Zao: Not your typical Vietnamese restaurant
Spring rolls, pomelo salad, pho — this is the trinity of familiar dishes you can expect to find in a typical Vietnamese restaurant. “These are the staples,” says Caryana “Kay” V. Alcantara, owner of the new Zao Vietnamese Café at Eastwood City. You may have tried pomelo salad elsewhere before, but chances are, what you got was more lettuce in your salad than pomelo. At Zao, you’re served a mound of fat, juicy pomelo chunks resting on a bed of fresh lettuce leaves, with thin strips of pork and shrimps, Vietnamese coriander, and roasted peanuts. A light, slightly tangy dressing completes the refreshing starter. Zao Pho, a rice stick noodle soup, with flank, brisket, meatballs, and tendons, teases your taste buds and warms your tummy. “It takes eight hours to make the broth,” Kay says. Pho is always served with a side dish of bean sprouts, basil leaves, a wedge of lime, and chili, which you may add to the rich, clear broth, to suit your taste.
At Zao, there are no bottles of condiments on the table, such as fish sauce or hoisin sauce. There is no need. Also on the menu is Canh Chua, a sweet, sour, and spicy tamarind soup with a choice of fish or shrimps, which is the Vietnamese version of our own sinigang.
There is a right way to eat Zao’s crispy spring rolls. You take some bean sprouts, slices of cucumber, and a spring roll stuffed with pork, glass noodles, and mushrooms; wrap everything in a lettuce leaf; dunk in a sweetish vinegar dip; take a bite, and let the different textures and flavors burst inside your mouth.
Vietnamese barbeque (bun), unlike Filipino barbeque, is not sweet. “We marinate the meat overnight,” Kay remarks. “Marinating also helps tenderize the meat.” The result is flavorful and tender barbeque spareribs, garlic-spiced and char-grilled, and served with atchara and a vinegar dip. A must-try is Zao’s US Angus Shaking Beef, cubed filet mignon seared with garlic, tomatoes and onions. It gets its name from the cooking technique used to get the flavor. The lemongrass fish, stuffed with ground pork and vermicelli, wrapped in crispy rice paper, and deep-fried, is reminiscent of our own rellenong bangus. In this case, the fish used is mudfish, locally known as dalag. It is served with a sprig of cilantro (wansuy) and minced ginger sauce. The Saigon fried rice, made flavorful with bits of shrimps, Chinese sausage, and peas, is a good accompaniment to the fish dish. And if that is not enough, deep-fried prawns, topped with garlic and toasted in caramelized sugar, add another layer of flavors to the enjoyment of your meal. To wash everything down, the tangy tamarind iced tea with just the right sweetness will do the job. What’s more, every glass order is refillable. Or you may choose the lychee or jasmine tea, or any one of the freshly squeezed juices (dalandan, orange, lemon), or fresh fruit shakes. Zao also offers a selection of Vietnamese gourmet coffee, such as the traditional Vietnamese Filter. A method that takes about four to five minutes, the fine coffee drops settle on top of sweet milk to make a satisfying cup. Or, if you prefer, you can have your coffee cold, and sweet, almost like a dessert, such as the Coffee Jelly Delight, which is almond-flavored coffee frappe with coffee jelly cubes. And for those with an incurable sweet tooth, Zao offers honest-to-goodness desserts you wouldn’t want to miss, such as the Espresso Gateau de Crepe, 20 layers of paper-thin crepes filled with Vietnamese coffee-infused crème.
“Soon, we will come up with new dishes that will reflect the French influence on Vietnamese cuisine, such as duck a l’orange as well as fish and chips flavored with lemon-grass and served with taro fries,” Kay remarks. “We will also have rice bowls which are complete meals in themselves.”
Zao’s central location, at Fuente Circle at Eastwood City, easily makes it a favorite among the residents of the condominiums in the area, yuppies working at the call centers nearby, as well as business executives. The restaurant’s interior has a very inviting Asian feel, with its ceiling fans and bright red walls. The glass sliding doors bring the outdoors in. “Our guests can watch the concerts at the circle. We have also set up tables outside so they can dine alfresco, if they prefer. We want our guests to feel satisfied, so they will want to come back,” Kay concludes.
