You've spent the last 3 months in the jungles of Congo living off bush meat and fufu. The whole thing would have been great if only you had a splash of nuoc plam to give it that little je ne c'est pas. On re-entry into civilization, what do you do?
You head to the nearest Thai/Viet/Asian restaurant you can find, even if that means somewhere in the European Quarter of Brussels!
Saigon-Bangkok isn't exactly Viet-Siam fusion cuisine. It's more like some Viet dishes mixed with Thai dishes in a menu written in French. I had to admit, I was overwhelmed. What type of Asian dish is cassoulet de poulet avec lemongrass??? How could I be so lost? I mean, I speak 4 different Asian menu languages!
In desperation, I ordered the two items I did recognize: tom yom goong, nem and a chaser of jasmine tea for the exorbitant price of 3 euro. Winning me over right off the bat, Saigon-Bangkok offers a basket of fish and prawn crackers to chomp away on as you nervously read a menu you don't understand. And I mean it was a HUGE basket. I feel like I ate a good 5 euros worth before I even got my order in.
- The tom yom (6 euro) came out piping hot, which on a cold winter day in Brussels was a welcome event. While this was more of a cup than a bowl, the soup was chock a block of mushrooms and shrimp, although I could have done without the red and green pepper pieces. A bit flat, I requested a small dash of fish sauce which spruced up the soup perfectly. I would return to that fish sauce over and over again.
- The nem (6.5 euro) - 4 to an order - were well spiced and full of porky goodness. It's the middle of winter in northern Europe, so I kind of forgave the one or two rot spots on an otherwise healthy serving of salad leaves. Nuoc plam and rooster sauce at my side, the nem filled the bill at a very reasonable price.
Overall, my lunch was way better than I would have expected. I have heard comments from the Belgians that unlike the Asian eateries in Germany or France, the ones here do not try to adapt to local palates as much. What I appreciated was that on request, my kind of white person Asian lunch could easily be doctored back to normal, and in Brussels, if you can get out of a restaurant at only 15 euro for luch you are doing good. read more