Tuck into Indonesian, Korean, Malaysian and Vietnamese cuisine at this Asian Canteen

Va Pho, Oriental Cuisines’ latest outing has the city excited with its extensive offering of South Asian cuisine.
Va_pho_(3)
Va_pho_(3)

There is a sense of elation when one of Chennai’s favourite Pan-Asian restaurants decides to pick your city to open its second-ever outlet. The evidence: attempting to manoeuvre through an almost full restaurant only three-days after its opening, on Monday afternoon to be precise. Va Pho, Oriental Cuisines’ latest outing has the city excited with its extensive offering of South Asian cuisine. Noticeably similar to its Chennai counterpart, the interiors of this 2,000 sq feet space, are bright and catchy with artwork of a Snow Monkey eating dim sums, a panda riding a rickshaw and Ghengis Khan on a nunchuck yielding dinosaur — all inspired by different regions of the Asian continent.

Familiar ties 

It comes as no surprise that we are greeted at our table by Chef Ram Kumar. Instrumental in the creation of Oriental Cuisine’s Asian menu, first in Benjarong (Chennai) and then the first outlet of Va Pho in March this year, the 33-year-old Chennai-based chef is currently in the city to oversee kitchen operations, and ensure quality. “Consistency in taste is key to ensuring continued patronage. As a chef who has been working with Asian cuisine for the last 10 years, it would be unforgivable to get the flavours wrong; especially of a curry,” he says. As we explore a varied menu of satays, dim sums, and bao buns among their other lunch specials of the Korean Bi Bim Bap and Burmese Bi Bim Bap, our chef’s signature Royale Madras makes an entrance. An ice-cold mixture of tender coconut juice, peaches, with a hint of cinnamon and lemon, this drink is a mish-mash of South-East Asian and local Chennai flavours. The Rangoon Princess — a drink made with lychee, guava, lemon with a dash of grenadine syrup — is a visual delight in pink and with a lasting sweet aftertaste. 

Press start to play

 The restaurant aims at catering to a younger customer base and is equipped with games like Jenga, monopoly, and chess among others. Our pick is the Jenga that precariously towers over our starters — the Balinese chicken satay with peanut sauce, the Chilly tofu satay, marinated with a dry spice rub and served with a spicy coconut cream sauce and a Malay street food favourite the Kam heaong Brocolli. Quickly forgetting the game, the starters have our rapt attention, the only distraction — the sound of our tumbling Jenga tower.  “The winner forgoes his share of starters,” says a companion at my table, as we happily eat the crisp broccoli tossed in curry masala and curry leaves off our mate’s plate. Cliché as it may seem, our favourite is the Saigon Pho. A heady mix of aromatic beef broth and chunks of meat, and perfectly cooked noodles, though served in smaller portions unlike traditional Vietnamese customs, a bowl of this makes for a complete meal in itself. For a lighter, vegetarian option we suggest you try the Banana Blossom Salad that is a mix of finely shredded banana blossoms in sweet chilly dressing. 

Coasting along 

Seafood lovers can look forward to the Spicy Malay noodles, that is alive with colour and bursting with freshest flavours of the sea — fish, prawns, crabs — the works! We also sample the Lhoti-Massaman that comes with Malabar parottas and reminds us of a nutty version of mutton vindaloo.

For dessert, it is the chef’s special Tender coconut ice cream stick that is not yet on the menu but comes heavily recommended by the chef. Plated up as a coconut popsicle in a rose milk sauce with sago pearls and water chestnut with a side of wafers, the dish is already a customer favourite and is the best way to round things off. 

No. 16, Abdul Rahim Road, Race Course. Above Ente Keralam. meal for two would cost Rs 1,000. Details: 8489924981

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