An eclectic combination of German food with Japanese sushi.
Fusion food is all the rage these days, with many combinations of cuisines tempting the taste buds of diners the world over. Ho Chi Minh City is no different - and the newest entrant into the fusion category is a small, homely restaurant and cafe called Indaba (35 Ly Tu Trong, D1). Read the word “Indaba” and you might at first think it’s an Indian restaurant. It’s not. “Indaba” is another term in Europe for the mythical unicorn, the legendary horse with the single horn in its head, a symbol of power, purity and grace.
Owner Tai Nguyen is the restaurant’s chef. He cut his teeth in Bavaria, southern Germany, most recently working in a well- known Japanese restaurant in Munich which explains the combination of German food and Japanese sushi on the menu.
Tai told Oi that when he designed the restaurant he wanted to create somewhere warm and inviting. “I want the people who come to our restaurant to feel like they’ve come to our home.”
In time he’d like to be able to ask customers what they’d like to eat and to prepare something especially. The first step towards that goal is to make regular menu changes. Tai plans to change out items every few weeks so there is always a surprise for diners who return.
Indaba opened in November 2013 and is open daily from 9am to as late as 2am. He wants to cater not just to regular diners, but to those who work late shifts who want to chill out after clocking out.
As a place to chill, Indaba hits the spot. The decor is all warm reds with orange and yellow strips of paint, dark brown tables, cream trim, with an eclectic collection of framed photographs on the walls, candles and bold light shades hanging from the ceiling.
At the rear there is a small mezzanine floor where you can relax, shoeless on cushions around low-rise tables in semi privacy, as if floating above the kitchen below.
Our Meal
We choose a quiet night to try out the fusion menu, which gave us the chance to chat with Tai about his culinary background and seek his recommendations for starters and mains. He nominated the Indaba Spring Rolls and a half portion of his Mexican BBQ Spare Ribs special for starters, an intriguing contrast of flavors and styles, and neither distinctively Japanese or German.
The Spring Rolls (VND75,000) were nothing like the common Vietnamese style. The three rolls were round and deep fried, but there any similarity with Vietnamese or Asian spring rolls ended; these were stuffed with tuna and mixed veggies, they were crumbed and crunchy on the outside; soft, smoky and dry on the inside. Served with a mayo-based dipping sauce and a generous portion of salad topped with juicy red tomato halves, the dish was morish and filling, reminiscent of delicious European smoked fish pies this reviewer enjoyed as a child. The Mexican Spare Ribs (VND180,000) are a favorite of Tai. We were glad these were served starter size because they were large and meaty - with a sweet, flavorsome sauce balanced with a healthy dose of spice. The meat virtually fell from the bone and the garnish of sliced potatoes and garlic added an intriguing complexity to the meat and spice.
For mains we opted for very different meats to test the breadth of the menu: Grilled Duck Breast served with sesame sauce, steamed rice and salad (VND270,000), and Grilled Salmon with Teriyaki sauce (VND240,000). This reviewer has too often tried duck cooked by French chefs which were overly rare and tougher than leather, so we were a little reluctant to sample duck from another European chef. But Tai’s duck was superbly cooked: tender and tasty, not the least bit chewy. It was accompanied by a generous fresh salad and soba noodles (not rice as the menu declared) which were creamy and soft and a surprisingly good accompaniment: Eastern noodles meet European duck. The salmon also easily passed the test. Beneath a sweet, crunchy skin, the pink flesh was tender and moist, the flavor preserved and the texture smooth. It, too, came with a generous serving of fresh salad and rice.
Indaba has a good range of wines by glass or bottle, a high quality coffee machine and a comprehensive spirit and cocktail list. So whether the occasion is coffee, brunch, dinner, a romantic evening drink or a meeting place late at night, Indaba is a warm, welcoming, cozy destination at almost any time of the day.
Images by Adam Robert Young