COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Vietnamese cuisine has long been a staple in our favorite cosmopolitan cities abroad, so it’s a shame that there are only a couple of spots in Metro Manila for decent pho, bahn mi and Viet coffee.
Chef Nam Quoc Nguyen’s restaurant in Quezon City is now one of them.
The newly-opened Annam Noodle Bar serves old-world Vietnamese streetfood to a cosmopolitan crowd. With a seating capacity of up to 80 people, it’s ideal for Eastwood urbanites looking for a casual, quick-service restaurant with good food.
The restaurant’s interior boasts a chic industrial feel with elements of classic Vietnam.
Inspired by the success story of the Pho24 franchise in other countries, chef Nam has been determined to bring his style of Vietnamese cooking in the international food scene.
In 2012, he opened the first Namnam restaurant in Singapore (he had to change the name in Philippines because of a trademark issue), and has since expanded to four branches there.
About a year-and-a-half ago, he branched out in Indonesia. His empire is now eight outlets strong, spread across three countries.
“I told myself, if I will open my own restaurant, it has to be Vietnamese. It’s the least I can do for my culture,” said chef Nam, who has worked in fine dining restaurants in Norway, Bali, London, New York and Bangkok, among others.
Chef Nam and his family fled to Denmark as war refugees when the Communists took over Vietnam in 1979. However, he had a strong desire to return to his roots. He still considers Asia as his home, after all.
So what is Annam’s concept, exactly?
“In Vietnam, you’ll see a single store selling bahn mi only. You’ll see a single store selling pho, maybe only beef pho or something like the fisherman’s noodle. What we did was to put them all together in a single concept and then modernized it,” explained marketing director Luke Pang, the group’s franchise manager.
Annam’s menu is efficiently divided into five parts: bahn mi, viet pho, other noodles and small plates.
There are several appetizers to choose from. Like typical Vietnamese cuisine, most of the options are packed with vegetables. The vegetarian rolls and the salads contain familiar ingredients. For those who want something more sinful, the imperial rolls (similar to lumpiang shanghai but with netted wrappers) and the caramelized crispy chicken wings are good options.
Then there’s bahn mi, the well-loved Vietnamese “sandwich” inspired by the French. There are six choices on the menu, including a vegetarian option. The savoury baguettes are all stuffed with chicken paté, mayo, chili peppers, and fresh vegetables.
Luke said that one of the adjustments they made for the Filipino market was to add more pork, because obviously, we love our pork!
What really stood out at the tasting we attended, however, was the light and crispy bread, which Annam makes in house.
Pho — rice noodle soup cooked in either beef or chicken broth — is perhaps the most famous food item from Vietnam. At Annam, the broth is boiled for at least 24 hours. One porition is pretty big, and probably good enough for two people, with no MSG. It is light but flavorful, and condiments (hoisin sauce, fish sauce and chili sauce) though available, are not necessary.
Diners can choose extra toppings (like slices of Wagyu, for just PHP250), so you can either keep it light, or turn it into a heavy meal.
The more exciting items are in the “other noodles” section, which lets chef Nam flex his culinary muscles by experimenting with and exploring other flavors.
The spicy minced pork was the most recommended dish during the opening day. Made from instant noodles, sambal chili, bean sprouts, and soft boiled egg, the dish was very much similar to pancit canton, but elevated to a whole new level.
Two kinds of iced desserts similar to halo-halo were also available, as were two kind of ice cream sundaes. The recommended items, however, were the vanilla pudding and the crispy fried banana.
The vanilla pudding was similar to taho, but because it had palm sugar caramel, it tasted much sweeter. The crispy fried banana, on the other hand, was similar to maruya, but Annam’s version was served with coconut sauce.
Planning to drop by? We recommend going as a group. Since there are many different dishes to try, order several items and ask for small bowls. About PHP1,500 should be good enough to satisfy three hungy stomachs.
Warning: Annam’s coffee is very strong. If you’re getting sleepy at work, it might be exactly what you need to help you get by.
Annam Noodle Bar is at Unit 1880-4, G/F 1880 Building, Eastwood Avenue, Eastwood City, Libis, QC; +63 918 3441234, Facebook. Daily 10am-11pm
Erratum: we intially published that the store is open 24/7 but it was clarified that the operating hours is only 10am to 11pm
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