Food and Drink

New Vietnamese treasure sets the sizzling standard

By Eileen Wen Mooney (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-11 08:22

Susu, Beijing's newest and arguably best Vietnamese restaurant, is set in a charming and beautifully restored courtyard house in a secluded side street off Qianliang Hutong, the fabulous venue and wonderful food combining to provide one of the best dining experiences in the city.

The Vietnamese dishes prepared at Susu are wonderfully light, greaseless and with little starch, yet they are very satisfying. Almost every dish is accompanied by a fleet of fresh vegetables and herbs, no easy task and something we appreciate.

Two young Vietnamese chefs who come from Ho Chi Minh City have designed the menu. The interesting herbs and vegetables they use include saw leaves, heart-shaped houttuynia cordata leaves, Asian basil, mint leaves, coriander and young shoots of Chinese toon, which are picked from the tree grown in the courtyard. The mixture of herbs contributes to infinite and amazing flavors that resonate in your palate, and each combination produces a different sensation.

"Nothing can ruin a good meal," says an old Vietnamese proverb, which is written on Susu's menu. This is true of Susu's memorable salads: papaya beef , cucumber, five-color salad and spicy three salad. Each salad is built with vegetables that are compatible and each salad has its own distinctive flavor and texture.

For example, the lotus root in the five-color salad gives a rich texture that feels starchy and velvety, while the green papaya salad is crisp and fresh. The salads are tossed in a delicious tangy dressing that you must try yourself because words alone do not justify the subtle and exquisite flavor. It's simply marvelous.

One of our favorite dishes here is the DIY roll that is not only delicious but also a lot of fun to make and roll yourself. You begin by dipping the thin but stiff disc of rice wrapper, which feels like plastic, into a bowl of water, which immediately softens it. You then place on your wrapper a piece of lettuce, a sprig of mint leaves, basil, chives, coriander, cooked vermicelli, a piece of sliced pork, shrimp, fish, salmon or scallop. You then roll it up like Peking duck. Dip the roll into the sauce before you eat it.

Another highlight here is the snakehead fish fillets sauteed in dill and scallion, and served sizzling over a flame. Don't be too anxious. Allow the scallion to turn a little brown before eating, because scorched scallion gives a different flavor. This dish comes with a platter of fresh herbs, crushed peanuts, rice crackers and shrimp sauce.

One piece of advice: ask for traditional shrimp sauce to go with this dish, otherwise you will be served with a new version of the sauce that lacks the traditional Vietnamese pungent smell.

Other dishes on the menu, such as caramelized claypot fish or shrimp with tamarind crab, sound interesting and I can hardly wait to try these on my next visit to Susu, which means "squash" in Vietnamese. The dessert selection includes coconut pudding with banana, coconut jelly and grass jelly. They are good desserts but pale in comparison to the salads and other dishes on the menu. We hope this section of the menu will be expanded soon.

Susu deserves a golden spoon award for its meticulous quest for herbs and flawless execution.

This beautiful restaurant has raised the benchmark for Vietnamese cuisine in Beijing, bringing it to a whole new level in the culinary landscape.

Found a hidden gem in Beijing? Send your reviews to metrobeijing@chinadaily.com.cn.

For China Daily

(China Daily 05/11/2011 page)