Canh Ho restaurant chain wins second prize

Chef: Huong Trong Nguyen (Captain), Chef Khai Ngoc Nguyen, Chef Anh Tuan Nguyen

Captain Huong Trong Nguyen was born in 1973 in Thai Binh province and studied cooking at the Vocational Training School No. 5 (Hanoi). With 20 years of experience as a professional chef, he currently manages the Lake View Restaurant System which has two venues

Menu presented to the contest: Soup cooked with “trúc sinh”- the English name is golden bamboo and maiden hair; bean curd rolled with shrimp and African basil leaves; Beef tenderloin with green pepper sauce and vegetables served with bread. The dessert mousse cake with strawberry and Dracontomelon

There is no advantage in introducing new spices when the Lake View Restaurant chef knows how to upgrade common and typical spices from Hanoi to create unique dishes. Soup cooked with golden bamboo and maidenhair as a appetizer has medicinal effect. Ginkgo is also called “ngân hạnh” the scientific name being Ginkgo biloba. It is a Chinese traditional medicine and it’s very good for health. In order to combine these two spices the secret to make ginkgo stand out by crushing it and boiling with whisky and ginger. The bamboo is washed and soaked in water until it softens. The next step is to prepare a pot of broth. These ingredients placed in a pot of broth with a little bit wine and ginger to balance the taste.

For the two main dishes: grilled beef tenderloin with green pepper sauce used vegetables served with bread and bean curd rolls with shrimp and basil leaves, the second item really impressed with its great variations. Bean curd is normally served with hot pot but here it is used to replace rice-paper to make rolls with prawns and African basil leaves. The desserts, was a subtle integration Europe and Asia styles which resulted in a specialty Hanoi dish of strawberry mousse cake with Dracontomelon. Dracontomelon is used as a water additive to create a mousse. In addition, the skin of the fruit is covered in sugar to sweeten and to create a decorative effect for the table, but also to create a kind of preserve. Culinary expert and professional judge Quach Thien Tuong appreciated this idea. He said that the combination between mousse cake and Dracontomelon increased the value of ingredients which are featured fruits, popular in Hanoi. However, the jury also noted the chef reduced the sweetness of the mousse cake making it more harmonious

Candidate: Canh Ho restaurant

Address: 173 B (171 old number) Truong Chinh, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi

Lake View Restaurant is known as a chain of restaurants amazing food. An extensive menu of over 150 dishes features many local foods from all over the country: Red snapper served with a fruit sauce, shrimp covered dragon jacket, beef served with pepper sauce and black dumplings, sticky lotus seed jar, seafood stuffed chicken wings, shrimp fried salted egg and spring onion fried with squid. The cuisine at Lake View is not only complicated in cooking techniques but subtle in the choose of the accompanying drinks, which provide a stylish result. In particular, young couples who prefer Western European style modern events can choose an al fresco party.