 years ago. When we started, I knew it would be a big challenge.
However, our concept has now convinced many.”
We
started our meal with the wrap and roll section, a common favourite. The
deep-fried spring rolls (VND65,000) were a delight. It is so easy to get this
dish wrong, and difficult to get it just right. This was just right. Crispy,
but not oily, and a flavour like nothing I’d had before. The use of best
ingredients and skilful preparation made a difference. It was aromatic and
delicious. The accompanying fish sauce and tropical herbs were a perfect foil.
For
our next order, we chose a seven-course set of beef at VND390,000 (for two), a
signature Ru collection. Let me tell you this right away. This is a must-have
item that you can plan for.
“Forty
years ago, the beef set was considered an exquisite dish only served in
Saigon’s luxurious restaurants,” Nga said.
“However,
the beef dishes have now become ’street food’.
To
make the dishes affordable to all diners, both street-side food outlets and
restaurants have changed the traditional recipes by adding more spices and
non-beef meat, for example, replacing beef with pork.
"That’s
why the beef dishes at these establishments don’t have the truly authentic
taste of beef, and their flavours are also totally different from what they
were before.”
As
the seven beef items arrived at our table, they looked amazing; more like a
typical Vietnamese family feast where all dishes are skilfully prepared and
beautifully set up on a dining table.
Sweet thing: Homemade sugar-free warm, flourless chocolate cake. Photos: Anh Duy/VNS
We
started our beef feast with two rare beef dishes - one with a dip of lemon
sauce with onions, herbs and red chilli; and another dipped in a simmering pot
of coconut juice and vinegar. These were exceptionally tasty when served with
the special homemade salty, tinny fish sauce with chopped red chilli and garlic
along with tropical herbs and green salad.
Next
came the three grilled servings – each with three pieces. Tantalising. I love
grilled food, but I was careful to have just one piece each so that I could
sample all three flavours.
The
grilled beef crepinette was good, but the other two were even better: grilled
beef wrapped in la lot (piper lolot) leaves and grilled beef with a homemade
satay sauce. They were so fresh, juicy and flavourful, that I thought, ‘I am
going to finish two whole portions on my next visit.’
Our
feast continued with a delicate beef ball served with rice wrap chips and ended
with a wonderful gingered beef rice soup. Served hot, the ginger soup helped
digest our large meal.
The
uniqueness of the beef ball was the family recipe, which beautifully combines
minced beef, chicken liver, peas and onions. It is a delicacy that no foodie
should miss.
We
were full, but eagerly scanned the menu for next time. The selection of pho
(rice noodles with a beef or chicken) and stir-fried noodles (with beef or
seafood with different homemade sauces) and noodle rolls, starting from
VND65,000, looked appetising, and we knew we’d be back.
For
those who love rice in their meals, there is the garlic fried rice (VND30,000),
fried rice with lotus seeds and vegetables (VND65,000) and fried rice with
chicken, pipeapple and vegetables (VND135,000), and coconut steamed broken rice
with grilled honeyed pork ribs (VND95,000). Yum, indeed.
After
the seven-course set, we were content, but decided to take up the
recommendation to share a portion of warm, flourless local chocolate cake
(VND60,000). This is a restaurant with so many must-try dishes, I thought, as
my taste buds whistled a happy tune.
RU RESTAURANT:
Address:
27E Tran Nhat Duat Street, District 1, HCM City
Phone: 08.38482034
Opening
hours: 10am-10pm
Comment:
good location, fantastic tasty, healthy food, cosy ambience.
By My Duyen/VietNamNet Bridge